Nobel Women’s Initiative blog

The NWI/openDemocracy blog is a diary of the event written by four rapporteurs, NWI participants and openDemocracy’s program director Jane Gabriel. Our poDcast was directed by Siobhan O’Connell, openDemocracy’s podcast producer. If you wish to e-mail us about this blog, please see the contact page.

openDemocracy published four articles as part of our NWI coverage. You can read them by following the links below.

The meaning of Peace in the 21st century, by Shirin Ebadi

Peacework: lessons we have failed to learn, by Isabel Hilton

Nothing is impossible, the difficult takes longer, by Nadwa Sarandah

A Nothern Ireland lesson, by Anne Carr

You can now read the transcripts of the poDcast here in .pdf format:poDcast transcripts 1, 2 and 3.

Closing statement to participants at the first international conference of the Nobel Women’s Initiative: Women redefining peace in the Middle East and Beyond

We would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to come to Galway to participate in our first international conference. We have come together here out of our shared concern for the state of the world today – the spiralling violence, terrorism and anti-terrorism begetting more violence, always and increasingly borne by women and children.

We have been here together to share our experiences and the lessons learned in our various responses to violence against women. We know that our ability to confront this violence depends upon our ability to understand the causes and linkages as well as learn from the hope, the positive responses of resilience and non violent creativity of women in the Middle East and beyond.

We have talked about the continuum of violence – at the local, regional, national and international levels – and that we respond to that continuum of violence on local, regional, national and international levels as well. We know that all of our work is linked, whether we acknowledge the linkages or not, and that all of our work is contributing to building cultures of peace.

Listening to you all, sharing together, we have heard many not liking to word “peace”. We have discussed how “peace” has been high jacked as a meaningful word and has become synonymous with “weak”. We know that working for peace is anything but “weak” – it is hard work every single day.

We have heard women from throughout the Middle East that conflict will not end without dialogue – dialogue built on inclusions, human rights, justice and inequality – and we heard of the dialogue that you are engaged in daily, proving that it is not only possible but necessary. Indeed it is impossible for countries under occupation – Palestine, Iraq – to meaningfully participate in that kind of dialogue. As one participant said, “In order to co-exist, we must first exist”.

We have heard you ask the people of the United States to work on real democracy at home. Even when the people of that country vote the party of invasion out of the control of Congress, the Democratic Party has stepped back from legislation to bring an end to the occupation of Iraq.

We would also like to thank all of the women here for sharing with us your ideas as to how the Nobel Women’s Initiative can use our combined visibility and access to power to advance the issues addressed here. We will take these suggestions with us, so that the NWI can asses how we can respond to the broad array of action we might take.

We would also like to ask all of you who have shared this experience together to think, perhaps, about “peace” in terms of human security. Human security is a world where people recognize that sustainable peace, human rights, and sustainable development are indivisible parts of global security – security based on the needs of the peoples of the world and meeting their needs with justice and equality.

More weapons will only make us less secure, meeting the needs of the peoples inhabiting this tiny planet is what will make us more secure. Human security not National security.

We also ask that when we talk about violence we recognise that violence is not “just part of human nature”. Violence is a choice. Whether it is the violent choice of a man to beat a woman he supposedly loves, or the violent choice of a community to ghettoize people who are “different” racially or ethnically, or the violent choice of illegal invasion, or the violent choice of occupation. Building a culture of peace is learning and teaching that there are different choices. We as individuals do not have to choose violence. We as societies do not have to either support violent choices or participate in making them.

We as women can and must redefine peace – in the Middle East and beyond.

How can peace be built? openDemocracy.net was at the conference trying to find clues from the Nobel Laureates and the NWI participants. We now present three poDcasts from the Nobel Women’s Initiative in Galway. Listen now.

by Maggie Baxter, Green Belt Movement International

I came to the conference as a trustee of Green Belt Movement International whose founding director received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 – Wangari Maathai. Having been the Executive Director of WOMANKIND Worldwide, a UK international women’s rights and development agency, and now working on stopping the trafficking of women into the UK, developing a women’s resource and fund in the UK and supporting a small agency called Women for refugee women, the opportunity of attending the conference was an opportunity to listen and reflect. To listen to women who were tackling the complexities of peace building both as academics and practitioners, to test my knowledge and assumptions on women’s rights around the world, and begin to see where and how my experience could be used in the future.

I was particularly interested in hearing how outside agencies, whether individuals or organisations, could assist in other people’s crises. After all I had spent nearly 20 years working for funding organisations. What was appropriate? What was legitimate? What was asked for?

It would also throw light on how the women Nobel Laureates could collectively bring their influence to bear in changing things on the ground for communities suffering as a result of conflict. Conflicts which were often not of their making and deeply rooted in a number of conflicting arenas: global power-mongering; corporate supremacy; the market economy; international and national government policies – and the victims of most conflicts being women and children.

Day 1 –

The day was one of setting the scene with insights of the role the USA played on the world stage both politically and economically and how their instability and fear had set the world on a possible path to a third world war. By the end of the day my head was spinning from the many concepts that had been thrown out and chewed over: fundamentalism; identity politics; power mapping; the ‘weaponisation of women’s bodies’, capitalism and market economy and many more.

But what of the role of outsiders to the situations? It was mentioned that we need to think of what kind of interventions were appropriate for donor agencies, governments, civil society activists acknowledging that support and resources are needed - but support needs to be sure that it is not doing more damage or harm than the help it brings.

The messages: be careful who you partner with, there may be conflicting agendas; through these partners continue to make the connections and linkages and a collective movement and strength can be achieved; always use the media with individual powerful stories – each story should add strength to the other.

But beware! International not for profits are feeding on women in areas of conflict – they take a third of the budget back to their own countries, they don’t listen to local voices who know what needs doing, they are arrogant thinking they know better. This message came across loud and clear on the second day… Continue Reading »

by Roja Bandari, NWI rapporteur and PhD student in electrical engineering

I have had a chance to watch a movie with Shirin Ebadi, have dinner at the same table with Miread Corrigan, sing the “peel banana” song with Betty Williams, envy Wangari Masthai’s outfit, plan for an NPR interview with Jody Williams and sing, dance and learn from women many of which deserve to be laureates. Do you think I will ever wish to meet a president or celebrity in my life?

by Jameen Kaur, NWI rapporteur, Amnesty International Ireland

At 9.30 this morning we were again reminded of the humanity and inner resilience of Dau Aung San Suu Kyi and her continued struggle against an illegal military dictatorship as her presence overflowed from the giant screen. Her unjust absence from the conference is a cruel reminder of her long persecution by the dictatorship of Burma. How is it that the fourth largest army in South East Asia, a dictatorship that spends at least 40% of its budget on militarization and a mere 1% on health and education, can fear one woman who preaches non violence? Suu Kyi’s message to the international community is loud and clear. She urges us not to feed the dictatorship of Burma. Calling us to cut off all economic ties with Burma. End tourism and all other forms of engagement with Burma, which feed and nurture the dictatorship. As we note her forthcoming 62nd birthday: 19 June, and rush to scribble her address to send greeting cards, we were all conscious that this was our last and final day as a group.

The main question that stood before us like a majestic elephant, was how do we continue to most effectively voice our struggle and our resistance to the continual denial of our basic human rights? Our final moments were about magnifying the courage, the strength and the rights and needs of all the women in the room, and all those that they represented in each and every corner across the world. Ideas initially discussed on the first day were again given weight and focus: A mainstream media for women, by women was a vital and essential tool. It would make the invisible visible. Connections between advocacy and activism conducted at the local, regional, national and international level must be reinforced and developed. Women must be represented at every political level of society for real change to be negotiated and implemented.

Many hands were going up for comments and questions; a sense of urgency had taken over- that what had been so vibrantly and passionately discussed did not remain merely in the room, but effectively infiltrated through every level of society. Each statement was again re-enhanced by a woman’s human story of suffering. That at the core of all our discussions, our work was an over whelming unity of pain and resistance which was endured every minute of every hour of every day by women worldwide. The Laureates listened and took notes. They made a commitment that they would support the expertise that was being conducted on the ground. We were reminded again by Mairead Corrigan Maguire that we must all ‘live in the minute. That we must continue to celebrate life.’

As I walk away from the hotel, from the laughter and the electric vibrancy of 80 beautiful, strong women dancing and celebrating the essence and joy of life. I feel like a child that has just returned from a magical fun fair. I carry a huge bouquet of balloons in my hand, each one representing all the emotions I felt over the last three days, from anger to horror to joy and pain. I have been privileged to hear so much, see so much and be touched by so much. And I know within me that a window has opened in my heart, and I will never be the same. I know that I have a voice. That my voice with the voice of so many other men, women and children around the world will continue to fight for real change. I am reminded of what Suu Kyi said. That ‘freedom is giving joy to others. Freedom is understanding what is right within you, and exposing it without endangering yourself and others.’

by Jane Gabriel, openDemocracy’s program director

The Laureates, having sat amongst us all day, each day and listened to the stories being told and the arguments that came and went, have proposed four areas in which they might move forward. More media strategies. Linkages between disarmament and violence against women. A women’s peace statue. An annual women’s human rights report.

But it’s Shirin Ebadi’s idea of the women’s peace statue that has captured everyone’s minds – who should the statue be for? What should it say? What should it symbolise? What should it look like? It was discussed at length and the suggestions flowed:

Each country should design its own statue.

It should be not to the unknown victim but to the unknown survivor.

It should be of a woman on her own, without a child.

It should reinforce the Women in Black model.

It should be an antiwar symbol as well as a focus on women.

It should be to the unknown heroine.

It should be of two women, not one.

It should be a symbol – something that will change minds and therefore change culture.

Shirin Ebadi listened to the long list of suggestions and explained that her goal in suggesting it was to respect people who survive wars - the injured and the women and children. The sculpture by an Iranian artist who had voluntarily taken up the idea was one possible response. Shirin Ebadi feels that using the word ‘victim’ states that the memorial is for all the suffering that comes from war, but that this idea is something we can go on discussing. I think it’s likely to happen, so if you are interested, keep an eye on the Nobel Women’s Initiative website. It’s an idea that is here to stay…

I’ve heard how in coalition-building and inclusivity, the principles and not the ideology are the key. That dialogue works, but only when there is equality in the dialogue. That in order to transform victimisation the term itself must be used as a tool – a political tool for consciousness raising – and not abused. That we must humanise not demonise each other in order to transform the culture of violence. That peacebuilding is long hard painful work, that women can and do make a difference. Northern Ireland is the proof. The Irish Laureates gave the Iranian women here at the conference their word that if America attacks Iran, Shannon airport will not be used by the American military to refuel and carry out extraordinary renditions, as it is now.

The women Nobel Laureates created a space this week for women from around the world to gather: women who have lived and continue to live through wars at the same time as continuing to demand peace; women who experience violence on all levels and in all places day after day, year after year; women who try to raise their children and build a better life for them; women who simply will not give up, who survive, who not only carry on but search for other women and men with whom to share their peacebuilding knowledge.

The Laureates came not only to listen to them, but to pledge their support for the hard painful work of peacebuilding by women – for the sake of us all.

So, how did this conference end? It ended with women from around the world who will not give in to the violence, singing, drinking and dancing long into the night – Iranian music, Spanish music, Irish music, the Beatles – we sang, danced, clapped and laughed - with Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Shirin Ebadi there all the way.

by Rebecca Barlow, NWI rapporteur, PhD Candidate at the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies in Melbourne

It will be difficult to convey in words the depth and breadth of what has happened over the past three days here in Galway. Each day we have been witness to countless women activists’ stories of repression, despair, resistance, hope, forgiveness, and compassion. These accounts have been shared with extreme tenacity of spirit and tremendous wit. Furthermore, they were consistently presented within a framework of practical commitment to transforming ideas for change and reform into living realities.

There are two aspects of the conference that stand out in my mind at this point. One is the incredible Iranian delegation led by Shirin Ebadi. These women – journalists, lawyers, activists – demonstrate such assertiveness, dynamism, intelligence and good humour so as to categorically negate stereotypes that may exist around them, particularly in popular Western press. The Iranian women came to the conference from a country in which serious political and social repression defines their everyday realities, and yet not only did they consistently participate, but rather led the way in many of the discussions of equality, human rights, justice, and peace. I would implore anyone reading this blog to look at the Iranian women’s movement’s website on their latest campaign for equality, ‘One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws.’

The second aspect of the conference I would highlight is the democratic nature of the entire event. This conference was a micro-model of the democratic process in its highest form. Rarely did an event take place, or particular topic be broached, without the consent of all participants at the conference. And rarely was a voice not heard – even if this meant that we had to go over time or shorten the time we had for recess. The debates and discussions that ensued as a result were rich, lively, balanced, and never left without a logical conclusion. For me, this simply reinforced the fact that women must be further integrated into local, national, regional, and international decision-making structures and levels of governance. I do not approach my work from a feminist framework per se, but rather from a human rights and social justice basis. Having said this, I feel that there is no way the conference would have been as qualitatively good had it not been facilitated and moderated by women only.

The Nobel Women’s Initiative is not yet one year old, and yet it has already begun to provide a strong revenue for change and resistance to the dominant, patriarchal structures in which every one of us lives. I look forward to keeping in touch with the conference participants, and in continuing our commitment to advancing women’s human rights together.

by Amelia Korangy, NWI rapporteur, FAIR fund

After the immense dialogue that took place today, I feel a bit foolish. Usually, I take solace and recognize my own self-efficacy that has come as consequence of my dedication to the non-profit world. As a well educated, 21 year old woman growing up just outside of Washington DC my everyday life is not perfect, it is not pristine, but I am grateful to admit that I do enjoy myself and my time. More than ever before, today I realized that I am beyond fortunate. I have an obligation to listen. There is so much to hear, and while it is difficult, I am glad to hear it.

At home, I bask in my family and my friends who are all healthy, vibrant human beings. I spend much of my time listenning to music, dancing, or in the glorious world of philanthropy and social change fundraising. I enjoy food, wine, and fashion. I long for the sunshine, fresh flowers, the ocean, Maryland crabs, and good films. I usually enjoy those without rationing, without much restraint, and usually with an angelic conscience.

I took a great deal of time today thinking of these things that make me happy in a world of such despair. I listened and compared my happiness to what my young women counterparts living in Burma, Palestine, or Iraq can only dream of experiencing. I felt rather foolish.

I learned from women who are the leaders of organizations and movements, women who have decades of life experience revolving around erasing violence around the world. For so many women around the globe – old and young – happiness is marginal. Instead, their lives are about survival. If my life is not about survival, it must be about contribution.

I added very little to the discussion today, as I felt it was better to instead utilize my very best civil listening skills. I heard something quite profound: humanity is trivialized by violence. It is not the economics, or the politics, or the power that will motivate change. It is our own humanity. By ignoring such, by failing to listen, a person always trivializes himself or herself, lives illegitimately, and fails. I believe very strongly that people cannot live their lives in the shadow of someone else’s strife, but I also believe that empathy for the suffering that people – real people all over the world – battle every single day is central to success. Continue Reading »

by Roja Bandari, NWI rapporteur, PhD student in electrical engineering

Getting up wasn’t so easy this morning and my jetlag has been so hard to shake off. I got a cab to get to the conference this morning and had another good conversation with my driver. The Irish are really nice people! It is in the culture of taxi drivers in this region to entertain you with the most friendly conversations the whole way they drive. The B&B that Rebecca and I are staying at is also very cute and feels like home. I will definitely have to come back here with my husband as tourists!

Today was another amazing day at the conference. Women from Northern Ireland have achieved monumental success in ending a terrible conflict and have great insight and experience which must be utilized in dealing with similar situations especially the Palestine-Israel conflict. At the workshop titled “Challenging Fundamentalisms” we had a great conversation at our table with Iranian, Palestinian, Croatian, Syrian and Irish activists. I learned about Croatian women challenging Christian fundamentalisms in their country and also realized that collaboration among women from countries in the region who share some similar obstacles in women’s rights such as Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine, Pakistan, Kosovo, Iraq and Syria is a great opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

The stories of Robi Damelin and Nadwa Sarandah from the Parents Circle-Bereaved Families Forum, who had all lost someone dear to them but were taking steps toward peace, made me cry but also showed me how we should never simplify the issue and take out the human factor.

In the end of the day, we watched a video on the Iranian women’s campaign for equality (the One Million Signatures Campaign). There were explanations given by Dr. Tohidi and Dr. Ebadi and questions asked about the forms of international support that are suitable. As supporters of this campaign in the US, a group of university students and I had been struggling for the past few months to contact someone from the NPR (national public radio) and ask them to include a report about the campaign but it is very difficult to find any contacts. I brought up this issue in the session and to my delight, Jody Williams immediately suggested that she would contact them so me and her can have an interview about the campaign. That was one of the highlights of this conference for me.

by Jameen Kaur, NWI rapporteur, Amnesty International Ireland

Today we danced. We moved our bodies to the banana song sang by Nani from Indonesia. However my heart feels sore as I write. The peace process causes me pain. The peace process requires a deep inner strength, which sadly governments do not initiate. I saw the real face of conflict today and the emptiness it leaves behind. We heard stories from Northern Ireland, the pain and suffering of conflict to the peace it has now set. People move on, but they do not, cannot forget. That is peace and reconciliation. But the journey as recounted by our speakers is not easy. ‘Peace is hard work, we suffer, emotions suffer, families suffer… yet we do it for our children, our grand children..’ said Anne Carr, Ireland. Families, communities accused each other of betrayal as hate made room for peace and reconciliation.

Though, not all our delegates shared this view. A Palestinian delegate spoke ‘Peace is a dirty business. In order to co-exist, first one must exist. Palestinians have been used in the peace process. Just another point on the Israel’s agenda? How can we be included, without being abused? Tough, hard hitting questions, for which as we all realise only time holds true answers.

However, the brutal experience of countries like Ireland and South Africa gave hope. Change is possible, but its hard work. Long work. Dialogues cannot be set in stone, there has to be manoeuvring at each step, for each side. Women must be at the negotiation table. That is vital for long term peace. There can be no long term peace without the women.

I witnessed courage in its purest form today. I heard two stories, which I will forever carry with me. One by an Israeli Jewish mother who lost her son: David to a sniper. The other a Palestinian, on the loss of her Harvard educated sister. Both whom have started a bereaved family support group. Which speaks to the ‘enemy’. Through projects in their most practical form, they change minds and hearts, by giving strength to the belief that there is another option. We also watched a moving documentary ‘Encounter Point’ which brought hope but also tears. We learnt that true compassion is about knowing your own darkness well enough to sit with others. It is a relationship of equals.

All the stories and the real experience of woman on the ground , whether in their homes or as they walk away from a burnt village resoundingly stress that it is not that women are voiceless, that they do not cry and shout at the violence that is being inflicted on them, but more tragically that the world is ear less. It is our biggest task and challenge to create ears for the ear less. It begins by owning our own story. And then deciding how we will use it, so it is not exploited by politicians and individuals for power and control.

It is good to see that friendships among the delegates are forming. Names are being remembered quicker. Night time activities bring a celebratory atmosphere and the trophy for party animals has great competition. The Laureates too bring a uniting factor, each one bringing her own unique personality and charm. As Shirin Ebadi stated : ‘Allow the tree of friendship to go into full bloom.’

by Jane Gabriel, openDemocracy’s program director

“There comes a time when you lose your fear and thing are never quite the same again.”

The fact that we are in Ireland is having a powerful effect on us all – because amidst the terrible stories, the attempts to analyse, explain and come up with new solutions to end conflict and build peace , we have the constant reminder of how peace has been achieved in Northern Ireland. Women from the peace process – Ann Carr and Bronagh Hinds are here along with Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire and others. It’s impossible to not share their joy.

Anne Carr and Bronagh Hinds talked us through the determination and the imagination it took; the painstaking, careful, detailed, dangerous work that the women of Northern Ireland have undertaken since 1976 in the name of peace. When they said that “there comes a time when you lose your fear and thing are never quite the same again”, it captured the spirit of the story they told.

The message was that “peace-building is hard work”- it involves suffering, keeping your feet on the ground while you try to convince all parties that in really understanding violence, there is the understanding that it will never work, that there will never be a winner, that we are all losers. Ann had spent two years visiting prisons, working on her own with 46 men every two weeks –and dialogue, being able to think through what the other side needed, was the key to the eventual change of heart and minds.

The women talked of the goal of inclusivity at all levels and at all times – the only negative comment was from Bronagh about some of the feminists she’d known to whom she’d said “we are living, managing, resolving transitioning from conflict and you want us to try and transform the whole of society too? Give us a break!”.

Hinds had said at some point that while we can’t supplant one conflict on another we can and must “listen carefully for grains of assistance”.

When Mairead Corrigan Maguire spoke to the whole conference she said “your stories resonate with us. We hope that by you knowing that if we can keep hope alive we can make a difference”.

There are all sorts of tensions and struggles going on here at the conference as women from thirty countries with immense experience, suffering, determination and skills refuse to give up the struggle to end violence – and try to empower each other by exchanging views and experiences. “Listening for grains of assistance” is what everyone is doing here. So when Hibaaq Osman from Somalia spoke I realised how this can work. She said “when the Irish were speaking I said yes, yes! – I thought they were speaking about Somalia, my country!”. She explained that in working at the height of the conflict in Somalia the hardest thing was to have the humility, the respect and the openness to understand the culture of her own country, to start by being yourself, to make mistakes, and that only then had she been able to help bring people from all sides to the table, to persuade them that they would be listened to, respected and recognised.

Her message was a mixed one, for although she had recognised the lessons from the Irish peace work, she was adamant that there is no role for donor agencies and the international community in solving other people’s conflicts, that they should “shut up and if they want to support us, and get out of our way” – a comment that sparked heated discussion amongst some participants well into the night.

by Rebecca Barlow, NWI rapporteur, PhD Candidate at the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies in Melbourne

Yesterday I wrote about those moments during the NWI conference when the entire room has been left in momentary silence, but it is the afternoon session of day two of the conference that has left me most affected.

This afternoon’s panel focused on Israel and the Occupied Territories. The anguish expressed in the words of the two women who spoke to us (one Israeli and one Palestinian) was tangible, and weighted by the knowledge that these women represented the tragic realities of thousands upon thousands of other men, women, and children on the ground. But these women were not here to simply tell us about their pasts. They were here to talk about the future, and strategies for change. One theme resounded in this respect: there is no military-oriented solution to the problem of Israel-Palestine.

As part of my position as PhD candidate at Monash University in Australia, I tutor second and third year students in Middle Eastern politics. Of course, the Israel-Palestine conflict features predominantly in the course. If I can impart just some of the reality of experiences expressed to me by the women that I have listened to and engaged with today back to my students in Melbourne, it has the potential to make a profound difference to the way we study and engage with the subject matter. What I have realised here today is that while we study conflict and the history of conflict, we must maintain a commitment to study and focus predominantly on peace and strategies for peace. Otherwise, what really is the point?

To speak frankly, it is somewhat difficult to write about such complex, politically sensitive, and sometimes deeply personal issues in a blog. To be even more frank, at this point in the evening of day two I share the sentiments of my Croatian friend who I sat next to during this afternoon’s session and who turned to me at the end of the women’s stories and said: “Okay, now I need alcohol.”

by Jane Gabriel, openDemocracy’s program director

I’m struck by the completely relaxed way the five Laureates wander around the hotel with us all – sharing breakfast tables, smoking breaks, chatting with everyone as they go. This is direct, informal contact, anyone can and does talk to anyone. Jodi Williams has said that they want to use their Nobel Prizes to highlight the work of women and to link women. With 80 women activists here from thirty different countries and the chance to talk openly informally and honestly with the Laureates for three days, this is an extraordinary gathering. We’re all going to be in one room, seated at about ten round tables, with the Laureates amongst us. It feels like we may be seeing a new way of exercising power.

The morning was spent listening to the ways women in the Middle East are experiencing violence on a continuum, whether from religious fundamentalism, economic deprivation or in the domestic sphere. In discussing types of violence the topics range from the need to contest the construction of our collective identity as women, and to refuse to make the false dichotomous choice the fundamentalists impose of being either ‘for or against us’, to the fact that all societies have to explain three things – birth, death and the existence of at least two sexes – and therefore the construction of identity means that we have to address gender.

Farida Shareed urged the participants to remember that collective identities are negotiated and contested. When we, as women, ask for changes in how we define ourselves we’re asking for the whole society to change; that is what gender means. She called for us to recognise that “culture is an explosive term. It’s used as a barrier to talk about gender based violence. Just because slavery and apartheid were part of your culture it didn’t mean that you couldn’t talk about it. We must and we can.”

Nadera Shalkoub Kerkorian spoke of the way domestic violence is so often culturalised; she called for the recognition that domestic violence is a political and ethical issue, and not a cultural issue. She told harrowing stories with an awful clarity. She described one woman who took her seven year old son back to see their demolished home. She wound a piece of wire all the way around the boundary of where their home had stood and held it in place with small sticks. Then she made a tiny door and gave the boy a small key. She told him, “now this is your home and no one can come in”. She spoke of the women she works with and asked us to remember that when we look at victimization we are also looking at resistance and agency and resilience and pain; that in order to address domestic violence it is necessary to oppose the dominant political order and to criminalise it – not the individuals.

As she said, “Can the master’s tools be used to pull down the master’s house”?

Continue Reading »

by Roja Bandari, NWI rapporteur, PhD student in electrical engineering

I don’t know how one can sleep after such a day! I stayed awake in my bed until 4 am thinking about it. So many outstanding speakers from all over the world pumped information into my head all day. It was surreal and I shouldn’t really try to describe what it was like. I was especially surprised by these extraordinary women’s humility and sense of humor (Jody Williams is very funny) and I definitely wished I could pull off wearing the gorgeous bright yellow clothes that Wangari Maathai was wearing. I’m genuinely jealous.

I don’t think a woman engineer has ever had the chance to be in my position. Engineering is a masculine field (not in nature, but by current social norms) and my fellow woman graduate students in engineering and sciences at UCLA have recently started regular meetings that address issues of women working in these male dominated fields. During a section of the conference talks yesterday, the point was made that many weapons producers are from the US. As an engineer, that makes me think about who develops these weapons? In electrical engineering and especially in telecommunications - my area of graduate studies - much of the leading research is funded by the defense companies and a large portion of research funds is often spent by the government in defense projects. More often than not, a novel method or product is invented for a military application, and after several years it gets commercialized or used in urban spaces by the general public. A good example is the internet or wireless communications. This is accepted among the engineering community as something natural and research professors and scholar constantly seek projects funded by the US department of defense because of both the generous funding and the opportunity to work on the most exciting cutting edge technology. If an advisor gets funding for his or her student through a defense company, the student usually will not decline because there are not that many other funding opportunities.

It means engineers are passively contributing to the weapons development simply because of a passion for our profession, and shortage of other forms of funding. But is it ethical to contribute to a technology that can be used to kill others? To me this seems to contradict the first canon of the engineering code of ethics, “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.” I understand that this is not a black and white matter since the choice of the government to heavily fund research in defense projects is certainly something that has to do with policymakers and not engineers. An engineer can develop the internet for the public or for the military and it’s the government who decides which of these two has priority. But in either case you can’t ignore the personal choice that an engineer has to make in whether or not to be a part of a defense project.

What I will take away from this day is a plan for a more serious and in depth examination of this issue following a discussion about the engineering ethics of working with a defense company. Presence of more women in engineering will inevitably change the nature of this profession and maybe a harder look into our role in the cycles of violence in the world can enlighten all engineers in making career choices and maybe improve the nature of our profession. I plan to take this discussion into our next meeting with other UCLA women scientists and engineers.

by Roja Bandari, NWI rapporteur, PhD student in electrical engineering

As an Iranian-American, I work to help my sisters in Iran while living in the US where my own life is affected by women’s image and position in the society. When I came to the US at the age of 20, I was accustomed to the Iranian society with its own forms of male and female stereotyping and a different (and more visible) version of patriarchy. I had gotten used to ignore or maneuver around most of these issues.

Americans have a different set of stereotypes (although there are some overlaps) and especially negative language associated with women which insulted me all anew when I started integrating into American society. I am specifically quite irritated at the media and popular culture’s image of women and the way it leads to how women see themselves and how men and women view other women. It’s not a very pleasant image, and not one that I’d like to be associated with. I have often wondered why there isn’t a more widespread and unified campaign to change this and to improve the public image of women in the US.

Today, when Yanar Mohammed brought up the issue of Iraqi television programs and how women are portrayed in them, I immediately remembered my own struggle at home. Yanar suggested for an international women’s television channel to be established. That sounded incredible and it compelled me to raise my hand and say how I think this channel will not only empower women in Iraq and other countries, but it can also empower the American women. It seems to me that American women are sometimes viewed by the international community as women with no problems and even maybe as a powerful group that perpetuates oppression on other people. I think this is not true.

I believe that the average American woman has to learn to feel solidarity with her sisters inside America in order to learn to also have solidarity with the rest of the women in the world. And for most American girls, that solidarity does not seem to be there, or at least I don’t see it. American women are not all-powerful forces that are sitting at the top of the world. They experience discrimination and violence as well, and especially when the world complains about the US acting as a bully (with its military, its media, etc.). In some situations, it’s not far off to think that American women can get bullied by their own macho media at home. Fighting the macho mentality inside America might help ameliorate the macho foreign policies of the US as well. I’m not a sociologist nor an academic in Women’s studies, but this simply seems to make sense to me.

by Rebecca Barlow, NWI rapporteur, PhD Candidate at the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies in Melbourne

The Nobel Women’s Initiative’s First International Conference opened on day one with over eighty scholars and activists introducing themselves. The diversity of voices in the room was nothing short of astounding, reflected only very partially in the channels on our foreign-language headsets: channel one for English, channel two for Arabic, channel three for Spanish and channel four for Farsi. The diversity of voices present generated an array of viewpoints and experiences. Sometimes these converged, and sometimes they diverged. Always, the many viewpoints in the room made for challenging and enriching debate and discussion.

Day one focused on contextualising the conference: why are we here and why are we talking about women in the Middle East specifically? These questions were addressed at the outset by Shirin Ebadi. Violence and human rights abuses affect women in all countries, in all regions of the globe. However, as Shirin pointed out, the modern Middle East is facing another problem: war. Women and children are the first losers of war. From this basis, the discussion at day one of the conference proceeded by addressing a range of interconnected issues: religious fundamentalisms, the occupation of Palestine, the agenda of Washington and the Bush administration, weapons proliferation – only to name a few.

At some points throughout the day, the systematic and endemic nature of these issues left the entire room in silence. But this silence was always momentary. The focus of the discussions consistently moved towards strategising for policy-oriented action, women’s agency, and appropriation of power in various institutions. Personally, it is this aspect of the conference that I find to be most inspiring, and highly motivating. Many women involved in the NWI conference are academics and intellectuals, but the conference at large represents a move beyond analysis alone towards dealing practically with human rights abuses and violence against women on the ground.

The women at the NWI conference are addressing some of the most difficult contemporary issues facing not only women, but the international community at large. These issues are being addressed in seriousness, but not solemnity. The overriding sense here is one of motivation, commitment, and an unwavering belief in possibilities for positive change. It is with this attitude that we end day one exhausted, yet looking forward to day two with an equal amount of anticipation.

by Amelia Korangy, NWI rapporteur, FAIR-fund

As the first day of the conference winds down to its end, I must say I am exhausted. Women activists from all over the world spoke at length about the conflicts, power relationships, and linkages between social justice issues that communities around the globe are confronting. It is challenging to listen to women give first hand accounts of the consequences that colonization, globalization, false imprisonment, human trafficking, rape, domestic violence, occupation, forced veiling, corrupt legal systems, and war have on the lives and communities of women. Still, despite the challenging realities, the information shared today from diverse regions of the world is not only important to those working for women’s rights, but has also provided the necessary foundation of current realities that will serve as an impetus, a catalyst, and a springboard for the first International Conference of the Nobel Women’s Initiative to move forward.

Today, in our conference room with panoramic views of the magnificent Galway coastline, I sat in appreciation of the dozen or so round tables, the individual microphones, and the impressive translating procedures. I was glad to be reminded of the Nobel Laureates, to take moments to acknowledge the important work being done by and for women around the world, and to learn more about the movements in Burma, in Sudan, in Iraq, and in Palestine. What I was most thankful for today, however, were the guests at my table.

I was seated beside a Russian and an Israeli. We shared the table with Palestinian and Syrian activists, amongst Shirin Ebadi, Jody Williams, Wangaari Maathai, and Betty Williams. I had to remind myself throughout the day to sit back – just for a moment – and take note of what was going on. In this room, we sat together, in solidarity, pain, and often awe of what we were hearing. We were truly international, and our diversity could not have been more obvious. Together we struggled to internalize many of the horrors that were being depicted. Each of us had different reactions to what was being said; each of us had different opinions to articulate, and each of us saw the world through a unique prism. Still, we listened and we looked together, as women who aspire to bring positive social change. We sat with one another, together, to understand the cross sectoral linkages of social justice issues, to internalize the competing (and often disheartening) dynamics of power, and to witness that the absence of war does not mean peace.

It was difficult and it was tiring. The conflict and the struggles faced by women around the world are relentless. But, as I sit here now exhausted, emotionally drained and with an aching heart I am surprised at how excited I am for tomorrow. In fact, I am astonished at how hopeful I am right now. I am astonished at how, after 8 long hours of detailing the pain and abuse faced by women, I am able to smile.

But smiling I am because if there is ever a place, ever a group of women, ever a coalition to be built that will challenge the violence, rape, genocide, and poverty suffered by women around the world it is here and now with the Nobel Women’s Initiative’s Conference. We here are equipped, we are excited, and we are most of all happy to share and collaborate, to pool resources and networks, to garnish worldwide attention to the needs and initiatives of activist women around the world. Tomorrow will be spectacular….

by Jameen Kaur, NWI rapporteur, Amnesty International Ireland

Suddenly there are faces to names. The First Nobel Women’s Initiative opened today, and with it the excitement of so many possibilities. Unlike many other conferences, this one opened with unexpected hugs from delegates from all around the world. Behind smiles, colourful outfits and vibrant languages were stories from the women’s human rights struggle from around the world, present are 80 women who had journeyed from 30 countries to be in Ireland.

Immediately, the tone has been set. The goal of the conference is not to act as monologue of the experience of women. But to provide an innovative opportunity to utilise the prestige and expertise of the laureates to gain further access and bring about real change. The sole aim is to improve the lives of millions of women from around the world. Whether this be of the woman who has been raped by militia forces in Darfur, or the young school girls in Gaza, who resist the occupation by continuing to go to school, despite daily harassment.

As a woman in my early thirties, I sit amongst women, humbled, intoxicated and energised by their decades of expertise and experience. I search for answers on their faces, what drives these women and the women their represent? The stories clearly illustrate that the ‘personal is political’ and ‘the political personal’. Words such as ‘Democracy’which have now been colonised by certain states, were giving meaningful definitions to reflect a reality to a woman: ‘Democracy is when a woman can talk about her lover without being killed.’

The emotions of the day shifted like the Irish Sea. We started upbeat, and celebratory, however as the stories unfolded, the real sadness and pain of the reality of the lives of women and girls in times of ‘peace’ and conflict hit home. How these realities were forced upon women around the world, without their consent. The ‘weaponising of women’s bodies’ a strategy used around the world and throughout time. Using rape as a weapon of war to humiliate the female victim and her community, and then women having to suffer additional abuse under patriarchal and religious fundamentalist structures.

The afternoon session with Antonia Juhasz’s excellent presentation almost had me running into the sea, screaming ‘is this for real, somebody please stop this brutal scary movie!! Antonia’s talk focused on the multi national corporations and the Bush administrations’ horrifying strategy of greed: the gobbling up the oil assets belonging to the Iraqi people. She stressed that 52 of the world’s largest economies were U.S. multi national corporations. That ‘for the first time in history of the United States we have a President, a Vice President and a Secretary of State who are all heads of Oil Companies’. She stated that Condelleeza Rice has more experience running an oil company then she does in government, she even has an oil tanker named after her, and ‘she has earnt it’.

Antonia laid out bare how the U.S government was essentially blackmailing the Iraqi government to ensure that this new legislative act which legally guarantees it controls and manages 63 of Iraq’s 80 oil fields and reserves under ground. If the Iraqi government refuse, the U.S. will terminate funding of Iraq’s reconstruction programme. Who is next, on the U.S multi national oil corporations shopping list? Could it be the third largest oil producer in the world – Iran?

‘Oh my God!! I just want to die’ said Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathi, as she remarked on these cruel facts. Delegates were in absolute horror as the Bush administration’s strategy was laid out bare, and the suicidal consequences this legislation would have on the people of Iraq and beyond, particularly the impact on women. As Yanar Mohammed stated ‘you state oil is cheap, I tell you it is hugely expensive. I tell you I queue for hours, to be told to come back tomorrow. My room is cold, my children are cold. Or if I want oil I must provide one of the soldiers a favour.’

by Amelia Korangy, NWI rapporteur

I come to this conference as a very recent college graduate with all of the grand aspirations one could hope a well-educated and creative student would embody. Luckily, a history in the independent sector working for non-profits has instilled within me a remarkable degree of self-efficacy, and so as I embark on a new phase of my life, I feel confident and supported in my endeavors to engage women in the work towards strong, non-violent, and equitable communities. There are thousands of organizations around the world guided by women who are keenly dedicated to empowering women in order to bring sustainable and authentic social change, and I am excited to share this conference with a select group of them.

Working for peace, justice, and equality is not an easy task – anyone familiar with the history of conflict and post conflict societies knows well that progress is often slow and heartache always quite poignant. Nevertheless, this years’ first international conference carries with it an air of security and hope for the future of these many organizations around the globe that are focused on aiding women and girls, changing inequitable policy, and strengthening the path towards peace.

In a world where media attention increasingly seems to confer legitimacy, where funding surfaces as one of the most critical challenges for those seeking peace, justice, and equality, and where the best resources day in and day out are seeded in our fellow community of activists – it is remarkable that the Nobel Women’s Initiative use this conference to establish the beginnings of a more unified, globally recognized, mutually supportive, and financially stable independent sector led by women committed to nothing short of changing the world.

There are so many aspects of the conference that I am looking forward to. As a student of Perisan culture and the Middle East, I cannot wait to broaden my understanding of engendered and identity politics as they work in the region. I am excited to learn more from the incredible collection of women activists and how they are utilizing the creative and individual capacities of young women to work against the rising tide of violence and conflict. I am curious as to how our worlds most respected activist minds will frame the issue of women’s rights in the context of social and political engagement, and I am honored to be included in talks of peace with some of the most recognized and compelling Nobel Laureates.

The Nobel Women’s Initiative is bold and powerful. These six Laureates and their surrounding community of support have fostered an organization unparalleled by any other body in the world so committed to peace, justice, and equality. Each of us here at the conference know that women are the keystone to progress and capable of incredible leadership. The commencement of this conference is exemplary. The fruits of the work here can propel the independent sector into a future that is ripe with large - scale possibilities. With this conference we will solidify our ability to garnish the attention of the world, and equip one another with the network and support needed to engage individuals from all corners of the globe in the process of ending gender violence and building sustainable peace.

I hope that you will join our efforts, spread the word, and keep updated with this monumental initiative. There is an energy – an aura – that surrounds all people who work for justice and equality, and this week in Galway we are collaborating so that this light and this energy be more unmistakable than ever before.

by Roja Bandari, NWI rapporteur

I’m packing my laptop, some music, and a blow-up pillow for the plane ride and I’m intensely hoping for the person sitting next to me to be interesting. I feel tingly at the thought of being at the conference, in the same room as many world-renowned and outstanding scholars and activists and I consider myself privileged to have the opportunity to be there. I admit that I feel just a little nervous since although I have been active in a women’s rights campaign, my main field of study is not at all related to the subject of this conference. I’m a PhD student in electrical engineering and I wrestle with a computer program all day trying to find the trade-off between the number of wirelessly communicated bits and detection performance of a sensor network. Somehow I doubt that I will be speaking much about my research to anyone in this conference.

I might not have related academic background, but I am hoping to bring a few things of my own to the conference. I feel that I have the passion and maybe a good intuition about women’s rights and especially women’s condition in my home country, Iran. I grew up in Iran and I was 20 years old by the time I moved to the US in 2000. My teenage years were definitely bittersweet, on one hand I had to deal with unreasonable restrictions at my all-girls’ school (junior high was not fun), and on the other hand I formed lasting friendships with my strong, lively, audacious, and funny classmates and learned calculus and physics -all those manly subjects- from extremely intelligent and passionate female teachers. Maybe something from all of that pushes me to care more about what happens to women of Iran.

I have spent the past five or six months obsessively reading about a campaign called the “One Million Signatures” campaign, initiated by Iranian activists inside Iran last summer. The goal is to gather one million signatures to demand a change in the discriminatory laws in the Iranian legal system, specifically those which discriminate with respect to gender. Everything about this campaign intrigues me, from their face-to-face method that emphasizes education and dialogue to their non-hierarchical structure where activists collaborate without the restrictions of a hierarchy. I was impressed by the amazing writings of my sisters in Iran where you can sense their wisdom and courage radiating from every single line you read. About four months ago, along with some other students and young professionals in California, we decided to establish a group to advocate for this great campaign in our community and spread the word about their cause. This campaign is one of the most commendable movements taking place in Iran and we hope that it gets the international support it really deserves.

I am hoping to meet other participants in the conference who might also be interested in this campaign (I already know I will have a great conversation about this with Rebecca). I also hope to learn about ways that the international community can help campaigns such as this one. This is especially a delicate subject since some forms of international support can lead to increased pressures on activists inside countries like Iran. I’m glad to see that a few of the sessions focus on how the media and the international community can play a role in the struggle for peace and women’s rights. I’m also very happy to see that the conference seems to have an emphasis on drawing tangible conclusions and identifying practical steps that lead to action.

It’s going to be a very exciting and busy week. For now, I will keep packing while thinking about the weather in Galway and what it’s going to be like to see the sun shining until 10 pm.

by Jameen Kaur, NWI rapporteur

I have a magnitude of thoughts: I think the conference will represent a fantastic and much needed opportunity for women from around the globe to learn the reality of what is happening at various levels: judiciary, grassroot, community and even within the family circle - the challenges this reality brings and the steps which are being taken to advance the human rights issues of women further. I hope the conference will allow for a space for individuals and organisations to establish networks, to bring a human rights frame work to the gender issues which affect the women of the middle east. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the complex issues that affect the women of the middle east from the expertise of the speakers and attendees.

I hope to understand and focus on what works where and why, what hasn’t worked, the gaps that need to be addressed, and the bridges which need to be built to address these gaps. The conference also presents a space to merge partnerships, to tie in with other NGOS and human rights organisations, the sharing of expertise and skills.It will also reflect the diversity of experience, of the human rights movement and the critical voice of women rights activists world wide, and how this diversity of skills and expertise can be used to strengthen the human rights movement at a deeper level.

I hope the dialogue is clear, honest and practical and mostly I hope it inspires and energises all of the attendees to campaign and advocate for real change.

By Rebecca Barlow, NWI rapporteur

I keep a keen eye on the NWI website. When I learnt of the NWI conference and the direct relation of its theme (‘Women Redefining Peace in the Middle East and Beyond’) to my research, I immediately inquired about the possibility of attending and assisting at the conference. I was thrilled when my inquiry was met with the opportunity to act as a rapporteur. Since then, months have gone by and so have streams of emails from motivated, energetic individuals from a range of countries who are involved in organising, attending, and assisting at the conference.

For me, the opportunity to engage with and learn from the real experiences and practical knowledge of the Nobel Laureates and their colleagues as they have struggled for peace, justice, and human rights is both exciting and humbling.

These struggles have taken place in countries torn by war and conflict. Yet in today’s world these struggles affect of peoples from all regions of the globe. The NWI conference presents an opportunity for women from a range of countries to come together to strategise for peace and women’s rights in the Middle East. The crisis in this part of our world has touched the lives of men and women everywhere, including in my own country – particularly, of course, the Australian Muslim population.

History shows that women have a unique and innovative approach to conflict resolution and peace. In this sense I look forward to the conference and its outcomes with a real sense of hope. Before then, of course, I will have much more time to prepare for and think about the conference and these issues during what will be a 24 hour journey from Australia to Ireland!

The Nobel Women’s Initiative was established in 2006 by sister Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire. 

The six women - representing North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa - have decided to bring together our extraordinary experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality. Only 12 women in its more than 100 year history have been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize is a great honor, but it is also a great responsibility. It is this sense of responsibility that has compelled them to create the Nobel Women’s Initiative to help strengthen work being done in support of women’s rights around the world - work often carried out in the shadows with little recognition.

We hope you share our excitement about the potential of the Nobel Women’s Initiative to meaningfully contribute to building a culture of peace defined by a commitment to equality and justice- a democratic world free of physical, economic, cultural, political, religious, sexual and environmental violence and the constant threat of these forms of violence against women – indeed against all of humanity.