Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative, Roja Bandari on May 31, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Jameen Kaur, Nobel Women's Initiative on May 31, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Jane Gabriel, Nobel Women's Initiative on May 31, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative, Rebecca Barlow on May 31, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Jane Gabriel, Nobel Women's Initiative on May 31, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative, Roja Bandari on May 31, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative, Roja Bandari on May 30, 2007 | 1 Comment »
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 [...]
Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative, Rebecca Barlow on May 30, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Amelia Korangy, Nobel Women's Initiative on May 30, 2007 | 1 Comment »
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 [...]
Posted in Jameen Kaur, Nobel Women's Initiative on May 30, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Amelia Korangy, Nobel Women's Initiative on May 30, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative on May 30, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative on May 23, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative on May 23, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
Posted in Nobel Women's Initiative on May 22, 2007 | No Comments »
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 [...]
