Summary of Concluding Discussions
The concluding plenary discussion was opened by the seminar facilitator
suggesting a discussion on lobby targets and inputs to the WTO and
other parallel processes, and which key proposals to prioritize in
relation to these processes.
Access to lobby channels
An African participant commented that in Africa it is very difficult
to lobby because 1) women have no influence at all and 2) everything
is dictated from somewhere else. Therefore she proposed that different
strategies are needed to fight national and international policies,
questioning whether African women can start from the same platform
as their sisters in Europe and North America, or we should have different
levels of lobbying?
A concrete suggestion on how to lobby in countries where direct access
to policy makers is difficult to obtain was to contact the local UN
offices who often are very open to working with and getting into dialogue
with NGOs. UN officers have direct access to ministers and often a
great influence on the governments. Therefore they are good targets
for lobbying.
Another suggestion was sharing information between regional networks
on how to get access to information about the decision making processes
in the WTO and the FfD processes. Multilateral organizations such
as the World Bank have processes where the civil society (in which
women’s organizations is included) is supposed to be consulted. Information
about these processes at the national and regional level is a civil
right, therefore if it is not done in some of the countries, one should
meet up and ask for discussions with these institutions.
Another stated that those who are in a position to lobby at the international
forum with all the policy makers is not always able to lobby directly
on their own governments on the changes they want, but can lobby on
other governments who sympathize with their point of view. To do that
effectively sharing of information – in forums such as the KULU seminar
- is extremely important, because it strengthens the solidarity and
helps one to learn about the position of a particular government on
a particular issue.
One participant added, that in Seattle (at the WTO conference in
1999), the NGO coalition was able to link up with the trade ministers
from African countries on issues in which they had shared interests,
and thereby forming a kind of joint NGO/official lobby position.
Lobby Strategies
Another suggestion was to implement both a horizontal and vertical
strategy, because to be heard it is necessary to mobilize and bring
in as many groups as possible – enhancing and pushing for gender awareness.
A horizontal strategy includes those NGOs participating
in the WTO and FfD processes working on environmental issues and labour
rights issues who do not raise the issue of gender. A vertical
strategy includes international organizations sharing the same
interest, such as UNIFEM who is presently working with WEDO and other
NGO groups on the FfD process, or UNCTAD and other UN agencies that
women want to influence. Included in the vertical strategy are also
academics – particularly economists and social scientist - who are
influencing academic thinking as well as advocacy groups. Lobby
targets should also be examined in terms of who are immediate,
such as trade negotiators, and who are intermediate, such as
the UN institutions and advocacy groups that are raising environment
and labour standards.
A concrete example of what can be characterized as a horizontal strategy
is in the Caribbean, where a reference group including environmental
groups, labour organizations and women’s organizations are working
together making campaigns in connection with important events, such
as the official visit of the WTO Secretary General last July. Included
in these campaigns are seminars were key-people such as government
ministers and journalist are invited, so that the campaigning groups
are able to present the points that they want in policy papers. In
connection with such campaigns journalists are very important.
Campaigns as a tool
Another proposal was to launch campaigns and gender boycotts
on products such as food and clothes produced in a way that worsen
the situation of women in developing countries.
Building alliances
One participant suggested that it is important to put more emphasize
in building up alliances between the different social movements, such
as the environmental movement and women’s groups, because of the diverging
strategies of these movements. In environmental work there is no gender
aspects and vice versa. A recent example is ATTAC having a big
conference on the Tobin Tax, without any comments on gender issues.
Other suggestions
Another aspect proposed was to use or find a strategy to present
certain proposals of gender budgeting and other tools for gender mainstreaming
to the governments, in order to enforce their will to implement these
tools – in ministries of finance and other ministries, and in multilateral
conferences.
In conclusion the participants of the seminar agreed to keep
on sharing information through e-mail lists and on-line discussion
forums, to comment on discussions in trade on the 6 points of the
FfD process in order to develop strategies and issues content that
can either be used at the national level to lobby specific targets
such as governments officials and the media, or at the regional level
where one can attend hearings at the EU or other regional bodies,
or the international level such as the FfD and WTO process. And to
use the same strategies in monitoring other parallel processes such
as the Rio + 10 and the World Social Summit
A concrete immediate task suggested by the facilitator was to make
a gender audit on the new facilitator-recording document of the FfD
process that will be out at the end of November.
Concluding Proposals listed:
At the Multilateral Level:
- form joint NGO/official lobby position by linking up with
ministers from countries who have shared interests on particular issues
- make a gender audit on the new facilitator-recording document that
will be out in late November
- monitor parallel processes such as the Rio + 10 and the World Social
Summit
At the Regional Level:
- sharing of information between regional networks on how to get access
to information about the decision making processes in the WTO and
the FfD processes
- go the hearings of EU and other regional bodies to acquire information
- engender civil society by building alliances with other social movement
such as NGOs focusing on environmental and labor rights issues
At the National and Local Level:
- get the
attention of key-people, such as politicians and journalist by making
campaigns and seminars in connection with important events
- find a
strategy to present proposals of Gender Budgeting and other tools
for Gender Mainstreaming to governments in order to enforce their
will and decision in implementing these tools in ministries of finance
and other ministries and in multilateral conferences
- to lobby
in countries where direct access to policy makers is difficult to
obtain - contact local UN offices, who often are open to working with
and getting into dialogue with NGOs UN officers have direct access
to ministers and often a great influence on the governments
- engender
civil society by building alliances with other social movement such
as NGOs focusing on environmental and labor rights issues
- make campaigns and consumer boycotts on the gender content
and social content of the products we buy
- create
gender equality at the household level by gender sensitizing both
men and women
Interlinking levels:
- mobilize
and bring in as many groups as possible – enhancing and pushing for
gender awareness
- promote
gender awareness among academics, especially economists and social
scientists
- examine
lobby target in terms of who are immediate, such as trade negotiators,
and who are intermediate, such as the UN institutions and advocacy
groups that are raising environment and labour standards
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