Concerns such as how to strengthen the women’s movement and how to build more lasting peace were at the center of feminists-led sessions at the 7th World Social Forum held in Nairobi, Kenya. Find out what solutions, strategies, and approaches have feminists come up with to address these issues.

Feminists around the world made their presence felt at the 7th World Social Forum (WSF) in Nairobi, Kenya, held on January 20 to 25, this year. The WSF offered a strategic space for feminists to come together in their broad diversity to explore the current moment, their differences and common ground, and their role in the larger social movements.

In particular, this year's WSF provided a space for discussion of various issues concerning women including human rights, justice, discrimination, access to land and natural resources, violence against women, sexual and reproductive health and rights, labour, information and communication technology, peace building, economic empowerment, among others. 

Strengthening the women's movement

Women’s rights activists Asma Khader, General Coordinator of Sisterhood Is Global Institute/Jordan (SIGI/J) and Sindi Medar-Gould, Executive Director of BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights in Nigeria led the interactive panel and dialogue on the strategies to strengthen social movements, particularly the women’s movement, in an era of crisis for civic organising.

To date, efforts to achieve gender equality, human rights, and social justice are being increasingly challenged by rising extremism and fundamentalism, wars and conflict, poverty, and violence. Activists are overcoming these barriers by working together to devise innovative, context-relevant strategies that will transform power relations and dynamics within the family, community, and society.

The session also included the premiere screening of “Against All Odds: Women Partnering for Change in a Time of Crisis.” This 25-minute video showcases the perspectives of activists from around the world as they discuss the ways and means of strengthening the women’s movements by building alliances, sharing inter-generational experience and expertise, and developing culture-specific, grassroots-based approaches to empowering women and girls, among others.

Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP), an NGO dedicated to women’s leadership and empowerment, organised the event.

Building peace

In another session, feminists proposed a broader definition of peace as more than “the absence of war,” but also included the presence of women’s rights, justice, health, education, governance, and freedom of cultural expression in its definition.

The session came up with concrete suggestions such as lobbying for the adoption of the first principle of Security Council Resolution 1325—equal participation of women at all levels of decision-making. Resolution 1325 is the first resolution ever passed by the Security Council that specifically addresses the impact of war on women, and women's contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace.

The discussion was jointly organised by Peace Women Across the Globe, which is working to make women’s roles as peacebuilders more visible, recognised, and better supported globally, and the Coalition for Peace in Africa, a membership organisation striving towards building the capacity of its members in effectively responding to conflicts and achieving sustainable peace in the continent.

Prior to the WSF, feminists met at the 3rd Feminist Dialogues also in Nairobi to stategise their participation at the WSF.

Sources:
“Partnering for Change: Movement Building in the 21st Century” from Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace, posted on January 21, 2007, <http://learningpartnership.org/news/events/2007/wsfjan21panel>.
“Peace Women across the Globe: What do we want from the World Social Forum?” posted on January 22, 2007, <http://womenwsf.wordpress.com/>.