“CARING ECONOMY: PUTTING PEOPLE OVER PROFITS”
On the third day of 38th IAW Congress, the results of the Board elections were announced. 15 members from 15 countries and 4 continents were elected; many are joining the IAW Board for the first time. Joanna Manganara highlighted that this was a particular strength because “new faces always means new ideas.” The new board will be presented on the IAW website.
In her welcome speech, IAW’s incoming president, Cheryl Hayles, warmly thanked all IAW members for organizing and participating in the first digital Congress under these special circumstances. Looking back at 116 years of IAW herstory, she said, she was proud of the organization’s achievements and excited to follow a care-centred approach in the future.
IAW members emphasized the need to connect questions of women’s rights and gender equality with international efforts to promote peace and finances. Heide Schütz (Frauennetzwerk für Frieden, Germany) referred to IAW’s Resolution 2 adopted today on “Funding Healthcare not Warfare” and encouraged IAW members to visit SIPRI’s Yearbook 2020 to look up their governments’ military expenditure: https://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2020. “We need vaccines not marines, we need hospitals not tanks!” The promotion of a feminist foreign policy was also brought up as a path to move forward. All four new resolutions are on the IAW website https://womenalliance.org.
Joanna Mangarana, outgoing IAW President, called for a strengthening of IAW’s spirit of community and cooperation. As part of her legacy her VIDEO/ VLOG-project of IAW’s appraisal of the 4th UN World Conference on Women in BEJING was presented at the end of the 38th IAW Congress. With great enthusiasm IAW looks ahead to Beijing+25+1 and the achievement of Gender Equality and Peace in the near future of the global Generation Equality._________________________ ______________________
Joanna Manganara, President Olunfumi Oluyede, Secretary General
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