WomenNC Parallel event proposal for CSW64 FINAL (002)

WHITHER WOMEN’S PARITY? -NEOLIBERALISM: THE DEVASTATION & INSTITUTIONAL LEGAL REFORMATION

-An official Parallel Program of the 64th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW64) (Beijing+25)

Primary Sponsor:  International Bar Association (Women Lawyers Interest Group)

Co-Sponsors:  American Bar Association SIL (Government and Public Interest Committee); International Alliance of Women; Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum; African Women Lawyers Association INT’L; TRLPLAW.

Program Narrative

Characterized by free market trade, individualization and a paradigm-shift from state welfare,
Neoliberalism progressively/unabatedly permeates policies of world governments, international agencies and even, technical agencies of the United Nations.

This unconscionable pursuit of profit inexorably exacerbates a global crisis involving inter-alia, worldwide ecological devastation; poverty/underdevelopment; violence; worsening patriarchal despotism; decreased civil societal influence; increased inequalities and heightened systematic onslaught on women’s rights ubiquitously.

Remedially, this program will re-evaluate prevalent neoliberalist defies to the Beijing Declaration vis-a-vis applicable regulatory instruments within international human rights law, whilst establishing much-needed advocacy partnerships for a new world order, towards our rocky journey to 2030.

The Program Format

This event is to be presented in compliance with specific procedures of the NGO CSW/NY (a group of New York–based women NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council) which is responsible for the organization of parallel events at UN CSW Sessions.

The planned format will (as is the norm) comprise an erudite, renowned panel of discussants who will be both gender and geographically diversified -and specially selected by each of the collaborating entities represented for inputs. The schedule will be as planned and presented by the Program Chairs (also from each collaborating entity) who will double up as moderators and who will direct the session. The audience/attendants will also comprise globally-renowned stakeholders with invaluable insights on the topic, subject-matter of discourse who will be specially-invited for their knowledgeable/experienced inputs and vivid participation.

PARTICIPANTS

Possible Panelists/Specially Invited Stakeholders

Thus far:

1. Joanna Manganara, President, Int’l Alliance of Women
2. Chief Aaron Schildhaus, Past Chair, American Bar Association SIL.
3. Abike-Dabiri-Erewa, Chair, Nigerian Diaspora Commission/Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria
4. Deborah Enix Ross, Vice Chair, Int’l Bar Association Bar Issues Commission
5. Prince Ajibola Oluyede, Principal, TRLPLAW
6. Vijaya Lakshmi, President, Women Empowerment and Human Resource Development, India
7. HE Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria
8. HE Arabirin Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, First Lady of Ondo State, Nigeria
9. Amina J. Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General
10. Stephen Denyer, IBA SPPI/Law Society of England& Wales UK
11. WomenNC 2019/20 Juanita M. Bryant CSW Scholars, North Carolina, USA
12. Nancy Stafford, Chair, American Bar Association Section of International Law
13. HE Ezenwo Nyesom Wike CON, Governor, Rivers State of Nigeria

Program Chair(s)/Facilitators/Interim Speakers

Olufunmi Oluyede, IBA/ABA/AWLA/TRLPLAW

Charandeep Kaur, IBA Women Lawyers Interest Group

Oluyemisi Bamgbose, Chair, Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum

Meg Strickler, Co-Chair, ABA Government & Public Interest Committee

Luz Nagle, Chair, IBA CL Crimes Against Women Committee

Mandy Asagba, President, African Women Lawyers Association INT’L

Call for Congress

May 8 2020

Dear IAW members,

A pandemic has locked down the world, and it is very uncertain when it will again be safe and financially feasible to travel across borders and to meet in large groups.  The world has changed, and IAW must change with the times. The lockdown must not prevent us from continuing our work for women’s rights.

38^th IAW Congress 2020

When the pandemic hit the world, preparations for Congress had already started, and the dates had been set for Congress in November, in Rabat, Morocco hosted by Samira Yassni, president of L’Observatoire Marocain des Droits de Femmes (OMDF). WE owe Samira Yassni many thanks for the work already done. Hopefully we shall be able to go to Rabat in 2021 or 2022.

Virtual Congress 2020

All around us, governments, NGOs, the UN and other international bodies, small and big organisations, have responded to the pandemic by having virtual meetings. If all these organisations can work that way, so can IAW.

So, after serious and thorough deliberations in the Extended Board and with experts outside IAW, it has now been decided to have a virtual IAW congress. We will meet virtually by means of modern technology.

This will be new to many of us, but we will make sure that everybody who wants to participate in Congress will be given the training needed.

An opportunity for IAW

Meeting in space will be an opportunity for IAW. Many more members will be able to participate. There will be no travel and hotel expenses and no visa difficulties. Of course, we shall miss seeing each other and visiting – in this case- beautiful Rabat, but instead we shall hopefully see many more faces and thus make new friends.

A taskforce

A taskforce has been established consisting of President Joanna Manganara, Secretary General Olufunmi Oluyede, Soon-Young Yoon, Alison Brown, Lene Pind, Lyda Verstegen, Marion Böker and Ursula Nakamura. The taskforce will look into all aspects of having virtual meetings: the kind of software/ platform we need, rules of participating, virtual voting, moderating, how to train participants etc.

Call for Congress

On behalf of the IAW Board I hereby call for the 38^th Congress to take place within the time period between 24–28 November with Pre-Congress and Post-Congress Board Meetings to be called separately. It is uncertain at this time when exactly within those 4 days the business sessions of Congress will take place, but a precise schedule will of course be sent out later.

Congress papers will be sent in due course, including candidate’s lists, nomination forms, agenda, information about the eligibility of board members, registration form etc.

I look forward to a new and inspiring Congress

Best regards

Joanna Manganara
President

Papers pertaining to the preparation of Congress will be made available in Members Area. The password has been circulated to all members. If you have forgotten it, contact Lene Pind at lenepind@gmail.com