Call for Collaboration                 return to home page

3^rd Annual Conference on the

International Day of Rural Women

15^th October 2010

Islamabad

Note: This call for collaboration is for your information only.  

The information for Rural Women Conference 2011 will be available from January 2011.

Stay Tuned  !

Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA) announces a Call for Collaboration for its 3^rd annual conference on Rural Women Day (15^th October). This day is recognized by the United Nations through a General Assembly resolution (A/RES/62/136) titled “Improvement of the situation of women in rural areas”. The resolution calls on all governments to ensure that rural women have full access to human rights at all levels.

We are pleased to report that as a result of consistent advocacy efforts by PODA and its partner NGOs throughout Pakistan and support from the National Commission on the Status of Women and UNIFEM during 2008 and 2009, the honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani has also declared 15^th October as the “National Day of Rural Women in Pakistan”. A copy of his declaration is attached at the end of this call.  

To build on this momentum and to continue advocacy for the rights of rural women through policy and action changes, PODA will organize the 3^rd Annual Conference on the International Day of Rural Women on 15^th October 2010 in Islamabad. The theme of our 2010 Conference is ‘Rural Women, Disaster Mitigation and Peace’.

The key advocacy areas of 2010 conference are as following:

1.            Promoting women’s role in Disaster Mitigation and Decision-Making for local, sustainable and gender-sensitive long term solutions to disasters.

2.            Economic rights are essential for peace and stability; therefore, rural women working in agriculture sector should be recognized as farmers (kissan). Agricultural, livestock, forestry and fisheries work of rural women should be recognized as formal labor and given labor protection.

3.            To develop a culture of peace at home and in the society, all forms of violence against women should be considered crimes even if committed by a family member. Local police, security forces and district officials should be required to assist women victims of violence and should be trained about preventing and stopping violence against women.

4.            The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 should be implemented in Pakistan and should be included in a National Action Plan to ensure full and equal involvement of women in all peace building efforts in order to maintain and promote peace and security.

The Call for Collaboration, participation and sponsorship is closing on Wednesday 5^th October 2010 at 5 pm Pakistani Standard Time. All interested are invited to send their expression of interest to Attention: Ms. Sumaira Ishfaq, Conference Coordinator via email sumaira.poda@gmail.com - or call our office (051) 260-9743 – More information and a copy of our 2009 Conference Report is available on www.poda.org.pk

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Updated 6^th January, 2012