On April 25, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholar’s Global Women’s Leadership Initiative (GWLI), UN Women, and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Tunisia convened a Regional Strategic Roundtable on “Women’s Participation: The Making of the Tunisian Constitution.” The Strategic roundtable brought together gender and constitutional law experts from Tunisia and the MENA region to discuss key provisions of the draft Constitution of Tunisia and its impact on gender equality. GWLI’s regional roundtables have become a catalyst for convening our WPSP network on the ground. The Tunisian delegates of the Women in Public Service Project also came together for the roundtable.

The making of the Tunisian Constitution is a critical moment in the history of Tunisia, the Middle East, and the world. As the cradle of the Arab revolutions, all eyes are on Tunisia’s history-making process of constitutional drafting. The Strategic Roundtable took place the day after the release of the third draft of the Tunisian Constitution. The conference offered the first forum for deliberation on this third draft and provided a seminal forum for debate on some of the most pressing issues of the draft.

The Minister for Women’s Affairs opened the consultation discussion by emphasizing this historic moment in Tunisia and the need to ensure that women’s equality is made central to the constitutional-making process. The UN Regional representative spoke of the importance of CEDAW and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 as important benchmarks in drafting the new constitution. Rangita de Silva de Alwis of the GWLI discussed comparative best practices around the world that had embraced a people and process-driven constitutional-making project that articulated all seven of the core human rights treaties and examined the impact of all constitutional provisions through a gender lens. She referred to the way in which Rwanda’s new Constitution post-conflict guaranteed a seat at the table for women by enshrining a quota for women in the Constitution. Moreover, gender neutral language that embraces both the male and female pro noun was key to the success of the South African Constitution.

The regional experts then discussed strengths and weaknesses of their own constitutional-making efforts. A basic framework of best practices and lesson learned from the regional experts provided useful guidance to national experts seeking to ensure that gender equality is enshrined in their constitutional documents.

A major focus of the Roundtable was the provision that called for compliance with international human rights norms insofar as they do not violate cultural norms and Islamic principles.  All of the Tunisian gender experts were extremely anxious about the way in which this Article foreshadowed a creeping Islamization.

The second major issue was that although reservations to CEDAW Article 9 (equal rights on nationality) and Article 15 (equal rights to choose residency) were withdrawn by the interim government in Tunisia, nothing has been done to draft enabling legislation or change the current law in compliance with the lifting of the reservations.

Full citizenship for women and gender equality is key to the sustainability and endurance of Tunisia’s Constitution. It is also key to national and regional stability and the strengthening of the rule of law and democracy. A “people-driven” constitution provides an important rallying point for women to consolidate gains and plug all legal loopholes.

The recommendations and comments that were made by the national and regional experts at the Strategic Roundtable were compiled by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to be submitted to the Constituent Assembly for urgent consideration and deliberation.

On April 16, 2013, Director of the Global Women’s Leadership Institute, Rangita de Silva de Alwis, was invited to  present at the 22^nd Annual Daniel S. Sanders Peace and Social Justice Memorial lecture at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Her speech was titled “Malala: The Right to a Girls Education.”

Prior to her lecture, Dr. de Alwis had the opportunity to meet with PhD candidates at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana for an informal conversation to discuss her work in the field of international human rights, equality and non- discrimination, women and the law, and the rights of persons with disability. Following this, she was one of two guests on the University’s public radio shows, where she discussed the importance of girls’ education in a global context.

On Wednesday, April 10, 2013 the Embassy of Switzerland and the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative jointly co-hosted “Bridging the Gender Gap in the Knowledge Economy,” an expert conference on strategies to increase women in STEM.

With women still vastly underrepresented in both the US and Swiss STEM fields, knowledge based economies such as the United States and Switzerland cannot afford to miss out on full participation of women in their innovative systems. Therefore both the Obama administration and Switzerland have made the participation of women in these fields a priority.

The Ted-style conference featured high ranking speakers, including the keynote address by Director of the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative, Rangita de Silva de Alwis, who all spoke about their innovative ideas in promoting the participation of women in STEM education and careers.

Earlier this year, on March 16, 2013,  the Women in Public Service Project at the Wilson Center hosted a roundtable in China in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Wellesley Center for Women.

The Roundtable aimed to incubate women leadership potentials and find solutions to the pressing issues of gender equality and serving the public.

The roundtable featured an introduction by Katherine Wilhelm of the Ford Foundation. The panel then proceeded into a discussion of some of the most pertinent issues facing Chinese women today including rights and sexual harassment in the workplace, anti-discrimination lawmaking in China, new developments, changes in the women’s rights protection in criminal justice in the new criminal procedure law, and legislation on women’s rights and domestic work in Shanxi Province. The panel concluded by having all of the participants’ draft a platform of action in which they delineated the next steps they would take to resolve some of the many challenges they addressed at the day’s event.

Dr. de Silva de Alwis, Director of the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative, gave the keynote address at a reception celebrating International Women’s Day at the Canadian Embassy on March 7^th. Dr. de Silva de Alwis’ remarks enriched the theme of the evening, “Advancing Women’s Leadership in the America’s,” as she offered her insights about the dynamic emerging for women in the working world as well as the challenges to women’s advancement in the workplace. She also called for the need of men in championing women in the workplace. The presentation was followed by a lively, inclusive and a frank discussion by those in attendance.

Director of the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative, Rangita de Silva de Alwis, recently spoke at a UCLA School of School of Law’s Journal of International Affair symposium titled “Building BRICS: Human Rights in Today’s Emerging Economic Power.” The two-day symposium, which was held on February 14-15, 2013, examined the human rights records in the so-called BRICS countries such as race relations in Brazil, freedom of expression in Russia, minority religious and language rights in China, women’s rights in India, and LGBT rights in South Africa.

Given her expertise in human and women’s rights in Southeast Asia, particularly India, Dr. de Silva de Alwis spoke at the second day’s panel, “Violence Against Women in India.” Together, with other experts who advocate for Indian women’s rights, Dr. de Silva de Alwis and her colleagues lead an insightful conversation addressing the causes of violence against women in India the policy changes that could lead to a reduction in sexual and gender based violence in India. The event attracted a broad campus audience drawn from individuals drawn from Law, Political Science, International and Development Studies, and Public Policy.

On June 4, 1919, Congress passed the 19^th Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. As the Wilson Center celebrates the centennial of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, the Women in Public Service Project reflects on the advances made for women’s rights under the Wilson administration.

It has been one hundred years since Woodrow Wilson stood as the leader of the United States, but his commitment to democracy and academia live on with the work and programs of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The Women in Public Service Project, housed at the Wilson Center, honors President Wilson’s commitment to public service by educating and equipping the next generation of women leaders. As the Center celebrates the centennial, the Women in Public Service Project commemorates the advances made for women’s rights under Wilson’s term.

Woodrow Wilson entered office at the pinnacle of the women’s suffrage movement in 1913. Many historians say that President Wilson’s support for women’s suffrage was lukewarm at best, but the president, remembered by many as a moral crusader dedicated to the fervent ideals that intend to make the world a better place, did undergo an ethical metamorphosis after which he lent his support to women’s suffragists and actively fought on their behalf.

In 1917, suffragist picketed outside of the White House demanding Wilson’s support extend beyond what they deemed as mere lip service for the cause. While at first largely peaceful, the protests later turned violent resulting in the detention of several women who then protested their incarceration with hunger strikes.  Wilson was appalled when he discovered that many of these women were being force fed in the prison and finally stepped in toward the fight for women’s enfranchisement, finally joining his daughter, leading suffragist Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre.

Wilson’s voice proved unequivocal in the ultimate passing of the 19^th amendment. In a 1918 speech before the Congress, Wilson – for the first time in his time in office – publically endorsed women’s rights to vote. Realizing the vitality of women during the First World War, President Wilson asked Congress, “We have made partners of the women in this war… Shall we admit them only to a partnership of suffering and sacrifice and toil and not to a partnership of privilege and right?”

While Wilson’s words did not gather the necessary votes from the Senate to pass the amendment, the president continued to speak in its defense, consulting with members of Congress through personal and written appeals, often on his own initiative. Then on June 4, 1919, exactly ninety four years ago today, the 19^th amendment finally received the votes necessary in the House to be sent to the states for ratification.

It would take another year before the 19^th amendment was ratified by the necessary states, but the victory proved to be a turning point in the modern era of women’s rights in the United States. Recognizing the importance of the amendment’s ratification, Wilson spoke fondly of its passage saying that, “I deem it one of the greatest honors of my life that this great event, so stoutly fought for, for so many years, should have occurred during the period of my administration.”

Today, the Women in Public Service is grateful for the work of all parties that made this historic moment in women’s rights history possible and applauds Woodrow Wilson as a male ally in this momentous movement. As an organization, we too will follow in the steps of Woodrow Wilson as we continue to equip and advance a new generation of women committed to the public service.

For those interested in learning more about Woodrow Wilson and his role in the suffrage movement, please check out the sources of this article here and here.

June 2-5

Women in Public Service Project Conference:
Conflict Resolution through Economic Development and Innovation

The WPSP Public University Consortium Initiative is hosting its inaugural event at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This event will be a three day conference for emerging women leaders from 4 post-conflict countries, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Liberia and Turkey. The conference is organized by the University of Massachusetts and co-sponsored by their public university consortium partners; Arizona State University, San Francisco State University and University of Maryland Baltimore County in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, and Woodrow Wilson Center as part of the Women in Public Service Project.

The conference will take place from June 3-5, 2013. Participants at the UMass Lowell conference will have the opportunity to exchange experiences and expertise with each other and can avail themselves of peer-to-peer mentoring and networking. Leadership development and capacity building will focus on the particulars of economic development and innovation and the role they play in conflict transformation and sustainable peace.

For further information, visit http://www.uml.edu/conferences/wpsp/ or contact Victoria Denoon, Executive Administrator of the Women in Public Service Conference, at Victoria_Denoon@uml.edu

Sunday, June 2, 2013

6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Conference Registration

Location: Hallway outside Lower Locks Room, 1^st Floor

6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Welcome Dinner

Location: Lower Locks Room, 1^st Floor

Monday, June 3, 2013

7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Full Breakfast

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom), 1^st Floor

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Conference Registration

Location: Hallway outside Grand Ballroom, 1^st Floor

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. Engaging Women in Political Leadership and Public Service

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom), 1^st Floor

9:15 – 9:30 a.m. Break
Session One

9:45 – 12:15 p.m. The Gendered Political Economy of Building Peace in Conflict-Affected States

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch – Optional Discussion Tables

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom), 1^st Floor

Session Two

1:30 – 4:00 p.m. “The Role of Women and Healthcare in Country Development”

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom), 1^st Floor

4:45 – 5:15 p.m. Wrap up

5:15 – 6:30 p.m. Free Time

6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Buffet Dinner

Location: Lower Locks Room, 1^st floor

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Full Breakfast Available

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom), 1^st Floor

Session Three

8:30 -10:45 a.m. “Sharing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math): Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Community Engagement”

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom), 1^st Floor

10:45 – 11:00 a.m. Break                                              

Session Four

11:00 – 1:00 p.m. “The material basis of violence against women and engaging males in promoting change”

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom), 1^st Floor

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch

Session Five

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. “Working Towards Positive Peace”

Location: Middlesex & Concord rooms (portion of grand ballroom), 1^st Floor

4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Free Time

6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Celebration of Women in Public Service Dinner                             

Location: Inn & Conference Center Grand Ballroom, 1^st Floor

Note: Public Service Award Recipient – Farah Pandith, Special Representative to Muslim Communities – US State Department

Shomari Maynard (Pictured left) with Auntie Margaret (Center) and classmate Brittany Pruitt (Right)

“I can’t believe I am witnessing this”, I thought to myself as I listened to Margaret Mary Issaka –or Auntie Margaret, as she insisted we call her—speak about the founding of Centre for Sustainable Development Initiatives, an NGO committed to promoting gender equality in Ghana through reduction of poverty. Auntie Margaret continued to tell us the story of how she and her 6 sisters founded CENSUDI in 1993. After realizing that they were all able to attain an education—something that not all women in Ghana had access to at the time—she and her sisters decided to create an organization that would improve the lives of women in Ghana. I felt so inspired as I listened to her tell the story of CENSUDI’s founding.

I was able to visit CENSUDI while on a three-week field practice with my International Environmental Development class through American University’s Washington Semester Program. During our trip, we visited various organizations throughout Ghana, many of them focusing on women’s crucial role in development. CENSUDI is dedicated to promoting the full participation of women and girls in society through programs that also promote development in the Bolgatanga region—one of the poorest and most gender unequal regions in the country. These programs focus on promoting women’s participation in public service, implementing early childhood education, supporting victims of domestic violence, reducing harmful cultural practices, and increasing land access for women. As an intern at the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative, their program promoting women in public service impressed me the most. I was so excited to see the types of mentoring networks the GWLI promotes being implemented in a developing country such as Ghana.

I asked Auntie Margaret to further explain the program that focused on increasing participation of women in politics. She told me that in 2010, CENSUDI supported 27 female candidates in the local elections for assemblyperson and other community positions, with 9 running successful campaigns. As a young woman who hopes to one day seek running for public office, it was great to see an organization committed to empowering women and providing support for female political candidates.

My visit to CENSUDI was personally one of the most inspiring during my time in Ghana. As a current intern at the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative, I was able to see firsthand the results of the types of mentorship and networks that the GWLI and WPSP promote. Seeing women empowered to be leaders in their communities gave me a new sense of purpose, and reminded me why I am so committed to supporting the work of organizations such as CENSUDI and the GWLI.

Shomari Maynard is a Spanish and International Relations major at Mills College in Oakland, California. She is currently on domestic exchange at American University’s Washington Semester program where she studies International Environmental Development. During her semester in Washington, D.C. she is interning with the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars.

As the Institute for Women’s Leadership in Latin America moves from Scripps College to Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles, the conversation continues to develop and build off topics discussed earlier in the week. On Monday morning Ericka Guevera-Rosas, Nadine Hoffman, Pamela Yates and Haydee Sanchez spoke to the delegates. Today’s emphasis is “Women’s Rights as Human Rights,” and seeks to emphasize a holistic approach to gender equity, and the rights to education, health care, political representation and ending violence against women.

Ericka Guevera-Rosas is the Program Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Global Fund for Women and spoke about the Fund’s investment, advocacy and coalition building. Ms. Guevera-Rosas used to work for the UN, but believed that the Global Fund provides a better institutional framework for systematic change. The Fund was created in 1987, and since then has invested $100 million in women’s projects around the world. Women’s rights are bolstered by the independence to control their own resources; so the initial financial support gives women the opportunity to exercise power.

Not only does the Global Fund for Women provide funds, but they also “help ensure resources reach creative, gutsy women’s rights groups and movements.” They seek to connect women in order to build networks based on trust and relationships, provide core support and encourage peer-to-peer interactions. They also refer applicants to other possible funding sources, all while maintaining a holistic approach and a human rights based lens. Women’s rights are a result of empowerment and participation in all sectors and levels of economic activity. When this is achieved there will be more stable and just societies, democracy, an improved quality of life, internationally agreed upon goals for development and human rights, and a guarantee of respect for global sustainability.

The Global Fund for Women works towards women’s rights by framing possible solutions in terms of human rights. Human rights must also be guaranteed to all people before they can be used as a measure of women’s rights. Ms. Guevera-Rosas concluded her presentation with a change matrix, which explains how the different results of increased women’s rights are affected by informal versus formal sectors, and individual versus systemic structures. For example, a change in awareness of the issues is informal and individual. A change in access to resource and services is individual and formal, but a shift in socio-cultural norms, beliefs and practices is informal and systemic. The adoption and implementation of laws and policies that improve women’s and human’s rights is systemic and formal.

Nadine Hoffman spoke next and introduced the role of the media in shaping our understanding women’s and human’s rights. Ms. Hoffman is the Director of Programs at the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization that is dedicated to strengthening the role of women in the news media worldwide as a means to further freedom of the press. Female journalists are helping to tell the stories about women’s rights violations around the world. Raising awareness about issues like human trafficking, domestic abuse and female genital mutilation creates dialogue on the topic and creates the platform for possible solutions. The IWMF honors journalists who have demonstrated courage in their field for documenting rights violations that disproportionately effect women.

Ms. Hoffman shared the story of a woman in Congo who created a local radio program to break the silence about rape in her village. Women wanted to tell their stories of survival, even where there is not a word that means “rape.” This woman also created a radio listening club in order to further empower women and develop discourse against impunity. The IWMF supported this woman’s project and wanted to protect her rights as a journalist.

Towards the end of her presentation, Ms. Hoffman proposed a series of recommendations to improve women’s rights in the media. She believes there should be a systematic research study on the unique threats that women journalists face. She also suggested more rigorous training for journalists, including physical and digital investigative training as well as increased safety training. Furthermore, the IWMF seeks to broaden the platforms that these journalists have access to, so that their investigative work can raise awareness about the issues they identify. Regional networks of women journalists would be helpful in sharing resources and best practices and in providing support. Ms. Hoffman recommends the expansion of pro bono legal support for journalists. Many journalists, female investigators in particular, will occasionally require legal assistance in securing asylum or prosecuting human rights violators. Finally, the media and NGOs should explore opportunities for collaboration, especially in community media as a means of expanding power and increasing political and social efficacy.

Pamela Yates, documentary film director and President of Skylight Pictures, spoke with the delegates about film and art as a mechanism to improve human rights. Skylight Pictures was founded in 1980 and is based in New York City. Ms. Yates explained how Skylight creates feature-length documentary films and “microdocs,” or short films. The films they create are “global conversations about international justice that document the collective history.”

The documentaries seek to identify human rights violations by talking to people who are living in and experiencing the conditions in question. Everyone interviewed for a film speaks from experience, and there are never “experts” who are just observing and providing the “outside” perspective. As a result, the films depict of the struggle for human rights and the characters are genuine and relatable.

The delegates will watch “Granito: How To Nail a Dictator” this afternoon and discuss its themes of corruption and human rights violations. The film synthesizes a 30-year struggle to bring Guatemalan dictator, Efrain Rios Montt, to trial for crimes against the indigenous Ixil Maya people in the Quiche region during his 1982-1983 regime. Ms. Yates briefly introduced the film, but will talk more about it later today and tomorrow.

Haydee Sanchez concluded the panel with another inspiring presentation about the struggles she has faced in her fight for human rights. Ms. Sanchez is especially focused on indigenous rights and on educating people about their rights. Her passion was evident as she discussed her personal history and the challenges she dealt with throughout her quest for indigenous rights in El Salvador. Ms. Sanchez has been imprisoned, beaten and threatened for her work, but she has persevered and continues to fight for what she believes in. She urged the delegates to find what they are passionate about and to fight for it.

This morning’s panel encouraged a lot of questions and comments from the delegates, especially about right’s violations and media. The conversation was dynamic and connected many of the issues discussed earlier in the Institute, especially economic empowerment and political representation. Tomorrow’s session is titled “The Role of the Media in Advancing Gender Equality, Accountability and Good Governance,” and since many delegates were interested in this topic, tomorrow promises to be another engaging day.

-Sarah Owens, Scripps College ‘15