From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Sep 9 09:27:42 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:27:42 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] GEAR - UN May Postpone Creation of New Single, Strong Women's Entity In-Reply-To: Message-ID: from GAIN source: WUNRN http://www.wunrn.com GEAR - UN Gender Equality Architecture Reform http://gear.groupsite.com/link/go/56139742?lpx=1 UN May Postpone Creation of New Women's Body By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Sep 5 (IPS) - A coalition of over 300 international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is "outraged" that an impending decision to create a new women's entity at the United Nations is being postponed once again. "If the General Assembly fails to act, it will send a very negative signal to women around the world who are now beginning to engage in national and regional reviews of the 1995 Bejing Platform for Action for Women," says Charlotte Bunch, executive director of the Centre for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers University. The proposal to set up a new gender entity, to be headed by an under-secretary-general, was expected to be approved by the 192-member General Assembly before it concludes its current sessions on Sep. 14. But the longstanding proposal is now expected to be passed onto the next session of the General Assembly beginning Sep.15 through September 2010. "NGOs are outraged that this would continue to be postponed," Bunch told IPS. "No further delay is justified when no government has said they are opposed to taking this step." The international coalition is pursuing a global campaign for Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) in the U.N. system. The coalition includes Women's Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO), Center for Women's Global Leadership, International Planned Parenthood Association, Asia Pacific Women's Watch, African Women's Development and Communication Network and Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era, among others. As part of its campaign, the coalition has been calling for the consolidation of four existing women's U.N. entities into a single body: the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues; the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women; and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW). As a result, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon admits the "U.N. gender architecture lacks a recognised driver"- and is probably in danger of heading in different directions. "It is fragmented. It is inadequately funded, and insufficiently focused on country-driven demands," he complained last year. Stephen Lewis, a co-director of AIDS-Free World and one of the strongest advocates of the gender proposal, told IPS: "I have been following this story with much intensity over the last 48 hours, and I myself have spoken to several ambassadors (both from the South and the North), to impress upon them the fact that under no circumstances can this resolution be postponed". He said that it would be "a terrible slap in the face to the women of the world, a dreadful rejection of the views of the secretary-general, and a deep blow to the credibility of the United Nations." As things now stand, the consensus that had emerged is being sabotaged by a consortium of countries, belligerently disruptive and destructive, led by Cuba, Sudan, Iran and Egypt, he said. The nation states of the U.N. overwhelmingly want to approve the creation of the women's agency by resolution on Sep. 14, and begin the process of a global search for an under-secretary-general, "but this little group of malcontents is holding the world to ransom". "They're using women as a bargaining chip in the effort to exact concessions on governance and finance, the other prongs of the System-Wide Coherence process. They care not one whit for the rights and needs of the women of the world," Lewis charged. The co-chairs of the 'UN System-Wide Coherence' process overseeing wider changes in the world body - Ambassadors Juan Antonio Yez-Barnuevo of Spain and Kaire M. Mbuende of Namibia - have already recommended "that the General Assembly take action during the current session and decide on the establishment of a composite [women's] entity." But its recommendation has apparently been ignored by some member states which are pushing for the postponement. In an appeal to member states Friday, the London-based Amnesty International, which is part of the coalition, said it strongly supports "the creation of the new U.N. women's organisation which we believe could better protect women's human rights". "But we have just heard that some U.N. member states are 'holding hostage' the creation of this new women's organisation in exchange for other, unrelated, U.N. reforms that also need to be agreed by the General Assembly". And some other states which are in favour are keeping silent, AI said. "AI and other women's human rights defenders are outraged that the creation of this important U.N. women's organization is part of political horse-trading," the group said. "We appeal to your government to instruct your diplomatic missions at the U.N. in New York to champion the establishment next week of a new strong U.N. organisation for women". Bunch told IPS that this decision has been pending since consultations in June "when we were assured that virtually all governments were ready to move on it - and that the resolution would as usual come at the very end of the current General Assembly session on Sep. 14." Asked where Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stands on this issue, she said: "The secretary-general has repeatedly said that he supports this move." But she said that Ban "needs to put some pressure on governments". "The only government that we know for sure has said it should be delayed is Egypt," she said, but pointed out that none of the others will openly say they oppose it. "But it's gotten bogged down as part of the System-Wide Coherence Process (which is part of a wider reform of the U.N. system)", she added. Lewis told IPS, "What we have here is a direct challenge to the authority and influence of the secretary-general and the deputy secretary-general (Asha-Rose Migiro)." Their reputations are directly on the line. A defeat for the resolution would mean a defeat for the leadership of the United Nations, he pointed out. "It can't be allowed to happen. We know that the secretary general and his deputy are working round the clock to rally the majority of the General Assembly against this dismal little group of pariah states." "They must not fail. If worse comes to worst, the resolution should be put to a vote, and passed by an overwhelming margin," said Lewis, a former deputy executive director of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF. =============================================================== To contact the list administrator, or to leave the list, send an email to: mailto:wunrn_listserve-request at lists.wunrn.com. Thank you. _______________________________________________ Gain mailing list Gain at lists.apcwomen.org http://lists.apcwomen.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gain From beta_testing at blueeyebrow.com Wed Sep 9 13:57:12 2009 From: beta_testing at blueeyebrow.com (Aerin Stewart) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 17:57:12 +0000 Subject: [Ict4women] quick hello - new member Message-ID: <200909091757.n89HvCJq014071@blueeyebrow.com> Hi ladies, I recently discovered this list. I primarily work online and find that chat groups like this are a great way to stay *connected*. I am looking forward participating in the conversation. :-) Cheers, Aerin Aerin Stewart Developer Blue Eyebrow www.blueeyebrow.com From shuyer at wigsat.org Fri Sep 11 12:24:14 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:24:14 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] ITF: Important Step Forward in Mainstreaming Gender in ICTs for Development Message-ID: INTERNATIONAL TASKFORCE ON WOMEN AND ICTS ITF FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 3, 2009 Contact: Gloria Bonder, ITF Chair catunesco1 at flacso.org.ar, glorbond at gmail.com IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD IN MAINSTREAMING GENDER IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT The International Taskforce on Women and ICTs (ITF) congratulates the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) for operationalizing its commitment to gender as one of its key areas in its 2009-2010 Action Plan adopted today at the Global Forum on ICT and Innovation for Education being held in Monterrey, Mexico. Based in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), GAID reiterated its commitment to mainstream gender issues across all its activities in adopting the Action Plan. The Global Alliance underlined the importance in its mission for the forthcoming year of mainstreaming gender as a key global challenge in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The third MDG calls for promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women by elimination of gender disparity in all levels of education. ITF Chair Dr. Gloria Bonder, a member of the GAID?s highest body ? the Steering Committee ? said ?we are very pleased with the inclusive agenda UNDESA-GAID has adopted. This is a significant step forward for women. The International Taskforce for Women and ICT is proud to support UNDESA-GAID and looks forward to working across our global partnerships and regional nodes to advance, engage and mainstream girls and women in the knowledge society. When women are empowered and have the opportunity to develop to their full potential in the knowledge society, communities across the globe benefit?. ITF is proud of its consultative role as a GAID Community of Expertise working closely with GAID to secure the inclusion of gender and ICT issues in the Action Plan. The Gender Community of Expertise, comprised of ITF and IT for Change, has been among the most active of the Communities collaborating with GAID on the development of the plan. Among the specific gender-related activities in the plan is mainstreaming ICT into high-level United Nations policy debates on gender. This is particularly important in order to bring the ICT and the gender policy communities together since in the past both have suffered from lack of awareness of the other. In 2010 GAID, assisted by the Community of Expertise of Gender, will organize a panel on ICT and gender at the Economic and Social Council Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), which has chosen gender as its focus, to be held in Geneva in July 2010. ITF expects to work with GAID in the preparatory activities for the meeting and in the preparation of a paper on Gender and ICT for presentation to the AMR. GAID has also outlined its support to the Communities of Expertise in the Action Plan, including involving the Communities as resources for the preparation of white papers on ICTs and the MDGs and helping the Communities to establish partnerships among each other. This is particularly relevant for the Gender Community, as gender cuts across the other communities. ITF wishes to express its appreciation to UNDESA-GAID for ensuring the strong participation of the Community of Expertise on Gender in the Monterrey Forum and meeting of the Strategy Council where the Action Plan was adopted. ITF Steering Committee member Dorothy Gordon, a member of the GAID Champions Network and Director-General, of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT moderated the opening discussion at the Forum on 2 September on the State of ICT Development ? A Global Perspective. Dr. Bonder, Chair Holder of the Regional UNESCO Chair on Women, Science and Technology in Latin America, opened the plenary session on ICT and intercultural innovations in education. GAID also supported the participation of ITF and IT for Change members from developing countries to the meetings of the Steering Committee and Strategy Council and the Forum and awarded ITF a site in the iMarketPlace, one of the Forum?s parallel events. The International Taskforce on Women and Information and Communication Technologies is a community of expertise of organizations, institutions, academia, businesses and individuals working to increase economic, social, and educational opportunities for women and girls in the knowledge society in a measurable way. Its vision is an information society for sustainable global development that fosters the potential for success of all its members. Its overarching goal is to ensure women?s full participation in an inclusive information and knowledge-based society as leaders and creators as well as users of ICT. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Sep 9 09:36:47 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:36:47 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] eAsia 2009 Call for Papers Message-ID: <5FBB3B7F-FD38-4D0A-A7BB-67D3BF8617CB@wigsat.org> Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS), India and Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), Sri Lanka have joined hands to organise 4th annual eASiA 2009 conference and exhibition in Colombo, Sri Lanka to celebrate the year 2009 as the year of ICT and English as declared by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President, Sri Lanka and to promote growth of ICT4D, through consultative dialoguing, strategic planning, knowledge networking and business partnering. eASiA 2009 is the annual international Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development event with the objective of reinforcing technology and knowledge-centric growth and needs of Asia vis-?-vis Sri Lanka, through capitalisation of market economy and boosting human development. eAsia 2009 ? Opportunities for Digital Asia will provide the right opportunity for all stakeholders in the ICT arena to come closer and share a level-playing ground through active conferencing and networking. Call for Papers Spanning over three days, the event will comprise unique thematically inter-related conferences, in the domains of e-Governance, Digital Learning, e-Health and Telecentres, Emerging e-Technologies. The five tracks of eASIA2009 are: eGov Digital Learning eHealth Telecentre Forum Emerging e-Technologies eASiA 2009 seeks call for abstracts/proposal(s) from speakers who illustrate innovation in using ICT for development, by September 15, 2009. Abstracts and Extended Abstracts Submission: September 15, 2009 Notification of Acceptance of Abstract: October 1, 2009 Full Paper Submission: November 3, 2009 Please upload your abstracts/proposals to us at http://www.e-asia.org/2009/abstractonline.asp For any query and clarification, write to us at: eASiA 2009 Secretariat INDIA Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS) G-4, Sector 39, Noida - 201301 Uttar Pradesh, India Tel.: +91-120-2502180- 85 Fax: +91-120-2500060 eASiA 2009 Secretariat SRI LANKA Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) 160/24 Kirimandala Mawatha, Colombo 05, Sri Lanka Tel.: +94- 11- 2369099 Fax: + 94- 11- 2369091 Email: info at e-asia.org Website: www.e-asia.org You are receiving this issue of the eASIA2009 newsletter because you are either a subscriber to our presenting publications/newsletters (egov, digitalLEARNING, i4d, eHealth, Telecentre Magazine) or have subscribed electronically to this newsletter. To unsubscribe click here unsubscribe at e-asia.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Sep 9 11:04:00 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 11:04:00 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] Encourage Liberian Women To Choose IT Careers Message-ID: <39FB2851-481F-4FB6-8237-D9216C67156E@wigsat.org> Encourage Liberian Women To Choose IT Careers September 1, 2009 By: Darren Wilkins http://www.liberianobserver.com/node/1228 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Sep 16 09:55:21 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:55:21 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] UN TO ESTABLISH SINGLE NEW AGENCY TO DEAL WITH RIGHTS OF WOMEN Message-ID: <8E589C58-17A8-41E1-9724-BD04AE93A837@wigsat.org> UN TO ESTABLISH SINGLE NEW AGENCY TO DEAL WITH RIGHTS OF WOMEN New York, Sep 15 2009 5:05PM Four United Nations agencies and offices will be amalgamated to create a new single entity within the Organization to promote the rights and well-being of women worldwide and to work towards gender equality. The General Assembly <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/ga10854.doc.htm ">adopted a resolution late yesterday on improving system-wide coherence within the UN, and the text spells out the support of Member States for a new consolidated body ? to be headed by an under- secretary-general ? to deal with issues concerning women. The resolution means the UN Development Fund for Women (<"http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=931 ">UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (<"http://www.un-instraw.org/ ">UN-INSTRAW) will be merged. In a statement issued today by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was ?particularly gratified? that the Assembly had accepted his proposal for ?a more robust promotion? of women?s rights under the new entity. ?An important step has been made in strengthening the United Nations? work in the area of gender equality and empowerment of women, as well as in ensuring the effective delivery of its operational activities for development, which constitutes the other key components of the resolution,? the statement noted. Mr. Ban said in the <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp? nid=4066">statement that he had appointed more women to senior posts than at any other time in the history of the UN, including nine women to the rank of under-secretary-general. The number of women in senior posts has increased by 40 per cent under his tenure. The Assembly?s resolution tasks Mr. Ban with providing Member States with a comprehensive proposal outlining the mission statement, structure, funding and oversight of the new entity so that it can be created as soon as possible. The resolution also calls for greater measures to harmonize business practices within the UN development system, ways to improve the funding system for such activities, and other steps to streamline practices within the world body. After the resolution, UNIFEM ? which currently operates in autonomous association with the UN Development Programme (<"http:// www.undp.org/">UNDP) ? issued a statement welcoming ?the unanimous strong support? among Member States, which follow three years of extensive consultations on the structure and operational details of the new body. ?UNIFEM trusts that deliberations can resume soon to ensure an informed and swift establishment of the composite entity,? the statement said. ________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/ From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Sep 28 09:07:03 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:07:03 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] IDRC Doctoral Research Awards Message-ID: IDRC Doctoral Research Awards Since 1982, IDRC has assisted Canadian graduate students to undertake their thesis research in the field of international development. IDRC Doctoral Research Awards are intended to promote the growth of Canadian capacity in research on sustainable and equitable development from an international perspective. In principle, IDRC supports research on all parts of the developing regions of the world. At this time, the Centre Training and Awards Program is not supporting awards which involve research in Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Eastern Europe or Central Asia. Eligible Fields of Study Applications will be accepted for research at the doctoral level in areas corresponding to IDRC's research priorities. IDRC's research activities focus on four program areas: * Social and Economic Policy * Environment and Natural Resource Management * Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Development * Innovation, Policy and Science Eligibility Applicants must meet the following conditions for eligibility: * Hold Canadian citizenship or permanent residency status in Canada, or hold a citizenship of a developing country; * Be enrolled in a doctoral program at a Canadian university; * Research proposal is for a doctoral thesis and has been approved by the thesis supervisor; * Proposed field research will take place in a developing country; * Provide evidence of affiliation with an institution or organization in the region in which the research will take place; * Have completed course work and passed comprehensive examinations by the time of award tenure. Duration Award tenure corresponds to a period of field research, which will be no less than 3 months and, in general, no more than 12 months. Value The award will cover justifiable field research expenses to a maximum of CA $20,000 per year. Number of Awards Variable Deadline November 1, 2009 (awards will be announced in May 2010). April 1, 2010 (awards will be announced in September 2010). Applications Applications will be evaluated according to criteria, such as relevance to sustainable and equitable development and to IDRC priorities, quality of the research proposal and suitability of the candidate. Re-applicants, whose research proposal was reviewed and was unsuccessful, must explain, in a covering letter, what changes have been made since the last application and specify where to find the changes in the proposal. Please note that Centre policy stipulates that an individual cannot apply more than twice, if unsuccessful, for the same IDRC award. However, this policy does not apply for Internship Awards. Candidates may apply for a renewal of funding for a second year of field work if the nature of the research requires a second season of data collection. Renewals are an exception and are provided for those disciplines that may need to deal with the uncertainties of growing seasons and climatic characteristics that affect data collection. If there are ethical questions connected with the research, the applicant may, at IDRC's discretion, be required to submit the appropriate approval from the Ethic's Committee of the University. Please submit all documents listed in the Checklist of documents to be submitted by candidates. Complete applications must be received at the Centre by the deadline. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered for the competition. Applications must be sent to the following address: By regular mail, Canada Post Priority Post or XPRESSPOST: IDRC Doctoral Research Awards Centre Training and Awards Program (CTAP) International Development Research Centre (IDRC) P.O. Box 8500 Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3H9 - Canada By courier services: IDRC Doctoral Research Awards Centre Training and Awards Program (CTAP) International Development Research Centre (IDRC) 150 Kent Street, Mailroom Suite 990 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 0B2 - Canada Fax: (1 613) 236-4026 Telephone: (1 613) 236-6163 ext. 2098 E-mail: cta at idrc.ca We thank all applicants for their interest and will contact those candidates whose academic background, quality of the research proposal and skills best match the criteria of the Award. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Mon Sep 28 09:37:46 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:37:46 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] UNESCO-IPDC Prize for Rural Communication Message-ID: Nominations are sought for UNESCO-IPDC Prize for Rural Communication ? UNESCO UNESCO has launched a call for nominations for the 2009 UNESCO-IPDC Prize for Rural Communication. Potential submitters are invited to propose nominations in consultation with the National Commissions for UNESCO or with relevant non-governmental organizations maintaining consultative relations with UNESCO. The deadline for submitting nominations is 30 October 2009. Established in 1985, the UNESCO-IPDC Prize for Rural Communication aims to reward a pioneering activity which contributes to improving communication in rural communities, in particular in developing countries. Awarded on a biennial basis, it consists of a sum of US$ 20,000 and a diploma. The last recipient of the Prize was the Indian daily newspaper Malayala Manorama, which was selected for its imaginative communication campaign aimed at raising awareness among the people of Kerala on the importance of water conservation as a solution to the problem of droughts in the region. The Prize will be awarded for the eleventh time during the 27th session of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), which will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 24 to 26 March 2010. Nominations should include a description of the candidate?s background and achievements, a summary of the work, publications and other supporting documents of major importance; a description of the candidate?s contribution to the Prize?s objectives; and recommendations from the National Commissions for UNESCO or the NGOs enjoying a consultative status with UNESCO. For further details on how to submit a nomination, go to http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=28941&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Tue Sep 29 10:53:08 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:53:08 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] Corporations, NGOs, and Foundations Announce 13 New Commitments to Empower Girls and Women at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative Message-ID: <696693E5-AF81-49F1-A8B1-E9D731635D40@wigsat.org> PRESS RELEASE Corporations, NGOs, and Foundations Announce 13 New Commitments to Empower Girls and Women at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative September 23rd, 2009 For Immediate Release Contact: Clinton Foundation Press Office press at clintonglobalinitiative.org 212.348.0360 Session moderated by Diane Sawyer on Investing in Girls and Women Featured Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman and CEO of The Goldman Sachs Group; Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International; Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil; Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues at the U.S. Department of State; and Robert B. Zoellick, President of The World Bank Group New York, NY ? Millions of girls and women will have access to improved health care, better education, and increased economic opportunity because of commitments made today at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which brings together leaders from across sectors of society to identify solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems. Women perform 66 percent of the world's work, and produce 50 percent of the food, yet earn only 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property," President Bill Clinton said. "Whether the issue is improving education in the developing world, or fighting global climate change, or addressing nearly any other challenge we face, empowering women is a critical part of the equation." Reports show that when women and girls are empowered, entire regions see measurable results. This is especially true for economic empowerment ? for example, a woman is likely to reinvest about 90 percent of her earnings into her family's well-being, compared with 35 percent for a man. Increases in access to education among girls accounted for a decline of 43 percent in the malnutrition rates between 1970 and 1995. Investing in women's health, especially reproductive health, not only saves the lives of half a million mothers, but also unleashes an estimated $15 billion in productivity each year. Even in the developed world, decreases in inequality can improve overall productivity. Goldman Sachs has reported that different countries and regions of the world could dramatically increase GDP simply by reducing the gap in employment rates between men and women: the Eurozone could increase GDP by 13 percent; Japan by 16 percent; the U.S. by 9 percent. This year, the CGI Annual Meeting will feature a variety of special programming related to girls and women. Today, the plenary session "Investing in Girls and Women," moderated by Diane Sawyer, featured Edna Adan, director and founder of the Edna Adan Maternity and Teaching Hospital; Lloyd C. Blankfein, chairman and CEO of The Goldman Sachs Group; Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International; Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil, Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues at the U.S. Department of State; and Robert B. Zoellick, President of The World Bank Group. During the session, corporations, foundations, and NGOs announced more than a dozen new commitments that will improve the lives of girls and women around the world. After meeting at CGI's 2008 Annual Meeting, Cherie Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and Hani Masri, founder of Tomorrow's Youth Organization, developed a new partnership. This year, this partnership is committing to increase women's participation in the Palestinian labor force by offering customized training opportunities and services that will increase participants' business, craft, and innovation skills. Listed below are 12 additional commitments announced this morning: o Merck and Qiagen are launching a major new partnership to prevent cervical cancer in the poorest countries of the world. The program will facilitate the development of national comprehensive cervical cancer prevention and control programs that integrate two breakthrough technologies, HPV vaccines and HPV DNA tests. These programs will benefit at least 1.5 million girls and 1.5 million women. o The ING Foundation and Girls Incorporated commit to expanding the ING-Girls Inc. Investment Challenge, an innovative program giving girls hands-on investing experience while allowing them to keep their gains as college scholarships. Increasing the number of cities participating in the program, this commitment will have a direct impact on 100 young women's lives, while increasing financial literacy in the United States. o Sustainable Health Enterprise commits to provide access to affordable, eco-friendly sanitary pads, plus health and hygiene education, through sustainable, locally-led businesses, for one million girls and women in Africa by 2012. This commitment will increase school/work attendance, decrease pelvic infections, and drive economic growth. o Plan USA and its partners commit over the next three years to train 140 adolescent girls from Ghana in media production and journalism skills, empowering the girls to advocate against gender discrimination through diverse media. This commitment will increase awareness of the needs of adolescent girls in West Africa by reaching a radio and television audience of approximately 1 million. o The Freeplay Foundation commits to distribute its award- winning, self-powered Lifeline radios and new clean energy Lifelights to poor women and girls in Rwanda, directly benefiting 20,000 people. The Lifelights will enable women to extend their business hours and the radios will enable the women and girls to access health, literacy, and practical skills, as well as agricultural advice. o The Nike Foundation and its partners commit to utilize the Adolescent Girls' Global Health Agenda to advocate around the report's key recommendations to stimulate global attention and investment in adolescent girls' health. The Grameen Nurse Institute in Bangladesh will serve as a sustainable business model to demonstrate how girl-focused innovation improves outcomes for everyone. o Exxon Mobil commits to identify and deploy innovative technologies to advance economic opportunities for women in developing countries, in partnership with the Ashoka Changemaker and the International Center for Research on Women. The project will improve the quality of life of women in developing countries and enable them to participate more fully in income-generating activities. o Goldman Sachs commits to working with partners including the Inter-American Development Bank to provide women entrepreneurs in Peru with quality business education and enhanced access to capital. Their efforts will offer more than 700 high-potential small business owners with the specialized training, access to capital, networking, and mentoring necessary to significantly expand their businesses. o Hathay Bunano and its partners commit over the next year to develop 22 handicraft production centers in Bangladesh which will provide training and subsequent employment for 2000 destitute women. Hathay Bunano will train the women in hand knitting and hand crochet, enabling them to make high quality, export-orientated children's toys to be sold worldwide. o Pro Mujer commits to provide poor women in Latin America with an integrated package of microfinance, health care, and training that will allow them to take an active role in changing their lives and creating a better future for their families. The organization's goal is to expand its reach to 350,000 women and impact the lives of more than 1.7 million children. o General Mills and CARE will launch "Join My Village" which will tap the power of online communities to connect women in the U.S. with families in Malawi, igniting a new level of consumer education and involvement. Ongoing reports from the field will enable consumers to participate in the lives of some of the poorest women and girls in Africa. o Women for Women International commits to improve the livelihoods of 103,000 female survivors of war over the next three years. This will be accomplished by a comprehensive program of rights education and vocational and business skills training. These will give the women access to the resources that allow them to participate in their countries' political and economic decision-making. The Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative continues until Friday. For more information or to watch the live webcast, please visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org. About the Clinton Global Initiative Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) brings together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 100 current and former heads of state, 10 of the last 16 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 1,400 commitments valued at $46 billion, which have improved the lives of more than 200 million people in more than 170 countries. Bookmark and Share -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From shuyer at wigsat.org Wed Sep 30 11:21:16 2009 From: shuyer at wigsat.org (Sophia Huyer) Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:21:16 -0400 Subject: [Ict4women] ICT4D Internship opportunity at CTA Message-ID: <4919619F-6577-4D06-9BFA-9A29CBD510FE@wigsat.org> Internship Opportunity at CTA Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), an international organisation based in Wageningen, The Netherlands has an opening for one intern for a period of approximately 6+6 months to work as a member of its ICT Innovation Team. The CTA ICT Innovation Team has the mandate to monitor ICT innovations and propose these to CTA management and partner organisations for consideration and adoption. CTA?s mandate puts emphasis on facilitating access, exchange and dissemination of information in the fields of agriculture and rural development. Therefore, optimizing its online presence is of paramount importance. At present the ICT Innovation Team has embarked on a series of related initiatives. Duties Under the guidance of the Sr. Coordinator of the ICT Innovation Team, the Intern will carry out the following activities: Assist in monitoring CTA online presence and the use of its online resources; Assist in managing and / or developing online resources; Contribute to the improvement of CTA?s online visibility and services delivered; Appraise innovative Web 2.0 applications; Moderate existing and new online communities; Perform other tasks as requested by the mentor. Profile University degree in ICT4D-related disciplines; Familiarity with and experience/keen interest in the area of ICTs issues as well as African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries; Maximum 29-year old; Recently graduated; Familiar with African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries; Fluent in written and spoken English or French and ability to work in the other language (mandatory criterion); Proficient in information and communication technologies; Good organisation, inter-personal and communication skills; National of either one European Union member state or of one of the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific) States. Interested candidates should submit the documents listed below to intern at cta.int and enter the following text in the email subject field: [ict4d internship application] ? Curriculum vitae ? Scanned copy of the university degree(s) ? One-page letter explaining why the candidate considers that he/she is in a position to successfully contribute to project implementation and what he/she expects to gain from the internship. The date of earliest availability should be specified as well ? Two letters of recommendation and/or references. Revised deadline for submission: October 15, 2009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: