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Members and
their WOCAN Activities in 2005
We have been very pleased that since the launch of WOCAN
and call for members on January 1, 2005, over 290 women and men working in 70 countries and 11 international
organizations have been accepted (many more have applied) with
the numbers still increasing weekly. Of these, about 25% are from Africa,
36% from Asia and the Pacific, 7% from Latin America, 3% from the Middle
East, 7% from Europe, 16% from North America,
and 7% from international organizations. The WOCAN website is currently
being updated to allow members to engage in an interactive manner, add
linkages and view the database of all members. The new website, to be
launched in March, will allow us to easily analyze characteristics of
members to facilitate networking and planning based on member needs.
Members have participated in many regional and international events on
behalf of WOCAN and the Major Group WOMEN within the UN Forum on Forests
and the SARD Initiative.At the UNFF 5, WOCAN led a Women’s Caucus
and organized two side events with members from Latin America, Asia and
Africa on ‘Women and Forests’ and ‘HIV/AIDs on
Sustainable Forest Management’; WOCAN also attended the FAO
consultative meeting with Civil Society and FAO’s Committee on
Forestry (CoFo) Ministerial Meeting. At the Commission on the Status of
Women Beijing plus 10 meeting, WOCAN sponsored a panel on
‘Paragraph K: Renewing and Implementing the Beijing Commitments on
Environment’ to review the Beijing commitments on environment, and
to discuss reasons for the neglect of issues related to women and the
environment by both the environment and the gender advocates. At the AWID
Forum on ‘How Change Happens’, Bangkok WOCAN participated in
a panel organized by FAO and IFAD, entitled “Linking Poor Women,
Gender and Environment to the Global Women’s Movement”, which
was well attended by more than 100 people. Moderated by WOCAN Support
Group member Yianna Lambrou, speakers included WOCAN members Jing de la
Rosa, Kanchan Lama, Rebecca Pearl and Jeannette Gurung. Participants
discussed the need to pool our energy and work together, to propose
concrete models of agriculture that favor gender equality. A
recommendation was to support WOCAN, and to organize a major global
conference to bring global attention to the needs of rural women. Member
Helen Dayo presented a paper ‘Enhancing the Capacity of Academic
Institutions to Produce Gender-sensitive R and D Professionals’ at
the Global Learning Opportunity of the International Farming System
Association.
Find out more
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Dear
Members
The year of 2005 has been one of
strengthening the base of WOCAN through its membership in over 69
countries around the world and its governance structure, through a new
Board of Directors and Support Group and bylaws. In 2005, WOCAN became a
highly visible organization through our participation in many global and
regional events in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Our role in global advocacy continues to be requested by many agencies,
but now we turn our focus to our members, beginning with our first Regional
Meeting of Members in Africa, to be followed by other regional meetings
elsewhere, as we forge alliances amongst members and those who can
support their efforts to strengthen women’s leadership and
organizational change in agriculture and NRM. The involvement of each and
every member in WOCAN’s growth and development is highly
appreciated. Warmest wishes for 2006.
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· New Board of Directors
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A meeting of the new Board of
Directors and Support Group was held in Bangkok in October. Pictured here are Jing
de la Rosa, Winston Rudder, Rebecca Pearl, Martha Hirpa, Yianna Lambrou,
Kanchan Lama and Jeannette Gurung. The Board and SUpport Group members
reaffirmed their commitment to the growth of WOCAN as a significant forum
for women in agriculture and NRM, and discussed strategies for raising
funds and meeting needs of members.
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Backgrounds of members of the
Board and Support Group
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· Regional Meeting of WOCAN Members
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Regional meetings will be held to
bring WOCAN members together , along with allies of other organizations,
to build alliances and develop plans of action based on regional
realities and needs. The high numbers of members in Africa and South Asia, as well as in other regions, allows us
to build on the enthusiasm and commitment of members to contribute their
skills and knowledge to capacity building, outreach, advocacy, and pilot
projects of WOCAN. This will assure both that the plans are
‘owned’ by members at the national level, and that
appropriate voluntary resources of members are mobilized in this process.
Such workshops will be held as funding becomes available; we expect to
hold the first one in West or Central Africa
in the first half of 2006. Plans are being developed for a 3 day meeting,
open to all African members. More details will soon be available.
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Read on...
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· Upcoming Events
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"Gender in Natural
Resources”, Ottawa, 16 Jan. WOCAN has been invited by the
International Affairs Service of the Canadian Forest Service/Natural Resources
Canada to give a presentation, followed by overviews of five Canadian
agencies - Forests, Agriculture and Agri-Food, CIDA, NRCan, and
Environment Canada – on issues of gender and employment equity. The
meeting is coordinated by three WOCAN members and Support Group members.
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Read on...
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· Call for Members
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We are always
pleased to add new members to our membership, so please do tell your
colleagues and friends about WOCAN.
If your email address has
changed, please send an email to: jeannettegurung@wocan.org
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