The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
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sist on the resumption <strong>of</strong> negotiations based on a set <strong>of</strong> clear political<br />
principles.<br />
Following the Istanbul meeting, the founding members <strong>of</strong> the IWC<br />
began <strong>to</strong> organize internally <strong>and</strong> create the mechanisms needed for the<br />
implementation <strong>of</strong> their programme. <strong>The</strong>y launched a process <strong>to</strong> identify<br />
an initial group <strong>of</strong> sixty members – twenty from each group – who could<br />
promote the IWC Charter <strong>and</strong> begin <strong>to</strong> develop activities on the ground.<br />
<strong>The</strong> aim has been <strong>to</strong> ensure that IWC members represented as broad a<br />
political spectrum as possible, <strong>and</strong> the diversity <strong>of</strong> sec<strong>to</strong>rs, social group -<br />
ings, religious communities, political positions, <strong>and</strong> localities within each<br />
society, as well as key women in decision-making positions <strong>and</strong> civil society.<br />
In Israel, besides woman parliamentarians <strong>and</strong> prominent public fig -<br />
ures, a decision was made <strong>to</strong> allocate places <strong>to</strong> Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, <strong>and</strong><br />
Israeli-citizen Palestinian women. On the Palestinian side, geographic <strong>and</strong><br />
political considerations were central, so that provision was made for members<br />
from Gaza, the West Bank <strong>and</strong> East Jerusalem. Although the composition<br />
on both sides has failed <strong>to</strong> include key groups in each society –<br />
Hamas, <strong>and</strong>, on the other side, the Jewish settlers <strong>and</strong> their backers – it<br />
does extend far beyond the familiar scope <strong>of</strong> existing peace movements.<br />
Internationally, UNIFEM has been recruiting prominent international, Israeli<br />
<strong>and</strong> Palestinian members. <strong>The</strong> honorary co-chairs at the head <strong>of</strong> the<br />
organization are the presidents <strong>of</strong> Finl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Liberia; the members include<br />
the foreign ministers <strong>of</strong> Switzerl<strong>and</strong>, Icel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Austria, as well<br />
as Nobel laureates, ministers, parliamentarians, <strong>and</strong> key NGO leaders<br />
from the European Union, Africa, North America <strong>and</strong> Asia.<br />
<strong>The</strong> international steering committee <strong>of</strong> the IWC is composed <strong>of</strong> four<br />
members from each group. It coordinates activities <strong>and</strong> maintains overall<br />
responsibility for decision-making. <strong>The</strong> secretariat consisting <strong>of</strong> an Israeli,<br />
a Palestinian, <strong>and</strong> international coordina<strong>to</strong>r works <strong>to</strong>gether at the<br />
international level. <strong>The</strong> local coordina<strong>to</strong>rs administer internal activities in<br />
each society.<br />
<strong>The</strong> activities <strong>of</strong> the IWC have focused on four main areas. <strong>The</strong> first has<br />
centred on moni<strong>to</strong>ring political developments <strong>and</strong> formulating genderdriven<br />
political positions on events as they take place, on permanent<br />
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