Editorial

The Power Of Networking

As an important social movement, CAFRA has advocated on behalf of the women’s movement, meeting needs of women at all levels and at the same ime influencing policy.

As the Caribbean NGO focal point for the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, China), CAFRA continues to maintain its role in facilitating participation in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. The organisation is also playing a critical role in the Beijing+5 Review process.

CAFRA’s analysis in the region has shown that since 1995, economic and political forces have been responsible for measures and policies which run counter to the commitments made by governments for implementing the Platform for Action. Many of their policy discussions are in direct contradiction to the promises made.

Of serious concern as well is the withdrawal by some governements from international human rights conventions. This raises questions as to the future of government’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDWA).

There has also been a weakening of the partnership between government and NGOs, which was very evident during the Beijing preparatory process and at the Conference, where several NGO representatives led the government on key aspects of the Platform of Action.

Despite these obstacles, CAFRA has used the power of networking to conduct several significant activities, including the following:

 Preparation of a Caribbean NGO Regional Plan of Action - post Beijing (1996)

 Participation in the Regional Advisory Committee on Women and Gender Issues, coordinated by the Caribbean Office oc the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), to review the implications of the Platform for Action for the Caribbean, and coordinate actions.

 Preparation of a Position Paper on the Future of EU/ACP Development Cooperation in collaboration with Women In Development Europe (WIDE)

 Participation in the Caribbean Reference Group on Trade and Development Issues, which prepared a regional NGO strategy position on a new cooperation agreement between the European Union and the African Caribbean and Pacific countries.

 Development of a Lobby Paper on the banana crisis and its impact on women.

The Association has also conducted critical research on :

• Tourism and the Sex Trade in the Caribbean
• Impact of Trade Policies on Rural Women
• Women and the Lomé Convention

CAFRA’s work in the region has placed it in a strong advocacy and lobbying position, earning it recognition at national, regional and international levels. It has also allowed the organisation to play a significant role in influencing the outcomes of the new Lomé Convention. These gains, in the area of Gender and Trade, have been accomplished through networking with the Caribbean Reference Group on Trade, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Women in Development Europe (WIDE) and its national platform in Holland, Vrouwenberaad.

CAFRA is committed to a process of functional cooperation whit agencies with a similar vision and programme, with a view to providing the best-sustained services to the constituents it serves.

CAFRA is a regional network of feminists, individual researchers, activists and women’s organisations, which was founded in April 1985, at a regional conference to mark the end of the UN Decade for Women. The Association has National Representatives in 14 countries, and members throughout the Dutch, English, French and Spanish speaking Caribbean.

Nelcia Robinson
Coordinator, CAFRA