EDITORIAL

It is time that we ask ourselves how we are benefiting from such participation. Do these events truly strengthen co-operation with governments in support of a united feminist agenda? Alternately, how can we make our continued participation in world conferences more strategic? What new and increasingly relevant issues need to be reframed and revisited both by the movement and by states? This reflection is of greater saliency given the current political context of the internationalization of right wing, neoliberal governments and policies.

AWID’s 9th International forum, “Reinventing Globalization”, fostered the ongoing and critical debate of whether we, as an international feminist movement, should be concentrating our energies on yet another world conference. A Beijing + 10 meeting, though an opportunity to re-group and re-prioritize, may also be redundant given that much of the Beijing Platform for Action (PFA) remains to be achieved. In the opening plenary, Joanna Kerr, executive director of AWID, stated, that she personally does not support a fifth world conference on women in 2005 given the effort and resources required merely to defend the gains made in previous UN Conferences.

Until we have more gender equality governments in power, perhaps it is too dangerous to allow governments now to renegotiate our rights. A meeting in 2010 is perhaps more appropriate. Do our members agree?

This comment, as well as some of the materials that arose out of Forum sessions generated a great deal of input and debate. The responses of forum participants and members have varied from overwhelming support for the postponement of a fifth world conference on women to 2010 (when there might be a better political environment) to active preparation for a world conference in 2005, and alternative suggestions such as a women’s conference on the world.

This edition of CAFRA News highlights the reports from our network in five (5) member countries and a report from the Secretariat on the performance of NGOs in implementing the recommendations of the Beijing Platform for Action. We highlight the exchange of notes from our mail list on this issue. Margaret Macaulay takes up a lament against the violent language in the media in “Blood Thirsty Language in the Media”. There’s much to mull on in “Caribbean Feminisms” as Carla Bakboord and workshop participants explore theme of recentering Caribbean Feminism. Read on!