Briefing

World YWCA Day Celebrates Women Creating a Safe World

Over 40 friends and partners of the World YWCA joined in World YWCA Day celebrations in Geneva, Switzerland on April 24, 2009. The occasion was an opportunity to reflect on the World YWCA Day theme ‘Women Creating a Safe World’ and the event involved a number of different presentations including ‘Honouring Women Leaders’ and an introduction to World YWCA Council 2011.

“Today, we are saying it is possible to have a different world. Together we can create a different world; a world free of violence, free of HIV—where humanity is celebrated and human dignity is a lived experience every day, every where,” said World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.

World YWCA President Susan Brenann sent a message to the YWCA movement stating, “YWCAs globally are honouring women leaders and celebrating women's leadership in creating a safe world. We are celebrating the YWCA as a safe space. Safe because we provide shelter and places to gather, safe because we welcome all women, regardless of their circumstances.”

For more, visit:
 www.worldywca.org for stories on YWCAs celebrating World YWCA Day

www.YouTube.com/worldywca for General Secretary’s video message

www.Flickr.com/worldywca for photos from YWCAs around the world

World YWCA rolls out Regional Training Institutes (RTI)

Within its leadership development and capacity building programme for the 2008-2011 period, the World YWCA is convening a series of regional training institutes (RTI) under the common theme ‘Women Creating Safe and Secure Communities’. The main goal is to contribute to the movement’s strategic framework by developing regional strategies for programme delivery including advocacy on sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), HIV and violence against women (VAW).

The YWCA of Trinidad and Tobago will host the Caribbean RTI; more than 50 women and young women are expected to attend. Participants will strategise on ways to eliminate violence against women and stop the spread of HIV in the Caribbean. ‘Caribbean Women Creating Safe and Secure Communities: United to end Violence Against Women and the Spread of HIV’ will be the theme of the Caribbean YWCAs RTI to be held from May 24-29.

The YWCA of Nigeria will host the African RTI in June under the theme ‘African Women Creating Safe and Secure Communities’. Representatives from 28 African YWCAs and two Middle East YWCAs will attend along with three African associations working towards affiliation.

In August, the Asia and Pacific RTI will be held in Bali, Indonesia from August 2-7. Hosted by the YWCA of Indonesia, the RTI precedes the International Congress on AIDS in Asia Pacific (ICAAP9).

A ‘Young Women Leaders Dialogue’ will feature at all RTIs, creating a safe space for young women of the YWCA movement to discuss SRHR, HIV and VAW.

“RTIs are one of the long standing means within which YWCA leaders and volunteers come together at the regional level to grow their leadership and continue to offer the space for collective reflection, shared knowledge on best practices and a much-needed opportunity to affirm young women in the movement,” says World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.

RTIs in Middle East and Latin America will be held in 2010.

Fijian women leaders profiled on World YWCA website

Fiji has become increasingly unstable after a March 2009 Court of Appeal rule that declared Commodore Bainimarama's regime illegal under the country's 1997 constitution.

Women’s groups in Fiji have called for international support and solidarity as the government’s continued clamp down on media threatened their human rights and increased insecurity in the country.

The World YWCA has highlighted women’s leadership in addressing the crisis in Fiji by publishing interviews with Fijian women activists on its website. The women share their hopes and fears for the country. “Peace and security are very important to women in Fiji,“ said Leba Halofaki-Mataitini, National President of the YWCA of Fiji in her interview, “Women are one of the main groups affected by the impact of such events. As protectors and anchors of families, family security is uppermost in their minds. To a large extent, these events show the quiet strength of women.”

The World YWCA promotes the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for women’s full participation in peace building.

Read the interviews on www.worldywca.org

Could your YWCA be the host of World YWCA Council 2015?

The World YWCA is seeking invitations from member associations to host the World YWCA Council in 2015. World Council is the quadrennial membership meeting of the World YWCA, involving representatives from nearly 100 member associations from around the world. The meeting is hosted by a member association and usually rotates around the world regions.

Hosting World Council provides many opportunities for the host association and the YWCAs in the region. It is an opportunity to showcase the work and culture of the member association within the global YWCA movement.

Expressions of interest should be submitted no later than September 15, 2009 in order for the World YWCA Board to consider host locations at its October 2009 meeting.

For further information email: worldoffice@worldywca.org

Vienna to host world’s largest international conference on HIV and AIDS

Vienna, Austria will host the XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010), the largest international meeting on HIV. The biannual conference attracts close to 25,000 people, representing all stakeholders in the global response to HIV, to address the gaps, assess progress and identify future priorities in the response to HIV and AIDS.

The International AIDS Society (IAS), in partnership with civil society, government, and scientific partners from around the world, will coordinate AIDS 2010. The World YWCA is a member of the Conference Coordinating Committee (CCC) representing women, young people and faith-based organisations. As part of the planning committee, the World YWCA is working to ensure that these constituencies are meaningfully mainstreamed to all aspects of the conference agenda.

The conference has great potential to engage Central Asia and Europe, especially Russia, in addressing HIV and AIDS. Russia accounts for two-thirds of all HIV cases in Eastern Europe and many believe Central Asia has one of the fasts growing epidemic in the world.

For more information visit: www.aids2010.org