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SANWED Consultative Workshop
December 16, 2011
With the support of European Union (EU), Women for Human Rights, single women group (WHR) as the Secretariat of SANWED organized a two day consultative workshop on "Global Networking and Mainstreaming of Widows' Issues" on 9th and 10th December, 2011 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
SANWED core committee members from South Asian countries which includes representatives from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India participated in the two day conference along with representatives from the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Constituent Assembly members, representative from Widows for Peace through Democracy, UK (Margaret Owen); representatives from UN Women Nepal and South Asia Sub-regional office, representatives from European Union, WHR board members, five development regional presidents of WHR and WHR staff. Representatives from Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan and an additional organization from Sri Lanka representing Tamil widows were unable to attend at the last moment due to unavoidable circumstances.
The chief guest for the inauguration session was Arvind Shah, Hon. State Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare.
The keynote speakers during the inauguration session were Mahendra Shrestha, Chairperson of ICAMC, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare; Ananda Raj Pokharel, Secretary of Ministry of Women , Children and Social Welfare; H.E. Mr Alf Arne Ramslien, The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nepal; Anne F. Stenhammer , UN Women South Asia Regional office; Lluis Navarro, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Nepal; Ferdous Ara Begum, Gender Issues Specialist and former Member of UN CEDAW committee; Margaret Owen, International Focal person (Widows for Peace through Democracy UK); Lily Thapa, founder president of WHR and General secretary of SANWED.
The major objectives of the workshop were to mainstream South Asian Rural Widows' issues at the 56th session of Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) round table meeting to be held in New York in March 2012; to take necessary steps in order to lobby for a Widows' Desk at the UN and appoint a Special Rapporteur for South Asian widows' issues; to discuss the roles and responsibilities of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Government agencies, UN agencies in mainstreaming widows' issues; to discuss the role of SAARC in the implementation of Article 32 of the Colombo Declaration and further endorsement of the Widows' Charter; to discuss on incorporating widows’ issues into the major human rights instruments like the BPFA, UNSCRs 1325/1820, and CEDAW where widows issues have not been highlighted and to discuss on the way forward in terms of legal registration of SANWED as a South Asian Network.