| GENDER JUSTICE CONFERENCE 2007 |  |
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| AFRICA REGIONAL MEETING ON GENDER JUSTICE: ADVANCING GENDER JUSTICE IN CONFLICT AFFECTED COUNTRIES 20 – 23 March 2007, Cape Town |
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On behalf of the Governments of the Republic of South Africa and Sweden, as Co-Chairs of the "Partners for Gender Justice in Conflict-Affected Countries", the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development would like to invite you to a High-Level Meeting to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa on 22-23 March 2007. Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) underlines the need to ensure that women are participants in conflict resolution and peace-building processes and to mainstream gender equality in these areas. To contribute to the efforts to accelerate implementation of the objectives of Security Council resolution 1325, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) organized a Conference on Gender Justice in Post-Conflict Situations, with the theme “Peace Needs Women and Women Need Justice”, from 15-17 September 2004 in New York City.The 2004 Conference was followed by a High-Level Meeting: Building Partnerships for Promoting Gender Justice in Post-Conflict Societies, organized by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with UNIFEM and ILAC, from 25-26 August 2005 in Stockholm. The 2005 Meeting focused on the recommendations that emerged from the 2004 Conference, and looked particularly at how gender justice requirements, within the context of rule of law and post-conflict peace-building, could be best addressed and operationalised in such settings. The Partners for Gender Justice was created to forge a more coordinated and integrated system of collaboration to assist national stakeholders in achieving gender justice in conflict affected countries. At the 2005 High-Level, it was agreed that Sweden and South Africa will act as the first co-chairs of this initiative with support from UNIFEM and ILAC. The key goal of the Partners is to contribute to the understanding of how the international community best can respect and support local ownership of any plan of action to promote gender justice reforms in conflict affected countries. Thus far several international meetings, including the meeting in Liberia in October 2005 have taken place in an attempt to encourage discussions, processes and events that prioritize upholding the rule of law and the principles of gender equality. The purpose of the upcoming Regional High-Level Gender-Justice Meeting in Cape Town in March, is for ministers and high-level government representatives from some African countries to meet and to share experiences and thoughts on how we best can identify gaps, challenges and opportunities to further promote Gender Justice and the participation of women within our justice systems. An important aspect to intensify the implementation of gender justice is to cooperate and exchange experiences on a regional and international level. Enquiries: |