IN THIS ISSUE

CONFERENCES & OPPORTUNITIES
Call for Papers | Special Issue on Gender and Sustainable Development | summer 09
Violence Against Women with Disabilities - August 28,  2008
European Parliament, Brussels | The last day for application is August 15
Call for Papers for Al-Raida Publication - Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World
WIDE Annual Conference 2008 ´Feminist Visions for a Just Europe´, 09-11 October, The Hague, The Netherlands
The 2nd New Arab Woman Forum 23 - 24 October 2008 | Beirut - Lebanon

WOMEN’S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS
Women's Funding & Movement Building in Iran
Campaign Seeks to Increase Jordanian Women's Awareness About Their Legal Rights

NEWS & ARTICLES
GENDER
GENDER RIGHTS
Electing members of the CEDAW Committee
Iraqi – Kurdish Women Claim New Law Erodes Their Rights in Iraq-Kurdistan
Women's Union in Yemen Slams Clerics for Issuing 'defamatory decree'
Gender Inequality Remains a Great Challenge in Jordan
Nawal-Al-Saadawi back in the line of fire

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Pakistani Man Kills his Daughter Over Forced Marriage
Mainstreaming and Institutionalizing Gender Based Violence Reduction and Prevention in National Planning Project / Lebanon

GENDER & CITIZENSHIP
Bahraini Family law Push

GENDER & ECONOMY
Women's Role in Economic Growth Probed

GENDER & POLITICS
Egyptian Female Political Participation Up Among Grassroots, Down Among Educated Young

BOOKS & REPORTS
GENDER
GENDER MAINSTREAMING
Strategies for Promoting Gender Equity in Developing Countries: Lessons, Challenges, and Opportunities

GENDER BUDGETING
Mainstreaming Gender Perspectives in National Budgets: An Overview

GENDER RIGHTS
Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, ALGERIA
CEDAW Committee List of Issues, Questions and Answers (Yemen)
“As If I Am Not Human” - Abuses Against Asian Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia

RESOURCES & TRAINING MATERIALS
DONORS AND PROJECTS’ PROFILES
Women's Funding Network
United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF)

GENDER RESOURCES
The Violence against Women Monitor
Association for Women's Rights in Development new Website
Bahrain launches web site for children's guidance
"What a Beautiful Democracy!" - A Feature Documentary about the Struggle of Women Running for the Turkish Parliament

CONFERENCES & OPPORTUNITIES
Call for Papers | Special Issue on Gender and Sustainable Development | summer 09
The International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development (IJISD) invites submissions for a special edition on Gender and Sustainable Development to be published in Summer 2009. Deadline for submission: September 1st. More Information

Violence Against Women with Disabilities - August 28, 2008
European Parliament, Brussels | The last day for application is August 15
For more information, contact: Berit Dahlström e-mail: eva-britt.svensson-assistant2@europarl.europa.eu Please send your application to eva-britt.svensson-assistant2@europarl.europa.eu

Call for Papers for Al-Raida Publication - Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World
Information & Communication Technologies (ICT's) & Women in the Arab World
If you are interested in contributing to this issue of Al-Raida, kindly send your abstract (250-300 words). For more information

WIDE Annual Conference 2008 ´Feminist Visions for a Just Europe´, 09-11 October, The Hague, The Netherlands
On 09 to 11 October 2008, the WIDE Annual Conference entitled ´Feminist Visions for a Just Europe´ will take place in The Hague in the Netherlands. This year’s conference will be hosted by WO=MEN, the Dutch Gender Platform, and is expected to convene at least 200 delegates representing the unique triangle of women living and working in the ´West, East and South´. More Information

The 2nd New Arab Woman Forum 23 - 24 October 2008 | Beirut - Lebanon
The Arab world today is in the midst of a major process of transformation marked by a general improvement in economic fundamentals, solid growth, very large and rising financial surpluses among the oil producers, an accelerating pace of economic reform and liberalization, and attendant gradual social change. More Information

WOMEN’S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS
Women's Funding & Movement Building in Iran
AWID interviews a young Iranian women's rights activist (who wishes to remain anonymous for security reasons) about funding for women's rights work and movement building in Iran. Interview can be accessed here.

Campaign Seeks to Increase Jordanian Women's Awareness About Their Legal Rights
The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) on Monday launched a campaign to answer around 100 frequently asked questions by women about their legal rights. For more information

NEWS & ARTICLES
GENDER
GENDER RIGHTS
Electing members of the CEDAW Committee
On 30 July 2008, official representatives of States parties to CEDAW will be electing 11 members of the CEDAW Committee that will serve from January 2009 to December 2012. IWRAW AP has compiled information on the nominees into a table form for your easy reference. More information
 
Iraqi – Kurdish Women Claim New Law Erodes Their Rights in Iraq-Kurdistan
Secular women’s groups and religious leaders are battling over how much influence Islamic law should have over Iraqi Kurdistan’s new personal status legislation.
The Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, is drafting a new personal status law to govern matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, replacing the current Iraqi law that was originally drafted in 1959. For more information

Women's Union in Yemen Slams Clerics for Issuing 'defamatory decree'
A women's union in Yemen slammed a religious decree issued by a group of clerics earlier in July 2008, banning female participation in public life.
The Yemeni Women Union, a non-governmental organization supported by the government, said the decree reduces the value and importance of the great role of women in building the society. More information

Gender Inequality Remains a Great Challenge in Jordan
At a Regional Seminar on Women's Economic Participation, the Planning and International Cooperation Minister Suhair Al-Ali called on governments to integrate plans and strategies which empower women and stressed the importance of mobilizing the region's collective talents and efforts towards addressing the challenges and barriers facing women in the southern Mediterranean region. For more information

Nawal-Al-Saadawi back in the line of fire
Egyptian author Nawal al-Saadawi has always had a bumpy relationship with her country's censors. Recently, her own publisher stopped printing two of her books because they were deemed blasphemous by some. For more details, please follow this link.

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Pakistani Man Kills his Daughter Over Forced Marriage
Georgia authorities are holding a man of Pakistani descent in the strangulation death of his 25-year-old daughter. A Pakistani man from Jonesboro, Georgia has been charged with murder for strangling his daughter to death to protect his family's honor. For more information

Mainstreaming and Institutionalizing Gender Based Violence Reduction and Prevention in National Planning Project / Lebanon
This two years project is funded by the Government of Italy and executed by UNFPA through the participation of pertinent NGOs, experts, and research institutions. For more information, please contact: Embassy of Italy – Development Cooperation Office.

GENDER & CITIZENSHIP
Bahraini Family law Push
Women's activists will submit their final draft for a family law by the end of the month, say campaigners. The draft of the law, which is also called the Personal Status Law, aims to govern family matters and improve the situation of Bahrain's women. For more information

GENDER & ECONOMY  
Women's Role in Economic Growth Probed 
Bahrain Businesswomen Society (BBS) participated in Mena Businesswomen's Network Hub Leadership Meeting and Corporate Ambassador Programme in Casablanca, Morocco. The objective is to empower the businesswomen communities of the region by building the capacities of the organizations that serve them by establishing a region-wide hub network that will allow for a vibrant flow of ideas and information. For more information

GENDER & POLITICS 
Egyptian Female Political Participation Up Among Grassroots, Down Among Educated Young
Female participation in politics is not a recent phenomenon. Women in Egypt have had full citizenship and legal rights, including the right to vote and run for office, since 1956. Despite these advances, some women, particularly in more rural areas, have had difficulty exercising their political rights. For more information

BOOKS & REPORTS
GENDER MAINSTREAMING
Strategies for Promoting Gender Equity in Developing Countries: Lessons, Challenges, and Opportunities
This publication examines both old and new models for promoting gender equity in development. As such, it draws upon expert scholars and practitioners to analyse individual cases from throughout the developing world.

GENDER BUDGETING
Mainstreaming Gender Perspectives in National Budgets: An Overview
 Presented by Division for the Advancement of Women, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, at the roundtable on “Gender mainstreaming and gender-responsive budgets”, organized by The Korean Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education (KIGEPE), under the Ministry of Gender Equality - Seoul, Republic of Korea, 25 April 2008. Direct Link

GENDER RIGHTS
Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, ALGERIA
This report contains findings following an official visit to Algeria from 21 to 31 January 2007. Full report

CEDAW Committee List of Issues, Questions and Answers (Yemen)
With Regard to the Consideration of the Yemen CEDAW Report - 41st Session - 2008

“As If I Am Not Human” - Abuses Against Asian Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia
If I tell my whole story it will not be finished even in a day and a night. When I return home, I will maybe bring nothing….  From 12 midnight to 2:30 a.m. my employer beat me with an electric cable. In the end, she said, “Other madams [employers] would send you home but I won’t. You have only two choices: either you work without a salary, or you will die here. If you die, I will tell the police that you committed suicide.”

RESOURCES & TRAINING MATERIALS
DONORS AND PROJECTS’ PROFILES
Women's Funding Network
The Women's Funding Network is 128 organizations that fund women's solutions across the globe. We give women the money and tools to transform their ideas into lasting change — in every critical area from combating poverty to achieving advances in healthcare, education and human rights.

United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF)
UNDEF was established in July 2005 as a United Nations General Trust Fund. Its primary purpose is to support democratisation throughout the world. UNDEF finances projects that build and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights, and ensure the participation of all groups in democratic processes.

GENDER RESOURCES
The Violence against Women Monitor
Developed by the Advocates for Human Rights, this “Stop Violence Against Women” website (STOPVAW) is a forum for information, advocacy and change, and severs as a tool for the promotion of women's human rights in countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. For more information

Association for Women's Rights in Development new Website
AWID is delighted to announce the launch of our new AWID website - as part of its continued efforts to provide a robust hub of information on women's human rights. The new website provides streamlined access to information in English, Spanish and French including thousands of articles on a wide range of women's human rights issues, in-depth analysis, and practical tools to support women's rights activism, and daily news on women's rights around the world.

Bahrain launches web site for children's guidance
WLP's partner in Bahrain, the BE-FREE CENTER, has launched a web site to protect children and teenagers in the region from exploitation and cyber crimes, after a study revealed that youngsters spend an average of five hours daily surfing the net. For more information

"What a Beautiful Democracy!" - A Feature Documentary about the Struggle of Women Running for the Turkish Parliament
"What a Beautiful Democracy!" a feature length documentary by the Istanbul based filmmakers collective filmist looks for the answers while chronicling the campaign of women candidates running in the general elections in Turkey. For more information