“The Arabic revolution is about values and dignity, it’s a revolution for life. And it came from you, our sisters in the world, who live in freedom, dignity, and equality.” – Tawakkol Karman

For full conference coverage, including photos, blog posts, media coverage, and video, visit our Women Beyond War blog.

In total, 686 candidates registered to run for president of Iran.  All but eight, however, have been disqualified by the Guardian Council – including all of the leading reformists and all of the female candidates.  On 16 May, Mohammed Yazdi announced on behalf of the Council that women would not be permitted to run, arguing that the “law does not approve” of women’s candidacy.  While some candidates, such as Hasan Rowhani, have advocated for the rights of women, others have indicated little sympathy for women’s issues.

Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi is amongst those who, in the wake of the contentious 2009 election, were forced into hiding or exile.  As Friday’s election approaches, Ebadi has called for fair elections and an end to such legal discrimination against women:

“The only way out of this political cul-de-sac would be if a freely-elected government took over – a government that ended international conflicts, led Iran out of its isolation, and stopped violating human rights. […] The young Iranian society, the powerful citizen’s initiatives, the women’s and workers’ movements – in the right constellation and circumstances, these players can form a good foundation for freedom and democracy in Iran.”

LEARN MORE

The new sufragettes: Shirin Ebadi – the campaigner who has become an international figurehead for women’s rights, The Independent, 30 May 2013

Iran presidential candidates debate freedoms, women’s rights ahead of June 14 vote, Washington Post, 5 June 2013

Iran election: Cleric rules out women candidates, BBC News, 16 May 2013

Dark shadows over Iran, Deutsche Welle, 27 May 2013

TAKE ACTION

Visit Vote4Zahra.org, a campaign based around a fictional female candidate for the Iranian presidency, to have your say in their survey!

Moderator: Rebecca Johnson, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons/Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy
Speakers: Yoshioka Tatsuya, Peace Boat, Peter Emerson, De Borda Institute, Jody Williams, Stop Killer Robots Campaign

“Why have we created a world where a country wants to [build a nuclear weapon arsenal]? All of us in our own countries and as world citizens have a responsibility to bring about the world of nonkilling that we want to see.” – Rebecca Johnson

For full conference coverage, including photos, blog posts, media coverage, and video, visit our Women Beyond War blog.

Moderator: Cynthia McKinney, Politician & Activist, USA
Speakers: Farhana Yamin, Global Campaign for Climate Action, Crystal Lameman, Beaver Lake Cree Nation/Sierra Club, Aura Lolita Chavez Ixcaquic, K’iche People’s Council, Guatemala, Hania Moheeb, Journalist and Activist, Egypt

“98% of all displacements last year were related to climate and weather-related events. Everyday there are impacts already occurring which are pushing communities into more and more conflictual situations.

We know that the impacts that climate change brings are not gender neutral … women will be worst-affected.

But we also know that women are 50% of the world’s population and we’re made of pretty tough stuff, and we have power, together, to affect change everywhere – in our households, in our communities, nationally and internationally. ” – Farhana Yamin

For full conference coverage, including photos, blog posts, media coverage, and video, visit our Women Beyond War blog.

Moderator: Lena Ag, Kvinna till Kvinna
Speakers: Madeline Rees, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Amina Mama, Director of Women and Gender Studies, UC Davis, Valerie Hudson, School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, Helen Mack, Myrna Mack Foundation

“Women are weavers; we’re very good at building the picture, building the map, and making the links that have the potential to subvert the tyrnanies of our day. ” — Amina Mama

For full conference coverage, including photos, blog posts, media coverage, and video, visit our Women Beyond War blog.

Moderator: Gerry Grehan, Peace People 
Speakers: Bronagh Hinds, DemocraShe/Institute of British Irish Studies, University College Dublin, Patricia McKeown, UNISON/Executive Council of Irish Council Trade Unions, Tommy Kirkham, Ex-combatant, Gary Smith, Ex-combatant

“As I stand here today … there are people in our society dying in the peace process from a preventable disease, a disease called inequality. That is unacceptable, that is something I am not prepared to tolerate, and women in particular are not prepared to tolerate.” – Patricia McKeown

For full conference coverage, including photos, blog posts, media coverage, and video, visit our Women Beyond War blog.

Since being appointed to the Prosecutor’s office in December 2010, Paz y Paz has worked tirelessly to ensure perpetrators of mass human rights atrocities face accountability and justice for their crimes. Paz y Paz’s office built the case to order former President of Guatemala, Efraín Ríos Montt to trial for crimes against humanity, including genocide and sexual violence from over 20 years ago. The specialized “high-risk” court where Ríos Montt was tried was created under her term, and the prosecution was a major turning point in the path towards truth, justice and reconciliation in Guatemala.

For her efforts to prosecute “criminals who previously thought themselves to be untouchable,” Paz y Paz faces constant threats to her safety.

Paz y Paz’s work requires a great deal of courage. Let’s keep her in the spotlight.

LEARN MORE

Top Guatemala prosecutor pulls no punches, Al Jazeera, 31 January 2013.

TAKE ACTION

Write a message of support and solidarity for Claudia Paz y Paz. Post it on our Facebook wall, tweet it to us @nobelwomen using #defensoras, or email us at web@nobelwomensinitiative.org. We will send the messages to Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey herself.

The government of British Columbia has officially opposed the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.

First Nations groups in the region celebrate this recent development, and congratulate the B.C. government for acknowledging Enbridge’s failure to address the serious environmental risks posed by the pipeline. They are also hopeful that the government’s refusal to approve Enbridge’s pipeline signifies an increased commitment to respect First Nations’ rights and traditional land titles. First Nations groups have been significantly involved in the review process – thirteen First Nations groups living along the proposed route of the pipeline submitted final arguments to the Joint Review Panel, with each submission outlining the threats to their traditional way of life should the pipeline be completed.

The Northern Gateway pipeline would consist of two pipelines connecting the Alberta oil sands to an ocean tanker port on the North Coast of B.C. with the capacity to transfer 525,000 barrels of oil per day.  The Joint Review Panel will hear final arguments beginning June 17, and will submit a report to the federal government by the end of the year. The federal government will then make the final decision with regards to the pipeline.

LEARN MORE

Read British Columbia’s submission to the Joint Review Panel.

B.C. officially opposes Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, CBC, 1 June 2013

Enbridge Pipeline Rejection: Coastal First Nations Congratulate Premier Christy Clarke for “Doing the Right Thing”, Market Wire, 31 May 2013.

First Nations make final case against pipeline, The Prince George Citizen, 6 June 2013.

Take Action

Join the Dogwood Initiative, sign their petition to stop crude oil tanker traffic through B.C’s coastal waters.

Write to Joe Oliver, Federal Minister of Natural Resources, and express your opposition to the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline before the final review reaches Parliament.

Exclusive conference coverage from openDemocracy 50.50: Heather McRobie writes From the war on terror to austerity: a lost decade for women and human rights for our Women Beyond War conference.

A recurring theme at the Nobel Women’s Initiative conference in Belfast has been a reflection on the last decade in terms of its global impact on women and human rights. A picture emerged of a period wherein the excuse of ‘war on terror’ as a justificatory narrative for exclusivist identities, state violence and violence against women gave way to official austerity narratives that, in their own way, entrench inequalities and disempower women. Central to the decade was the elevation of the sanctity of the nation state’s security or perceived security, often – paradoxically – at the expense of both its citizens and those outside its borders.

Read the complete article on openDemocracy 50.50.

openDemocracy 50.50 has been covering the Nobel Women’s Initiative biennial conferences since 2007 in articles written by participants and openDemocracy’s own authors. Visit their website for more coverage of our 2013 International Conference: Women Beyond War.