2003 International Strategic Directions Consultation
November 18 - 21, 2003

A decade has passed since women's rights were formally recognized as human rights at the UN world conference on Human Rights in Vienna, and the term of the first Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences has come to an end. Women have used the UN and its multilateral institutions effectively to advance women's human rights, but much has changed that mandates critical reflection on the most strategic moves to make in this time of backlash and growing militarism. To address these issues, the Center marked the 10th Anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights by engaging diverse women in a variety of forms of strategic conversations. In August 2003 the Center launched an E-Consultation Survey seeking as wide an input into this process as possible. In November 2003, the Center hosted an International Strategic Directions Consultation with a number of partners based outside of the US. In addition, on November 17th the Global Center hosted a public forum at Rutgers University to introduce the participants in the international consultation to a wider audience. The Center also held two New York consultation meetings, one day each in October and December with women in the New York/East Coast region. These two New York meetings provided an opportunity to examine the current world situation and brainstorm about new possibilities in terms of strategies and venues for our future work, including but not limited to the UN. Together, these consultation meetings looked broadly at women's human rights but also focused more particularly on how to advance work on violence against women in terms of its linkages to human rights, militarism, fundamentalisms, globalization, development and security.

Public Program & Reception: M onday, November 17, 2003

List of Participants