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UNESCO - ISESCO - Crans Montana Forum

Enhancing Gender Equality, the South-South Cooperation and the Role of Women in Public Affairs 

Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels, 16 February 2011.

Mme Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General
and Marie-Anne Delahaut

 

 

Within the framework of the Crans Montana Forum on the Africa and the Arab World held from 16 to 18 February 2011 at the Plaza hotel in Brussels, a special programme was devoted to Enhancing Gender Equality on Wednesday 16 February 2011 during the 5th annual Meeting of First Ladies.

 

This event was co-organized by the Crans Montana Forum, the UNESCO and the ISESCO, and co-chaired by Mrs. Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO and Mr. Abdelaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of ISESCO. This meeting was an opportunity to reaffirm the fundamental role women have to play at all levels and in all fields of the public life for a more humanist sustainable development.

Contribution of Millennia2015 to the Crans Montana Forum 

 

Mr. Jean-Paul Carteron, ISESCO Ambassador for Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations and Director-Founder of the Crans Montana Forum, thought it relevant to invite Marie-Anne Delahaut, Director of research at The Destree Institute and Founding Head of Millennia2015, “Women actors of development for the global challenges”, foresight research process for women's empowerment, to contribute to the 5th high-level annual Meeting of First Ladies. On that occasion, the Crans Montana Forum offered Millennia2015 to display a stand: Coumba Sylla, Fellow Researcher for Millennia2015 at The Destree Institute and Head of the Millennia2015 Senegal Community, promoted Millennia2015 to the participants during this important event. 

 

Mrs. Irina Bokova took some time to talk with Marie-Anne Delahaut, as well as Mr. Hans d'Orville, Director, Bureau of Strategic Planning of the UNESCO, with regard to the co-organization by UNESCO and The Destree Institute, of the international conference “Millennia2015, An action plan for women's empowerment”, at the end of 2012 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

 

The South-South Cooperation and the role of women in public affairs management

 

Mrs. Bokova emphasized the fact gender equality is one of the most relevant missions of the UNESCO. Gender equality is a powerful accelerator to reach the MDGs as well as "a key channel for dialogue and peace in situations of conflict and after disasters". 

 

Mr. Abdelaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of ISESCO reminded that women should benefit from the credibility and responsibilities they deserve within society, within all societies. Each country has its own system and its own culture but all countries all over the world are part of the same family of humanity. 

 

Mrs. Dominique Ouattara, the distinguished Ivory Coast First Lady, pointed out the common willingness to involve women at all levels of society but also the difficulties linked to strategic choices. What are the stages between the uneducated girl child and the scientific woman? How should we fight against inertia? Why are their paths of life so different? In order to find a solution, to struggle against resignation and failure, Mrs. Ouattara insisted on the need to share experience, to increase partnerships and common actions. 

 

All over the day, the honorable contributors from all countries welcomed the efforts and the progresses realized over the past few years for women's development. However, they also reminded that gender equality was already a relevant issue during the first Commission on the status of women organized by the United Nations in Mexico in 1975. Thirty-five years later, it remains an important issue that slows down development. Change has to be real and must be considered with new and different approaches in order for futures generations to evolve in a just and equitable environment. 

 

Among the studied topics, the contributors brought up the need to know women's history and their role at diverse times in order to move forward towards better futures; the influence of medias and the role of western medias in southern countries; the role that First Ladies must play for an efficient change; women's roles in current protest movements in several Middle-East and Maghreb countries; the divorce between the youth and older generations; women's role in technological and scientific fields, areas for the future of humanity. 

 

The South-South Cooperation as a tool for enhancing women's dignity

 

Mr. Tun Musa Hitam, Chair of the World Islamic Economic Forum insisted on a relevant fact mentioned several times by participants during the meeting. Education remains the key for women's development and empowerment because it breaks the cycle of poverty to open new channels for future generations. Health and education increase women's well-being, they are happier, their children go to school and get education; those educated children become adults and contribute to a more prosper development of their country. 

 

In response to many issues linked with women's situation in countries that have been represented at the Crans Montana Forum, Marie-Anne Delahaut has proposed a way to take action and called for to contribution to build Millennia2015 Action plan for women's empowerment, their full participation to political, economic and social decisions, in complementarity with men, in order to elaborate fairer and more ethic futures at the horizon 2025, in line with the MDGs: she has quoted the keywords of the 37 variables analyzed by Millennia2015. Many participants have answered to that call by registering to Millennia2015 process, that already counts more than one thousand members from fifty-five countries. The contributors emphasized on the fact that MDGs could not be reached unless women get involved in decision-making processes and key positions. 

 

Mrs. Souhayr Belhassen, Chairwoman of the International Federation for Human Rights, whose intervention was very appreciated, confirmed that human rights are the foundations for societies that guarantee freedom, equality and dignity to human beings. She pointed out that the real challenge must remain equality between women and men in Arab world and everywhere in the world. 

 

The ISESCO ambassador Jean-Paul Carteron, Chairman and Founder of the Crans Montana Forum concluded by explaining, among other things, that in Africa 97% of women pay off their microcredits and in the United States 100% of women pay it off. Those significant figures confirm the strong willingness of women to seriously and concretely fight for their own development.

 

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Some photos of the South-South Crans Montana Forum 

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Millennia2015 au Forum Crans Montana, Hôtel Le Plaza, Bruxelles, 16.02.2011

Millennia2015 at the Crans Montana Forum, Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels, 16.02.2011 

Coumba Sylla, Chargée de recherche au pôle Société de l'information et pour Milennia2015, Institut Destrée, Namur

Research fellow for Millennia2015 at The Destree Institute Information Society Unit, Namur

 

* 02

Ms Irina Bokova, Directrice Générale de l'UNESCO, Paris

Director General of UNESCO, Paris

Marie-Anne Delahaut, Directrice de recherche à l'Institut Destrée, Responsable fondatrice de  Millennia2015, Responsable du pôle Société de l'information de l'Institut Destrée, Namur

Director of research at The Destree Institute, Founding Head of Millennia2015, Head of The Destree Institute Information society Unit, Namur

Jean-Paul Carteron, Président-fondateur du Crans Montana Forum, Ambassadeur de l'ISESCO pour le dialogue des cultures et des civilisations, Monaco

Chairman and Founder of the Crans Montana Forum, ISESCO ambassador for dialogue among cultures and civilizations, Monaco

 

* 03

Marie-Anne Delahaut, Directrice de recherche à l'Institut Destrée, Responsable fondatrice de  Millennia2015, Responsable du pôle Société de l'information de l'Institut Destrée, Namur

Director of research at The Destree Institute, Founding Head of Millennia2015, Head of The Destree Institute Information society Unit, Namur

ans d'Orville, Sous-Directeur Général, Bureau de la planification stratégique de l'UNESCO, Paris

Assistant Director-General Bureau of Strategic Planning UNESCO, Paris

 

* 04

Ms Irina Bokova, Directrice Générale de l'UNESCO, Paris

Director General of UNESCO, Paris

Marie-Anne Delahaut, Directrice de recherche à l'Institut Destrée, Responsable fondatrice de  Millennia2015, Responsable du pôle Société de l'information de l'Institut Destrée, Namur

Director of research at The Destree Institute, Founding Head of Millennia2015, Head of The Destree Institute Information society Unit, Namur

 

* 05

Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Directeur Général de l'ISESCO, Rabat

Director General of ISESCO, Rabat

Ms Irina Bokova, Directrice Générale de l'UNESCO, Paris

Director General of UNESCO, Paris 

 

* 06

Dominique Ouattara, Première Dame de Côte d'Ivoire

First Lady of Ivory Coast

Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Directeur Général de l'ISESCO, Rabat

Director General of ISESCOO, Rabat

Irina Bokova, Directrice Générale de l'UNESCO, Paris

Director General of UNESCO, Paris

  

* 07

Une partie de l'assemblée du Crans Montana Forum

Part of the Crans Montana Forum assembly

 

* 08

Intervention de/of Marie-Anne Delahaut, Directrice de recherche à l'Institut Destrée, Responsable fondatrice de  Millennia2015, Responsable du pôle Société de l'information de l'Institut Destrée, Namur

Director of research at The Destree Institute, Founding Head of Millennia2015, Head of The Destree Institute Information society Unit, Namur

 

* 09

Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Directeur Général de l'ISESCO, Rabat

Director General of ISESCO, Rabat

Khadija Zammouri-Ribes, Sous-Directrice Générale pour l'Administration, UNESCO, Paris

Assistant Director-General for Administration, UNESCO, Paris

Emine Erdogan, Epouse du Premier Minsitre de la République de Turquie

Spouse of the Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic

 

* 10

Coumba Sylla, Chargée de recherche au pôle Société de l'information de l'Institut Destrée pour Milennia2015 et présidente de la Communauté Millennia2015 Sénégal, Namur

Research fellow for Millennia 2015 at the Destree Institute Information Unit and Head of Millennia2015 Senegal Community, Namur

 

* 11

Crans Montana Forum Award Ceremony 

Jean-Paul Carteron, Président-fondateur du Crans Montana Forum, Ambassadeur de l'ISESCO pour le dialogue des cultures et des civilisations, Monaco

Chairman and Founder of the Crans Montana Forum, ISESCO ambassador for dialogue among cultures and civilizations, Monaco

 

* 12

Crans Montana Forum Award Ceremony 

Souhayr Belhassen, Présidente de la Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme, Paris

Chairwoman of the International Federation for Human Rights, Paris

Irina Bokova, Directrice Générale de l'UNESCO, Paris

Director General of UNESCO, Paris

 

* 13

Crans Montana Forum Award Ceremony 

Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Directeur Général de l'ISESCO, Rabat

Director General of ISESCO, Rabat

Dominique Ouattara, Première Dame de Côte d'Ivoire

First Lady of Ivory Coast

Emine Erdogan, Epouse du Premier Minsitre de la République de Turquie

Spouse of the Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic

Irina Bokova, Directrice générale de l'UNESCO, Paris

Director General of UNESCO, Paris

Jean-Paul Carteron, Président-fondateur du Crans Montana Forum, Ambassadeur de l'ISESCO pour le dialogue des cultures et des civilisations, Monaco

Chairman and Founder of the Crans Montana Forum, ISESCO ambassador for dialogue among cultures and civilizations, Monaco

Photos: Coumba Sylla (c) Millennia2025 Women and Innovation Foundation

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