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Regional Conference on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Muslim Societies

Government, NGOs, intellectuals and other stakeholders from across South East Asia will come together to find practical ways to advance gender equality in Muslim societies in Jakarta, Indonsia from 11 to 12 March 2009.

The Regional Conference on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Muslism Societies, hosted by UNIFEM, and the International Centre for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP) is a platform to discuss effective tools and strategies to advance gender equality in Muslim societies. The conference focuses on issues and challenges in gender equality and Islam, and effective strategies to advance gender equality. Strategies to eliminate violence against women, and increase women’s political participation will also be discussed. The innovative event also features an exploration of identity politics, pluralism and gender equality in Muslim societies.

Women are running for public office in growing numbers, reaching an average of 18.4 per cent of seats in national assemblies, and exceeding 30 per cent representation in national assemblies in 22 countries. Women are engaging in a wide range of markets, from local to global chains of production in the course of their economic lives. Women have played a critical role in advocating and ensuring that the legal framework is applied justly to benefit all individuals, women and men. Progress has been made in the number and scope of laws aimed at advancing women’s rights within the formal justice systems.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which encapsulates political, civil, economic and social rights for women, was adopted in 1979. CEDAW defines gender-based discrimination and sets out the measures required for its elimination and the achievement of gender equality. It provides the tools to assist governments in eliminating discrimination.

In a further development, 189 governments adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. The MDGs are the expression of a global aspiration to eliminate human suffering and promote inclusive development. The MDGs, with clear, time-bound targets have become a central element of many national planning systems. Review at mid-point to the target year of 2015 showed that while there are marked trends of progress, women are less likely to benefit from progress than men. There remains widespread discrimination of women and girls and they continue to be systematically excluded from full social, economic and political life.

It would be useful to be reminded of the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights which re-emphasised that women’s rights are human rights. In the decade of human rights education that followed, important developments on human rights, gender, culture and religion were made. More importantly alliances were forged across communities working on human rights, gender and religion.

There are strong contentions between traditional religious systems and women’s rights upon which women’s movements are built. The approach taken is often “all or nothing”: fundamentalists claim absolute religious freedom while some feminists dismiss religion entirely as being patriarchal and thus opposed to women’s rights. Both arguments essentialize religion and perceive religion either as divinely ordained and superior to secular ideals or religion as oppressive to women’s lives and religious fundamentalism as misogynist. In either case, it is representation, reproduction and stereotyping of women in religion rather than understanding women and their situations in existing societies.

To what extent are religion and culture implicated in gender inequality and women’s marginalization in economic and political life? What role do patriarchal social structures, the regional economy, States, and the strength of women’s movements play? What is the potential for a progressive interpretation of religion that is in line with the advancement of women and the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights? How have States responded to demands from gender advocates for gender equality and women’s empowerment? What strategies are adopted to advocate for positive changes to advance gender equality? What legal and policy frameworks were used to secure these changes?

The Regional Conference on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Muslim Societies is organized by UNIFEM East and Southeast Asia Regional Office and the International Centre for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP) from 11-12 March 2009 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Conference aims to promote dialogue among development practitioners on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Muslim societies. It is an invitation to discuss some of the questions raised above, to develop linkages between issues and concerns of women and gender equality in Muslim societies and to share strategies for enhancing women’s rights in Muslim societies.

The objectives of the Conference are:

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