The International League of Peoples’ Struggle welcomes the initiative of the members of the Commission on Women to organize an international conference of women with the theme: “For a Militant Global Women’s Movement in the 21st Century” Celebrating the Centennial of International Women’s Day. The Conference will be held in Montreal, Canada in August 2010.
The call for this Conference was made at the session of Workshop on Concern No. 7 organized by ILPS Commission on Women, during the Third International Assembly (TIA) of the ILPS held in Hong Kong in June 2008. In the resolution of Workshop 7, one of the specific actions called for an International Conference of women to commemorate the centennial of International Toiling Women’s Day on March 8, 2010. The International Conference shall lead to the formation of an anti-imperialist global women’s formation, the International Women’s Alliance.
The purpose of the conference is to assess the achievements, shortcomings and setbacks of the worldwide women’s rights movement during the last 100 years, honor the pioneers and trailblazers of the struggle for women’s rights and liberation, and to draw up an action plan for developing and advancing the women’s rights movement, starting with the formation of a global anti-imperialist women’s alliance.
Previous to that, in June 2005, the ILPS, during an International Coordinating Committee (ICC) meeting, supported the concept of a women’s anti-imperialist league.
We invite other member-organizations of the Commission on Women to join the International Initiative Committee, being spearheaded by Gabriela, Philippines and Women of Diverse Origins, Canada. They will keep you informed of developments and details of this Conference.
Attached is the announcement of the International Anti-imperialist Women’s Conference.
Thank you for your attention and cooperation.
Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson, International Coordinating Committee
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
Announcement
International Anti-Imperialist Women’s Conference in Montreal 2010
“FOR A MILITANT GLOBAL WOMEN’S MOVEMENT
IN THE 21ST CENTURY”
Celebrating the Centennial of International Women’s Day
The world system of imperialism and capitalism is in deep crisis. Women are among the worst affected. Thus, they are on the front lines of the struggle against war and militarisation, and for survival, decent income, jobs, and basic human rights. They do this from a situation of multiple oppression or worse, working more for less pay, having less access to the wealth of the planet and taking more than their share of family responsibilities. They continue to bear the brunt of patriarchal values and backward social systems.
People around the world are organizing to oppose financial rescue operations that aim only to resuscitate an unjust and dying system -one that offers no future for humanity or the planet. There are workers, peasants, students, intellectuals–all organizing, sharing strategies, analyses and struggles to do away with this system and build alternative societies. Women are also organizing locally and internationally around their specific issues and in a global framework.
We have heard of each others’ struggles, internationally and locally, have drawn lessons from them, supported each other where possible. The time has come to link ourselves organizationally to form a powerful, progressive, anti-imperialist, women’s movement in the world!
The need to link our struggles more effectively was discussed at the Women’s Commission of the International League of People’s Struggle in Hong Kong in June 2008. A resolution was adopted to organize an international conference of women in 2010 “to commemorate the centennial of International Toiling Women’s Day leading to the formation of an anti-imperialist global women’s movement”.
The March 8 Committee of Women of Diverse Origins was represented at the meeting, and proposed to host such a conference. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the participants–women from Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Australia, USA, Canada, the Netherlands and the Philippines.
The International Anti-imperialist Conference, “For a Militant Global Women’s Movement in the 21st Century – Celebrating the Centennial of International Women’s Day” will take place in Montreal in August 2010. It will culminate with the establishing of the International Women’s Alliance (IWA).
The central focus of the conference will be: Imperialist globalization: the global financial and economic crisis, War and Violence against women.
An International Initiative Committee has been formed. It is headed by Gabriela Philippines, the convenor of the Women’s Commission, and Women of Diverse Origins of Montreal, Canada.
The Conference Itself
The Conference will be three days.
Registration will be the day before. In the evening of the registration day, there will be the formal opening of the Conference.
Day One will open with a keynote speaker.
This will be followed in the morning by two other speakers and then workshops.
The afternoon will also have two speakers and workshops.
Day Two in the morning will have two speakers and workshops.
The afternoon will also have two speakers and workshops.
Solidarity Evening will be on Day Two
Day Three will discuss the formation of the International Women’s Alliance the objectives, proposed constitution, and election of officers.
Participants to the conference:
The conference will be composed of delegates from the major regions of the world, from progressive anti-imperialist women’s organizations, women from mass-based (grassroots) progressive organizations of workers, peasants, youth, indigenous and aboriginal women from the marginalized sectors, women of the global south, migrant women and refugees and women in national liberation movements
Sessions for Registered Participants, Sessions for the Public
The conference would include formal decision-making sessions, open to registered participants, as well as sessions and events open to the public at large.
