Nobel Women's Initiative

International conference

May 10 – 12, 2009

Antigua, Guatemala

There are currently more people living in formal democracies that at any other time in history.  Yet women continue to be on the margins of democracy, underrepresented and limited in their ability to exercise their rights and participate meaningfully in the decisions that affect their lives.

This three-day strategy meeting will bring together more than 100 women from around the world to examine the challenges of democracy and democratization through the lens of women’s experiences.

The Nobel Peace Prize Laureates of the Nobel Women’s Initiative will convene women’s rights activists, researchers, journalists, politicians and key policy-makers from national and international institutions.  Specific issues to be discussed include: conflict, post-conflict and militarization, violence against women (from state repression to domestic violence) and women’s political participation and representation.

The conference is being organized by Nobel Women’s Initiative, in partnership with Just Associates (JASS), a global network working in 25 countries to strengthen women's organizing power.  The local host partner is the Rigoberta Menchú Tum foundation (FRMT), which seeks to promote the rights of indigenous people around the world.  

Conference Goals

•    To highlight women’s representation, participation and rights in democracy and democratization;
•    To develop fresh perspectives and practical alternatives for reclaiming and reshaping democracy;
•    To share experiences, challenges and perspectives of deepening democracy; and,
•    To develop new alliances between women and organizations working to strengthen democracy.

How You Can Listen In!

While the conference is for invited delegates only, there are plenty of other ways to listen in on the conversation.  The Nobel Women's Initiative website will feature daily blogs, photos and video reports from the conference. openDemocracy will also be providing analytical coverage of the conference. You can also follow us on Twitter, listen to live broadcasts from Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE), and see photos both on our website and on our blog.

The experiences, solutions and alternatives developed at the conference will be captured in a final report and made publicly available on the Nobel Women’s Initiative website.