ABSTRACT DEADLINE IS: 15 February 2002
First Announcement and Call for Contributions
Taking Wing - Conference on Gender Equality and Women in the Arctic
Saariselka, Inari, Finland
4-6 August 2002
ORGANISERS
The Arctic Council, Nordic Council of Ministers, and Finland as the host
country
BACKGROUND
The economic, environmental, political, and cultural changes of the
arctic societies have had a strong impact on the economic and cultural
positions of women and men. However, questions of energy, economy, and
the environment tend to dominate the political visions concerning the
arctic area. The everyday life of women is mostly missing in this
context. It is important to bring gender considerations onto the agenda
and into mainstream policies.
GOALS OF THE CONFERENCE
There is a need to raise awareness on the situation of women in the
Arctic and to give voice to women to express their experiences, views,
and interests regarding future action. The conference offers a forum for
discussion and contacts and aims to develop ideas and proposals for
further action to be taken by the Arctic Council and other relevant
institutions.
CROSS-CUTTING THEMES
The conference is about women and gender in the Arctic so that the
issues brought to debate should be considered from an arctic viewpoint,
as well as from the viewpoint of Indigenous women and Indigenous people
where appropriate. Social, economic, and cultural change is a further
cross-cutting theme of the conference.
THEMES OF THE CONFERENCE
Women and work in the Arctic
This theme may cover various important issues for women in the arctic
economies, such as, living conditions and occupations, capacity building
and knowledge, women as entrepreneurs, women and the public sector,
tourism/ecotourism, land rights, and the use of natural resources as an
economic base.Human rights in the Arctic from a gender perspective
There are two main areas to this theme. First, gender in the
self-determination of Indigenous people, and second, violence against
women and trafficking in women.
Gender in self-determination can cover themes such as leadership in the
communities, empowerment, gender roles in the governance of indigenous
institutions, legislative practices, and traditional knowledge.
The context of violence against women may include issues such as the
need to break the silence around violence, impacts of violence on social
well-being and health, experiences of the service systems in crisis
management, and trafficking in women and prostitution.
PARTICIPANTS
- Maximum 200 participants from the following groups:
Arctic Council Member States, Permanent Participants, and Observers
Indigenous people's organisations
NGOs, especially women's NGOs
Representatives of national and regional governments
Researchers
Representatives from other national and international organisations
THE ARCTIC COUNCIL
The Arctic Council, established in 1996, is a high-level
intergovernmental forum that provides a mechanism to address the common
concerns and challenges faced by the arctic governments and people in
the Arctic. The Council has eight member states: the five Nordic
countries, Canada, the Russian Federation, and the United States. Six
organisations representing Indigenous peoples take part in the work of
the Council with a status of Permanent Participants. Moreover, the
Council has several Observers: states, international organisations, and
non-governmental organisations.
One of the aims of Arctic Council is to promote sustainable development
in the arctic region, including economic and social development,
improved health conditions and cultural well-being, with the full
involvement of the arctic Indigenous communities and other arctic
inhabitants. Advancement of the position of women and gender equality
should be considered an important part of the overall goal. The Finnish
Government launched the initiative of organising the first arctic
women's conference during the Finnish presidency of the Arctic Council.
LANGUAGES
Simultaneous interpretation to and from English and Russian
WORKING METHODS
Plenary and workshops
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND TIMETABLE
The organisers especially wish to encourage papers that address one of
the above themes or problems from the point of view of awareness raising
about women's situations, needs, visions as well as practical results.
See "Goals of the conference" above. What kind of political action is
needed to solve the problem? What is your recommendation to the Arctic
Council and other actors?
Other kinds of contributions are also welcomed, e.g., videos, appeals,
works of art, as these can be put on display during the conference.
The final programme of the conference will be decided by the reference
group.
Please submit an abstract or a description of your contribution of
approximately 300 words to the conference co-ordinator by 15 February
2002. Do not forget to include your full contact information.
Please see the Arctic Council web site for updates on the programme at:
http://www.arctic-council.org/
CONTACT
Because of limited participation, people interested in the conference
are encouraged to contact the conference co-ordinator as well as their
country's representative in the reference group. The conference
co-ordinator and members of the reference group will also answer any
further questions concerning the conference.
Further information can also be found at the Arctic Council web site at:
http://www.arctic-council.org or contact:
Laura Tohka
Conference Co-ordinator
Department of Women's Studies
FIN-33014 University of Tampere
Finland
e-mail: laura.tohka [at] uta.fi
Phone: +358-3-215 8982
Fax: +358-3-215 6562