wfn.org | International Anglican Women's Network (IAWN) Meeting Feb 2009

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

International Anglican Women's Network (IAWN) Meeting Feb 2009

Posted On : January 22, 2009 10:21 AM | Posted By : Webmaster
ACNS: http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/1/22/ACNS4562
Related Categories: ACO

The International Anglican Women's Network (IAWN) will conduct its first
formal meeting Feb. 22-27, 2009, at the Tutu Center at General
Theological Seminary in New York City.

Building on the strong presence of the IAWN during the 2008 Lambeth
Conference, women representing 26 of the 38 Anglican provinces are
expected. "We will focus on progress or lack thereof toward equality and
empowerment for women in our regions," said Mrs. Priscilla Julie of the
Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean, who chairs the IAWN Steering
Group.

"How does our situation measure up against the goals of the Beijing
Platform for Action and Millennium Development Goal #3: to promote
gender equality and empower women?," she said. "Even more important,
what progress has been made on resolution 13-31 of the Anglican
Consultative Council in 2005, which acknowledged the importance of this
MDG goal and requested, inter alia, "all member churches to work toward
the realization of this goal in their structures of governance, and in
other bodies to which they nominate or appoint." (For the full text, see
below or at:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/communion/acc/meetings/acc13/resolution
s.cfm#s31

The IAWN will report to the Anglican Consultative Council in May when it
convenes in Kingston, Jamaica.  The report will include activities of
the IAWN in the four years since ACC-13 met in Nottingham, plans for the
future, and recommendations for ACC action.

During their week together in New York, IAWN representatives will share
their struggles and successes, build on common goals that have been
made, and plan for the future. They will worship, make reports, vote on
new members to the Steering Group and create recommendations for further
action. Some will stay on in New York to attend the 53rd Session of the
UN Commission on the Status of Women as part of the Anglican delegation
organized by the Anglican Observer's Office. That meeting runs from
March 2 to March 13 with the theme of "The equal sharing of
responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the
context of HIV/AIDS". http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm

The IAWN was formed in November 1996 following a consultation convened
by the ACC and funded by the Mothers' Union, headquartered in London,
and the United Thank Offering of The Episcopal Church. Women from 14 of
the (then) 32 provinces of the Anglican Communion met in London and
agreed that an International Anglican Women's Network be formed. Its
mandate was to report the work of women and the challenges that they
face to the ACC.

One of the official Anglican Communion networks
(http://iawn.anglicancommunion.org/index.cfm), the IAWN has had a
remarkable resurgence over the last few years. IAWN started to build
momentum leading up to the 1998 Lambeth Conference, but languished
subsequently. (No funding is provided in the Anglican Communion budget
for networks.)

In March 2006, the IAWN was re-invigorated at a meeting of Anglican
delegates to the 50th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
(UNCSW) by Archdeacon Taimalelagi Fagamalama Tuatagaloa-Matalavea, the
former Anglican Observer to the United Nations, and Dr. Jenny Plane Te
Paa with support from AWE, Anglican Women's Empowerment. A new structure
was approved, consisting of 38 link representatives (each designated by
the primate of her province) and an eight-member Steering Group (seven
elected and one appointed).

The Episcopal Church is hosting the February meeting, which is being
coordinated by the Steering Group through Ms. Kim Robey, Program Officer
for Women's Ministries and IAWN secretary. "I'm so pleased with the
eager response we have had to the invitations for this meeting," she
said. "I'm excited at the prospect of spending a week with women from
all over the world. It's a tribute to the Anglican Communion's growing
commitment to women that representatives are coming from so many
provinces."

> The Steering Group is comprised of:

Priscilla Julie                             The Church of the Province
of the Indian Ocean, Convener
Lisbeth Barahona                      Iglesia Anglicana de la Region
Central de America
Esperanza Beleo               The Episcopal Church in the Philippines
Joyce Kariuki                           The Anglican Church in Kenya
Helena Mbele-Mbong             The Episcopal Church of the USA
Alice Medcof                           The Anglican Church of Canada
Meagan Morrison                      The Anglican Church of Australia
Margaret Jones             Mothers' Union appointee, pro tem

Ex-officio members

Jolly Babirukamu                  ACC Standing Committee liaison
Tai Matalavea                           Former Anglican UN Observer
Kim Robey                               Secretariat

The provinces having representatives at the meeting are: Aotearao, NZ,
and Polynesia, Australia, Burundi, Canada, Central Africa, England,
Episcopal Church, Hong Kong, Indian Ocean, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Korea,
Melanesia, Mexico, North India, Pakistan, Philippines, Scotland, South
Africa, Southern Cone, Sudan, Uganda, Wales, West Africa, and West
Indies.

For more information about IAWN and this meeting, or to arrange press
briefings or interviews, please contact Ms. Kim Robey at 1-800-334-7626,
ext. 5346, or krobey@episcopalchurch.org.

Resolution ACC 13-31: The 49th Session of the UN Commission on the
Status of Women
The Anglican Consultative Council:

* receives and adopts the Report of the ACC Provincial Delegation to the
49th UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), and affirms the work
of the International Anglican Women's Network (IAWN) in responding to
the Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Developments Goals
(MDG), thereby carrying forward the full flourishing of God's Creation
* acknowledges the MDG goal for equal representation of women in
decision making at all levels, and so requests:
	* the Standing Committee to identify ways in which this goal may
appropriately be adapted for incorporation into the structures of the
Instruments of Unity, and other bodies to which the Anglican
Consultative Council nominates or appoints
	* all member churches to work towards the realization of this
goal in their own structures of governance, and in other bodies to which
they nominate or appoint

> and to report on progress to ACC-14.

* recommends that a study of the place and role of women in the
structures of the Anglican Communion be undertaken by the Standing
Committee in line with the objects of the ACC "to keep in review the
needs that may arise for further study, and, where necessary, to promote
inquiry and research"
* requests that each Province give consideration to the establishment of
a women's desk for that Province
* thanks those Provinces which sent participants to the 49th Session of
UNCSW, and encourages those who did not to review their decision in time
for the 50th Session in 2006 in solidarity with all women of the
Anglican Communion.

___________________________________________________________________
ACNSlist, published by Anglican Communion News Service, London, is
distributed to more than 8,000 journalists and other readers around
the world.

For subscription INFORMATION please go to:

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/acnslist.cfm