European Feminist Gathering / Istanbul, 30 June 2010

European Feminist Gathering
Istanbul, 30 June 2010

As part of the 3rd International Action of the World March of Women, feminists from all over Europe will gather in Istanbul on 30 June 2010 for a European Gathering.

3rd International Action of the World March of Women

We, at the World March of Women, are fighting together against gender based violence and poverty, which primarily affect women the world over. Ten years following the creation of the WMW as an international feminist resource, we are once again on the move.
We are well aware that the context our actions addressed has worsened since the year 2000. We are now confronted with an offensive from neo-conservative sectors and economic powers that use crises to impose increasingly precarious working and life conditions, in addition to undamentalisms of all kinds that deny women’s rights to define for hemselves their own reproductive and life choices. Such crises are inherent to the economic system producing them, a system that takes for granted the exploitation of our planet’s resources, and provokes continual armed conflict, from which the civilian population – and women especially – suffer permanently. This is the reason we challenge the foundational and interwoven elements of the systems that oppress us: patriarchy, capitalism and racism.
During the last several years, groups belonging to the WMW have worked in four action areas: violence against women, women’s work and economic autonomy, common good and public services, peace and demilitarization. These areas have been addressed by raising awareness, marching and demonstrating, applying political pressure, and thousands of other ways. Actions have been carried out at times with other social movements, but always first and foremost privileging international feminist solidarity.

30 June: European Feminist Gathering in Istanbul

The European Feminist Gathering will take place 30 June in Istanbul. It will consist of plenary sessions, workshops and a march in the center of Istanbul. The first plenary session will focus on the fundamentalisms women all over Europe are confronted with and its intersection with nationalisms and
racism. The debate will continue in workshops on our 4 action areas. The second plenary session will be on the European Platform of demands on our 4 action areas. This will be followed by a demonstration, in which we will express our solidarity with Turkish and Kurdish women in their struggle for women’s rights and people’s self-determination. We will articulate our idea of an open, democratic and secular Europe where all women can enjoy and benefit from their rights as full citizens.
This demonstration will take place on the eve of the opening of the European Social Forum. As always, the European Coordination for the WMW is dedicated to strengthening feminist presence in the Forum’s discussions and to ‘contaminating’ the Forum’s allied social movements with our demands.



Draft programme :

29 June a.m. reception of the Balkans caravan, media event evening Informal meeting of WMW Europe

30 June
9h30 Opening session
- Opening ceremony
- Presentation of the kurdish and turkish feminist and women‘s movement
- Presentation of the current socio-economic and political situation in Europe
10h30 Plenary Session: Women, Fundamentalism, Racism and Nationalism
Presentations from speakers from different countries
12h30 lunch
13h30 Workshops
Workshops on the 4 action areas and other themes.
16h00 Plenary Session
- European Platform of the WMW
- Presentation of the International Action in the Congo
19h00 March in the center of Istanbul



Practical information:

Registration: There will be a registration fee of EUR 10 (EUR 5 reduced) for participants (to be paid upon registration at the event).
Languages: There will be simultaneous translation of the plenary sessions (turkish, kurdish, english, french, castillian).
Venue: The gathering is planned to take place in the center of Istanbul, in walking distance of Taksim square. The plenary room should hold up to 600 women.
Accommodation: Participants are responsible for their own accommodation. There are limited places for solidarity accommodation. There is a list of recommended hotels. Spaces for sleeping bags will be available. For information on accommodation, please contact
ytemurturkan@hotmail.com or worldmarch@hotmail.com.
Workshops: NCBs are invited to propose workshops for the afternoon.

More practical information will be sent out at a later time. In the mean time you can contact the following adresses for information:
WMW Turkey, Yildiz Temurturkan: ytemurturkan@hotmail.com, worldmarch@hotmail.com
WMW European secretariat, Michèle Spieler: feminista2@gmail.com

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