Gender Democracy
Although all the three countries of the South Caucasus signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in the 90s, de jure and especially de facto improvements so far obtained are still far from being satisfactory.
Women's rights are insufficiently secured and protected in the law and hardly considered in national policy-making agendas. Such omissions reflect the more general lack of social awareness concerning what constitutes gender discrimination. On the whole, women’s concerns remain largely neglected in official policies, the media and public discussion.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation initiates and supports projects to empower women and promote gender democracy.
Within this framework, the work of the Heinrich Böll Foundation mainly focuses on the following issues:
- Political education programmes aimed at increasing the involvement of women in decision- and peace-making processes on the local and national policy levels.
- Discussions and other events that cultivate awareness-building regarding the engagement of women’s initiatives in political and social issues on the local and regional levels.
- Exchange of experience in order to compare gender roles in Islamic and Orthodox Christian societies, e.g. with the participation of women from Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, or the Balkans.
- Innovative methods in the fields of historical and women’s studies, in order to foster sustainable empowerment and gender balance.
50 Women from Georgia
Conference Report
Feminism. Assemblage Point
- With the support of the South Caucasus Regional Office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation three activists from Georgia and Armenia: Eka Aghdgomelashvili from Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group, Georgia; Nino Gamisonia from Independent Feminist Group and Partisan Girls, Georgia; and Elvira Meliksetyan from Women’s Resource Center of Armenia participated in the International Conference - “Feminism. Assemblage Point” organized on 5-7 March, 2013 in Kiev by feminist organization Ofenziva supported by the Heinrich Boell Foundation Ukraine Office. more»
web-dossier
Situation of LGBT (Lesbi, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people in South Caucasus, 2012
- 2012 was a special year in terms of publicity of LGBT community and LGBT movement in all three South Caucasian countries. Several important steps have been made towards raising acute issues about sexual identity, differences/diversity and social constructs in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
web-dossier
Die Situation von LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) im Südkaukasus, 2012
- Das Jahr 2012 war ein besonderes Jahr für die LGBTI -Gemeinde und für den öffentlichen Auftritt der LGBTI-Bewegung in allen drei Ländern des Südkaukasus. In Aserbaidschan, Armenien und Georgien wurden hinsichtlich der heiklen, weil tabuisierten Fragestellungen zur Identität und zur sexuellen Verschiedenheit/Vielfältigkeit einige wichtiger Schritte getan.
Conference Report
Manifold Angles of Gender: Looking through a Magnifying Glass
- On November 26-27, 2012 the South Caucasus Regional Office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation (HBF), in cooperation with HBF offices of Poland, Russia and Ukraine, hosted an International Workshop to discuss the various issues concerning gender diversity and to look closer at the manifold angles of gender. Considering the existing political contexts in respective countries, the workshop consisted of the thematic blocks on Women’s Empowerment and Political Participation, Religion and Gender Roles, LGBT Rights and Feminism. more»
Web dossier
Gender in Scholarship Papers
-
Presented material is a collection of works on gender issues prepared by scholars of the South Caucasus Regional Office the Heinrich Boell Foundation's Scholarship Program. The presented studies belong to the young scientists involved in the social sciences in the South Caucasus region, who were at different times the scholars of the Foundation.
Free Women’s Rights!
-
The South Caucasus Regional Office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation hosted a round table entitled “LBT Rights are Women’s Rights” on 12 March 2012. The round table was a part of the Week of 8th March Campaign organized by “Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group”. The photo exhibition “A Room of One’s Own” was also part of the event, where participants could view professional and amateur photographers’ works.
Religion, Politics and Gender Equality
-
Contrary to modernist predictions that religion would retreat into a private zone of worship and practice, recent decades have seen religion become increasingly salient on the political stage worldwide. Does this matter? From the point of view of women’s rights and gender equality, much is at stake. UNRISD research shows that politicized religion impinges on women’s rights in problematic ways. The challenge to gender equality comes not just from fundamentalist agendas, but also from those who instrumentalize women’s rights for political ends.
Documentary
Women in Georgia - Re-learning Gender Equality
-
The documentary "Women in Georgia: Re-learning Gender Equality", produced by the South Caucasus Regional Office of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation, tells historical backgrounds of gender-equality movements in Georgia. For Georgia, it is a history of dialogue with Europe which began in the 19th century.
Language: English. Duration: 20:42 Minutes
Essay competition
Gender and Modernity
- South Caucasus Regional Office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation and Georgian Law Students Association announce the Essay Competition on “Gender and Modernity”.
more in Georgian
Publication/Gender
Gender Politics Makes a Difference
- Politics can only succeed when it is inclusive of all genders. Gender justice is an ambitious goal, one that the Heinrich Böll Foundation is pursuing together with many different allies worldwide. This publication gives an overview of their work. more»