Press Release - Montréal, Québec, August 16, 2010 -- Further momentum was generated towards a global, militant women’s movement with the establishment of an International Women’s Alliance (IWA) this afternoon following the Montreal International Women’s Conference (MIWC).
From August 13 to 15, delegates participated in plenaries, workshops, and discussions surrounding a wide variety of themes, including indigenous struggles, developmental aggression, violence against women, racism, discrimination and genocide, as well as resistance to wars and imperialist aggression.
During a plenary session on Saturday, April 14, delegates unanimously endorsed a declaration in support of the 490 Tamils from Sri Lanka who arrived aboard the MV Sun Sea in Vancouver, Canada, decrying their ongoing detention while calling upon the Canadian government to accept them as refugees.
In addition, participants also affirmed their solidarity with the Algonquin indigenous community of Barrière Lake, Québec, while calling for the release of the 43 health workers illegally detained in the Philippines.
The Conference was followed by the founding of the International Women’s Alliance on August 16 in order to foster the creation and coordination of local, regional and international campaigns, to promote mutual support and the sharing of resistance strategies, and to mobilize women around the world in the struggle against imperialism, violence and capitalist globalization.
Discussions unfolded surrounding the Basis of Unity, as participants advanced numerous resolutions, including ones highlighting the struggles faced by women in Palestine and upholding the role of women as defenders of Pachamama (Mother Earth).
The Constitution and Basis of Unity will be adopted at the time of the first General Assembly of the International Women’s Alliance, projected to take place within a year’s time in order to carry on with the important work of the conference. An international coordinating committee has been set up to prepare the IWA General Assembly.
A list of all resolutions, along with the proposed Basis of Unity, will be available within the next few weeks. Complete speakers’ bios, conference details, the workshop program and more can be found on the conference blog at http://miwc2010.wordpress.com/.
The initiative for the MIWC and IWA came out of a resolution of the women’s commission of the International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS) which met during the 3rd International Assembly of the ILPS in Hong Kong in 2008.
For more information, to arrange interviews with conference organizers and/or international delegates, please contact:
MIWC Media Committee +1 514-961-4047
