Bringing women into the Sudan post-referendum process

The Hunt Alternatives Fund financed an interesting initiative in Juba, Sudan, from Feb. 17-19, 2011, which brought together more than 100 women from all over Sudan to discuss women's concerns, experiences and priorities that are central to the ongoing negotiations on Sudan's post-referendum arrangements.

The participants called on all parties to:

• increase the transparency and accountability of the negotiations process
• appoint more women members to each cluster's negotiating teams and task forces
• establish and support a team of gender experts to integrate women's perspectives and priorities into the negotiations
• incorporate the gender analysis of cluster areas generated through this conference into the talks and consider carefully women's specific recommendations
• create an official mechanism for civil society to participate in the process.

You can access the brief report of the conference here (PDF).

Established in Denver, Colo., in 1981, the Hunt Alternatives Fund is a private foundation that provides grants and technical assistance in the field of human service. The fund now operates out of Cambridge, Mass., and, among other goals, supports peace and stability processes around the world and inspires women to political leadership.