Invitation: First Consultative Conclave on 'Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace'
- Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network -

Greetings from Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network.

For more than a century women and women's organisations and movements have mobilised in support of social empowerment, economic justice, democracy, human rights and conflict prevention. It started as early as April 28, 1915 for the first time in history when nearly 1,200 women called "International Congress for Women" from warring and neutral countries came together to protest the conflict at the Hague in Holland. This later became the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

Northeast India comprising of the seven states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura has been facing the onslaught of multiple armed conflicts since the late 1940s. No other part of India or South Asia has been subjected to such a prolonged violent struggle as the Northeast. And it is not likely that this violence will end soon.

We need to make ourselves, we, the women in India's northeast and our friends need to understand the issues of war, conflict and peace. We need to understand the political economy of violence, the militarization of Northeast societies and also many of the internationally known United Nations Resolutions on women and peace building which remains just on paper such as United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820.

We are delighted to share with you that Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, India International Centre and other committed friends are organising the First Consultative Conclave on 'Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace' on Saturday, 13 June 2009 at Conference Room 1, India International Centre, 40 Max Muellar Marg, near Lodhi Gardens, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. The meeting will be held from 10 am to 4 pm.

The proposed meeting aims to draw a blue print for women in Northeast India to strategise an Action Plan for rebuilding peace, providing justice and political rights in a society ruptured by years of conflict.

With your expertise on the region, we will be a sincerely invite you to be a part of the programme to enrich our proceedings, so that we can draw a blue print for collectively working together.

Due to budgetary constraints, we are not be able to take care of any outstation travel and accommodation expenses in Delhi even as we would very much liked to. We sincerely apologise in advance for this.

If you happen to be in Delhi, please do join us. Kindly confirm by 18 May 2009.

Thanking You,

With good wishes,
Binalakshmi Nepram
Founder, Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network
Secretary General, Control Arms Foundation of India
B 5 / 146, First Floor, Safdarjung Enclave,
New Delhi - 110 029, India

Website : www.cafi-online.org
Email: BNepram(at)cafi-online(dot)org
Phone: +91-11-46018541 Fax : +91-11-26166234