Newsletter - April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

• Why a Newsletter?
• Where Does the Idea for a Women’s World March in the Year 2000 Come From?
• The Fédération des femmes du Québec: Who are we?
• Values underlying the action
• What is the World March of Women?
• The Theme
• What We Want
• October 17-18, 1998: International Preparatory Meeting
• Organizing the March
• Who is participating in the project?

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

Why a Newsletter?

In your hands you have the very first newsletter of the World March of Women in the year 2000. We wanted to have a newsletter because we want information about the March to circulate to as many women's networks and groups as possible. We hope that with the distribution of this newsletter, new groups will be stimulated to join the project.

Because the March is a global project, driven by the desire to include the concerns of women in every region of the world, it is evolving constantly. Many aspects of the project have already been modified following preliminary consultations and comments we have received from participating groups. One of the main aims of the newsletter, therefore, is to keep you informed of the latest developments.

Please circulate the newsletter among groups and networks who might be interested in joining the action. We are counting on the presence of thousands, hopefully millions, of women in the streets in the year 2000!

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

Where Does the Idea for a Women’s World March in the Year 2000 Come From?

The idea to hold a world march of women in the year 2000 was born out of the experience of the Women’s March Against Poverty, which took place in Québec in 1995. This march, initiated by the Fédération des femmes du Québec, was hugely successful. Three contingents of 850 women marched for ten days to win nine demands related to economic justice. Fifteen thousand people greeted them at the end of their ten-day walk. The entire women’s movement mobilized for the march as did many other segments of the population.

The presence during the 1995 March of twenty women from countries of the South reminded us of the importance of global solidarity-building. The Beijing Conference proved that women everywhere are struggling for equality, development and peace more than ever before. It was at this conference that we made our first proposal to organize an international women's march.

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

The Fédération des femmes du Québec: Who are we?

Québec is one of 10 provinces in Canada. It is a territory where French is the official language. The Fédération des femmes du Québec (FFQ) is active mainly within this territory, however it also works in solidarity with women's groups in the rest of Canada.

Founded in 1966, this federation of Québec women is a non-partisan pressure group whose aim is to promote and protect the interests and rights of women. The FFQ defines itself as a feminist group, with a multicultural/ethnic and pluralist perspective. It is an organization that encourages political activism, debate, education, coalition-building and collective action. It is open to all women, without distinction as to colour, sexual orientation, civil status, religion, political conviction, language, ethnic origin or nationality, social, physical, or mental condition.

In the last few years, the FFQ’s main priority has been women’s economic condition. Among the many campaigns it has been involved in are : the fight against social programs cutbacks; pay equity legislation; an increase in the minimum wage and women's access to work, regardless of the sector. The FFQ has 125 member groups and 600 individual members.

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

Values underlying the action

• the leadership of the organization is in the hands of women;

• all regions in the world share leadership in the action;

• participating groups must subscribe to the objectives and overall plan of action for the March but remain independent as regards organizing the action in their respective countries;

• we recognize, respect and value the diversity of the women's movement;

• the World March of Women in the year 2000 is a pacifist action.

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

What is the World March of Women?

The Demands

The World March of Women in the Year 2000 will be making two major demands related to poverty and violence against women. With these demands we will challenge the various systems and authorities that generate inequality between men and women and exert control over women's lives. There are committees working now on developing the content of the demands so that a more detailed proposal can be discussed with the delegates attending the Autumn 1998 international preparatory meeting.

The Actions

Participating groups are invited to organize three actions:

• a massive women's vote, based on common demands, and which will take place between March 8^th and October 17^th, 2000;

• a national action, the nature of which would be determined by women's groups in that country, to raise demands relevant to the particular nation;

• a world action on October 17, 2000.

For the world action, we propose a mass demonstration or rally on every continent. In North America the demonstration could take place in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York. All the voting cards could be deposited at the United Nations on this occasion. There is also the possibility of going to Washington, headquarters of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There could be a series of relay marches leading up to the mass demonstration.

A popular education campaign aimed at informing people all over the planet of the reality of women's lives as well as women's movement initiatives from many countries will help build support for the action.

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

The Theme

The theme that has been proposed for the March is "Bread and Roses", a slogan from past struggles of progressive women in the United States, and adopted in 1995 and 1996 during actions organized by the women's movements in Québec and Canada.

We are fighting for:

• bread -what we need to live; the basic needs of life and

• roses -what we need to make life worth living; control of our bodies; the right to live free of violence.

As is the case for other aspects of the project (demands, actions, etc.), the theme is still being debated.

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

What We Want

• To stimulate a vast movement of grassroots women's groups so that the march becomes a gesture of affirmation by the women of the world.

• To promote equality between men and women.

• To highlight the common demands and initiatives issuing from the global women's movement relating to the issues of poverty and violence against women.

• To force governments, decision-makers and individuals the world over to institute the changes necessary for improving the status of women and women's quality of life.

• To enter the new millennium by demonstrating women's ongoing determination to change the world.

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

October 17-18, 1998: International Preparatory Meeting

Much preparation is needed to get this project up by the year 2000! Essential to this process will be the two international preparatory meetings attended by delegates from participating countries. These meetings will be occasions for consultation and coordination so that the demands and actions of the World March of Women in the year 2000 truly represent the collaboration of women from all over the world.

The first of these meetings will be held October 17-18, 1998, in Montreal. We expect to be hosting two hundred women from participating countries.

At this meeting, we will come to agreement on the objectives and main demands of the March. We will be able to share the different analyses and solutions generated by women's movements around the planet on the issues of poverty and violence against women. The delegates will also be invited to share any public education tools they have developed.

In addition to adopting the overall demands, the delegates will work on a declaration within which to frame them. Once adopted, this declaration can be used for popular education activities.

We want to stress that the World March of Women is a collective action and all the involved groups should have a hand in shaping it. For this reason, it is crucial that groups in participating countries ensure the presence of delegates at the preparatory meeting.

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

Organizing the March

In order to get the project started, a coordinating committee was formed, composed of twenty-one women from Québec representing different elements of the women's movement here--women's groups, unions, international solidarity groups, etc. Because we believe that the diversity of the women's movement should be represented as much as possible in each stage of the organizing, we encouraged and succeeded in obtaining the participation of lesbians, Native women, women of different cultural communities, older women, etc. in this structure.

The first international preparatory meeting will also allow us to advance the organizing process, thereby facilitating the subsequent task of coordination at the global level.

The preparation of the national actions will require that groups mobilize in their own countries. Committees have already been set up in some countries; in others, groups are beginning to work out an organizing process.

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

Who is participating in the project?

As of June 3, 485 groups from 79 countries have joined the action. Groups of every description have expressed interest, women's groups being the majority. Some of these groups are mixed organizations (membership includes both women and men) whose women members will be involved in the project. The list includes: grassroots women's groups, status of women committees from the labour movement, popular education groups, ecumenical women's groups, etc. We will intensify our recruitment efforts over the next weeks, targeting specific networks.

Regional Distribution of Participating Groups

Africa 119

Asia/Middle East 22

Europe 55

Latin America/Caribbean 146

North America 138

Oceania 5

Newsletter, April 1998, Volume 1, Number 1

Some Reminders

• We will be moving our office in July 1998; check these pages for our new address.

• Soon we will have a Web site for the March; hopefully in our next issue (late June 1998) we will be able to announce the address.

• Important date: October 17-18, 1998 -- First international preparatory meeting in Montreal, Québec (Canada).

• If your group is interested in joining the project you must send us a sign-up coupon. Please contact us for a copy (at the above address).

Ce bulletin est disponible en français. Este boletin está disponible en español.

If your group wishes to participate in the March, please send us a sign-up coupon.
To obtain one, or for any other information please contact us.
Telephone (1) 514-395-1196 Fax (1) 514-395-1224
E-mail address: marche2000@ffq.qc.ca.
Web site: www.ffq.qc.ca