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Webpage Portal:
The Knowledge-Driven International Development (KDID) Portal is a family of websites established to maximize the effectiveness of development assistance by connecting development practitioners through learning opportunities and spreading innovation and good practice.
KDID Portal sites are vibrant communities where members discuss ideas, share experience, connect to other professionals, and access the latest thinking in best practice. They are designed to ensure that knowledge on what works in development is effectively captured and shared among practitioners so it can be applied to projects, programs and USAID Mission efforts.

Women are the victims of violence and backward religious traditions in Iraq, and are in desperate need of shelter and protection from random acts of aggression. These women are subject to continuous threat of being:

killed by their husbands or male relatives (honor killings)
Burnt or mutilated for suspicion of shameful acts
publicly executed or shot by the police
kidnapped and secretly murdered
in state of despair and see no other way than to commit suicide

Consequently, millions of women undergo sexual discrimination encouraged by Islamist activists and Saddam's regime that urge all “God Loving” men to oppress their women so as to abide by an Islamic submissive lifestyle that was created hundreds of years ago. This situation has been introduced and enhanced in the last decade, and does not allow women basic standards of human dignity. Other Reasons that result in the deterioration of social status of women in Iraq:

Hundreds of thousands of women were widowed by consecutive wars, and genocide executed by Saddam's army
Economic sanctions spread out poverty to unthinkable extents where every widow finds herself responsible of a family with no sort of support or social insurance
Recent years changes in civil laws so as to allow honor killings and referral to backward and barbaric tribal law
Absence of supremacy of law, allowing Islamist misogynist practices which the ruling Baath party chose to apply by committing mass killings on women.

Local Women's Movements

Independent Women's organization (IWO) was formed on 8th of March 1992 in North of Iraq with the efforts of volunteering individuals. Since then, women sheltering services began to be provided. These include armed protection, safe dwelling and legal services.

IWO has proved to be the only organization to fully adopt a comprehensive campaign of advocating Iraqi women's rights and for that had gained the support of local radical movements. IWO has extended its influence to international locations that attracted masses of Iraqi refugees. It is represented now in Canada, England and Australia. Our committee (DIWR) in Canada was founded on May 20, 1998 and has pursued

Investigating into the status of Iraqi women with a focus on Kurdistan of Iraq where the absence of supremacy of law resulted in giving way to ancient tribal practices against women encouraged by recent Islamist influences.

The need for these services?

In order to gain a broad perspective of the local scene, and a sense of the urgency to activate change towards the women's cause in Iraqi Kurdistan, we refer to one recent statistical figure done in North of Iraq - Kurdistan

- That could explain it all:

Within a population of 5 Million in Iraqi Kurdistan

4000 honor killings (1990-1999)

Hundreds of burnt women

Tens of honor driven mutilations against women

Thousands of circumcised (genitally mutilated) girls yearly till this present day

What your support can do?

Strengthen international solidarity for the support of women's movement in Iraq in their struggle against Islamist influenced male violence.

Provide the women's shelter with financial support necessary for the survival of desperate women.

Boost Women's aspirations in gaining freedom and equality with their fellow men.

We seek the support and cooperation of all organizations that are involved in developing women's status worldwide. For any inquiries, do not hesitate to contact us on the addresses written below. yanar2002@hotmail.com

The Regional Human Rights and Peacebuilding Fund (RHRPF) is a four years CDN $5M initiative (ending in 2011-2012) providing funds and direct support to selected local non-government organizations (NGOs) and not-for profit institutions as well as to international organizations with direct and well established partnerships with local civil society organizations (CSOs). The objective is to implement projects which contribute to reducing human rights abuses, increasing women's influence as well as working toward sustainable peacebuilding efforts

Webpage: BPW-A is a dynamic business association of dedicated female professionals in Jordan.
BPW-A works to increase women's economic participation in Jordan by:
Harnessing the underutilized economic and social capabilities of Jordanian women by utilizing the experience of its accomplished members, its resources and its networks.
Providing effective services in response to the needs of its members, female professionals and business owners.
BPW-A's focus is to identify and communicate the productive, independent role of women in Arab and Islamic society. BPWA provides a platform for its members and aspiring women to encourage and facilitate change and create a proactive societal role.

Organisation website:
The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation is founded in June 1998 in Sofia as an independent NGO of public utility.
The organization works in the field of gender equality, prevention of domestic violence, reproductive rights and anti-discrimination by providing information, elaboration and production of researches, analyses and draft laws, conducting campaigns and lobbying for legislative changes, provision of training and consultations for professionals and working in wide networks in cooperation with other organizations, public institutions and experts.
The BGRF has branches in Plovdiv, Haskovo, Gorna Oryahovitza. Since 2001 the BGRF has a youth department.

This new website is a resource and learning hub on the AWID 2012 Forum theme: Transforming Economic Power to Advance Women’s Rights and Justice. Most of the content currently on the site was generated by participants in preparation for and follow up to the Forum.

Organisation website:
The Global Knowledge Partnership Foundation, is a 12 year old membership based, internationally recognized multi stakeholder network with a distinguished and well established track record. GKPF‟s globally recognized brand and impartial status as the world's first multi-stakeholder network, provides convening power to bring together a broad range of partners for development not only for advancing ICT for development and innovation across the globe but also for advancing their global development mission and goals. It is the only global network with members from governments, business and civil society. The GKPF places the member at the centre of the network. But GKPF is much more than a network, its members bring together Public Sector, Private Sector and Civil Society Organizations with the goal of Sharing Knowledge and Building Partnerships in Knowledge and ICT for Development.

Webpage:
The Arab Foundations Forum (AFF) was established out of the need for a networking structure for foundations in the Arab region to strengthen the capacity and infrastructure of strategic philanthropy. Currently, the Forum provides a platform for dialogue among various foundations in the region as well as the rest of the world. It serves as an advocate for more effective principles, practices, programs and policies. Its initiatives also include bringing philanthropists together to share information, learn from, and support one another to reinforce social development through mobilizing private capital for public benefit. In a long term perspective, AFF's goal is to strengthen the Arab philanthropy by providing Arab funders with an association of foundations in the Arab region to foster dialogue, network, learn and collaborate among themselves and with partners.

The Arab Academic Human Rights Network (AAHRN) aims to strengthen the capacity of academic institutions to perform academic education and research on human rights. The Network was launched in April 2010 when a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between five founding members:
The stated mission of the AAHRN is to strengthen the capacity of academic institutions in formulating and disseminating knowledge on human rights topics responding to the reality and needs of society, with the main objectives to:
Strengthen the institutional capacity of academic institutions to plan, design, organise and implement teaching and research in human rights
Encourage exchange and dialogue between academic institutions
Strengthen the resource base of human rights materials in Arabic

Organisation website:
Rural Women's Network Nepal (RUWON Nepal) is an autonomous non- governmental social organization actively initiated by well known personalities for decades in the fields of women's, youths and children's rights and social justice in Nepal. It was registered in the district administration office, Sindhuli, non-governmental organizations Federation Nepal and Internal Revenue office, Janakpur, in 2007. It has undertaken affiliation from Social Welfare Council, Nepal. Though RUWON is a young organization, it has already implemented a number of projects in different parts of the country. We work mainly in Kathmandu Valley and in Sindhuli district, in the eastern part of Nepal.
RUWON Nepal supports women from exclude d and marginalized communities and disadvantaged regions so as to achieve sustainable and equitable development through social inclusion, advocacy and empowerment mechanism. It works in an environmentally sensitive manner through a demand driven and participatory approach to local resource use. Further, RUWON works for the rights of children and youth. Through awareness and capacity building, and by creating forums for discussion, it encourages youth to actively be a part of the development of the country. Sustainable peace and democracy are central parts in RUWONS programs.