January 22, 2009

The International Anglican Women's Network (IAWN) will conduct its first formal meeting Feb. 22-27, 2009, at the Tutu Center at General Theological Seminary in New York City.

Building on the strong presence of the IAWN during the 2008 Lambeth Conference, women representing 26 of the 38 Anglican provinces are expected. "We will focus on progress or lack thereof toward equality and empowerment for women in our regions," said Mrs. Priscilla Julie of the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean, who chairs the IAWN Steering Group.

"How does our situation measure up against the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action and Millennium Development Goal #3: to promote gender equality and empower women?," she said. "Even more important, what progress has been made on resolution 13-31 of the Anglican Consultative Council in 2005, which acknowledged the importance of this MDG goal and requested, inter alia, "all member churches to work toward the realization of this goal in their structures of governance, and in other bodies to which they nominate or appoint." (For the full text, see below or at: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/communion/acc/meetings/acc13/resolutions.cfm#s31

The IAWN will report to the Anglican Consultative Council in May when it convenes in Kingston, Jamaica. The report will include activities of the IAWN in the four years since ACC-13 met in Nottingham, plans for the future, and recommendations for ACC action.

During their week together in New York, IAWN representatives will share their struggles and successes, build on common goals that have been made, and plan for the future. They will worship, make reports, vote on new members to the Steering Group and create recommendations for further action. Some will stay on in New York to attend the 53rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women as part of the Anglican delegation organized by the Anglican Observer's Office. That meeting runs from March 2 to March 13 with the theme of "The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS." See http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm.

The IAWN was formed in November 1996 following a consultation convened by the ACC and funded by the Mothers' Union, headquartered in London, and the United Thank Offering of The Episcopal Church. Women from 14 of the (then) 32 provinces of the Anglican Communion met in London and agreed that an International Anglican Women's Network be formed. Its mandate was to report the work of women and the challenges that they face to the ACC.

One of the official Anglican Communion networks (at http://iawn.anglicancommunion.org/index.cfm), the IAWN has had a remarkable resurgence over the last few years. IAWN started to build momentum leading up to the 1998 Lambeth Conference, but languished subsequently. (No funding is provided in the Anglican Communion budget for networks.)

In March 2006, the IAWN was re-invigorated at a meeting of Anglican delegates to the 50th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) by Archdeacon Taimalelagi Fagamalama Tuatagaloa-Matalavea, the former Anglican Observer to the United Nations, and Dr. Jenny Plane Te Paa with support from AWE, Anglican Women's Empowerment. A new structure was approved, consisting of 38 link representatives (each designated by the primate of her province) and an eight-member Steering Group (seven elected and one appointed).

The Episcopal Church is hosting the February meeting, which is being coordinated by the Steering Group through Ms. Kim Robey, Program Officer for Women's Ministries and IAWN secretary. "I'm so pleased with the eager response we have had to the invitations for this meeting," she said. "I'm excited at the prospect of spending a week with women from all over the world. It's a tribute to the Anglican Communion's growing commitment to women that representatives are coming from so many provinces."

The Steering Group is comprised of: Priscilla Julie, The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean, Convener; Lisbeth Barahona, Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America; Esperanza Beleo, The Episcopal Church in the Philippines; Joyce Kariuki, The Anglican Church in Kenya; Helena Mbele-Mbong, The Episcopal Church of the USA; Alice Medcof, The Anglican Church of Canada; Meagan Morrison, The Anglican Church of Australia; Margaret Jones, Mothers' Union appointee, pro tem.

Ex-officio members – Jolly Babirukamu, ACC Standing Committee liaison; Tai Matalavea, Former Anglican UN Observer; Kim Robey, Secretariat.

The provinces having representatives at the meeting are: Aotearao, NZ, and Polynesia, Australia, Burundi, Canada, Central Africa, England, Episcopal Church, Hong Kong, Indian Ocean, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Melanesia, Mexico, North India, Pakistan, Philippines, Scotland, South Africa, Southern Cone, Sudan, Uganda, Wales, West Africa, and West Indies.

For more information about IAWN and this meeting, or to arrange press briefings or interviews, please contact Ms. Kim Robey at 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5346, or krobey@episcopalchurch.org.

Resolution ACC 13-31: The 49th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women The Anglican Consultative Council:

• receives and adopts the Report of the ACC Provincial Delegation to the 49th UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), and affirms the work of the International Anglican Women's Network (IAWN) in responding to the Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Developments Goals (MDG), thereby carrying forward the full flourishing of God's Creation

• acknowledges the MDG goal for equal representation of women in decision making at all levels, and so requests:

• the Standing Committee to identify ways in which this goal may appropriately be adapted for incorporation into the structures of the Instruments of Unity, and other bodies to which the Anglican Consultative Council nominates or appoints

• all member churches to work towards the realization of this goal in their own structures of governance, and in other bodies to which they nominate or appoint and to report on progress to ACC-14.

• recommends that a study of the place and role of women in the structures of the Anglican Communion be undertaken by the Standing Committee in line with the objects of the ACC "to keep in review the needs that may arise for further study, and, where necessary, to promote inquiry and research"

• requests that each Province give consideration to the establishment of a women's desk for that Province

• thanks those Provinces which sent participants to the 49th Session of UNCSW, and encourages those who did not to review their decision in time for the 50th Session in 2006 in solidarity with all women of the Anglican Communion.

Anglican Communion News Service, London