[Member of the Month]: Patricia DeGennaro

Patricia (Tricia) DeGennaro is a professor, writer, analyst and consultant. She is a Senior Research Fellow for the Center for the Study of Democracy at Queens University in Canada and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs where she teaches courses on US Foreign Policy, Military Affairs, National Security Policy, and the War on Terrorism.

As of May 1st she will be in Afghanistan, working as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai. [Read more about Tricia...]

Patricia DeGennaro, the WIIS Member of the Month for May, gives us some strong words of advice on shaping US foreign policy:

"The US is facing one of the most important junctures in its foreign policy track. It is our duty to create a comprehensive holistic vision for our future. We must look beyond militarizing our international efforts and create a world were everyone can gain and contribute to something other than war and violence."

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Get involved! We would like to feature a WIIS member each month. Please submit suggestions and recommendations to Jennifer Park, Outreach Coordinator for WIIS at wiisoutreach@georgetown.edu.

[Tribute]: Women In International Security Pays Tribute to Julia Taft

Women In International Security pays tribute to Julia Taft, a former assistant Secretary of State and life-long advocate for refugees around the world. Mrs. Taft passed away at 65 on March 15, 2008 at her home in Washington. In 2005, members of the WIIS network had the privilege of hearing Mrs. Taft speak on "Building Enduring Security: The Role of Post-Conflict Reconstruction" at the annual Summer Symposium Luncheon. Mrs. Taft had been an inspiring supporter of the WIIS mission throughout the years, and had most recently contributed to the Women in Peace Operations project. Through her example and passion, she paved the way for future women leaders, and will be dearly missed by all those who share her dedication to the plight of refugees and humanitarian relief efforts around the world.

More on Julia Taft:

• WIIS Summer Symposium Luncheon Speech, 2005
• Washington Post Obituary

[Member in Print]: Women's Advancement in Afghanistan

WIIS member Gayle Tzemach reports on women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and prospects for women's advancements in the developing nation. Short audio clip is also available.

csmonitor.com - The Christian Science Monitor Online
from the January 29, 2008 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0129/p07s02-wosc.html
"Afghan woman is all about business - Entrepreneur Kamela Sediqi teaches Afghans around the country the skills they need to start ventures."
By Gayle Tzemach | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

[News]:POLITICS: For Women, Leaning Doesn't Make For Leading

By Miren Gutierrez**

ROME, Jan 9 (IPS) - "A woman who enters politics changes; a thousand women who enter politics change politics," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet told the Spanish television channel TVE in a recent interview.

It is the former that seems to ring more true. Most powerful women, particularly though not only in developing countries, are or have been members of elite families: widows, daughters, wives of powerful men, in societies where women do not have equal access to most things. The list of female rulers who have derived their leadership from men is a long and telling one...

Click here for the full article: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40723

[Campaign]: UN Foundation Challenge Grant to UNIFEM Online Campaign to End Violence Against Women

UN Foundation to donate $1 for every signature to UNIFEM
online campaign

WASHINGTON DC / New York (January 22, 2008) - The United Nations Foundation announced today its support for the “Say NO to Violence against Women” campaign. The Foundation will donate $1 for each the first 100,000 signatures to the online campaign that is run by the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM.

The contributions will go to the UNIFEM-managed UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.

“Recent UN research has demonstrated the shameful scope of violence against women around the world, where one in three women are subject to some form of coercion or abuse in their lifetimes,” said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation. “To turn the tide on violence, the international community must work together to stand up for the human rights of women and that’s what UNIFEM’s “Say NO” campaign does. It allows people everywhere to go on record and stand up for a world free of violence against women.”

“Thanks to this fantastic challenge grant, every signature will bolster our cause to make ending violence against women worldwide a top priority”, said UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman who champions the campaign. What’s more, it will help provide critical resources for local initiatives that are supported through the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women – whether it is working to prevent human trafficking, assisting survivors of domestic violence or helping implement laws against rape.”

People can sign on to the campaign at www.sayNOtoviolence.org.

“The more people join, the stronger the message that there is an ever-growing movement of people who are demanding decisive action to put a stop to what is probably the most pervasive human rights violation”, added acting UNIFEM Executive Director Joanne Sandler. “This generous donation will provide an additional strong incentive for people to sign up to the campaign.”

The “Say No to Violence against Women” campaign was launched November 26, 2007. To date more than 18,000 people worldwide have signed the call that urges an end to violence against women and encourages support to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. This Trust Fund, managed by UNIFEM for the UN system, supports innovative initiatives by governments and non-governmental organizations to end violence against women. Since its establishment in 1996, it has helped fund some 250 initiatives in 120 countries.

"Each day, each hour, each minute, a woman in the world is a victim of violence," said Wirth. "Taking this simple step, signing on to the campaign, sends the message that enough is enough and the cycle of violence must stop now."

For more information about the campaign visit www.sayNOtoviolence.org or www.unfoundation.org.

[Member Spotlight]: In the News

Deepa Ollapally was interviewed about Pakistan and nuclear weapons security on The Diane Rehm Show on Nov. 19, 2007 on the unfolding political crisis in Pakistan and what it means for the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and US interests. The other panelists were George Perkovich of Carnegie Endowment and David Armstrong, of National Security News Service.

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Deepa Ollapally, Dr. Ollapally is an Executive Board member of WIIS, and a senior fellow at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the Elliott School for International Affairs at George Washington University. She's also author of the forthcoming book, "The Politics and Geopolitics of Extremism in South Asia."

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If you have been interviewed or highlighted in the news, please let us know! E-mail: wiisoutreach@georgetown.edu

[Event Series]: Career Panels

As you may have noticed, in the past couple months, WIIS has initiated new event series for junior level WIIS members to connect with mid and senior-level members.

Mentoring Circles:
The Mentoring Circles are set up to be intimate, specialized career discussions with senior level women. Junior level members are invited based on area of interest to meet with senior level women in those fields, who are able to share their substantive expertise and insights about the challenges and opportunities for women in those fields. We hope that this series will help WIIS members maximize their mentoring relationships. The first one was held at Georgetown University with a senior level woman from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Specialized On-Site Career Panel Events
In conjunction with the theme of the Report Card project, WIIS has also organized specialized, on-site career panels where a small group of junior level members have the opportunity to meet with senior level members at their place of work. The first one was at the Pentagon on careers at the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The next one will be held at the State Department (This event has been filled). We hope to organize many more opportunities in the coming months, so please stay tuned! And send us your ideas!