1. Introductions

The meeting began with a brief statement of objectives. Given the low representation of women from developing countries at both official and NGO events during the CSW, the aim of bringing the three regional caucuses together was to ensure joint planning with regards to content, strategy and process for the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR). The meeting was meant to provide an opportunity to brainstorm on the above.

Those present at the meeting then introduced themselves (see attached list of participants).

2. Ideas from the Brainstorming

2.1 Content

With regards to content, it was suggested that our commonality was our shared colonial past. And that what we should be seeking was collective responsibility towards that past, rather than collective guilt. Mainstreaming gender in calls for reparations for slavery and colonialism, recognising their specific impact on women from developing countries is crucial.

A second commonality is found in the impact of globalisation on women at the micro-economic level, for example through trafficking in women of developing countries. The need for data on these issues was stressed and the UNCTAD meeting in May on LDCs was suggested as a site for collecting such data.

However, it was further suggested that in developing content for the WCAR, attention should be paid to our respective anthropological, historical and social contexts. In doing so, attention should be paid to matters deemed 'internal', such as politically-motivated, so-called 'ethnic' or 'religious' clashes over land, cattle rustling in pastoralist areas and so on. Ethnicity, religion, internally displaced persons and refugees are critical in our common lobby. National-level analysis of these concerns should feed into our collective work.

2.2 Strategy

It was noted that we need to be strategic about what we really want to achieve from the WCAR. We already know that we won't get some of our demands accepted in the government outcomes document, for example, given the USA's stand on reparations for slavery. We should therefore use other means to highlight our concerns and demands, so that what doesn't get though at least is made known. This implies viewing the WCAR as a campaign for us, at the national level, rather than only a conference at the international level. In this campaign, we need to create debate at home on the issues to achieve what we want at home. And information should be shared about what governments will support what and what governments are against what, so that we are prepared for the lobbying process at the preparatory committee in Geneva in May and the WCAR itself in Durban in September.

The need to link with constituencies beyond ourselves was stressed. These include:

· CBOs in our respective regions;

· indigenous women in our respective regions; and

· NGOs from our respective regions involved in other global processes (such as those emanating from Cairo, Copenhagen, Rio, Vienna and from the upcoming financing for development, HIV/AIDS and LDC global meetings).

2.3 Process

We are considering events for both the prepcom and the WCAR. There will be an opportunity to present NGO side events during the prepcom and the WCAR will be preceded by an NGO forum. Ideas for both the prepcom and the WCAR included:

· developing a common position paper based on the statement of common concerns from our three caucuses prepared at this CSW;

· using the electronic mailing list to be set up by ISIS-Manila for our joint effort to do this (having facilitated discussions on each of the common issues);

· doing a comparative analysis of the government and NGO outcome documents from our regional prepcoms against the proposed outcomes document and feeding that analysis into the common position paper;

· documenting in a creative manner what the issues above mean in real terms in our respective countries and preparing a powerful presentation of such documentation;

· developing a common campaign around key words, terms or themes distilled from the above; and · presenting panel discussions with speakers from developing countries.

3. The Way Forward

It was agreed that ISIS-Manila would use the participants' list to set up an electronic mailing list to get work going on this. These minutes and the joint statement would be circulated to start off the discussion. Focal points for the respective regions then volunteered themselves to re-distribute information (including translation) and to provide coordination as and when needed as follows:

· Africa: International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)-Uganda;

· Asia: APWLD, ISIS-Manila and the Medical Mission Sisters;

· Latin America: Brazilian Black Women's Articulation and REPEM;

· Pacific: Fiji Women's Rights Movement

Re-distribution of information was to start immediately, among the full list of our own regional caucuses as well as to the kinds of organisations mentioned above.

(end/southern caucus/lmw/01)