GPC-3: Women in Iran, Afghanistan, India: Vision and Strategies
In this panel, we bring together people from countries where the State is using religion as a tool for oppressing women: Iran, Afghanistan and India. We hope to go beyond the tales of oppression, and instead focus on two key points: What is the vision and future for women in these countries? What are the strategies they are adapting towards these visions?
Featuring:
Sabah Khan is co-founder of Parcham, which is best known for introducing the football initiative for adolescent girls in Muslim ghettos in Mumbai, India. She mentors youth from vulnerable communities in taking leadership towards social action through the organization. Parcham created history by getting the municipal corporation of Thane to reserve the first ever sports ground for girls in India. Parcham’s work, documented in a film ‘Under the Open Sky’ by the School of Media and Cultural Studies, TISS has been screened at multiple venues in India and abroad. Khan was a speaker at a TEDx event, speaking about Changing the World, one friendship at a time. She is author of the book, ‘The Queen The Courtesan The Doctor The Writer : 50 Inspiring Stories of Muslims’.
Hassan Fahimi is an international development professional with expertise in gender issues, women, peace and security agenda and women’s leadership and political participation. Hassan works with Conciliation Resources as a South Asia Project Manager. Previously, he worked with UN Women Afghanistan on women’s leadership and political participation as Acting & Deputy Programme Manager from 2009 to 2018. He led different projects in collaboration with the Afghan government and civil society organisations to enhance women’s leadership and inclusion in politics, governance and peace. He holds a BA in Public-Private Law and an MA in Public International Law. Through the global Rotary Peace Fellowship programme, he earned his second MA in Peace, Conflict and Development from the University of Bradford, UK. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Dr Yalda Hamidi (She/Her/Hers) is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies and faculty fellow for "Teaching Toward Social Justice" at Minnesota State University Mankato and a member of the Ms. Committee of Scholars. At MNSU Mankato, Yalda teaches transnational and Islamic feminism/s, feminist pedagogy, and queer of color critique courses.
Moderator:
Elaheh Pooyandeh is a Rotary Peace Fellow alumni of University of Bradford (2018-2019) with masters degree in Peace, Conflict and Development Studies. Her area of work and interest includes peace education, development, chemical weapons disarmament and gender equality. She currently works as a freelancer in peace education and development in Iran.
Interpreters:
Mayuree Pandit has been deeply interested and engaged in collective healing & peace work, integrating spiritual, nature and body based work, social change and the arts, gender and sexuality; and living holistically and learning from indigenous wisdom. She is an active member of the Creators of Peace community in India and a facilitator of Peace Circles. Being conversant in Hindi and English, she has also played the role of an Interpreter for conferences, workshops, as well as Good Pitch (documentary film event). At this conference, she is interpreting from English to Hindi.
Saeed Pourreza is a broadcast journalist and freelance interpreter based in London. His interpreting experience includes translating at multiple international gatherings in Iran over the years such as those at the Tehran Peace Museum, Pardis Technology Park, and Sharif University of Technology, covering such topics as peace building and conflict resolution, venture capital investments, and talent management. As a broadcaster, he presented live political news for Iran's PRESS TV at its headquarters in Tehran, until the start of the Syria war in 2011. For the next few years, He has produced a few shows and has done voice-overs. In 2018, he moved to London where he now works as the UK correspondent for PRESS TV. At this conference, he is interpreting from English to Farsi.
2023 GLOBAL PEACE CONFERENCE (GPC-3): Over 24 hours of peace talks, skills-based workshops and networking
Do you care deeply about your community and looking for ideas to bring about positive change?
Join us on 4 March 2023 for the third 24-hour online Global Peace Conference: an exciting, interactive convergence of thought-provokers, peacebuilders and everyday people building peace in their spheres of influence.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL AGENDA
The theme of this year’s conference is “Strengthening Our Peacebuilding Community”. This theme is an extension of our desire to connect our planet with people power, towards a peaceful and just existence for all. This year’s 24-hour conference has programming in four global geographical regions, with plenaries and skill-building sessions, covering all time zones across the globe and enabling anyone, anywhere, to participate.
This volunteer-led initiative of Rotary Peace Fellows and other members of the broader Rotary peace ecosystem is based on the premise that everyone has the power to change the world. We work in civil society, academia, and government. We work in conflict resolution, sustainable development, and business. We are change makers in our community wherever we are based across the globe, and have a passion to transform conflict into growth and potential.
This 24-hour Global Peace Conference is not a typical academic conference or business networking opportunity. Our value is in dialogue and in collaboration, so everyone—YOU included—has a part to play in making our conference meaningful.
The event will feature:
Local peacebuilders from all over the world
Interactive sessions at all time zones
Ample opportunity for training and networking
Join us by registering above! The conference is free of charge thanks to the generosity of volunteers and donors from the Rotary peace community, including Carol Fellows and Tim Bewley. The Red Dot Foundation also provided technical support to realize this session.
If you would like to make a donation to help keep future conferences free and inclusive, please click here. Thank you for your support!
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS AFTER THE CONFERENCE?
During the inclusive, open planning meetings to prepare for the conference, it was decided to develop a conference declaration setting out positive peace as a unifying concept to unite Rotary Peace Fellows, other peacebuilders, and the Rotary family. The goal is also to articulate a vision for the conference as a vehicle to strengthen the Rotary peace ecosystem and to build relationships with and elevate grassroots peaceubilders. Please provide feedback on the draft conference declaration:
COMMENT ON THE DRAFT HERE
Thank you for your constructive input!