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by Bianca Miglioretto*

For five days, from 3 to 6 November 2008, it was normal in Ibis Hotel in Vienna, Austria to be lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual. I was not in doubt whether I would “out” myself to new people I would meet.

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by Nina Somera

Editor’s Note: Gigi Francisco is the newly appointed Global Coordinator of the Development Alternatives for Women in the New Era (DAWN). She is also the Chair of the International Studies Department of Miriam College in the Philippines. Isis gets up close and personal with Gigi Francisco to learn her thoughts on DOHA, Southern feminism, Obama, sex, love and much more. Below are excerpts of the interview. You may see the full text down below.

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by Nina Somera*

The past few months have seen a series of announcement of national recession and debates on bail-out packages in salvaging big corporations and industries. Indeed hard times are ahead with the increasing number of vacant houses, lay-offs, and filing of bankruptcy.

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By Nina Somera

Recent years have seen the reawakening of the sleeping dragon that is China. The fireworks which brightened Beijing’s skyline in the last Olympic games seemed to further herald the rebirth of a powerhouse.

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by Nina Somera

Achievements of DOHA
It is widely known that there was a big frustration among women's movements and gender equality advocates from the gender blind text of the Monterrey consensus. The Doha Review Conference text totally turned this around. If there is a small gain that social movements obtained, it is certainly in the area of gender. But the victory on the gender front is actually a bitter sweet victory. Because many of the fundamental changes on the macroeconomic systemic changes and financial issues were not addressed. Overall, the text was a big disappointment even while within it, there were many substantive references to gender as well as to some counter cyclical policies. Governments could have been more decisive towards alternative economic governance systems where finance capitalism can be disciplined but they elected not to do so.

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Yogyakarta, Indonesia - “The burden of poverty is the heaviest on women. Poverty and loss of freedom are not separate. Until poor remain powerless, poverty cannot be removed. The poor themselves need to be the planners, users, managers and owners of the poverty alleviation meant for them.”