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Equality between women and men.
To have a voice. To have a choice.

International Development Week Celebrations 2007
City Hall
Tom Davies Square Foyer
200 Brady Street, Sudbury ON P3A 5P3
March 07, 2007 @ 6:30 PM
International Development Week (IDW) 2007 was a unique opportunity for OIDA and partners and volunteers to share their challenges and successes in international development with Canadians. This year, the 17th annual IDW ran from February 4 - 10, 2007 and focussed on equality between women and men being fundamental to sustainable development. Equality between women and men or gender equality—promoting the equal participation of women and men in making decisions; supporting women and girls so that they can fully exercise their rights; and reducing the gap between women’s and men’s access to and control of resources and the benefits of development—is still out of reach for most women worldwide. Women continue to have fewer rights, lower education and health status, less income, and less access to resources and decision-making than men. Nevertheless, women’s critical roles in food production, income generation, management of natural resources, community organization and domestic responsibilities are essential for sustainable development. If equitable and sustainable progress is to be achieved, women’s status must be improved, their rights must be respected, and their contributions must be recognized. The equal participation of women, men, girls and boys in the development of their societies, and their equal access to the benefits of development–contributes to economic growth, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. Gender inequalities intensify poverty, perpetuating it from one generation to the next. Gender inequalities limit a country’s ability to govern effectively, to grow sustainably, to reduce poverty, and to provide for peoples’ well being. They also dramatically affect the health of societies’ populations, especially the poor. In Africa, 75 percent of young people (15 to 24) living with HIV are young women. Despite a marked increase in primary school enrolment rates, some 770 million people, two-thirds of them women, still cannot read or write.

Ontario International Development Agency celebrated International Development Week on March 07, 2007 at the City Hall, Tom Davies Square, Sudbury. Professor Sika Eliev, Women Studies, Laurentian University and Ms. Aisha Alladin Social worker were the key note speakers for the event. Prof: Sika Eliev (Topic: Gender equality: A partnership between women and men) works as a project evaluator for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and completed her doctorate (PhD) in sociology on women's business management at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. She was research associate for the project, “Regional rural sociologist -Co-responsible for the gender component” funded by CIDA. Her research involved, Contribute to the development of gender and community activities, Compile resources for the center on gender issues, Involve women on the same level has men in the whole process of the project.
Aisha Alladin Topic: The Plight of Women in Afghanistan – Is there hope? Aisha holds a Master Degree in Education from the University of Alberta. She has led and facilitated many workshops in the area of anti-racism, diversity issues, violence against women, cross-cultural communications and multiculturalism as well as made several presentations in the areas of human rights, women and religion, Islam as a world religion, religious diversity, Islam and violence. She also sat on the Mayor’s working group on the “Diversity Thrives Here” for the City of Greater Sudbury in the year 2003 – 2004.

International Development Week Flyer
Prof: Sika Eliev - Presentation -Topic: Gender equality: A partnership between women and men
Aisha Alladin - Presentation -Topic: The Plight of Women in Afghanistan – Is there hope?