Lesley Abdela

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations.
You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (December 2007)
Lesley Abdela
Born London
Residence Burwash, East Sussex
Nationality British
Known for Gender equality activism

Lesley Julia Abdela MBE[1] Hon D.Litt,[2] born in London (of Greek descent),[3] is a British feminist campaigner and gender/post-conflict specialist who has worked for over 25 years in the fields of gender development. She has worked as an advisor in 40 different countries, to both governments and NGOs and the European Commission.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Abdela was educated at Queen Anne's School, Caversham, the Chatelard School, Les Avants, Switzerland, Hammersmith College of Art and Building and the London College of Printing, now part of the University of the Arts London.

Abdela lives in Burwash, East Sussex.

Abdela is one of the world’s leading experts in the field of gender and an award-winning journalist. She has received many awards in her lifetime, including the UK Woman of Europe award[4] for her work seeking the empowerment of women in Central and Eastern Europe. She was also the first Political Editor of a major women’s magazine in the United Kingdom, appointed by Cosmopolitan in 1993. Recently, Abdela has been voted into the New Statesman's poll "Top 50 Heroes Of Our Time."

Abdela has also recently appeared on BBC Radio 4's programme Great Lives discussing the life and achievements of Millicent Fawcett, the British suffragist.

Lesley Abdela was in Kathmandu for six months to March 2008 as a gender adviser to the United Nations’ Humanitarian programmes in Nepal. The United Kingdom gender/post-conflict specialist's work has included on-the-ground stints in Kosovo (OSCE), Aceh (IOM), Iraq (USAID) and Sierra Leone (DfID/British Council). She is widely recognised internationally for her gender/post-conflict reconstruction work and her advocacy for women's worldwide equality.

Abdela is Senior Partner in Shevolution[5], a gender-equality consultancy; Chief Executive of Project Parity, a non-partisan NGO working to increase the proportion of women in politics, with particular emphasis on the developing world;[6] a partner in consultancy Eyecatcher Associates;[7] and co-founder (with Tim Symonds) of the all-party 300 Group for women in politics and public life.[8]

[edit] Works

[edit] Articles and papers

  • Aceh Gender Review and Strategy – IOM Reintegration Programme for former combatants and former political prisoners. (2006)
  • 'Communication skills manual for women in politics' – Funded by EU. Published by KETHI, Greece. (2005)
  • 'Sexual violence in wars and conflicts' – paper for SOLON, Nottingham Trent University. (2005)
  • 'Promoting women's Participation in Peace and Security Processes - Operationalising UN Security Council Resolution 1325'. Joan B Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. San Diego University, California USA 18 – 20 November (2004)
  • 'The importance of making sure women are included in local and national governance immediately after conflict '. chapter for book :'Women and War' . Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces. (2003)
  • 'Iraq – mainstreaming gender into elections.' Briefing guide for RTI Iraq Local Governance Programme. (2003)
  • Handbook for Kosovo advocacy NGOs - How to liaise with the Media. KNAP/EWMI Co-author with Tim Symonds. (2003)
  • 'Invisible women – Iraq'. Article published in The Times as "No place for a woman". (27 April 2003)
  • 'Iraq - Where are the women?'. Article published in the Washington Post. (20 July 2003)
  • 'Mainstreaming Gender considerations into Foreign Policy'. Background Briefing Paper – UK Government Foreign and Commowealth Office. (2001)
  • 'Development, Women, and War. Feminist Perspectives' Contributor to York University PCRU publication. (2001)
  • 'The Changing face of humanitarian action – learning from Kosovo' Uppsala University, Sweden (2001)
  • 'Sierra Leone - women in politics, NGOs and the police in the aftermath of conflict.' Research analysis and strategy. British Council. (2000)
  • 'Kosovo - Missed Opportunities – Lessons learned'. Report (1999/2000)

[edit] Books

  • Abdela, Lesley (1995). Do it! : walk the talk : a practical guide for employers on how to change the gender culture in the workplace. Solihull: Metropolitan Authorities Recruitment Agency. ISBN 1-874025-30-4. 
  • Abdela, Lesley (1994). What women want : a guide to creating a better and fairer life for women in the UK. The Body Shop. 
  • Abdela, Lesley (1994). A strange old mother : no press pass for women’s magazines, Violations of rights in Britain ; 15. London: Charter88 Enterprises. ISBN 1-873311-99-0. 
  • Abdela, Lesley (1991). in Tim Symonds (ed.): Breaking through the glass ceilings. Solihull: Metropolitan Authorities Recruitment Agency. ISBN 1-874025-99-1. 
  • Abdela, Lesley (1989). Women with X appeal : women politicians in Britain today. London: Macdonald Optima. ISBN 0-356-17184-1. 
  • Symonds, Tim; Lesley Abdela (1988). Stay healthy while you travel. Columbus Press. 

[edit] Lectures and speeches

  • 'Women in Afghanistan – six years on' – NATO HQ Brussels March 2007
  • 'Women in Iraq' Swedish Armed Forces International Centre Conference. 2007
  • 'Strategies for Gender and Development in Ukraine.' 7th International Postgraduate Conference. Keynote talk School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies, University College London, –16th February 2006
  • 'Gender and Civil-Military Relations: Moving Towards Inclusion? An essential tool for developing Stability and Reconstruction in post-conflict scenarios.' NATO Civil Military Co-operation Centre of Excellence Conference, Netherlands. 2006
  • 'Promoting women's Participation in Peace and Security Processes - Operationalising UN Security Council Resolution 1325', Joan B Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.San Diego, California USA 18 - 20 November 2004
  • 'The Role of Gender in post conflict Civil Military Co-Operation' – Seminar on Civil Military Co-operation (CIMIC) and Coordination 'The Way ahead' - Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, Sweden. 2004
  • 'The Changing face of humanitarian action – learning from Kosovo' Collegium for Development Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden 2001 (Subsequently published as a paper)
  • 'Women, War and Peace-Building.' Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit, University of York 2001
  • 'Increasing the interaction and understanding between NGOs, Governments and the Military for effective development of peace and democracy.' Women in the Armed Forces in NATO Annual Conference 2000, Brussels
  • 'Post Conflict Missions – time for a rethink,' Royal Institute for International Affairs, Chatham House, London. 2000. Guest Lecture.
  • Female Soldiers & UN Peacekeeping discussion in Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4 (24 April 2008)
Lesley Abdela and Professor Gerard 'Jerry' De Groot (St Andrews) on why the UK and the European Union should lead the world in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.[9]
Professor De Groot spoke on the subject at a UNIFEM conference in Rwanda recently, quoting from a piece Lesley Abdela published on openDemocracy.net three years ago.
Abdela stated:

"But as I write, the British suffragette slogan, 'deeds not words', keeps running through my head. Both the United Nations' and European Parliament resolutions lack sanctions against non-compliance: their implementation relies on advocacy, persuasion and goodwill. And resolutions alone are insufficient – it is the implementation that counts…

"Women continue to be excluded from negotiations, treaty-making, interim and transition-appointed governments, post-conflict reconstruction planning and policy-making. On the whole, men continue to appoint men to power, and largely it is men who set the post-conflict agenda."

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes & References

  1. ^ MBE list 15 June 1990 (PDF format) at the London Gazette. "For services to the advancement of Women in Politics and Local Government."
  2. ^ Honorary Graduates of Nottingham Trent University. "For contribution in raising the profile of professional women in the United Kingdom"
  3. ^ Article at The Network of East-West Women announcing the manual Communications Skills For Women In Politics
  4. ^ Women of Europe Award
  5. ^ The Team at Shevolution
  6. ^ Project Parity
  7. ^ Eyecatcher Associates
  8. ^ Records of the 300 Group at the Women's Library, hosted at AIM25
  9. ^ UNSCR1325 is an exemplary Security Council Resolution passed unanimously in late 2000, greatly expedited by the work of Britain's Sir Jeremy Greenstock and the UK Delegation to the UN at the time. A short version of the Resolution can be found at http://www.iwtc.org/1325_word.pdf