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NI: marriage equality as an election issue Posted: 28 Apr 2016 11:27 AM PDT New 'Love Equality' campaign launched in Northern Ireland. Marriage equality is a Northern Ireland Assembly election issue, campaigners said as they launched a new campaign, Love Equality, which aims to get equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in the region. Northern Ireland is now the only part of the UK or Ireland where equal marriage is barred by law. Campaigners now plan to secure a change in the law over the course of the Northern Ireland Assembly's next five-year term. The campaign is being jointly organised by Northern Ireland's main LGBT organisations, the trade union and student union movements and Amnesty International. They say the campaign will not stop until equal marriage rights are part of Northern Ireland law. "Ever since the Yes vote in the Republic of Ireland, marriage equality has become a big political issue for many voters – straight and gay – in Northern Ireland," said John O'Doherty, one of the leaders of Love Equality. "Last summer 20,000 people marched through Belfast demanding marriage equality, one of the biggest political demonstrations Northern Ireland has seen in years. "Those people haven't gone away. "On May 5th they will be looking for candidates who promise to deliver equality for everyone. Marriage equality is now an election issue." The campaign's website has an 'email your candidate' online tool, to make it easy for supporters to lobby their MLA hopefuls in every constituency in advance of the Assembly election on 5 May. So please do. There have so far been five votes in the Northern Ireland Assembly calling for the introduction of marriage equality in Northern Ireland. On the most recent vote, the marriage equality side won a majority for the first time, however, the DUP lodged a petition of concern to veto the majority vote of the Assembly and block the introduction of marriage equality. And the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), currently Northern Ireland's largest party, has pledged to continue to block the introduction of marriage equality in the region. In November, they used a Petition of Concern to veto the marriage equality motion which had the backing of a majority of MLAs in the Assembly. And holding a referendum like they did in the Republic of Ireland won't help. Although numerous polls show that the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland support marriage equality, campaigners say they do not believe that the fundamental rights of minority groups should be put up to a popular vote. In the Republic of Ireland, marriage equality could only become legal by amending the Republic's constitution, which required a referendum. No such requirement exists in Northern Ireland or the rest of the UK. And anyway referenda in the UK are not automatically binding and so would still require the Northern Ireland Assembly to vote on legislation giving effect to the referendum result. Campaigners believe it is likely that this vote would be blocked just as previous votes on marriage equality have been blocked by the use of the petition of concern. Ultimately, campaigners believe that the best solution would be for the Northern Ireland Assembly to pass legislation allowing for marriage equality, rather than having to take the matter through the courts. 'We believe it is the duty of our legislators to vote in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland and remove marriage discrimination. "If the Northern Ireland Assembly proves itself to be unable or unwilling to end this discrimination we believe that it is correct for the courts to intervene and protect the human rights of LGB&T people in Northern Ireland." There are currently two challenges to the bans on same-sex marriage. However, seeking human rights changes through the courts is a lengthy process and the Northern Ireland Assembly could instead choose to act now, pass legislation and end the on-going discrimination against LGB&T people without being compelled to do so by the courts. Speaking ahead of the launch were couples who want the law to give them the choice to get married. Sally Bridge, 48, and Catherine Couvert, 53, live in Belfast. Bridge said: "We’ve been together for 15 years and raised two sons, two cats and a dog together! We’re very proud of our family. "We want young LGBT people to grow up in a world where they don’t feel like second class citizens and we want families like ours to have equal rights." Shane Sweeney hopes to get married as soon as the law in Northern Ireland allows it. Sweeney said: "Civil partnerships to me are second tier token gestures that make distinctions on the quality of your love. "You're good, but not quite as good. We will tolerate you but not hold you in parity of esteem. "That’s not good enough." Ahead of the upcoming Northern Ireland Assembly election on 5 May 2016, Love Equality asks that you take action and email your election candidates asking them to support civil marriage equality in Northern Ireland. The more people who take action, the louder the voice demanding equal marriage. To take action click here.

Pregnancy, risk and discrimination at work Posted: 28 Apr 2016 11:21 AM PDT Over 2o,000 pregnant women leave their jobs because of safety risks. Pregnant women and new mothers are more likely to face negative treatment at work now than they were a decade ago, according to research published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). In response to this report, ‘Pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage’, the UK parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee is conducting an inquiry to look at the action being taken to address this growing problem. This inquiry is focusing in particular on whether the government proposals are enough, or whether tougher action is required to ensure that pregnant women and mothers are treated fairly. The Women and Equalities Committee is currently hearing evidence from two panels, focusing on the government‘s plan for action on pregnancy and maternity discrimination. The report found that while 84 per cent of employers believed that supporting women during pregnancy and maternity was in the interests of their organisation, 77 per cent of mothers said they had negative and possible discriminatory experiences. In short, the BIS/EHRC research found that 4 per cent of the mothers they questioned left their job because of a failure to tackle health and safety risks, which could equate to up to 21,000 women a year. These women were more likely to work in hotels, restaurants and social work. Health and safety assessments are particularly important in higher risk roles as changes to duties are more likely to be needed. Pregnant firefighters, for example, have to be removed from attending operational incidents because of the risk of toxin inhalation and other health and safety issues. But this does not have to mean removal from their normal place of work and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has raised concerns about women being moved to desk jobs of little value, disrupting their usual shift pattern. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has agreed to take forward the EHRC’s recommendations on health and safety to review current guidance and to work through existing partnership channels, particularly in sectors highlighted in the report. The Committee will look at whether this is enough to deal with health and safety concerns. The panel will also consider the protection of women’s legal rights to paid time off for antenatal care, maternity leave, maternity pay or allowance, and protection against unfair treatment, discrimination or dismissal. The second panel focuses on employers’ views and experiences, with a particular focus on best practice and proposals to tackle the issues raised in the report. Discussion focus on a range of issues, including the benefits which witnesses’ businesses have seen as a result of providing good support for women during pregnancy, maternity leave and on return to work; and different perspectives on the difficulties and barriers to supporting employees during pregnancy and as parents. This session examines the EHRC’s recommendations to the government and the approach which it has set out in its response. How practical and hard hitting are the recommendations? Is the government doing enough? Should the government be providing more support to businesses or taking a harder line on illegal practices? The Committee’s chair, Maria Miller, said: “There is a worrying mismatch between good employer intentions and poor experiences for women. “Our inquiry is looking at what needs to be done to close that gap.” For more information on health and safety issues for women at work, click here for the relevant chapter of the TUC‘s guide to health and safety ‘Hazards at Work‘, and here to read their report on pregnancy at work, called The Pregnancy Test.

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Casino Life April 2016

View this email in your browser Welcome to Casino Life We lead stateside with David McKee interviewing longtime Casino Life stalwart, Michael Silberling CEO Affinity Gaming LLC, talking enthusiastically about the company's past and future – from maintaining differing brands in different locales to making a bold gesture on charity contributions.   Next up I get the chance to catch up with Thérèse Liljeqvist, General Manager at Casino Cosmopol Stockholm, about the casino scene in Sweden and how skilled, multi-lingual staff contributes to making lasting impressions amongst guests. Following the ethos of "enthusiasm first – then training for the job" the results speak for themselves.   Enclave is a name you will hear more of in the future as they recently broke ground on a huge conference and hospitality complex that will bring high-end technology to this market. Find out more on their ambitions on page 22.   Juegos Miami is the latest hot event to be hosted by Clarion and this is echoed by Charles Hiten, Chief Executive, Merkur Gaming Americas, who maintains that the attraction of Miami as a destination is, for Latin American visitors, a powerful draw in itself. Read more on page 27.   Peter White visited Zane Mersich, CEO of NOVOMATIC UK, in their new offices to talk about the fruits of their R&D labours – evident each year in the breadth and scale of the offering at ICE. Rebecca Green meanwhile chatted to Eric Benchimol, CEO Win Systems, about their achievements over the past 20 years and the benefits they can offer casinos looking for a systems upgrade.   Giulio Coraggio, Head of the Gamingand Gambling Group at DLA Piper clues us up on what's happening in Italy; Bob Ambrose considers a state takeover of Atlantic City; whilst Victor H Royer is like a dog with a bone as he sees Las Vegas being steadily removed from what made it great in the first place – gambling. Meanwhile Mark Wayman continues his series of insights into recruitment   Finally, Paul McGee (the Sumo guy) takes a look at how people respond when they are going through change – and what you can do about it.   G2E Asia in Macau beckons – see you in May!       Glyn Thomas Editor in Chief Visit the website Copyright © 2016 Ace Publishing Ltd., All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you either opted in at our website, agreed to receive updates from us or kindly handed over a business card at one of the international events we both attend. Or we met in a bar somewhere.... Our mailing address is: Ace Publishing Ltd. Clennell, 4 Carriers Place Blackham Tunbridge Wells,, Kent TN3 9UQ United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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Fracking: not so good for us Posted: 27 Apr 2016 03:50 AM PDT MPs sent formal warnings about fracking and their duty of care. That means not doing any harm. Environmental campaigners have hand-delivered warnings to every UK MP pointing out that they could be in breach of their code of conduct by supporting fracking. The MPs' Code of Conduct says: ‘Members have a general duty to act in the interests of the nation as a whole; and a special duty to their constituents.’ ‘Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest.’ Personally-addressed copies of the notice were delivered to the House of Commons mail room for 649 MPs. The group also visited Downing Street to serve a legal notice on the Prime Minister. So far, no attempt has been made to assess the health and environmental impact of fracking at an industrial scale in the UK. The risks and impact of multiple wellpads with up to sixty boreholes need to be modelled and examined. So each notice to each MP was accompanied by a copy of a report by the charity Medact on the health impacts of fracking. Medact is a charity for health professionals and others working to improve health worldwide, and the report reviews fracking and its associated activities through a comprehensive public health lens. Proponents of fracking have argued that it can be conducted safely and will bring benefits in the form of: a) energy that is cleaner in climate terms than coal and oil; b) greater energy security; c) lower energy prices; d) more energy diversity and competition; and e) local employment and economic development. However, fracking has proven to be controversial and there are serious concerns about its safety and impact on the environment. Fracking and its associated activities create multiple actual and potential sources of pollution. Leaks of gas can occur across the entire process of extraction, treatment, storage and transportation. There are also emissions from diesel engines, compressors and heavy transport vehicles; as well as the potential release of silica into the air. Oxides of nitrogen, hydrogen sulphide, formaldehyde, benzene, ethylene, toluene, particulate matter and ground-level ozone are among the more significant airborne health hazards. Surface and ground water can also be contaminated by gas, fracking fluid, or wastewater which consists of original fracking fluid combined with a range of new materials generated from underground (including lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium; and naturally occurring radioactive material). The effects on peoples’ health of these different hazards vary depending on the type and pattern of human exposure, but they include increased risks of cancer, respiratory disease and birth defects. And there are several concerns about the adequacy and capacity of the regulatory system, and while the degree to which these concerns represent serious deficiencies is debatable, it is clear that no assurance can be given that the system is adequately robust and protective of human and ecological health. As recently as 2008, there was only a handful of studies on the health effects of fracking. There are now more than 450 peer reviewed publications and 'a significant majority indicate potential risks or actual adverse health effects associated with shale gas development'. This report recommends halting shale gas development in the UK until a more detailed health and environmental impact assessment has been carried out. The report also finds that, at present, the regulatory system for fracking is insufficiently clear, complete or robust. These deficiencies are accentuated by indications that the capacity of regulators are being eroded by budget and staff cuts. Several jurisdictions in different parts of the world have concluded, on the basis of existing evidence, that the risks and harms associated with fracking outweigh the potential benefits. France and Bulgaria have banned the process outright. New York State in the USA effectively prohibited shale gas development, citing public health risks as the primary reason. According to Howard Zucker, New York State Health Commissioner, 'the potential risks (to health) are too great, in fact not even fully known, and relying on the limited data at present available would be negligent.' This is the second time MPs have received formal warnings about fracking and their duty of care. In January 2015, during the passage of the Infrastructure Act, Jojo Mehta, of Frack Free Five Valleys, mailed letters to them containing a warning about risks and harms of fracking. This time she was joined by the Lancashire anti-fracking campaigner, Gayzer Frackman. He was on the 22nd day of a hunger strike in Whitehall – calling for a ban on fracking. And they were joined by Emily Shirley, of Safety in Fossil Fuel Exploitation Alliance, and Shahrar Ali, deputy leader of the Green Party. Mehta said: "All public servants in the UK have a duty of care and that is to act in the public interest. "It means not doing any harm. "So if they continue to promote fracking in the knowledge that it can bring harm then that can constitute a breach of their duty of care and their code of conduct." "We delivered to House of Commons mail room so that we know that they will actually be delivered to each of our MPs. "That means that they have legally been served. Legally they cannot claim that they have not seen these reports. "They cannot claim that they did not know that fracking is dangerous." Gayzer Frackman, who spoke at the inquiry into Cuadrilla's applications to frack in Lancashire, said: "My community has been living in fear now for over two years and these are just regular ordinary people." "I don't want any other community to have to go through it. "We still have a chance to end it in this country. There's been no fracking going on for over five years now and that's just down to communities. "They're the backbone, they're the people that work many hours a day. Why? Because they're fighting for their communities and they're fighting for their children's futures."

Tackling coercive control in domestic abuse Posted: 27 Apr 2016 03:08 AM PDT Why does the government refuse to make sex and relationships education compulsory? There’s a lot more to domestic abuse than just physical violence. Seven years ago, for example, a 15 year-old fell victim to coercive control and emotional abuse. When she was in Year 9, she developed a close friendship with a boy at her school with whom she shared a few classes and mutual friends. A few months later, they became a couple, more as a result of pressure from him and her peers, she later admitted, than strong feelings for him on her part. Gradually, the relationship became rather intense and quite toxic. She doesn’t remember exactly how or when it started, but it turned out he was very manipulative, jealous and controlling. He policed what she wore, who she hung out with, who she spoke to and what she told people about their relationship, how much time she spent with him and her friends, what she did and where she went – most aspects of her life, really. He would frequently check her texts and Facebook messages, and he even took her phone home with him and kept it overnight on a few occasions. He also insisted on walking her home from school every day, despite her house being in the opposite direction and quite far away from his. He showed very little respect for her, her friends or her family, and he was constantly putting her down, accusing her of a number of absurdities. And he was prone to severe mood swings and erratic behaviour – he once ignored her for a whole week for no apparent reason. Basically, he was wearing her down and destroying any sense of independence and confidence that she had. Fortunately, it seems he was never physically violent, apart from one occasion when he punched her in the arm after she'd had the cervical cancer vaccine and told him that she was in a lot of pain. Her parents had no idea what was going on, but her friends – myself among them – could see that the relationship was really unhealthy and became increasingly concerned for her. Luckily she ended the relationship about a year and a half after it began, and, she told her friends, successfully managing to cut him out of her life completely. Her experience is not a rare one, but a lot of victims can't and don't escape like she did. BBC Radio 4's long-running soap opera The Archers has been the subject of much discussion in the media recently as a result of its hard-hitting storyline about the relationship between two of its characters, Helen and her abusive husband Rob. The story has been unfolding over the course of two years. Rob has gradually become more manipulative and controlling, and he eventually ended up hitting and raping Helen. The response from listeners and the public in general has been phenomenal, to the extent that a JustGiving page was set up to raise money for domestic abuse charity Refuge. The page says "we're raising money for Refuge because for every fictional Helen, there are real ones” – and more than £126,000 has been donated so far. The Archers’ storyline has been a fantastic tool for raising awareness of and educating people about coercive control and all the aspects of abusive relationships, not just the best known – physical violence. The Archers has also been effective in dispelling certain myths and exploring various issues related to abusive relationships, such as marital rape and mental health. The documentation of Helen and Rob’s relationship has highlighted just how powerful and devastating coercive control and emotional abuse are, as well as how difficult it can be for the victim’s family and friends to realise what is going on, something that has particularly shocked listeners. But while the reaction to and effects of the Archers’ storyline can be seen as nothing but positive, it is not enough. And it should not be up to a Radio 4 soap opera to raise awareness of domestic abuse in all its forms throughout the country. Many women and girls do not realise that they are in abusive relationships, partly because of a lack of education and awareness, and partly because of the manipulative behaviour of the perpetrator. And partly too because there is still a common and still extremely harmful belief that if a partner is not physically violent, then they are not abusive. This is of course completely untrue, and emotional abuse can be just as damaging, if not more so, to the victim as physical abuse. Sadly, the two often go hand in hand. My friend’s experience, shared by many other girls and women in the UK, highlights the need for education about domestic abuse and relationships – and from a young age. It is crucial that we are taught early on the differences between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship, what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour, and what to do/where to go if we feel that we, or someone we know, may be in an abusive relationship. Nobody should have to experience what Helen has been through in the Archers. Coercive control and domestic abuse inevitably results in victims having a warped understanding of relationships, as well as low standards for themselves and for future romantic relations. And the government’s recent decision not to make sex and relationships education compulsory in all schools will certainly do nothing to help. But hopefully the momentum of the response to Helen and Rob’s story will continue to gather pace and encourage people to do something positive and proactive to help fight domestic abuse. If you need help – or information – about domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247; free and at any time – or click here. If you are being threatened, call the emergency services number: 999. And please, write to your MP and ask them to support making sex and relationships education compulsory in all schools.

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Women at Lloyd’s of London Posted: 26 Apr 2016 09:44 AM PDT Painting a prettier picture. By Natasha Turner. A slim woman in a fitted orange skirt suit stands in the centre of a spacious room. She has one heeled foot forward, and one hand on her hip while the other clutches a black purse. Her hair, which matches the colour of her suit, is arranged under a black beret. The circles of rouge on her cheeks are illuminated against her paper-white skin. Next to her a man wearing a blue suit and slicked back hair extends his arm, presenting her to the room. Surrounding the pair are upwards of 70 men, all in matching suits and gelled comb-overs. Their long necks crane to catch a better glimpse of the woman. All eyes are on her. She is a rare treat in this sea of suits – a prize to be ogled. This cartoon, entitled 'A little ray of sunshine visits Lloyd's', is one of a series of around 12 on display on the 11th floor of Lloyd's insurance market in London's financial district, where companies come together as syndicates to write insurance policies. Although there are now women among the throngs of paper-burdened brokers filing through the rotating glass doors at Lloyd's to meet with underwriters, gender equality at the 328 year-old insurance market has been a slow process. Women were not allowed in to the Lloyd's underwriting room until 1972, by which point it had already moved offices six times. In 1973 Lloyd's appointed its first female broker, Liliana Archibald. Archibald subsequently became Lloyd's' first female 'Name' – the term used to describe rich individuals who backed insurance policies for which their entire personal wealth was liable if the insurance was claimed. Senior manager for media relations, Alex Dziedzan, is keen to stress that the culture nowadays is a far cry from the Lloyd's depicted in the cartoon. "Everyone in this painting is white, middle class and male. The market isn't like that today and hopefully we'll keep going that way," he told my fellow business journalism students and me. Women now make up a third of Lloyd's' 2,000-strong workforce and, two years ago, Inga Beale made history by becoming Lloyd's first female chief executive. Her name now sits at the bottom of a list of every chair of the market since 1688. This list has been engraved onto six-foot stone plaques that are mounted on the wall. Although Beale has spoken out against the idea of having gender quotas at Lloyd's, she believes that diversity should be ingrained in the day-to-day business of the market. She has been quoted in the Guardian saying: "What you do is, you de-genderise every statement you make. You're in a business environment; you de-gender everything. You never say he or she." Unfortunately, gender-neutral language is yet to be adopted by Beale's senior staff. Tom Bolt is Lloyd's Director of Performance Management. He oversees the writing of risks and has been called 'the sheriff of the market' by Dziedzan. In a 20-minute talk delivered to 12 students (six men and six women) in February 2016, Bolt used the male pronoun exclusively. In describing the process of risk management, every character was male: the customer – "if he has a loss, we have a loss"; the underwriter – "the guy, the underwriter" who "goes to his boss and says I want to take the risk and he says, OK but only one per cent"; and Lloyd's competitors – "there's plenty of guys in the world selling stuff that we want to sell." It may have taken 300 years but gender equality at Lloyd's is now a prominent concern. Following a successful first last year, Lloyd's will be running its second diversity festival – Dive In Festival – from 27-30 September 2016, to encourage diversity in business. 'A little ray of sunshine visits Lloyd's' may illustrate history, but it shouldn't depict the future.

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Child safety pledge lost in the fog Posted: 25 Apr 2016 02:05 PM PDT Leadership and strategy “critical to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse”. The government is yet to deliver on three major elements of its child sexual exploitation (CSE) strategy more than a year after it was unveiled, it has emerged. Reporting on this failure, the website Children and Youth People Now (CYP Now) said the strategy, which was launched by Prime Minister David Cameron in March 2015, contained a raft of measures to tackle child sexual exploitation in the wake of revelations that 1,400 children in Rotherham had been sexually exploited between 1997 and 2013. Prominent among them, CYP Now reported, were plans to create a national centre for expertise on child abuse, establish a child sexual abuse taskforce, and to launch a consultation on a new offence of "wilful neglect" for professionals working with children and which could result in a jail term of up to five years. The three ideas were cited by the government as being among the "highlights" of the strategy. But as yet not one of them has been launched. Funding for the national centre of expertise in tackling child abuse had been due to be outlined in last autumn's spending review, which was announced in November. But Treasury documents make no mention of the initiative and CYP Now understands it is yet to be launched. The same is the case for the child sexual abuse taskforce, which is intended to support areas struggling to tackle the problem. A similar taskforce in Scotland was launched last April. Home Office minister Karen Bradley, speaking at an NSPCC conference in June 2015, said a public consultation on the wilful neglect law would launch “this year” – but it too is yet to materialise. Labour MP Sarah Champion, shadow minister for preventing abuse and domestic violence, told CYP Now it was "appalling" that a national taskforce for tackling child sexual exploitation is yet to be established. "For the last 18 months I have been raising the urgent need for it," she said. "At the [CSE] summit in March last year I was pleased to see the government make a commitment to establishing such a taskforce. "But they haven't delivered on that pledge, or others to protect victims. "A year on and we still don't have details on the scope, constitution or objective of this taskforce." CYP Now also reported that the Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, said that the leadership shown by the government and the implementation of its strategy were “critical to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse”. "We are aware that some scheduling of the activities in the strategy may have changed," she told CYP Now, "but we also believe that the government remains firmly committed to addressing child abuse.” The government is, she continued, currently looking at new approaches to interviewing children who may have been abused following recommendations in the report published last year. To read the government's paper ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’, click here. Please contact your MP and ask them to ask in Parliament which stage any of these issues have reached and when any of them are due to be launched. Thanks.

Conflict prevention with no disarmament? Posted: 25 Apr 2016 06:30 AM PDT To shift from conflict reaction to conflict prevention we need a reallocation of resources from military spending. The Stockholm Declaration on Addressing Fragility and Building Peace in a Changing World was presented recently at a high-level international summit in Stockholm. It focuses on long-term work and the importance of moving from short-term emergency relief to long-term processes and structures, which is key to conflict prevention efforts. And it includes clear references to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, with a focus on women's participation at all levels. The Declaration is part of a broader international framework aimed at strengthening international efforts to prevent conflict and build sustainable peace. The Swedish Minister for International Development and Cooperation, Isabella Lövin, has a leading role in the process as co-chair of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (IDPS). And the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) joined other peace organisations around the world over the two weeks from 5-18 April 2016 which marked the 2016 Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS). WILPF Sweden, commenting on the Stockholm Declaration, welcomed the overall focus on conflict prevention as the most effective way to build long-term sustainable peace and that the Declaration clearly points to the need to address the root causes of war and conflict. But WILPF Sweden said it is a flaw that the Declaration does not contain any references to disarmament or arms control despite a number of existing instruments making this link, such as the new sustainable development goals (Agenda 2030) which acknowledge the proliferation of small arms as a threat to inclusive peace. The shift from conflict reaction to conflict prevention requires a reallocation of resources from military spending – which increased in 2015 for the first time since 2011 – to investments in social justice, gender equality, disarmament, anti-corruption, and other critical means of building sustainable peace. The Declaration does not address this critical issue. The summit was held in conjunction with the Stockholm Forum on Security and Development, on 5-6 April. It was organised by the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Swedish Foreign Ministry. The forum brought together political leaders and government officials, UN representatives, academics and civil society representatives from all over the world. WILPF Nigeria's president Joy Onyesoh was on the panel on Agenda 2030, alongside, among others, Isabella Lövin and the UN’s Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson. "During the past year, a number of UN studies suggested that efforts to prevent war must be strengthened," Onyesoh said. "To focus on the root causes of conflicts is the only viable strategy to break the circles of conflict. "From our experience, working on the ground, we saw the indicators for violence in Nigeria were high years ago. "Even though Nigeria isn't in active conflict," she continued, "women's organisations have persistently drawn attention to the need for preventive mechanisms against violence and the creation of enabling environment for women's rights. "The world's attention was drawn to Nigeria first after the kidnappings and thousands of displaced victims became a reality. "This shouldn't be the case. "We should take more preventive actions to build more inclusive societies and save thousands of lives." Both the Stockholm Declaration and Agenda 2030 recognise that existing systems for building peace must be strengthened. And unlike the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the new Agenda 2030 explicitly includes a goal of building peaceful societies and preventing violence and conflict. The need for preventive efforts is critical in many regions of the world, and increasingly so in Cameroon, Sylvie Ndongmo, president of WILPF Cameroon, pointed out. "Women's rights activist have been drawing attention to the developments in Cameroon and calling for preventive action," Ndongmo said. "Just like our sister section in Nigeria struggled to get attention to their situation, we are now trying to make the world realise that the violence and the risk of conflict increases dramatically in Cameroon. "We must do something now, not in five years," she continued. "We must prevent and teach peace to change the mind-set namely by working with young people and strengthen women's rights, but we have a huge lack of resources." And then on the same day as the Stockholm Declaration was agreed on, SIPRI released their annual world military spending statistics. These showed that military spending in 2015 amounted to nearly USD1,700 billion, the first increase since 2011. This, WILPF pointed out, makes it even more striking that the Stockholm Declaration does not contain any reference to disarmament. Women's peace work in fragile states is very poorly funded. In 2012-13, about USD130 million went to women's equality organisations and institutions in these settings. But both the Stockholm Declaration and the global development goals highlight gender equality and that women's participation in peace building is a critical factor. "We often hear that women's community-based peace work is effective and that more of this work is needed," Sylvie Ndongmo said. "But compare the annual military spending of 1700 billion US dollars, to the money that goes to women's rights organisations' work to prevent conflict and build sustainable communities. "Are the leaders ready to reprioritise?" The seminar acted as a "prepcomm" for the International Peace Bureau's World Congress on military spending, to be held in Berlin from 30 September to 3 October 2016. You can download information about and the draft programme for the Berlin meeting here.

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