Lesley Abdela
Encyclopedia
Lesley Julia Abdela MBE
(PDF
format) at the London Gazette
. "For services to the advancement of Women in Politics and Local Government." Hon D.Litt
)
Lesley Abdela is an international expert on the advance of women in Politics and Public Life, Gender/post-conflict reconstruction (UNSCR1325/1888)mainstreaming Gender, Media and women's human rights. She has worked as an adviser in 40 different countries to governments and IGOs (United Nations, CoE, IOM, OSCE), NGOs and the European Commission
. She is also a Journalist, broadcaster, public speaker and women's rights campaigner.
Lesley Abdela was in Kathmandu for six months to March 2008 as Senior Gender Adviser to the United Nations
’ Humanitarian programmes in Nepal
. Her work has included on-the-ground stints in Kosovo
(OSCE), Aceh
(IOM
), Iraq
([Research Triangle Institute (RTI) Iraq Local Governance Programme) and Sierra Leone
(DfID
/British Council
).
Recent assignments include (2011)Facilitator EuroMed Human Rights Gender Network workshops in Madrid for women activists from Egypt,Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.(2010)Compiled assessment on ' Women’s Meaningful Participation in Peacebuilding and Governance in Nepal - UNSCR 1325' - NGO CARE Nepal, CARE Austria and CARE International funded by the Austrian Development Agency: Lead Expert compiling Gender Review on women in parliaments and Gender-sensitive Parliaments (for the Inter-Parliamentary Union, SIDA,CIDA and Irish Aid ). Facilitator (2009) - workshops for Pakistan Journalists on Media coverage of Gender, Minorities and Religion (UN Alliance of Civilisations International Centre for Journalists). GenCAP Senior Gender Advisor UN Agencies Nepal (2008-09). Trainer International Civilian Peace-building and Training Programme Specialisation Course for women and men working in Armed Conflict situations. Participants included staff from UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs and Government officials (Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, 2009).
Juror on the 2009 European Jury ‘For Diversity. Against Discrimination’ Journalist Awards (European Commission Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities).
Moderator and Speaker at the Council of Europe Seminar with National specialised bodies to combat racism and racial discrimination, Strasbourg 2009 - European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).
Lesley Abdela was a guest talking about the new UN Agency for women on BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour with Secretary for State for International Development Andrew Mitchell MP - New Year's Eve 2010.
Lesley Abdela has appeared on BBC Radio 4
's programme Great Lives
discussing the life and achievements of Millicent Fawcett
, the British suffragist
.
Guest in March 2009 'For a Good Read' – host Sue Macgregor - talking about ‘Desert Queen’ the extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell.
Has also been a guest on: BBC Any Questions, Question Time and Have I got News for you.
Voted UK Woman Political Journalist of the Year 2009 by the UK Parliamentary Press Lobby, Members of the House of Commons, and Members of the Lords.
www.womeninpubliclifeawards.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18:lesley-abdela-political-journalist-of-the-year&catid=1:past-winners-2009&Itemid=9
Past winners include the BBC’s Financial Editor Stephanie Flanders (2008), and the Guardian's columnist Polly Toynbee (2007).
In 2009 her submission to the House of Commons Speakers Conference on the lack of women in Parliament was published online at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/spconf/167/167we71.htm
Winner of ‘Today’s Youth Asia’ annual award January 2010, chosen by the publishers of the quarterly magazine based in Kathmandu devoted to news about pan-Asian youth and issues affecting them.Prior winner Dr Dee Aker of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ) at the University of San Diego.http://sites.sandiego.edu/ipj/blog/tag/dee-aker/
and educated at Queen Anne's School
, Chatelard School, Hammersmith College of Art and Building
and the London College of Printing
.
Lesley Abdela lives in Burwash, East Sussex
.
Lesley Abdela is considered an expert in the field of gender and is an award-winning journalist. She has received many awards, including the UK Woman of Europe award for her work seeking the empowerment of women in Central and Eastern Europe. She was also the first Political Editor of Cosmopolitan in 1993. Recently, Lesley Abdela was voted into the New Statesman
's poll "Top 50 Heroes Of Our Time.". She was chosen July 2007 United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
European Alumni of the Month
. Member of the Governing Board of the British Council- shared overall responsibility for British Council Policy in 109 countries 1995 – 2000
•Governor - Nottingham Trent University 1997 – 2000
•Board Member – International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED), 1992 to 1997
•Founder and Leader of the 300 GROUP – all Party Campaign to increase the number of women in Parliament (40 branches across the UK) 1980 – 1985
•Liberal Parliamentary Candidate - General Election - 1978 - 1979
•Policy Researcher – in both Houses of Parliament - House of Commons and House of Lords 1977 – 1979
Lesley Abdela is the last direct descendant bearing the name of the British shipbuilding family which owned yards on the Manchester Ship Canal, Queen’s Ferry, and Brimscombe in Gloucestershire, UK. Isaac Jacob Abdela was the third son of Jacob Elias Abdela, a prominent leader in Corfu's political and economic life came to UK from Corfu in about 1870 when Isaac Jacob was 3 months old. Jacob Elias Abdela obtained a Certificate of Naturalisation in England in October 1878, having settled in Manchester. At about this period other Abdelas had migrated from Corfu to Egypt. Some had gone onward to Brazil and the USA. The exact timing of this diaspora is not yet available but it may explain the pattern of the three Abdela boatyards' later principal export market,the Peruvian Amazon and Mexico, and also to the White Nile/East Africa, Singapore, and Ceylon.
Gender/Post-Conflict activities: Lesley Abdela was the keynote speaker at the War Crimes Conference – Retrospectives and Prospects, at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, February 19/20/21 2009. Her talk concerned 'Women's Justice versus Peace' and protecting women witnesses in the lead-up to the trial, at the time of the trial, and after the trial - is justice for women often ignored in an attempt to achieve peace at any price?
May 2009 - ‘Voices of Peace from the Balkans and Caucasus’ Celebrating International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament, Lesley Abdela and EU Parliamentarian Kathalijne Buitenweg were participants at the Rasa Centre for World Cultures in Utrecht, The Netherlands, hosted by The Women Peacemakers Program in collaboration with Musicians without Borders
Lesley Abdela is Senior Partner in Shevolution, 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; a partner in consultancy Eyecatcher Associates; and co-founder (with Tim Symonds) of the all-party 300 Group for women in politics and public life.
August 2010: Gender Review of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Gender Programmes: carried out in Stockholm, Switzerland, Mali and Jordan.www.indevelop-ipm.se
Articles:
. Egypt: the transition to democracy needs women. OpenDemocracy 9 February 2011 http://www.opendemocracy.net/lesley-abdela/egypt-transition-to-democracy-needs-women
‘Finally, a UN Super-Agency for women’: feature by Lesley Abdela in Britain’s Guardian Newspaper 27 May 2009. ‘ Many say the UN Agencies on the whole have failed the world's 3 billion-plus women – but a welcome change may be in the offing. Soon the UN general assembly will vote yes or no to a new ‘super-agency for women’; US$1bn is being discussed as the starter annual budget.
Read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/27/un-super-agency-women
• Bring women to the table
Guardian 31 Oct 2008: Lesley Abdela: Women must be recognised around the world for crucial role they play in resolving conflicts and building more peaceful societies. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/31/gender-women
• Where are the women in British politics?
Guardian 7 Jul 2008: Lesley Abdela: A woman's place: Despite the promise of the 1997 general election, the UK still has fewer female MPs than Cambodia. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/07/women
Guardian 8 May 2001: • Women lose ground' 'Lesley Abdela: Quotas are the only way to ensure an adequate number of female MPs. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2001/may/08/houseofcommons.election2001
• Vote for chaos
13 Jun 2000: Lesley Abdela: Early elections in Kosovo are just a way for the west to cut and run. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/jun/13/kosovo.comment
Archival sound recordings
Fifty-six reels of audio recordings reflecting Abdela's experiences in Kosovo 1999/2000, attached to the OSCE, to Nepal 2007/2008, attached to UN OCHA, via Sierra Leone (British Council), Iraq (RTI/USAID), Afghanistan and Aceh (IOM), were recorded by Imperial War Museum archivist Lyn Smith during 2008.
Lesley Abdela’s interview for ‘Sisterhood and After: The Women’s Liberation Oral History Project is to be archived with the National Life Stories collection at The British Library: info on this project at Sussex University www.sussex.ac.uk/clhlwr/1-7-11.html
Lectures and speeches
18 May 2011 public discussion House of Lords Committee Room 1: ‘Involving Civil Society in the work of the Council of Europe. Opening speaker Lesley Abdela. Chair Baroness Falkner
May 18 2011: Guest speaker Lesley Abdela, Royal United Services Institute Whitehall London. ‘In an Era facing worldwide deadly conflict and mass uprising, Peacemaking and Peacebuilding negotiations are overwhelmingly controlled by the men - but left to themselves, men have not proved good at it’
When men are injured or killed in battle they are lauded as heroes and statues are raised to them in city squares; when women are raped in deadly conflicts they suffer shame and humiliation, even in their families and towns and villages.
External links
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
format) at the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
. "For services to the advancement of Women in Politics and Local Government." Hon D.Litt
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
)
Lesley Abdela is an international expert on the advance of women in Politics and Public Life, Gender/post-conflict reconstruction (UNSCR1325/1888)mainstreaming Gender, Media and women's human rights. She has worked as an adviser in 40 different countries to governments and IGOs (United Nations, CoE, IOM, OSCE), NGOs and the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
. She is also a Journalist, broadcaster, public speaker and women's rights campaigner.
Lesley Abdela was in Kathmandu for six months to March 2008 as Senior Gender Adviser to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
’ Humanitarian programmes in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. Her work has included on-the-ground stints in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
(OSCE), Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
(IOM
International Organization for Migration
The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
), Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
([Research Triangle Institute (RTI) Iraq Local Governance Programme) and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
(DfID
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
/British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
).
Recent assignments include (2011)Facilitator EuroMed Human Rights Gender Network workshops in Madrid for women activists from Egypt,Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.(2010)Compiled assessment on ' Women’s Meaningful Participation in Peacebuilding and Governance in Nepal - UNSCR 1325' - NGO CARE Nepal, CARE Austria and CARE International funded by the Austrian Development Agency: Lead Expert compiling Gender Review on women in parliaments and Gender-sensitive Parliaments (for the Inter-Parliamentary Union, SIDA,CIDA and Irish Aid ). Facilitator (2009) - workshops for Pakistan Journalists on Media coverage of Gender, Minorities and Religion (UN Alliance of Civilisations International Centre for Journalists). GenCAP Senior Gender Advisor UN Agencies Nepal (2008-09). Trainer International Civilian Peace-building and Training Programme Specialisation Course for women and men working in Armed Conflict situations. Participants included staff from UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs and Government officials (Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, 2009).
Juror on the 2009 European Jury ‘For Diversity. Against Discrimination’ Journalist Awards (European Commission Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities).
Moderator and Speaker at the Council of Europe Seminar with National specialised bodies to combat racism and racial discrimination, Strasbourg 2009 - European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).
Lesley Abdela was a guest talking about the new UN Agency for women on BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour with Secretary for State for International Development Andrew Mitchell MP - New Year's Eve 2010.
Lesley Abdela has appeared on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's programme Great Lives
Great Lives
Great Lives is a BBC Radio 4 biography series, produced in Bristol. It is presented by Matthew Parris. A distinguished guest is asked to nominate the person they feel is truly deserving of the title "Great Life". Matthew and a recognised expert are on hand to discuss the life...
discussing the life and achievements of Millicent Fawcett
Millicent Fawcett
Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett, GBE was an English suffragist and an early feminist....
, the British suffragist
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
.
Guest in March 2009 'For a Good Read' – host Sue Macgregor - talking about ‘Desert Queen’ the extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell.
Has also been a guest on: BBC Any Questions, Question Time and Have I got News for you.
Voted UK Woman Political Journalist of the Year 2009 by the UK Parliamentary Press Lobby, Members of the House of Commons, and Members of the Lords.
www.womeninpubliclifeawards.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18:lesley-abdela-political-journalist-of-the-year&catid=1:past-winners-2009&Itemid=9
Past winners include the BBC’s Financial Editor Stephanie Flanders (2008), and the Guardian's columnist Polly Toynbee (2007).
In 2009 her submission to the House of Commons Speakers Conference on the lack of women in Parliament was published online at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/spconf/167/167we71.htm
Winner of ‘Today’s Youth Asia’ annual award January 2010, chosen by the publishers of the quarterly magazine based in Kathmandu devoted to news about pan-Asian youth and issues affecting them.Prior winner Dr Dee Aker of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ) at the University of San Diego.http://sites.sandiego.edu/ipj/blog/tag/dee-aker/
Biography
Lesley Abdela was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and educated at Queen Anne's School
Queen Anne's School
Queen Anne's School in Caversham, Berkshire is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18, situated just north of the River Thames and Reading town centre and occupying a campus.There are around 330 pupils. Nearly half are boarders...
, Chatelard School, Hammersmith College of Art and Building
Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College
Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College is a college of further education based across four campuses located in Acton, Ealing, Hammersmith and Southall districts of London, England. The college provides education for over 25,000 students, and it is a member of the 157 Group of high performing...
and the London College of Printing
London College of Communication
The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, located in Elephant and Castle. It has about 5,000 students on 60 courses in media and design courses preparing students for careers in the creative industries...
.
Lesley Abdela lives in Burwash, East Sussex
Burwash, East Sussex
Burwash is a rural village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. Situated fifteen miles inland from the South Coast port of Hastings, it is located five miles south-west of Hurst Green, on the A265 road, and on the River Dudwell, a tributary of the River Rother...
.
Lesley Abdela is considered an expert in the field of gender and is an award-winning journalist. She has received many awards, including the UK Woman of Europe award for her work seeking the empowerment of women in Central and Eastern Europe. She was also the first Political Editor of Cosmopolitan in 1993. Recently, Lesley Abdela was voted into the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
's poll "Top 50 Heroes Of Our Time.". She was chosen July 2007 United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world...
European Alumni of the Month
- Currently Vice President Electoral Reform Society.
. Member of the Governing Board of the British Council- shared overall responsibility for British Council Policy in 109 countries 1995 – 2000
•Governor - Nottingham Trent University 1997 – 2000
•Board Member – International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED), 1992 to 1997
•Founder and Leader of the 300 GROUP – all Party Campaign to increase the number of women in Parliament (40 branches across the UK) 1980 – 1985
•Liberal Parliamentary Candidate - General Election - 1978 - 1979
•Policy Researcher – in both Houses of Parliament - House of Commons and House of Lords 1977 – 1979
Lesley Abdela is the last direct descendant bearing the name of the British shipbuilding family which owned yards on the Manchester Ship Canal, Queen’s Ferry, and Brimscombe in Gloucestershire, UK. Isaac Jacob Abdela was the third son of Jacob Elias Abdela, a prominent leader in Corfu's political and economic life came to UK from Corfu in about 1870 when Isaac Jacob was 3 months old. Jacob Elias Abdela obtained a Certificate of Naturalisation in England in October 1878, having settled in Manchester. At about this period other Abdelas had migrated from Corfu to Egypt. Some had gone onward to Brazil and the USA. The exact timing of this diaspora is not yet available but it may explain the pattern of the three Abdela boatyards' later principal export market,the Peruvian Amazon and Mexico, and also to the White Nile/East Africa, Singapore, and Ceylon.
Gender/Post-Conflict activities: Lesley Abdela was the keynote speaker at the War Crimes Conference – Retrospectives and Prospects, at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, February 19/20/21 2009. Her talk concerned 'Women's Justice versus Peace' and protecting women witnesses in the lead-up to the trial, at the time of the trial, and after the trial - is justice for women often ignored in an attempt to achieve peace at any price?
May 2009 - ‘Voices of Peace from the Balkans and Caucasus’ Celebrating International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament, Lesley Abdela and EU Parliamentarian Kathalijne Buitenweg were participants at the Rasa Centre for World Cultures in Utrecht, The Netherlands, hosted by The Women Peacemakers Program in collaboration with Musicians without Borders
Lesley Abdela is Senior Partner in Shevolution, a gender equality
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
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; a partner in consultancy Eyecatcher Associates; and co-founder (with Tim Symonds) of the all-party 300 Group for women in politics and public life.
Works
Nepal and the Implementation of UNSCR1325 in Contemporary Security Studies’. Chapter in ‘Women, Peace and Security: Translating policy into practice’ (King’s College London 2011). ISBN13: 978-0-415-58797-6August 2010: Gender Review of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Gender Programmes: carried out in Stockholm, Switzerland, Mali and Jordan.www.indevelop-ipm.se
Articles:
. Egypt: the transition to democracy needs women. OpenDemocracy 9 February 2011 http://www.opendemocracy.net/lesley-abdela/egypt-transition-to-democracy-needs-women
‘Finally, a UN Super-Agency for women’: feature by Lesley Abdela in Britain’s Guardian Newspaper 27 May 2009. ‘ Many say the UN Agencies on the whole have failed the world's 3 billion-plus women – but a welcome change may be in the offing. Soon the UN general assembly will vote yes or no to a new ‘super-agency for women’; US$1bn is being discussed as the starter annual budget.
Read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/27/un-super-agency-women
• Bring women to the table
Guardian 31 Oct 2008: Lesley Abdela: Women must be recognised around the world for crucial role they play in resolving conflicts and building more peaceful societies. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/31/gender-women
• Where are the women in British politics?
Guardian 7 Jul 2008: Lesley Abdela: A woman's place: Despite the promise of the 1997 general election, the UK still has fewer female MPs than Cambodia. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/07/women
- 'Communication skills manual for women in politics' – Funded by European Commission. 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 TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
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)
Guardian 8 May 2001: • Women lose ground' 'Lesley Abdela: Quotas are the only way to ensure an adequate number of female MPs. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2001/may/08/houseofcommons.election2001
- '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)
• Vote for chaos
13 Jun 2000: Lesley Abdela: Early elections in Kosovo are just a way for the west to cut and run. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/jun/13/kosovo.comment
Books
To be published in 2011. ‘Nepal and the implementation of UNSCR1325’ in Women, Peace and Security: Translating Policy into Practice. Routledge’s Contemporary Security Studies series. Introduction by ‘Funmi Olonisakin, Director of Conflict, Security & Development Group, King’s College London ISBN: 978-0-415-58797-6 (hbk)Archival sound recordings
Fifty-six reels of audio recordings reflecting Abdela's experiences in Kosovo 1999/2000, attached to the OSCE, to Nepal 2007/2008, attached to UN OCHA, via Sierra Leone (British Council), Iraq (RTI/USAID), Afghanistan and Aceh (IOM), were recorded by Imperial War Museum archivist Lyn Smith during 2008.
Lesley Abdela’s interview for ‘Sisterhood and After: The Women’s Liberation Oral History Project is to be archived with the National Life Stories collection at The British Library: info on this project at Sussex University www.sussex.ac.uk/clhlwr/1-7-11.html
Lectures and speeches
18 May 2011 public discussion House of Lords Committee Room 1: ‘Involving Civil Society in the work of the Council of Europe. Opening speaker Lesley Abdela. Chair Baroness Falkner
May 18 2011: Guest speaker Lesley Abdela, Royal United Services Institute Whitehall London. ‘In an Era facing worldwide deadly conflict and mass uprising, Peacemaking and Peacebuilding negotiations are overwhelmingly controlled by the men - but left to themselves, men have not proved good at it’
- 2011 Guest Speaker International Women’s Day Centenary British Council HQ London 8 March.
- 2011 Cultural Lecture at Slaughter and May - ‘Peace making and peace-building ought not to be left so overwhelmingly to men’ for one practical reason men don’t seem to be very good at it.
- 2011 Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Campaign launch in support of new UN Agency for Women.
- 2010 Rajiv Bendre Lecture 50/50 Group Sierra Leone and British Council Free-town Sierra Leone - 'Importance of Temporary Special Measures (Quotas) for women in politics.'
- 2010 Keynote Speech 10th Anniversary United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 Conference at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.
- 2010 Keynote speech - Soroptomists International Conference Manchester 'ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE, SECURE THE FUTURE'.
- March 2010, Colloquium on the British Constitution (venue British Academy): principal intervention on the advancement of women as a specific proposal in the UK’s draft written Constitution. Chaired by Richard Gordon, a leading silk in Administrative and Public Law and Human Rights/Civil Liberties
- '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, –16 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 HourWoman's HourWoman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
(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.
- 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.
- 1325: deeds not words at openDemocracy.net (17 October 2005)
- Abdela stated:
When men are injured or killed in battle they are lauded as heroes and statues are raised to them in city squares; when women are raped in deadly conflicts they suffer shame and humiliation, even in their families and towns and villages.
External links