Lesley Abdela

Lesley Julia Abdela MBE Hon D.Litt, "Birthdays". The Guardian. No. 51448. Guardian News and Media (published 17 November 2008). 2008. p. 35. ISSN 0261-3077.</ref>) is an international women's human rights campaigner and gender/post-conflict specialist (UNSCR1325) who has worked for over 25 years in the fields of gender development. She will speak at the 2nd Biennial War Crimes Conference ‘Justice? – Whose Justice?’ 3-5 March 2011 at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies London. The conference is an initiative between SOLON, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the Centre for Contemporary British History to explore themes surrounding judicial roles and responses to war crimes. Lesley Abdela addresses the issue of impunity being offered in negotiating peace agreements despite the terrible crimes committed against innumerable women and girls in conflict zones like Darfur, the DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone etc.

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. Her marine architect grandfather Isaac Abdela was the proprietor of the Abdela & Mitchell shipyards when the legendary river-boat 'Queen of Africa' starring in The African Queen was built between 1908 and 1911 at the Brimscombe yards where luxurious river-boats (with gold bath-taps) for Amazon rubber barons were constructed. www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/news/New-Stroud-canal-boat-follows-wake-Bogey-s-African-Queen/article-686448-detail/article.html. See Biography below.

Lesley Abdela is an international expert on the advance of women in Politics and Public Life, and in gender/post-conflict reconstruction (UNSCR1325/1888). She has worked as an adviser in 40 different countries, to both governments and IGOs (United Nations, OSCE), NGOs such as the IOM, and the European Commission.

Lesley Abdela was in Kathmandu for six months to March 2008 as a gender adviser to the United Nations’ Humanitarian programmes in Nepal. Her work has included on-the-ground stints in Kosovo (OSCE), Aceh (IOM), Iraq (USAID) and Sierra Leone (DfID/British Council). Recent assignments include (2010): Lead Expert compiling Gender Review on women in parliaments and Gender-sensitive Parliaments (for the Inter-Parliamentary Union). 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). Expert Adviser and Lead Trainer, workshops on NGO advocacy through the Media for Moroccan women Leaders in political Parties and Civil Society (Media Diversity Institute 2008). Consultant – Gender Review for IOM Aceh post-conflict former combatant reintegration programme. Expert Consultant ‘Parity in Decision-making. Women in the Heart of Europe’, (Kethi Greece/Aricidonna Italy/Mona Hungary). 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).

In March 2009 she won the UK Woman Political Journalist of the Year Award. The awards’ organisers and sponsors include The House Magazine, Dod's, Whitehall & Westminster World, Psychologies, and the Civil Service Network. Voting was by the Parliamentary Press Lobby, Members of the House of Commons, and Members of the House of 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 London and 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.

Lesley Abdela lives in Burwash, East Sussex.

Lesley Abdela is widely considered one of the world’s leading experts 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 Statesmans poll "Top 50 Heroes Of Our Time." See http://www.newstatesman.com/200605220016. She was chosen July 2007 United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs European Alumni of the Month www.exchanges.state.gov/alumni/alumnus.htm)

According to recent on-the-ground research the legendary riverboat ‘Queen Of Africa’ which gave a star performance in the 1951 John Huston movie The African Queen was built at the Abdela & Mitchell Brimscombe works in Gloucestershire between 1908 and 1911. (see www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/news/New-Stroud-canal-boat-follows-wake-Bogey-s-African-Queen/article-686448-detail/article.html)

The Abdela river-boats were highly-regarded for their elegance and beauty (www.rammworldculturesonline.org.uk/Projects/Beauty-%E2%80%93-in-the-Eye-of-the-Beholder/For-Profit-and-Pleasure), shallow draft - often less than 40cm - and flexibility, viz the ‘Adis Ababa’ specially built for Lt-Col John Harrington’s White Nile/Ethiopia expedition of 1903 – ‘boiler arranged to burn oil, coal or wood’. A speciality of the shipyards was a light-draught vessel for ascending shallow, quick-running rivers at a high rate of speed. Stern-wheelers were exported to African rivers and Lake Nyassa, and the higher reaches of the Nile itself. Other ships went to Persia, to French overseas settlements, and to the Philippines for blockade-running. One of the most important launches was built for the Government of Siam, for many years located on the River Me-nam at Bangkok. Early in the 20th Century Abdela & Mitchell specialised in stern-wheel steamers built in sections with each individual part marked for easy erection overseas, such as the 15th Novembro, Antonino Freire, Joaquim Cruz, and one of the largest, Manoel Thomaz which was erected on the banks of the River Severn. During 1918 many fishing trawlers were built for the British Admiralty.

The Brimscombe yards also built luxurious river-boats with gold bath-taps for Amazon rubber barons. See more at ‘The Steamboat Builders of Brimscombe’: www.gsia.org.uk/reprints/1988/gi198803.pdf

The Abdelas came to England in the 19th Century from Corfu. At one time this island was a possession of the Doge of Venice. In 1622 a Samuel ‘Abdala’ had successfully acted as envoy to the Doge, making pleas against imminent threat of repressive sanctions (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=551&letter=C).

Isaac Jacob Abdela was the third son of Jacob Elias Abdela, a prominent leader in Corfu's political and economic life who fled the island, by then under Turkish oppression, in about 1875 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.

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

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.

Works

'Nepal and the Implementation of UNSCR1325 in Contemporary Security Studies’. Chapter in ‘Women, Peace and Security: Translating police into practice’ (King’s College London 2011). ISBN13: 978-0-415-58797-6

== 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: ‘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 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)

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

• 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). Tim Symonds (ed.) (ed.). Breaking through the glass ceilings. Solihull: Metropolitan Authorities Recruitment Agency. ISBN 1-874025-99-1. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)
• Abdela, Lesley (1989). Women with X appeal : women politicians in Britain today. London: Macdonald Optima. ISBN 0-356-17184-1.
• Symonds, Tim (1988). Stay healthy while you travel. Columbus Press. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

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.

Lectures and speeches

• 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 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.

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:

"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."

External links

• Profile at Third Sector Women
• [2] (Imperial War Museum archives: to search for recently acquired Lesley Abdela recordings).