Isis is now twenty years old and legally, can make choices!

It took Isis two decades to catch the new breeze blowing from the East Once Isis felt it in her eyes, we could direct new and familiar faces among the board members and staff towards the vast and rich Asian and Pacific shorelines.

With this wind, many things came into view. We took quite a few brave steps. Being twenty years old, Isis is a full grown woman and can make legal decisions. She has chosen to study the wealth and depth of women's concerns and struggles in the Asian and the Pacific regions as her pivotal contribution to the international community of women. To make this possible, we took three organizational steps: first, to introduce research as one of the core programs; two, to invite women from 20 countries in the two regions to form the International Advisory Council of Isis; and, third, to reach out to many Asian and Pacific women to share opportunities for networking and collaborative work with their organizations, e.g. co-publishing feminist books, resource centres networking and holding joint training projects.

In spreading her wings, Isis has drawn up a kaleidoscopic calendar. We start with the preparatory events of the UN twin summits in 1995, the WSSD and WCW, leading up to the planning of two major Isis conferences for the Asian and the Pacific regions in 1996. As we go through these events, we will keep you posted on big and small plans, ask you to come with us on the many journeys of Isis and spice up our lives with shared stories.

We invite all of you to take part in many conversations. Isis will come out with Women In Action (WIA) three times a year, each issue covering specific themes in depth.

This issue covers many women in various capacities, from women moving in science to women visible in politics and women busy with resource centres. We interviewed women who brighten our daily grind, who make us feel important and who inspire us. We reviewed our long standing interests and came up with pieces that are close to our hearts. We commissioned young women artists to further develop our ideas. The whole staff knitted heads and hearts together to give this issue a special glow.

We hope you enjoy this issue and join our conversation.

Maraming salamat. Thank you.