Newsletters 2008
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Newsletters - 2008
In this last newsletter of 2008: an embargo on arms in the DRC, a look at countries which opposed the treaty on cluster munitions, a summit 2009 on climate change in Copenhagen, education worldwide, fighting the hunger crisis in January and CSW in March 2009, and other news.
The new year for 2009 has, like Ban Ki-moon said when talking about ‘Education worldwide’, reasons for hope and concern. Concern for the financial crisis, the climate change and - so it seems - the never ending outbreaks of conflict. With hope too: for more influence of women in leading roles in 2009 and for new technologies in fighting the climate change.
Our best wishes to you all for happy holidays and in particular, for a peaceful 2009!
This newsletter is about women.
Women preparing for the Commission on the Status of Women, women being promoted to UN positions, women celebrating 100 years of looking after women’s rights, women demanding armament regulation at the Security Council, women in solidarity with victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, women being harassed by police.
Women looking for clean water and good sanitation, women looking for funds to finance their projects for social change. And above all: women fighting sexual violence of women!
The ten promises of Barack Obama are not specifically about women, but they are all right. Let’s remind the Obama administration in the coming years on what was promised!
Several important conferences are being prepared for November/December.
IAW will be represented at the Climate Change Global Alliance by Soon Young Yoon and we hope that Mmabatho Ramagoshi can represent IAW at the AWID Conference in Cape Town. The Doha Global Civil Society Forum in Qatar will be a serious one in this time of financial crisis.
There is good news about maternity leave in the EU and UNIFEM is busy campaigning against violence. There is sad news on trafficking of women and children across the borders of India. Sad news too on the arms trade, and its effect on the MDGs, in particular in Africa.
You will find many ‘Events, Conferences and Reports’ at the end of this newsletter.
In this newsletter procedures and campaigns for elections of UN experts. Campaigns for GEAR, CEDAW, CSW, the Human Rights Council, etc.
We have a look at the birth registration of children, with an estimate of 48 million children each year, without legal identity. Children are most vulnerable to the worldwide lack of sanitation. In the World Water Week in Stockholm, experts have been focusing on human suffering and economic loss of the world sanitation crisis.
Donors should live up to their promises to make aid more effective at fighting poverty, says the International Civil Society Steering Group, before the start of the Accra Conference.
Women are also in urgent need of funds for fighting poverty under MDG3. And a Muslim author, wife and mother, living in Britain, describes the challenge of living the Islamic faith in a secular democracy.
As usual you will find data on reports and events at the end of this newsletter.
Important: a women’s view on the global food crisis, supported by IAW. Please take time to read it!
Support too for the statement of Ban Ki-Moon: “Family Planning is a fundamental component of Reproductive Health”. At last - a clear voice on World Population Day from the UN.
Other issues are: women are preparing the 2009 EU elections, female teachers in Uganda, the link between child soldiers and the small arms trade, ‘lover boys’, the Way to Doha and last but not least the IAW Board Meeting in October 2008, in the Hague, Netherlands. Events, Publications etc. are as usual at the end.
A long newsletter this time, with two extensive subjects, the Security Council on Violence against Women, and on food, hunger and agriculture.
This month several statements and petitions were signed, reports written, and news mailed around.
News on CEDAW and establishing a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, on progress about Women with Disabilities and Female Genital Mutilation, on the Human Rights Council, Women and Tobacco, the rights of street vendors and worry about the women and children in Zimbabwe.
Even while we are writing this, more news from members is coming in. We are thinking of producing an extra edition of the newsletter. And as usual you will find data on events and conferences at the end.
In a time of disasters in Burma and China where millions of people are suffering, this newsletter brings a few stories of hope and help such as the Say NO to Violence campaign, UNICEF feeding thousands of Somali children and the health training scheme in Argentina.
However, there continues to be a greater number of stories about the ongoing lack of human rights for women in many guises and in many areas of the world.
Nonetheless, women worldwide are speaking up, supporting justified cases and continuing their campaigns for women's political rights.
As usual you will find data on conferences, reports and courses at the end.
The main issue of this newsletter is women and health. On sexual reproductive health, population and development, female genital mutilation, vaccine therapies, HIV/AIDS and immunotherapy etc.
The Human Rights Council (HRC) has covered an enormous amount of issues. New is the UPR or Universal Periodic Review, where each of the participating 48 member states is confronted with its own profile on human rights, as seen by the others.
Louise Arbour leaves the HRC after a distinguished career; the United Arab Emirates appoints its first woman judge; UNIFEM has a new Executive Director, and rising Food prices are causing problems. At the end of the newsletter, as usual, upcoming conferences and interesting links.
In this newsletter some results of CSW. Actually, we had hoped for more. Although all member states were convinced that empowerment of women was badly needed, for example to reduce poverty in the projects of the Millennium Development Goals, financing gender equality was a different matter. Gender responsive budgeting is a tool we can and have to use to claim equal rights!
The main subject of this newsletter is ‘violence against women’. It is such a vast subject that we can only mention the good intentions of the UN, with a statement by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the campaign of UNIFEM. Please support that campaign with your signature!
You will find also the latest news of IAW and at the end some interesting reports and useful links.
The IAW delegation and other IAW members representing their organisations, are on their way to CSW in New York with bags full of papers and with our good wishes for a successful conference.
In this newsletter news of the IAW side event at CSW, of CEDAW, trafficking, the struggle to reduce HIV/AIDS, a special Women’s Day Seminar in Geneva, Switzerland. Around the world with Australia, India, Saudi Arabia, and Mary Robinson.
Also: A hundred year old campaign for change by women: 1908-2008 – Women’s Day!
You will find data on conferences and international days at the end.
This supplementary newsletter is
announcing the IAW event at the Commission on the Status of Women:
“Gender Budgeting: Gender justice of public
expenditure”
On the 25th of February 2008, from 3:15
to 4:45 PM.
At the Church Centre - 2nd Floor.
Members of the panel will consider gender budgeting implementation and will highlight the progress made in some regions, in contrast to the slow or non implementation in OECD states.
Marion Boeker, boeker-consult/Consultancy on Human Rights and Gender Issues Implementation & Transfer, Deutscher Staatsbürgerinnenverband, will be the Moderator.
Please note that details of the session titled “Weaving the World’s Women Together” listed in the January Newsletter are incorrect – our apologies.
In all countries women’s organisations are preparing for the 52nd CSW and so is IAW. The three issues are of equal importance. See also ‘Weaving the World’s Women Together’.
In this newsletter news about CEDAW, UNCTAD, the national tipline in Canada, leadership training for Muslim women in Delhi, police training for Liberian women, gender guidelines to implement two European Asylum Directive, and smashing the glass ceiling in Norway.
As usual you will find news of conferences, publications and events at the end of the newsletter.
