Newsletters 2010
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Newsletters – 2010
After attending a wonderful IAW Congress we send you our best wishes for the New Year. A peaceful 2011, less violence against women in the world and happiness, strength and wisdom for us all!
In this newsletter Soon-Young from the IAW New York team writes on the result of the Summit on Climate Chance, we mail you a reminder of coming activities at the Commission on the Status on Women and bring you tales of the 35th IAW Congress in South Africa.
Also (again) news of atrocities against women in Congo and a letter from a young women from Pakistan, written for the International Day of Violence against Women.
In this newsletter we try to inform you on the Conferences which are coming next at the UN. The Conference on Climate Change in December 2010, CSW in 2011 and also the Commission on Sustainable Development.
Violence against Women will sadly stay a permanent issue in our news, but it is important to keep ringing the bell. The horrifying rape of women by criminal gangs in conflict areas have become known worldwide. We see a few rays of hope and action to help and to empower our unfortunate sisters. The United Nations installed an Executive Board for UN Women and also agreed unanimously on three draft resolutions, including one on Violence against Women. The Human Rights Council asked the United States for a review of its human rights record. Interesting to read!
Cholera in Haiti and an outbreak of poliomyelitis in Congo demanded immediate action.
And: in Myanmar people were very happy with the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi!
All over the world women are already preparing for the 55th Commission on the Status of Women and CEDAW, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, works the year around. It has examined countries where IAW has Affiliates, like India, Burkina Faso, Czech Republic and Uganda. Interesting to read!
We also travel around the world with a report by the World Economic Forum, looking at ‘gaps’, between women and men. Some countries have surprised us, in a positive and also in a negative way.
Peace and Security is, as always, high on the IAW agenda, with the IAW Congress in South Africa beckoning. Useful information has been mailed around to participants by IAW Secretary Lene Pind.
Also in this newsletter news from ESCAP, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; from the World Health Organisation, WHO; from the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun; from the European Union. News about International Years and Days is as usual at the end.
Health is the main issue of this newsletter, seen in the light of the Millennium Development Goals. The millions at risk from the floods at Pakistan, the child mortality rates, the mass rape victims in Congo, maternal death and other worldwide worrying issues were all discussed at the UN Summit on MDGs.
There are also some good practices to mention here. UNICEF made a proposal to decrease child mortality. National action plans by West African states will promote the role of women in peace and security. Financing climate change in a gender-sensitive way was discussed at ECOSOC by IAW member Soon-Young Yoon.
In the European Union two Health institutes will work together to benefit 53 countries. The European Women’s Lobby sees health as a human rights issue, which includes securing the sexual and reproductive rights of all women.
As usual, you will find a list of conferences and events at the end.
Women, Peace and Security! All hands are on deck for the debate on the implementation of resolution 1325, in the Security Council in New York in October. Even appointing the new head of UN Women should be helpful in the debate – why the dilly-dallying? A ray of hope: the Cluster Munitions Convention will enter into force in November.
The disaster in Pakistan was foremost in the news and discussed at length at the UN General Assembly – lots of speakers and many words, but also promises of financial help.
Twelve Asian Countries are comparing data with Shadow Reports on MDGs 3 (empowerment of women) and 5 (maternal mortality). An excellent piece of work!
Also in this newsletter: more countries are banning the burqa and the hiqab; recent data on Cyber Child Pornography and the victimizing of children (the data are extremely worrying).
After years of lobbying and negotiating by the women’s movement, the new entity, UN Women, has at last been born. In this newsletter several links to the statements put in by experts and NGOs during ECOSOC, including the statement of IAW President Rosy Weiss. Her concern about the increasing restrictions on NGO access during CSW will certainly be discussed at CoNGO.
Will the momentum for the Millennium Development Goals be endangered, now several donor countries are facing economic difficulties? See also the IAW motion in the European Women’s Lobby. The women’s movement has to be alert, in particular for Goals 3 and 5, during the Summit, 20-22 September.
This newsletter also includes: a reflection on changing the mindset on crimes against women, born out of traditions; concerns about stoning in Iran; the first woman PM for Australia; lead poisoning in Nigeria; the expansion of NGO IANSA, arms disarmament, the Arms Trade Treaty, etc.
The outcry against maternal mortality when prevention is so near at hand, is getting stronger and stronger worldwide. It certainly will be an important topic during the Summit on the Millennium Development Goals – 20-22 September 2010. Preparation of the Summit by IAW is in full swing. Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica has been appointed to combat climate change, as the new Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC. We wish her a lot of strength in handling this important job!
IAW is preparing for Congress in South Africa, with Violence against Women and female participation in Peace Building as central items. Please check if you have received all Congress papers. Several IAW members mailed us news of their activities, like Joanna Manganara (EU): Irini Sarlis (New York), Soon-Young Yoon (writing us from Tokyo); Helene Sackstein (HRC), and as always: Anjana Basu from India. Thank you all!
This time a different kind of newsletter with three long articles. There is the excellent report of IAW President Rosy Weiss on CSW, well worth reading for IAW members and also for sympathizers. IANSA is telling us how to take action by composing written and oral statements – to use for the Summit of the Millennium Development Goals. And the European Union has now a women’s entity called: the European Institute for Gender Equality. It announced a new strategy.
There is news from our IAW affiliates in Greece and Iceland. IAW member Soon-Young Yoon has written a IAW statement against Tobacco
In India women are struggling with the ranking of 114 among 134 nations in the Gender Gap Index Report 2009, published by the World Economic Forum, down by one spot from its 2008 position.
And in the next newsletter we will focus on the IAW Congress in Pretoria, South Africa.
The weak political ‘Declaration’, adopted on the first day of CSW, was a delusion for women’s rights activists by the total absence of new and forward looking commitments on the part of governments and the UN to the agenda of Beijing. At the end seven important resolutions were adopted.
IAW did very well at the side events ... and thank you dearest Kay, for what you have done for women’s rights and for IAW in all those years!
In this newsletter articles on women’s leadership. Some ups with a third of all legislative seats in India and a new law on gender quotas for companies in Iceland. Some downs too like an all-male UN Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing!
Gender based violence is another subject we have to focus on and ring the bell whenever possible – on the arms trade, sexual assault, trafficking, but also on an action against gun violence and with ‘Women who strike back’. There are problems with primary education in Africa; there will be a conference on global health in Australia and an EU photo competition for young women; small grants; important links, hearings for the MDGs Summit etc.
Please read the letter from IAW president Rosy Weiss inviting you to come to Congress in South Africa!
IAW prepared for CSW 2010 very well with two side events, as sponsor of other events, two oral statements on ‘Decision-making by Women in Conflict’ and ‘Of Hunger, Climate Change and the Empowerment of Women’, and with a shadow report on Beijing+15.
Several IAW members will be speakers on panels. We wish our delegations and members all the best!
It will be a busy CSW, with 188 side events. The year 2010 will also be a busy year for the UN and for IAW. After CSW we will have to focus on the implementation during the first 10 years of resolution 1325 of the Security Council. In September there is the Summit of the Millennium Development Goals, which have still 5 years to go until 2015. And will there be a new U.N. agency for women installed during the UN General Assembly?
Also in this newsletter: ratification of the convention on cluster munitions, banning semi-automatic weapons in Finland, the good work of Women Self Help Groups in India, a UN environmental prize for friendly stoves and rechargeable lighting and what happened in Norway after a law requiring that 40 percent of all company board members should be women?
IAW is preparing for CSW. We wish our members and delegations to CSW all the strength needed in the sometimes chaotic situation of taking political decisions on an international level. The Copenhagen summit is still fresh in our minds.
In this newsletter Chad, with its 450,000 refugees and internally displaced persons, is facing a severe situation. Please have a look at the Human Rights Council (HRC) with Chad on its February agenda. Also, have a look at the unique instrument of the HRC, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Disaster reduction, women in politics in the EU and India, the female factor in banking, the financial crisis and UNESCO, with at the end several events and a very useful UN link, are all to be found in this first newsletter of 2010.
