April 2020
In March, I was looking forward to seeing my FAWCO colleagues at our Interim Meeting in Luxembourg and reporting on what the FAWCO Delegation experienced at CSW64. It was not to be, as the Coronavirus pandemic took over all of our lives and erased all of our plans. But our work advocating for women’s rights goes on! We...
FAWCO supports UN Sustainable Development Goal #4
FAWCO’s UN Reps collaborate with FAWCO's Education Team on education initiatives and promotion of the work of the UN Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Education Team works together with an international school in Cologne and rural schools...
FAWCO's UN Reps collaborate with FAWCO’s Global Issues Teams, Target Program and Youth Program, focusing on raising awareness, sharing information, promoting action, and participating in global campaigns.
FAWCO's UN Reps are actively engaged in issue and policy advocacy at the global level, and FAWCO club members provide hands-on support in their local communities. Read the advocacy statements and position papers FAWCO...
As an active member of the community of UN NGO stakeholders, FAWCO joins with partner organizations in advocacy work through statements, position papers and letters to UN agencies and commissions, including the Commission on the Status of Women.
In preparation for CSW67, FAWCO signed a written statement with 15 other women's NGO members of...
FAWCO is a United Nations accredited non-governmental organization (NGO) with special consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). FAWCO's UN Representatives in New York, Geneva, Vienna, Athens, Bonn and At-large and FAWCO UN Youth Reps attend UN meetings on behalf of FAWCO, focusing on issues related to women and children in FAWCO's priority areas: education, environment, health...
2020 was a year of UN landmarks: 75 years since the UN was founded in 1945; 25 years since the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing (Beijing+25); 10 years since the launch of UN Women; and 5 years since the adoption of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the UN, UN Women,
As a United Nations accredited non-governmental organization with consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, FAWCO has an obligation to work for a better world and to help achieve the 8 Millennium Development Goals. We have long realized that to be effective and make a significant impact on the MDGs, it would be best to focus mainly on one MDG. Malaria seemed to be the logical choice, since it is an attainable goal and one that FAWCO could easily influence. Malaria is a preventable tragedy that impacts so many other problems – health, child mortality, poverty and hunger, primary school education, maternal health, the environment - probably 7 of the 8 MDGs.
On March 18, 2005 the delegates to the FAWCO conference in Birmingham, England were asked if they would like to pull together on one MDG project – so that together we could try to make - not a small difference - but a big impact. They responded with an enthusiastic yes to tackling malaria prevention together! Since its founding in 1931, FAWCO has worked for the well being of children - so it is appropriate that for our first joint global effort we focus on malaria – the single largest killer of children in the world.
At the 2005 FAWCO Conference in Birmingham , the delegates committed to take on one of the world’s great problems and unanimously agreed to: “take up the global challenge for reducing poverty and improving lives by promoting and supporting the Millennium Development Goals. More specifically, they resolved to address the tragedy of malaria by encouraging FAWCO's members to make a significant commitment to worldwide malaria prevention." Over $100,000 was raised the first year for the purchase of insecticide treated bed nets.
From May 2006 to May 2007, FAWCO's Global Concerns Fund continued this focus on malaria eradication raising over $40,000 for integrated malaria prevention.
At the FAWCO biennial Conference in Lyon in 2007 , the delegates once again re-affirmed this commitment to malaria eradication by unanimous vote of FAWCO’s Resolutions and Recommendations with a continued commitment; "encouraging our members to focus on malaria, the single largest killer of children". With this resolution, fund raising and awareness raising will continue at least up until the 2009 FAWCO Conference.
Beginning in 2005, FAWCO partnered with the Swiss Foundation BioVision in support of their integrated approach to malaria prevention in pilot projects in Africa. FAWCO’s partnership with BioVision was enthusiastically supported by member organizations and individuals and as a result, thousands of children have lived to see their 5th birthday and beyond.
In total, FAWCO distributed $165,885 for the purchase of insecticide treated bed nets and integrated malaria prevention. Additionally, FAWCO applied for and received a $100,000 grant from the Hilton Foundation that was paid directly to our partner Biovision in 2008, for a grand total of $265,885.
CEDAW is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and entered into force in 1981.
What does CEDAW do?
Reduce sex trafficking and domestic violence
Provide access to education and vocational training
Ensure the right to vote
End forced marriage and child marriage and ensure inheritance rights
Help mothers and families by providing access to maternal health careEnsure the right to work and own a business without discrimination
Why has the USA NOT ratified CEDAW?
Almost all countries have ratified CEDAW - 189 out of 195 countries. Only six have not ratified including Sudan, Somalia, Iran, two small Pacific Island nations (Palau and Tonga) and THE UNITED STATES!
FAWCO supports CEDAW and continues to work towards it ratification.
Key Links
UN Women CEDAW Text
UN High Commissioner for recent developments, links to treaty, reports www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/cedaw/pages/cedawindex.aspx
Amnesty International Fact Sheet on CEDAW www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/cedaw_fact_sheet.pdf
Organization working for US Senate Ratification
http://www.cedaw2015.org/
The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), part of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), promotes gender equality and the advancement of women. Its charge is to measure progress towards equality and highlight challenges, set standards and formulate concrete policies to promote equality and women’s empowerment, and encourage mainstreaming of the gender perspective in all UN activities worldwide.
FAWCO is a member of the NGO Committees on the Status of Women (NGO CSWs) in NY, Geneva and Vienna. FAWCO members and UN Representatives regularly attend the annual CSW in New York. You can read blogs by members of FAWCO's delegations to CSW.
FAWCO signs on to Written and Oral Statements submitted to UN Women for consideration by CSW, joining our partner women's NGOs with consultative status to ECOSOC. You can read these statements on the Advocacy page.
| Key Links | |
| UN CSW | http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw |
| NGO CSW New York | www.ngocsw.org |
| NGO CSW Geneva | www.ngocsw-geneva.ch/ |
| NGO CSW Vienna | https://ngocswvienna.org/ |
The sixty-second session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 12 to 23 March 2018.
Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session. FAWCO is sending a delegation of ten members from around the world, and they will be posting on the CSW62 Blog.
See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw62-2018
The sixty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 13 to 24 March 2017.
Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session. FAWCO is sending a delegation of ten members from around the world, and they will be posting on the CSW61 Blog.
See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw61-2017#sthash.5Yges7P1.dpuf
A delegation of 14 FAWCO women joined over 6,000 other NGO representatives for the 60th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) in NY from March 14 - 24, 2016. The Commission was established in 1946 and is "dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women". The annual sessions provide advocates for human rights for women an opportunity to influence the UN agenda. Around 6,000 delegates from the 45 Member States of the Commission, United Nations entities, and accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) attended this year's annual session with the priority theme "women's empowerment and its link to sustainable development". The session comprised the official ministerial meetings, more than 200 side events hosted by the Member States and UN entities, and around 450 parallel events organized by NGOs.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched in September 2015, are the top priority at the UN and are to be achieved by the year 2030. Goal 5 is "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls". The focus of the Goal 5 Targets—e.g., violence against women and girls, trafficking, early marriage, health, discrimination—were reoccurring themes in the events. "Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it Up", the theme of 2016 Women's Day, was also in focus.
The opening speech "CSW60 is the First Test of Our Resolve" by UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka gives a perspective on the 2030 Agenda. The concluding commitment of CSW Member States to the implementation of Agenda 2030 is summarized in a press release from the closing day. (Thanks to Carol Strametz of AWC Hamburg for contributing this introduction.)
Blog posts are by UN Liaison Laurie Richardson (AWA Vienna) unless otherwise noted.
A FAWCO delegation of 17 women attended CSW59 at UN Headquarters in New York from March 9 - 20, 2015. We posted blogs here to report on our experiences and impressions.
Click to download the four-page FAWCO Brochure created especially for CSW59: front and back pages and the inside pages.
Erica Higbie and My-Linh Kunst blog from the fifty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. It took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 21 March 2014.Live reports from Erica Higbie who is attending the UN Commission on the Status of Women at the UN in New York.
Read Final Report on CSW 57 from UN Rep Erica Higbie.
“The trade in and exploitation of human beings through trafficking is one of the gravest violations of human dignity that exist. The purposes of trafficking in persons range from forced and bonded labour to various forms of sexual exploitation, forced marriages, removal of organs and other contemporary practices similar to slavery."
Navi Pillay
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The CRC was the first legally binding international instrument which set standards for the civic, economic, social and political rights of children under the age of 18. It consists of 54 articles and two optional protocols.
The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.
The optional protocols deal with rights of children involved in armed conflict, sale of children, prostitution and child pornography.
It is the most widely signed of all UN treaties. To date, 195 countries have ratified it; South Sudan and Somalia ratified the CRC in May 2015. Only the United States remains as a non-signatory to the treaty.
FAWCO endorses CRC and has joined other NGOs in urging the US Senate to ratify the treaty as soon as possible. In late 2015, in honor of International Children's Day and in collaoration withFAWCO's UN NGO Reps Team, FAWCO's US Liaison promoted an advocacy campaign to FAWCO members, with letters to President Obama and key US Senators encouraging them to ratify CRC as soon as possible.
Key Links
UNICEF- Rights of the Child www.un.org/rights/dpi1765e.htm
Campaign for US Ratification of CRC www.childrightscampaign.org
Amnesty International – Rights of the Child www.amnesty.org/en/children
Child Right International Network (CRIN) www.crin.org
Welcome to our new UN Youth Rep, Vali Mitsakis. Vali is from Greece; her mother is a member of AWO Greece. She was active with the Model UN in high school, and she's spending a year in New York, where she's keeping very busy going to UN meetings and learning about the UN's post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
FAWCO's first UN Youth Rep was Gavin Higbie (pictured below at UN Headquarters in New York, third from left). Gavin is the son of Erica Higbie (FAUSA, AWC Perth) who is an active FAWCO volunteer; she serves as our UN Rep in New York and as the Chair of the Human Rights Team.
Gavin attended UN meetings live in New York and via Webcast throughout 2014 and reported via a blog. He attended the UN Youth Assembly on February 5 and 6, 2014 and posted blogs about his experiences.
This is a great way for your club's teenagers to engage in global issues and get involved with other FAWCO youths. Please encourage your club's teenagers to check our Youth Program webpages.
To follow Gavin's UN Youth Rep Blog, click here.
Violence against women and girls is a horrific worldwide phenomenon.
It has been estimated that one in three women (35%) of women worldwide have experienced intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
Intimate partner violence is the most common however other forms of violence include human trafficking, sexual violence including when it is used a s tactic of war and harmful traditional practices such as early forced marriages, female genital mutilation and so called “honor” killings.
Globally, as many as 38% of murders of all women are committed by an intimate partner.
Gender based violence cuts across ethnicity, race, class, religion, education and international borders.
Click here for more information about FAWCO’s Sub-Committee on Ending Violence against Women and Children
Key Links
World Heath Organization Fact Sheet on VAW www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/
Say No to Violence - Join the orange campaign to fight violence against women www.saynotoviolence.org/
UNITE- UN Secretary General’s Campaign to End Violence against Women www.un.org/en/women/endviolence
UN Women- support for Ending VAW www.unwomen.org/
US Strategy to End Violence against Women and Girls http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2012/08/20120812134584.html#axzz2nkXBZuih
"Education is not simply a moral imperative—it is the smart choice. Every dollar invested generates US$ 10 to US$ 15 in returns. Yet worldwide, some 61 million children are still not in school. Our shared ideals are simple. We want all children to attend primary school and to progress to secondary school and relevant higher education. We want them to acquire the literacy, numeracy and critical-thinking skills that will help them to succeed in life and live as engaged and productive global citizens.”
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
If you would like to get involved, join FAWCO's Global Issues Team on Education.
Excerpts from the UN report "The Global Education First Initiative" (2012) are below:
It is time for the international community to face the fact that we have a crisis in education. We must be clear that if children are forced out of school, their governments and communities are also failing.
As we approach 2015, we must have unwavering support for achieving and exceeding the global education goals we have set for ourselves. It will take relentless and uncompromising focus on the most
marginalized children and countries lagging furthest behind to finish the job. But we cannot stop until
every child, youth and adult has the opportunity to go to school, learn and contribute to society.
When we put Education First, we see an end to wasted potential -- we unleash the human spirit.
Meeting the urgent needs of our children and communities will take more than good intentions. To fulfill the promise of the Initiative, the United Nations Secretary-General will lend his convening power, supported by his Special Envoy for Global Education and all the education-related UN agencies, to leverage the expertise and experience of existing stakeholders, as well as find innovative ways to engage new networks. Everyone has a critical role to play. When we act with unity of purpose and rise above self interest, miracles will happen.
Non-governmental organizations and community organizations must play an important role as advocates for education, including mounting media campaigns, mobilizing networks and members and engaging governments, donors and multilaterals.
http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/files/GEFI_Brochure_ENG.pdf
To fulfill the requirements to maintain our UN accreditation, FAWCO submits annual reviews to the UN Department of Public Information (DPI NGO) and quadrennial reports to the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC).
The UN Reps Team reports to the FAWCO Board through Annual Reports.
