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Updated March 13, 2010
AAUW Director of Fellowships and Grants Gloria Blackwell represented AAUW at the 54th United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women. The session, running March 1st- 12th, is developing momentum and conversation about the UN's goal to combine all departments on women into one Super Agency. The agency, often referred to as "The Entity," has frameworks pre-approved by the General Assembly, but is still in the process of naming a launch date and an undersecretary. The budget will run anywhere from a half billion to a billion dollars and looks to work on issues like education, health, poverty, violence, media, decision-making, and the girl child. Activists around the globe are currently pushing for a 5th World Conference on Women to further develop the project.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for March 12, 2010.
A United Nations labor agency said in a report that inequalities in pay and employment remain for women despite the progress made in certain countries, reported the agency on their Web site. In the International Labor Organization report "Women in labour markets: Measuring progress and indentifying challenges," released March 5, the agency says that "gender biases remain deeply embedded in society and the labor market" even after the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing. "We still find many more women than men taking up low-pay and precarious work, either because this is the only type of job made available to them or because they need to find something that allows them to balance work and family responsibilities. Men do not face these same constraints," said Sara Elder, the author of the report, on the organization's Web site.
The White House has created a website of informational tools and resources related to the current situation in Haiti, following the catastrophic earthquake this week. For up to date information everyone is encouraged to visit HaitiEarthquake.
Along with relief efforts, a top priority for the administration is to account for the thousands of American citizens who are currently in Haiti. The White House encourages families of US citizens living in Haiti trying to find the status of their loved ones to contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747.
ACTION: Cash donations are considered the most efficient and effective way to help the relief effort right now. You can immediately donate to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting "HAITI" to "90999." Additional resources may be found through Center for International Disaster Information, or through USAID's interactive website with a list of NGOs and instructions on how to help.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for Januray 15, 2010.
The Washington Post published an article on Monday (unsurprisingly, in the Arts and Style section) on "the Hillary effect," noting the 25 female ambassadors in Washington as the highest number of women in history representing their countries in the United States. While women remain a clear minority of the 182 total ambassadors in Washington, their numbers have quintupled since the late 1990s.
Many attribute the rise in women ambassadors to the US as a direct result of increases in high-ranking women, like Secretaries of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Condoleeza Rice and Madeline Albright, to US diplomat positions.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for Januray 15, 2010.
The United Nations has put forth $10.5 million in grants for international efforts focused on ending violence against women, according to the Feminist Majority Foundation. The United States is a leading force in these efforts, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton working with the Security Council to increase preventative measures against sexual violence. Vice President Joe Biden stated that violence against women is one of the most pervasive global problems today. The funds dispersed by the UN in honor of the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women will be distributed in 18 countries and territories, assisting 13 current initiatives.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for December 4, 2009.
In its annual measurement of global progress in the lives of women and girls, released October 27, 2009, the World Economic Forum reported some major improvements in surprising places. The 2009 Global Gender Gap Report -- which, country by county, examines data indicating the resources and status of women compared to men -- ranks Lesotho, for example, in the top 10, a marked improvement from its place at 16 last year and 43 in 2006. By contrast, the United States moved down three slots since last year and now ranks 31st.
The report, now in its third year of publication, ranks 134 countries on four dimensions: health and survival, educational attainment, economic participation and opportunity and political empowerment. By focusing on the gap between men and women in each country -- as opposed to comparing one nation to another -- the index encourages moves toward parity between women and men, girls and boys, at whatever the level of economic development. It seeks to provide an objective framework to allow countries to look at themselves within their region and see how they fare compared to similarly situated neighbors.
According to the index, no country in the world has yet reached gender equality, but as in past years, the Nordic countries rank the highest with the top four slots going to Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
By Laura Liswood, Women's Media Center as reported on Alternet, Dec. 1, 2009
UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, elected its first female head this week. Irina Bokova, the former Bulgarian foreign minister, is also the current Bulgarian ambassador to France. A Saudi delegate was quoted as saying, "Women's equity, I think that is what won it over for Mrs. Bokova. UNESCO promotes international collaboration, events, and projects on education, science, and culture through specialized centers throughout the world.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for September 25, 2009.
This year's theme of the annual Clinton Global Initiative summit, which took place in New York this week, focused on investing worldwide in women and girls in order to narrow the gender gap, according to Bloomberg. Hosted by former President Bill Clinton, attendees at the event include global leaders from non-profits, government, current and former heads of states, prominent leaders of multinational corporations, and celebrities. President Obama also spoke at the opening session. All who attend will help with developing and funding ideas to aid global problems focused on women and girls, particularly in the areas of education and employment. "In all the world there is only one strategy which clearly slows population growth, raises income and promotes more social stability that is supported across all religious and cultural lines," Clinton said. "And that is putting all the girls in school and giving all the young women access to the labor market."
- from AAUW's Washington Update for September 25, 2009.
Lack of education for girls hampers their earning potential, costing the world's poorest countries billions of dollars a year in lost revenue, according to a new report released Tuesday in Toronto.
"Study after study confirms that if young women are economically active, their country's economy grows and all members of their family benefit," said Rosemary McCarney, president and CEO of the Canadian arm of Plan International, which released the report. "Investing in girls delivers a higher return than any other investment made in a country's development, and yet this isn't happening. That's a huge loss for everyone."
The third annual Because I Am A Girl report found that countries with high levels of institutional discrimination against girls and women were also the least developed. Just a one per cent rise in the number of girls attending secondary school boosts a country's annual per capita income growth by 0.3 per cent, the report said. In tough economic times, girls in poor countries are the first to be pulled out of school as families struggle to pay for books, uniforms and other costs. The move tends to consign them to a life of servitude and poverty.
Plan calls for a global 10-point action plan, including providing girls with education, better jobs, access to land or property and leadership opportunities. Plan, formerly Foster Parents Plan, is an international development agency founded in 1937 whose focus is justice for children in developing countries.
- from CBC Canada.
Three years after the 2006 original plan emerged from then-Secretary-General Kofi Anan, the United Nations General Assembly voted Monday to create a new and more powerful women's agency. The resolution will merge four existing offices, the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women, and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) into a single body devoted to women's equality and rights. Supporters heralded this as a major breakthrough, as the new agency will have a larger budget and more clout than the existing offices. The resolution also gives the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a year to draw up a proposal that would specify the mission, organizational arrangements, funding, and executive board of the new women's agency. Accordingly, the new agency has the potential to make monumental strides for women and girls around the world, but its success will depend heavily on whether the Secretary-General's proposal receives the needed support from the many member states. For more information on AAUW's work to promote equity abroad, visit our International Corner.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for September 18, 2009.
The U.N. General Assembly voted on Monday to create a new, more powerful agency for women, in a move supporters hailed as a breakthrough for women's equality and rights. An assembly resolution called for the amalgamation of four existing U.N. offices dealing with women's affairs into a single body to be headed by an under-secretary-general -- a higher rank than exists at present on the issue.
It requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to produce within a year a comprehensive proposal that would specify the new entity's mission statement, organizational arrangements, funding and executive board. The unanimous vote followed three years of negotiations.
As stated in our member-adopted 2009-11 Public Policy Program, "AAUW believes that global interdependence requires national and international policies that promote peace, justice, human rights, sustainable development, and mutual security for all people." That's why AAUW is proud to join with coalition partners this week in supporting the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act (S. 1425). This legislation would help shape U.S. international assistance and trade policy to give women in developing countries the tools and resources they need to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
Investing in women is the surest way to end global poverty. By helping impoverished women start and grow businesses, enhancing women's land and property rights, increasing women's access to higher quality employment, and ensuring that the benefits of global trade reach poor women, the GROWTH Act seeks to enhance women's economic security.
Women living in poverty are more likely to reinvest their income on food, education, housing, and health care for their children, creating a positive cycle of growth for the family and the community. Yet these women face unequal barriers to achieving economic security-they work in the lowest paying jobs, have less stable incomes, have less access to training and education, work longer hours, and have fewer economic opportunities than men. The GROWTH Act helps women break through these barriers that prevent them from actively participating in their countries' economies.
Urge your senators to cosponsor the GROWTH Act and help millions of mothers, daughters, and sisters around the world escape poverty and enjoy the promise of greater economic opportunities.
- from AAUW's Action Network for Sept. 10, 2009.
Earlier in the year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton introduced the first-ever Office on Global Women's Issues, an essential step in the process of developing a U.S. government infrastructure with a focus on women's issues as a central component of policy making. With the House passage of the Foreign Relations Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2410) on Wednesday evening, the office took another step towards became an official entity within the Department of State, allowing women-focused global diplomacy efforts, such as strategies to decrease child marriage worldwide, to take center stage. The bill passed (235-187) without the weakening amendment proposed by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) that would have added crippling abortion-related restrictions to the new office. The bill now awaits passage in the Senate.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for June 12, 2009.
UN-HABITAT, the United Nation's agency that assists communities in developing countries reduce crime, and UNIFEM, also an arm of the U.N., have teamed up to make cities around the world safer for females, reported the Xinhua General News Service. The agencies have proposed measures that include improved street lighting and female-only modes of transportation. According the agreement, signed on Wednesday, the agencies will develop practical measures that local authorities can use to make cities safer. Violence makes up at least 25 to 30 per cent of urban crime and women, especially in developing countries, are twice as likely as men to be victims of violent aggression, including domestic violence, the agencies reported.
- from Women's eNews.
AAUW Executive Director Linda Hallman served as a panelist at the CARE National Conference & Celebration on Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Hallman was a featured speaker on "Connecting the World's Women in the Fight against Global Poverty." The two-day conference featuring political action, learning, and inspiration drew top activists, lawmakers, and speakers, including Wolf Blitzer, of CNN, and Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of Washington Week and senior correspondent for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
CARE, a leading international human organization committed to ending poverty worldwide and improving the economic, educational, and social conditions of the world's women and girls, is an AAUW international partner. For more information, read AAUW's press release, see conference highlights, and visit AAUW's International Corner.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for May 8, 2009.
The writer Carol Ann Duffy was appointed as Britain's poet laureate earlier this month, becoming the first woman to take the 341-year-old job. Her most popular collection of poems, "The World's Wife," gives overlooked women in history and mythology a chance to tell their side of the story. It's not clear yet what Duffy will do with the laureateship.
Worldwide, women are continuing to achieve upticks in political representation in national assemblies and legislative bodies, according to the annual report card of the Inter Parliamentary Union. In 2008, women's representation increased to 18.3 percent from 17.7 percent in 2007, with a 60 percent overall increase in female representation since 1995. The ranks of female lawmakers still fall short of a 30 percent benchmark target set by the United Nations in 1995, the Associated Press reported March 5.
The Working Group on Girls (WGG) and its International Network for Girls (INfG) are dedicated to promoting the rights of girls in all areas and stages of their lives, advancing the rights and status of girls and assisting them to develop their full potential as women.
The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund is a charitable and educational fund which supports projects worldwide focusing on women's educational activities, leadership training, community development, and the advancement of understanding and cooperation among women.
VGIF is named in honor of Virginia Gildersleeve, a noted leader in women's education and Dean of Barnard College. Gildersleeve was a co-founder and twice president of the International Federation of University Women. She was the only woman appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to the US Delegation which established the united Nations, and was the first woman in the United States to sign a United States treaty.
The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund was founded in 1969 by eleven members of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW). Today most of the projects funded are to women in low per capita income countries. Almost 200 grants have been made.