08
Mar
2011
San Francisco, CA - On the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, the Global Fund for Women (GFW) looks back over the past year and celebrates extraordinary victories won by its grantee partners in “Top 10 Wins for Women’s Movements.”
From progressive new national and international legislation to mass mobilizations for peace, the “Top 10” stories showcase the creative and bold approaches women’s groups have used and also reflects the growing power and sophistication of the global women’s movements. “In spite of the backlash and resistance that such movements often face,” says Charlotte Bunch, Global Fund Board Member and Professor at Rutgers, “These victories are a valuable reminder that women are still an important force in the world making advances for social change and human rights.
Topping the list is the forthcoming International Labor Organization (ILO) standards that will protect tens of millions of domestic workers, most of whom are women and migrants. The ILO process was initiated after countless hours of organizing by domestic workers across the globe under highly restrictive working conditions and with limited infrastructure.
Women’s movements are also celebrating the first successful use of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) by women in the Philippines who used the UN convention to appeal a domestic rape case. Women’s groups also used the European Human Rights Court to overturn Ireland’s abortion ban. Also making the list is Nigerian women’s success in defeating the regressive “Nudity Bill”. In each of these victories, Global Fund grantees were at the forefront of the fight for women’s right, justice and equality. Last but not least, the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt made the list because of their promising impact on the lives of women and people of the region, and for inspiring social justice movements worldwide.
For more information about the Top Ten Wins or to schedule interviews, please contact Deborah Holmes, dholmes@globalfundforwomen.org or 415.248.4849.
About the Global Fund for Women
The Global Fund for Women is the largest publicly supported grantmaking foundation that advances human rights by investing in women-led organizations worldwide. Our international network of supporters mobilizes financial resources to support women’s contributions to social justice, equality and peace. Since 1987, the Global Fund has awarded over $82 in grants to more than 4,000 groups in 170 countries.
26
Jan
2010
Charlotte Bunch Credit:Nick Romanenko
One year after U.S. President Barack Obama’s inauguration, and looking at his first State of the Union address on Wednesday, January 27, women’s rights groups recognise some progress has been made in terms of advancing an agenda for women’s rights around the world. But many challenges remain, starting from the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) — though the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to recommend formal endorsement of CEDAW in 2002, the United States remain the only country in the Western hemisphere that has not ratified the treaty.
In this interview published by IPS, Charlotte Bunch, founding director of the Center for Global Women’s Leadership at Rutgers University, spoke about her assessment of the U.S. president’s achievements, and what remains to be done. More »
21
Dec
2009
Credit: CEDAW
In this special podcast you will hear of:
* Three generations of women in Liberia, reflecting on women’s rights.
* How CEDAW is helping nationalize women’s rights in Egypt.
* The continuing struggle for HIV positive women to gain access to medication in South Africa
* Uganda’s Ambiguous stand on women’s rights
* How Liberian women still can’t claim their rights in court
* and how South Africa women turn their kitchens into “gourmet” restaurants.
18
Dec
2009
Quilt made by women of Kyrgztan. (Unifem)
Ask the woman sitting next to you in the bus, train, plane, taxi-brousse or donkey cart what is CEDAW, and most probably you will draw a blank look. C’est quoi?
Yet CEDAW – Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women – has likely impacted on her life and her daughters, if she has any, in many ways, from pension and inheritance rights to the passport they hold.
Read the CEDAW Birthday post on GENDER MASALA: Notes on gender – A spicy mix by Mercedes Sayagues.
15
Dec
2009
Nezha Guessouss / Credit:Bomoon Lee/IPS
Liza Jansen interviews NEZHA GUESSOUSS, former member of the Morocco Family Law Reform Commission
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 14 (IPS) – Five years ago, Morocco amended its family law to promote the idea of equality between men and women. More »
14
Dec
2009
Credit: Samantha Smit/IPS
Dec 14, 2009 – In this week’s podcast you will hear of:
* a young girl’s daily struggle to survive…
* how South Africa’s progressive gender laws only live on paper
* and how changes to the law in Egypt are slowly empowering women.
11
Dec
2009
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 8 (IPS) – A landmark U.N. treaty on women’s rights, which will be 30 years old next week, is in danger of being politically undermined by a slew of reservations by 22 countries seeking exemptions from some of the convention’s legal obligations.
More »
09
Dec
2009
Silvia Pimentel / Credit: Courtesy of Fernanda Pasquariello Monteiro
Fabiana Frayssinet interviews SILVIA PIMENTEL, CEDAW Committee member
RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 8 (IPS) – The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which turns 30 on Dec. 18, has brought greater global awareness of women’s rights and been instrumental in the huge strides made towards ending discrimination and inequality in the world.
More »
08
Dec
2009
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gives the opening remarks/ Credit: Bomoon Lee/IPS
Women all over the world are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). UNIFEM organised a special event in New York, opened by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who declared that “The Convention is one of the most successful human rights treaties ever.”
More »
San Francisco, CA - On the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, the Global Fund for Women (GFW) looks back over the past year and celebrates extraordinary victories won by its grantee partners in “Top 10 Wins for Women’s Movements.”
