Posted by sabina on January 26, 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 »
Posted by sabina on January 12, 2010
Kavita N. Ramdas Credit: Global Fund for Women
On the occasion of the speech on women’s reproductive rights given on 8 January by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at the State Department, IPS published an op-ed by Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women.
The Global Fund for Women (GFW) is the world’s largest women’s foundation dedicated to advancing the rights of women, working with women’s groups in 161 countries.
Supported by the Dutch MDG3 Fund, GFW is helping the work of grass roots women-led civil society organisations in Asia. Within its MDG3 programme of work, IPS is partnering with GFW and other MDG3 Fund co-grantees organisations committed to women’s empowerment to strengthen the visibility of their own work.
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Posted by sabina on December 3, 2009
Sujata Manohar Credit:Bomoon Lee/IPS
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 2 (IPS) - The 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) this month has brought women’s rights champions from around the world to the United Nations to share their success stories. One is Sujata Manohar, who helped create a national law in India that bars sexual harassment in the workplace.
“Some people believe the traditional way of life is better, but they are not in the majority and there is a clear move towards elimination of all kinds of discrimination,” says Manohar, a Supreme Court justice.
CEDAW, adopted in December 1979 by the U.N. General Assembly, is an international human rights treaty exclusively devoted to gender equality and is often described as an international bill of rights for women.
The Convention consists of 30 articles defining discrimination against women and an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. More »
Posted by sabina on November 15, 2009
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Security Council debates protection of civilians - and women - in armed conflicts. Credit: U.N.
Miren Gutierrez* interviews INES ALBERDI, executive director of UNIFEM
ROME, Nov 15 (IPS) - CEDAW or the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1979.
On its 30th anniversary, just seven U.N. member states continue to refuse to accept the only international instrument that comprehensively addresses women’s rights within political, civil, cultural, economic and social life.Â
In the second of a two-part interview IPS talks to Ines Alberdi, executive director of UNIFEM, about the countries holding out, including the U.S., and the new agency for women that the General Assembly has decided to create. More »
Posted by sabina on
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Ines Alberdi: "CEDAW is the means by which governments (can) advance gender equality". Credit: U.N.
Miren Gutierrez* interviews INES ALBERDI, executive director of UNIFEM
ROME, Nov 15 (IPS) - The fight for women’s rights came about hand in hand with the struggle for democracy, civil rights and national liberation in different countries and periods, says Ines Alberdi, executive director of UNIFEM.
The time has now come for action on the effect of the global financial crisis on women, and other problems such as stereotyping, gender-based violence, unfair budgeting, lack of work opportunities and social protection for women, and the plight of women migrants.Â
On the eve of its 30th anniversary, Alberdi spells out the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) for IPS. The first of a two-part interview. More »
Posted by admin on November 9, 2009
Joanne Sandler - Credit: UNIFEM
By Andrea Borde
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 9 (IPS) - On Sep. 14, the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly adopted a resolution that opened the door for the creation of a new U.N. agency specifically for women.
It will draw together under one umbrella all of the existing entities for women in the U.N. - U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), International Training and Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) and Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI).
The new women’s entity comes at a particularly exciting time in the women’s empowerment movement at the U.N. as another report has just been released by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) highlighting the lack of women’s control over economic and financial resources in both the developing and developed world.
The U.N. World Survey on the Role of Women in Development 2009, published by UNDESA addresses increasingly progressive issues such as women’s unpaid work in the household, the urgency of women’s financial empowerment, especially in current times of economic turmoil, and the long-standing inequalities of women in care giving, the labour market and within central financial institutions of the state such as financial ministries and central banks. More »
Posted by sabina on October 26, 2009
By William Fisher
NEW YORK, Oct 26 (IPS) - The fifteenth anniversary of the U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Torture passed last week with little fanfare and virtually no press attention from the mainstream media here.
But according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “U.S. policy continues to fall short of ensuring full compliance with the treaty.”
For example, the organisation said that an appendix to the Army Field Manual (AFM) can still facilitate cruel treatment of prisoners and detainees at home and abroad. More »
AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT: A CRITICAL MOMENT TO SUPPORT SUDAN 
THE PRIVATISATION OF LIVELIHOOD
WOMEN'S HEALTH - A SMART INVESTMENT IN TROUBLED TIMES
POOR COUNTRIES RAILROADED INTO WEAK COMPROMISE AT UN FINANCIAL SUMMIT
LET THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT DO ITS WORK
WORLD MUST KEEP UP PRESSURE ON AFGHAN LAW AGAINST WOMEN
GLOBAL CRISIS: WOMEN WORKERS WILL BE HIT HARDEST
HEALTH-SWAZILAND: 'Role Models in the Community'
GLOBAL HEALTH SYSTEM IN STATE OF ALARM
