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Press Inquiries: Béatrice Frey, +1 212 906-5829, beatrice.frey[at]unifem.org
March 2010 – In This Issue:
International Women’s Day 2010
The year 2010 is a milestone for women’s rights and gender
equality, writes UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi
in her message for International
Women’s Day. Read
more.
54th Session of the Commission
on the Status of Women
 The 54th Session of the Commission
on the Status of Women (CSW) is in process at UN Headquarters
in New York from 1 to 12 March 2010.
In accordance with its programme of work for 2010–2014,
the Commission is reviewing the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action 15 years after its adoption
at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. Reports from regional
review processes feed into the Commission’s review. Emphasis
is placed on the sharing of experiences and good practices, with
a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges. The
review also focuses on how the implementation of the Beijing Platform
for Action contributes to the full achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
In a declaration adopted
by consensus on 2 March, CSW delegates reaffirmed the principles
of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and pledged
to undertake further action to ensure the full implementation of
those important instruments. The declaration stresses the need
for integrating a gender perspective into the General Assembly’s
high-level plenary meeting in September on accelerating progress
towards achieving the MDGs. It also emphasizes that the full
and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
is essential to achieving internationally agreed development goals,
including those contained in the Millennium Declaration.
A special section on CSW has been set up on the UNIFEM website,
featuring relevant resources and links, as well as information
about all parallel events organized or co-sponsored by UNIFEM. View
website
UNIFEM is partnering with the Inter Press Service (IPS), Gender
and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network, Gender Links, and the
UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) to provide news and
cyberdialogues at this year’s CSW. Read
more.
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UNIFEM at CSW
 Say NO – UNiTE Platform Registers More than 180,000
Actions on
Ending Violence against Women
At a CSW side event on 2 March, UNIFEM announced that it had recorded 183,132
actions to end violence against women through its Say
NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women initiative. This
tally far surpasses the initial goal for Say NO of stimulating more
than 100,000 actions by International Women’s Day. Launched in November
2009 as a web platform to facilitate, showcase and count efforts by individuals,
governments and civil society to address gender-based violence, Say NO is
a direct contribution to the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE
to End Violence against Women campaign. Read
more.
Voices of Haitian Women Highlighted
The Permanent Mission of Haiti to the UN, along with UNIFEM, UNDP
and the Huairou Commission, hosted a side event to highlight
the voices of Haitian women and their families on 3 March. The
panel addressed Haitian women’s situation and needs in
the aftermath of the 12 January earthquake, including the necessity
of providing adequate shelter, supplies and security, as well
as ensuring that women take equal part in the recovery process. Read
more.
 Launch of the Global Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence
against Women and Girls
UNIFEM launched on 4 March a Global
Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence against Women and Girls.
The one-stop centre will support practitioners around the world
in effective design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
of policies and programmes. The web-based site brings together
lessons learned and recommended practices gleaned from initiatives
in all regions, whether originating from the women’s movement,
civil society organizations, governments, the UN system or other
actors. The centralized database is fully searchable and available
in English, French and Spanish. Read
more.
Women’s Empowerment Principles to Be Introduced
UNIFEM and the UN Global Compact will co-host an event on 9 March
on the role of the private sector in improving the status of
women around the world. The event will launch the Women's Empowerment
Principles, a joint initiative of UNIFEM and the UN Global Compact.
The Women’s Empowerment Principles offer guidance for business
on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community.
Subtitled “Equality Means Business,” the Principles emphasize
the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality
and women’s empowerment. They are informed by real-life
business practices and input gathered from multiple stakeholders
across the globe. Visit UNIFEM’s
website on 9 March to
learn more.
 Say NO – UNiTE March 2010 Desktop Calendar
Every month, Say NO – UNiTE
to End Violence against Women releases
a desktop wallpaper that incorporates the calendar for
the month in three languages: English, French and Spanish. The March 2010 desktop
calendar focuses on the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action, highlighting the strategic objectives regarding the prevention and
elimination of
gender-based violence. Download
this month’s calendar.
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UNIFEM Responds
to the Crisis in Haiti
 In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on 12
January, UNIFEM seeks to rebuild women’s shelters, expand
the provision of urgently needed services, and protect women and
their communities. As part of the United Nations Flash Appeal for
Haiti, UNIFEM is requesting roughly US$2 million. For UNIFEM’s
longer-term programme in Haiti, more than US$7 million are requested.
UNIFEM’s input into the UN Flash Appeal aims to strengthen
the capacity of partners so that women’s needs and responsibilities
are specifically taken into account in humanitarian responses and
early recovery planning. The focus is on immediate relief for basic
physical needs, such as shelter and protection against gender-based
violence.
Moreover, a comprehensive two-year
programme builds on the foundation of current UNIFEM work in Haiti
on gender-responsive governance, economic security and advancing
women’s rights. The funds raised will be channelled towards
urgent humanitarian and early recovery efforts, including strengthening
government capacity to ensure transparent and effective delivery
of humanitarian assistance to people living in temporary camps;
preventing the escalation of gender-based violence; building the
capacity of the state and civil society organizations to deliver
services and support women who are victims of violence; and meeting
women’s economic livelihood needs. Read
more.
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UNIFEM around
the World
Fund for Gender Equality Announces Initial Allocation of Catalytic
Grants
The UNIFEM-managed Fund
for Gender Equality announced its initial allocation
of more than US$9 million to 27 initiatives in 26 countries on 11 January. The
recently established Fund, a US$68 million multilateral initiative, is designed
to advance innovative programmes that focus on women’s economic and political
empowerment at local and national levels. The 27 grants fall into the Fund’s
Catalytic Grant category. Grantees will work on efforts ranging from changing
attitudes towards women’s political engagement in Sri Lanka, to boosting
economic independence of HIV-positive women in Senegal, to amplifying the voices
of Palestinian women refugees in Lebanon. Read
more.
 Engaging Philanthropy to Promote Gender Equality and Women’s
Empowerment
UNIFEM co-sponsored an event hosted by the United
Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on 22 February
at UN Headquarters in New York, on the theme of Engaging Philanthropy
to Promote Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. Coinciding
with International Corporate Philanthropy Day, the special event
highlighted expanding and new partnerships between the United Nations,
the private sector and philanthropies. UNIFEM partner Avon announced
a grant of US$250,000 to the UN
Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. Read
more.
AFRICA
UNiTE Campaign Launched in Africa
Africa–UNiTE to End Violence against Women and Girls, the Africa component
of the UN Secretary-General’s global
campaign,
was launched on 30 January in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The event was attended
by representatives from Member States of the African Union, the United Nations
system and civil society. As outlined in a presentation by Micheline Ravololonarisoa,
Chief of UNIFEM’s Africa Section, the campaign aims to mobilize UN Member
States, civil society, the private sector, the UN system, as well as individual
men, women and youth, to join forces to turn existing commitments to end violence
against women into a reality. Read
more.
Great Lakes Region: Women Leaders Trained in Peacebuilding Skills
A workshop on conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding for women leaders
from member states of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region
(ICGLR) was concluded on 12 January in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The conference
was organized by the ICGLR with support from UNIFEM, and was attended by
representatives from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda
and Tanzania. The participants agreed on a number of recommendations, including
that national women’s forums should be established in the ICGLR countries
to provide a platform for involvement in conflict prevention, mediation and
peacebuilding. Read
more.
 Rwanda:
Gender Equity in Local Development Strengthened
A Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of the Gender Equitable
Local Development (GELD) programme in Rwanda was signed in Kigali on 8 February.
The programme aims to improve women's access to resources and services at
the local level through gender-responsive planning and budgeting. It is implemented
in five African countries with funding from the Belgian Government, the United
Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and UNIFEM. Read
more.
AMERICAS & THE CARIBBEAN
Documentaries about Women Domestic Workers Broadcast in 19 Countries
A series of documentaries about the situation of women domestic workers in
Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala and Paraguay has been produced as part of a UNIFEM
programme on the incorporation of gender, race and ethnic equality in poverty
eradication. The documentaries were broadcast on national television in 19
Latin American countries in January and February, and they can also be viewed
on the YouTube channel of
the UNIFEM Southern Cone Sub-Regional Office. Read
more.
ASIA & THE PACIFIC
 Afghan
Women Leaders Supported to Present Their Recommendations
at London
Conference
UNIFEM supported Afghan women’s advocates to present their recommendations
on security, development and governance priorities for their country at the London
Conference on Afghanistan, hosted by the UK Government on 28 January. The
recommendations, derived from broad-based consultations, provided the only concrete
input of Afghan women’s perspectives into the conference dialogue. Reminding
international donors and the national government that women’s participation
is critical for sustainable peace, and that women can spearhead efforts to moderate
extremism, the advocates demanded that women be included in all security and
development processes, including any negotiations and reconciliation programmes
involving warlords and insurgents. Read
more.
India: UNDEF–UNIFEM Grantees Discuss How Democracies Can Deliver Better
for Women
Civil society leaders from eighteen countries, who have received grants from
the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) and support from UNIFEM, gathered in New Delhi,
India on 13–15 January to discuss achievements and challenges in implementing
their pilot projects, which seek to catalyse women’s engagement in politics
and governance. Participants agreed that democracies offered women the only
viable means of gaining public support for the shared objective of gender equality.
However, practical actions were needed to strengthen accountability mechanisms,
to allocate appropriate resources and to build the capacity of women leaders
and voters. Additionally, they stressed the importance of electoral quotas
as a means of increasing the proportion of women holding public office. Read
more.
EUROPE & THE CIS
Kazakhstan: Gender Equality Law Comes into Force
A new law on Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities of Men and Women came into
effect in Kazakhstan at the beginning of 2010, after years of activism by gender
advocates and women’s organizations. UNIFEM has since 2004 provided national
partners in Kazakhstan with technical support in advocating for the adoption
of a gender equality law. Read
more.
Moldova: UNIFEM Contributes to National Programme on Gender Equality
The Government of Moldova announced on 3 February the launch of a National
Programme on Gender Equality for 2010–2015, with support from UNIFEM and
the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). Read
more.
 Norway: UNIFEM National Committee Inaugurated
A National Committee for UNIFEM was established in Norway on 7 January. The
Norwegian National Committee is an independent non-governmental organization
that will advance UNIFEM’s mission of fostering women’s rights
and gender equality. UNIFEM now has National
Committees in 18 countries,
supporting its mission and activities worldwide. Read
more.
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Recent Speeches & Statements
- International
Women’s Day Message by Inés Alberdi (Statement,
04.03.10)
- Accelerating
Efforts to Advance the Rights of Adolescent Girls – A
UN Joint Statement (Statement, 03.03.10)
- The
Activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women
to Eliminate Violence against Women (Speech, 01.03.10)
- Call
to Action for Increased and Larger Scale Partnerships (Speech,
22.02.10)
- Reaction
from Afghan Women Civil Society Leaders to the Communiqué of
the London Conference on Afghanistan (Statement, 29.01.10)
- Statement
Read on Behalf of Afghan Women to the London Conference on
Afghanistan (Statement, 28.01.10)
- Afghan
Women’s Leaders’ Priorities for Stabilization:
Statement and Recommendations (Statement, 27.01.10)
- UNIFEM
Executive Director on the Earthquake in Haiti (Statement,
14.01.10)
- UNIFEM
Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman on Violence Against Women,
Family Violence Prevention Fund Partnership and Groundbreaking
Centre (Speech, 08.01.10)
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Recent Publications
 Making
the MDGs Work Better for Women (2010).
This publication provides knowledge on successful practices
and approaches that governments, donors and civil society
can take to make the Millennium Development Goals work
better for women. It reviews the successes and challenges
faced in meeting MDG targets and the extent to which
national reports have addressed gender in reporting on
each goal. It concludes with a set of key recommendations
for advancing progress towards achieving gender equality.
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UNIFEM Evaluation Policy (2009). This policy is developed
in response to commitments in UNIFEM’s Strategic Plan
(2008–2013) to strengthen its evaluation function and to
ensure its utility, credibility, independence and alignment
with the United Nations Evaluation Group’s Norms and
Standards. |
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Featured
UNIFEM Videos
 On
the Move: Nepal's Women Migrant Workers
Millions of women work overseas each year — almost half a
million from Nepal alone. The money they send home is supporting
their families, but sometimes the women are cruelly exploited.
Now, Nepal is helping its female migrant workers fight for their
rights. Watch
video »
 Sosan’s
Story – Domestic Violence in Afghanistan
Eight
years after the fall of the Taliban, targeted violence against
women in Afghanistan is back at an alarming level. This video takes
a look at one of the country’s six shelters where women enduring
abuse find refuge. Watch
video »
Breaking the Silence: Kenyatta
National Hospital Addresses
Gender-Based Violence
 In this short feature, Kenyatta National Hospital staff discuss
its Gender-Based Violence Recovery Centre, highlighting the “pandemic”
of violence affecting almost 70 percent of women at some point in
their lifetime. Victims of gender-based violence also speak out.
This video was produced as part of the Say NO
– UNiTE to End Violence against Women launch in Nairobi, Kenya,
on 6 November 2009. Watch
video »
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Current & Upcoming
Events
- 54th
Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (United
Nations, New York, 01.03.10–12.03.10)
- Women
in the Heights – Contemporary Women Artists
of Northern Manhattan (United States, 04.03.10–30.04.10)
- International
Women’s Day (International, 08.03.10)
- 5th
Annual International Women’s Film Festival (United
States, 26.03.10–02.04.10)
- Film
Festival: Through Women’s Eyes (United
States, 10.04.10–18.04.10)
- Conference:
Emerging Technologies and Treatment in Women’s
Health (Canada, 02.05.10–05.05.10)
- 5th
World Conference on Women and Sport (Australia,
20.05.10–23.05.10)
- International
Symposium on Breast Cancer Prevention: Nutrition,
Communication and Public Policy (United States,
18.10.10–19.10.10)
Job Vacancies
- Project Manager
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Post Level: P-3
Application Deadline: 15 March 2010
Subscribe to the UNIFEM
Job Vacancies web feed.
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About UNIFEM Currents
UNIFEM Currents is the electronic news bulletin
of the United Nations Development
Fund for Women (UNIFEM). It provides up-to-date information
briefs on UNIFEM initiatives, successes, events, projects and activities
worldwide. It is published several times per year and delivered
by e-mail. Click
here to subscribe to UNIFEM Currents.
UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations.
It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes
and strategies to foster women's empowerment and gender equality.
Placing the advancement of women's human rights at the centre of
all of its efforts, UNIFEM focuses its activities on reducing feminized
poverty; ending violence against women; reversing the spread of
HIV/AIDS among women and girls; and achieving gender equality in
democratic governance in times of peace as well as war. For more
information, visit www.unifem.org.
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