News bulletin: February 2009

Progress for Women Is Progress for All

News bulletin: February 2009

Signing up to the Say NO campaign

Following the cross-party event at Westminster in December to promote UNIFEM's Say NO to Violence Against Women petition, more Cabinet members and parliamentarians have signed up. They include Jacqui Smith MP (Home Secretary), Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Leader of the House of Lords), Hazel Blears MP (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government), Sharon Hodgson, MP for Gateshead East and Washington West, and Christine Russell, MP for City of Chester.

Working with the Department for International Development

UNIFEM UK President Zarin Hainsworth was invited to attend an informal workshop this month with other key external partners. Participants were asked for their views on DFID's progress in improving performance on gender equality and on what should be the next priorities. DFID launched a 3-year Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) in March 2007 to provide a framework for a stronger focus on issues of gender equality and women's empowerment across development assistance.  They committed to reporting on progress against the GEAP annually and are now starting to compile information for the 2008/9 Progress Report.

Working with the Women's National Commission and the Government Equalities Office

Zarin Hainsworth and a number of UNIFEM UK representatives, including Board member Sally Spear, attended a recent consultation on the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). This was the first of five events sponsored by the UK Government Equalities Office but organised by the Women's National Commission. There were a number of presentations providing key information on the CSW and CEDAW (Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) ahead of the 53rd session of CSW at the UN next month. Annette Lawson, Chair of the National Alliance of Women's Organisations and a long standing UNIFEM member, gave an excellent personal insight into attending the annual CSW sessions in New York. For anyone interested in the work of WNC or the GEO and what they are doing for CSW and CEDAW, good information is available from the website www.thewnc.org.uk

The 53rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women will be held at the United Nations in New York from 2nd-13th March. The priority theme this year is ‘The equal sharing of responsibility between women and men, including care giving in the context of HIV/AIDS'.
More information on the CSW website www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/

AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition

In January UNIFEM UK Board member Faraneh Khadem attended the launch by the American Association for the Advancement of Science of its Science and Human Rights Coalition. Over the past year the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program has collaborated with scientific associations and societies to lay the foundations of the Coalition - a network of scientific associations, professional societies, and science academies that recognise that science and scientists are vital to the realisation of human rights. 

The launch highlighted the contribution scientists have made to human rights and affirmed their commitment to doing more moving forward. It was opened by Dr. Alan Leshner with three distinguished speakers - Mary Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and former President of Ireland, Sidney Verba, Chair of the Committee on Human Rights of the National Academies, and Carl H. Pforzheimer, University Professor Emeritus and Research Professor of Government at Harvard University. 

International Women's Day Sunday 8 March 2009

UNIFEM branches will be involved in various events during March to mark this day and raise awareness of issues affecting women across the world. Contact local branches for details.

A number of groups are planning to host a Big Breakfast event in their area. All UNIFEM members and supporters are invited to have one! Invite your friends, serve a simple breakfast and ask for donations for UNIFEM - or you can make it more elaborate, sponsored by a company or with a proper cooked breakfast. It's an excellent way to raise awareness and money and you can be as simple or creative as you like.

University Societies

We have been pleased to welcome an increasing number of student members to UNIFEM UK in the past year and we are now setting up a number of UNIFEM University Societies. If you are interested in getting involved, email us

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