News & information on GEAR campaign

GEAR Campaign Statement at the UN Women Executive Board Meeting (ENG, FR, SP)

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:13:09 +0000

[New York, December 5, 2011] GEAR Campaign representative, Charlotte Bunch of the Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL), presented the campaign statement at the second UN Women Executive Board meeting.

[Read the Statement (English, French, Spanish)]

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Letter to Michelle Bachelet from Women’s Organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:59:23 +0000

[Montevideo, November 10, 2011] On November 10, 2011 Michelle Bachelet had a meeting with local women's organizations in Uruguay.

The group prepared a letter and has asked regional women's organizations to sign on.

[Read the letter (English, Spanish)]

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Contributions from national, regional and/or international networks in Argentina for the 2012 UN WOMEN Strategic Plan

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:15:06 +0000

[Argentina, September 2011] On September 7th representatives came together to: a.) write to Argentina’s Minister of Foreign Affairs requesting an increase in Argentina’s contribution to UN WOMEN; b.) develop a thematic proposal for UN WOMEN’s Executive branch in order to prioritize the certain issues in 2012-13.

[Read the complete contributions]

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GEAR CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES NEW UN WOMEN STRATEGIC PLAN

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:36:18 +0000

[New York, June 28, 2011] Notes the civil society consultation in plan preparation, but urges countries and donors to complete financing of the new entity in order to carry it out.

Mabel Bianco, president of the Foundation for the Study and Research of Women (FEIM) and the Focal Point of Latin America and the Caribbean for the GEAR (Gender Equality Architecture Reform) Campaign spoke yesterday (27/6), in representation of the campaign at the second session of the UN Women Executive Board meeting, which is taking place until the 30th of June in New York.

To begin the session, the UN Women Secretary General, Michelle Bachelet, shared a report of what has been done since the creation of the agency in January 2011 and presented the strategic plan for 2011-2013.

"Addressing barriers, such as gender-based violence and discrimination, as well as persistent under-representation in political and economic leadership positions, which hold women back from achieving their highest potential, will take a united and committed effort," said Bianco as she congratulated UN Women on the completion of its first Strategic Plan, which was prepared following a participatory consultation process in countries.

The GEAR Campaign is a coalition of more than 300 groups of women who work for the equality of women, development, human rights and social justice all over the world and have come together for over four years to support the creation of UN Women. The Campaign promotes the participation of civil society in the new organization, advocating the incorporation of human rights and the implementation of promises made to achieve gender equity in this new structure.

The first strategic plan of UN Women was assessed by the GEAR Campaign as a "foundational document" that represents "an important step towards the development of a global agenda that will advance human rights, development, peace and security for all women." However, Bianco noted the necessity that the new gender entity can be "budgeted on an equal footing with other UN agencies," because "without adequate funding, this excellent plan cannot develop properly and will not reach its full potential."

In this sense, Bianco praised the contributions of Spain, Canada, India and Nigeria, but remarked that "$126 million dollars from this year is well below the target of $300 million, and even further from $500 million initially requested by the Secretary General, and the billion requested by the GEAR Campaign." For this reason, the GEAR campaign urged all donors and states to increase their contributions and "fill the gap between current contributions and the schedule."

Moreover, Bianco noted the importance of strengthening the work of UN Women in each country and emphasized that the new entity must assume the task of leading the efforts for incorporating gender equality in the programs of other UN agencies. Finally, the representative of the GEAR Campaign welcomed the commitment by Bachelet to create an NGO Advisory Group and expressed her hope that other formal mechanisms would be established to facilitate civil society participation. "It is essential to hear the voices of women in all their diversity, especially grassroots groups and marginalized women, in order for UN Women to fulfill its mandate and become accountable to the people it is intended to serve," said Bianco.

________________________________________________________

Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer -FEIM-

"Veinte años promoviendo los derechos de las mujeres y niñas"

"Twenty years promoting women's and girls' rights"

Parana 135 Piso 3 "13" (1017) | Tel./Fax: (+54 11) 4372 2763

Buenos Aires – Argentina | www.feim.org.ar

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GEAR Campaign Statement at the Second UN Women Board Meeting (English, French, Spanish)

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:46:15 +0000

[New York, June 27, 2011] GEAR Campaign Regional Focal Point, Mabel Bianco of Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer (FEIM), presented the campaign statement at the second UN Women Executive Board meeting.

[Read the Statement (English, French, Spanish)]

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GEAR Comments on the UN Women Strategic Plan 2011-2013 (English, French, Spanish)

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:01:47 +0000

[May 17, 2011] The GEAR Campaign welcomes the UN Women Strategic Plan (2011 – 2013) as the foundational document that cohesively spells out the work plan and programmatic activities for the new entity globally. On behalf of our members, composed of women’s human rights, health, development and human rights organizations working at the local, national, regional and global levels, the GEAR Campaign has highlighted themes based on feedback we have received from our constituency for the Strategic Plan (2011 – 2013).

Please refer to the below document for a thematic overview of GEAR member submissions to UN Women during the Civil Society comment period on the Strategic Plan from late April to early May 2011. Main themes include:

Incorporate a Human Rights-Based Approach
Ensure that Policy and Practice Advance Implementation of International Norms
Develop Formal Partnerships and Engage with Civil Society
Incorporate Grassroots and Marginalized Women
Strengthen System-wide Coherence and Gender Mainstreaming
Improve UN Women’s Data Collection Analysis and Dissemination

[Read GEAR Comments on UN Women Strategic Plan 2011-2013 (English, French, Spanish) ]

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REPORT ON THE CONSULTATIONS FOR UN WOMEN’S STRATEGIC PLAN (2012-2013) IN LATIN AMERICA

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:02:02 +0000

[Argentina, May 2, 2011] Between February 21 and March 17, 2011, these consultations were conducted in the countries in the region. The majority of them were done at country level, although a regional consultation was held in Panama in early March. Some meetings held in New York during the CSW were considered consultations, although they did not have the same format as those in the countries. The meetings in New York, especially, were cited more for information purposes than as proper consultations, and in many cases the participants did not engage with this objective.

In the countries, the consultations were to include: governmental areas including parliamentarians, United Nations agencies, and representatives of Civil Society including universities and research centers.There was a consultation model to follow with informational material to be presented, which was followed verbatim in most countries.

Most of the consultations were in the form of three separate meetings lasting an hour and a half or two hours each: one with government representatives, one with representatives of United Nations agencies and one with Civil Society and universities. Except for one country, where the three meetings were held jointly, in all the others they were held separately with each group: government, United Nations agencies and civil society organizations and groups. Although the invitation set forth the objective, four questions were sent to the participants only in the country that held the joint meeting. These were the same questions raised in the meetings but, by being sent prior to the meeting those attending were able to prepare their answers ahead of time to take with them. This aided the process of building consensus on a collective response.

Online Discussion of UN Women Strategic Planning Process

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:18:15 +0000

[New York, April 26, 2011] UN Women has made the Elements document paper available to partners so as to secure inputs and feedback on the proposed Strategic Directions of the Entity.

UN Women online draft document on elements of the strategic plan is available online. Send comments to christine.arab@unwomen.org by Monday May 2nd.

[Read the draft strategic plan]

The "Summary of Strategic Plan Consultations" – the document that UN Women is using to inform the Executive Board and NGOs of what they learned from the consultations is also available online. It was the background for the elements of a draft strategic plan which was presented to the Executive Board on April 20th.

[Read the summary]

The final draft of the plan must be finished by May 16th in order to be translated and go to the Executive Board meeting the last week of June for its approval. This is the framework of the global strategic plan and civil society can expect that the regional and national level plans for UN Women will begin to be developed around July-September. Please be in touch with UN Women offices on the ground to get included in that process when it begins.

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World Pulse Delivers Letters to UN Women

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:59:27 +0000

[Oregon, April 22, 2011] At the Women’s Funding Network Conference this April, World Pulse founder, Jensine Larsen, had the privilege of delivering a bundle of letters from grassroots women leaders worldwide directly to the newly appointed UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet. In presenting the letters, Bachelet responded enthusiastically, “Yes, give these to me, reading these letters is what will keep me going.”

In fact, some letters had already reached Bachelet, including that of Fardosa Muse of the Dadaab Refugee Camps, a settlement on the border of Kenya and Somalia. In an effort to source input from women on the ground, and after UN Women advisers suggested these camps as a priority to visit, Bachelet read Muse’s letter from the World Pulse community campaign. Its description of the dire situation for women and girls at the camps helped solidify her decision to visit.

When Bachelet arrived at Dadaab earlier this month, Muse came forward as the author of the letter. In describing the transformational power of participating in the campaign and witnessing her letter's direct impact on her community, Muse said, “My bold voice earns me global recognition, courage, and strength to deliver my services to these destitute communities across the globe. It's my responsibility as a Somali woman to speak on behalf of this voiceless people.”

In partnership with the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) Campaign, World Pulse launched the UN Women letter writing campaign this January on its interactive community newswire, PulseWire, inviting grassroots women leaders from around the world to outline their recommendations for how UN Women can begin to truly effect change, and to guide this new agency as it sets its priorities. The response was astounding, demonstrating the desire for grassroots women to have a voice within the new entity and highlighting the need for a mechanism for participation. World Pulse collected 65 letters representing women from 27 countries, including regions where women have little representation like Burma, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

The most prevalent themes contributors touched upon included the urgent need to address violence against women; the need for a participatory mechanism for women within the UN system; and an emphasis on creating economic, educational, and leadership opportunities for women at the grassroots level.

World Pulse is now uniquely positioned to enable the individual process of women using new technologies in creative ways to support movements for democratic transformation. World Pulse is committed to leveraging our platform to support the participation of women at the highest levels of decision-making in furthering the women’s agenda and the participation of civil society, particularly grassroots women, who are often voiceless at the United Nations.

“I believe this place is a forum for the people who are hungry for rights—not only for oneself—but also for all communities among fear, needs, and injustice. I thank you all for showering grassroots to grow with light for seeking truth and grabbing rights. I would like to insist that our collaborations will play the key role for this achievement, and I promise I will commit to the maximum with you all for the better future of civil societies.” — Ni Ni Aye, Burma

UN Women Summary of Strategic Plan Consultations

admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:16:59 +0000

[New York, April 11, 2011] Over the last six months, UN Women has been preparing for its first Strategic Plan with guidance from a variety of partners including governments,civil society, academia and the UN system. The report below highlights key programmatic themes, strategies, ideas for partnerships and other useful feedback for the development of UN Women's strategic plan.

[Read the UN Women Summary of Strategic Plan Consultations]

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