Urgent Action needed: Join us to build a United Nations that really works for women
The United Nations General Assembly is just days away from adopting a crucial resolution on the creation of a new UN gender equality entity by September 14, 2009. We must act now to ensure that the new entity can really make a difference to women’s lives around the world.
Worldwide, women and girls are less likely to go to school, receive adequate health care, own property or participate in decision-making structures. The United Nations has a key role in working for women’s rights at global level. However, the UN bodies dealing with gender equality are under-resourced and fragmented.
The World YWCA, women’s groups and civil society have been advocating for the establishment of a new UN agency for women that would dramatically improve international efforts to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality by uniting the four small, under-staffed and poorly funded parts of the UN currently devoted to women's issues.
The World YWCA calls on member associations and partners to keep pressure on governments to vote ‘yes’ on a UN women’s agency that is well funded and staffed at levels; the structure should include strong field presence, a USD1 billion budget to start and the capacity to run programmes, influence policy and bring gender experts to the joint work of UN agencies in every country.
The 2007 World YWCA Council adopted a recommendation, put forward by YWCA Canada, calling on the movement to advocate for an international multilateral women's agency at the United Nations. YWCA Canada emphasised, “The women's movement, and all of its supporters, must confront every member of the international community and lobby with indefatigable tenacity for a women's agency of the UN.” In 2008, the World YWCA joined hundreds of organisations to promote the GEAR campaign, a global campaign advocating for a single agency for women at the UN. The GEAR campaign has collected thousands of signatures and continues to press the United Nations and governments to address the weaknesses within the UN system regarding women’s empowerment and gender equality.
- Join the GEAR campaign and sign the petitions
- Meet with your government representatives to share information. Use the GEAR Campaign Talking points developed by the GEAR campaign to argue for a composite agency, well funded with its own Under-Secretary General (can be found on the GEAR website)
- Write a letter to your government representatives urging them to vote ‘yes’ on a composite women’s Agency at the UN. Use the speaking points developed by the GEAR campaign to draft your letter. (can be found on the GEAR website)
For more information, visit the GEAR website.
