Making the global local

Cities for CEDAW is a grassroots campaign launched at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2014 to gain support for the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) from US Mayors and secure 100 municipal CEDAW ordinances by January 2016.

The US is considered a leading nation in...

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a multilateral human rights treaty that promotes the rights of all children worldwide. 

A total of 195 countries have ratified the CRC and are participating actively in implementing its provisions to protect children, strengthen families and unquestionably improve the lives of those under 18. South Sudan ratified the CRC in...

Reflections on CSW59 by Gillian Booth-Yudelam (AWC Perth)

I was inspired and humbled by the experience and extremely grateful to be invited to attend such an important educational event.

I attended multiple sessions on issues ranging from human trafficking and slavery, to increasing women’s participation in the workforce, to women and war and the transformation of trauma.  I gained valuable insights...

A Crash Course in the UN, Women and NGOs (or Why Civil Society Matters)

by Sallie Chaballier (AAWE Paris)

“AAWE is a member of FAWCO, an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council” - have you ever wondered what that blurb on AAWE publications actually means? In the past six months, I have experienced firsthand how meaningful...

Let’s Talk About It and Then Step It Up: UN CSW59 Review

by Ann Marie Morrow, AWC Finland

I remember when I was about 8 years old being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I answered, “A boy!”. Why did I give this answer? I remember thinking that if I could just be a boy, then...

Elizabeth Abbot describes what she learned:

Notes from CSW59

Finishing the “unfinished business of the 21^st century” (Hillary Clinton)

Accountability – we need to hold all levels of government accountable to creating laws and allocating resources to the gender equality and GBV agenda. Example: the Istanbul Convention signed in 2012 for European countries that requires countries to monitor progress and the...