As the year comes to a close, I would like to share a few updates with you including the ongoing transition process in which we continue to work closely with the Transition Team on various elements to make UN Women fully operational as of 1 January 2011.

As you know, the Executive Board of UN Women was recently established following an intense intergovernmental process. The first organizational session of the Executive Board will take place on 15 December with the first substantive session of the UN Women Executive Board scheduled for late-January 2011.  The launch event for UN Women is planned for 20 January and we will share more details with you very soon.   Following the launch of UN Women at Headquarters our country and regional offices will be organizing similar events.   I am sure that you are also planning high-profile events in your respective countries in support of UN Women and we look forward to hearing about your plans.

The development of a new brand for UN Women with a new logo and related products is underway and the communications team is finalizing the design and will disseminate it before the end of the year. UN Women calendars should also be available at that time and will be shipped to all National Committees.  In addition, the new UN Women website will be rolled out in phases with the first phase to be completed by 1 January 2011.

The resource projections for 2010 stand at: US$ 75 million for core resources; US$ 84 million for non-core resources; US$ 23 million (target is US$30 million) for the 15th grant cycle of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. This includes contributions from National Committees in the amount of US$ 690,000 as of 1 December 2010. I would also like to thank you for your generous contributions to the emergency in Haiti. Incidentally, yesterday, we received a contribution to core recourses from our 100th government donor, Haiti, which is another example of Member States’ vote of confidence in UN Women.

At present, we are reaching out to Member States to encourage them to translate their political commitment into an increase in their financial commitment to UN Women. An initial start-up amount of US$500 million was proposed by the Secretary-General in his Comprehensive Proposal for UN Women to enable the new entity to effectively fulfil the mandate it has been given by Member States.  We will need your support in advocating with your respective governments to reach that target.

As UN Women moves closer towards becoming fully operational, I am confident that working together, we can meet the high expectations placed on us by Member States and our many partners in the women’s movement and the United Nations. Finally, I would like to thank you for your unwavering support and advocacy in support of UNIFEM and look forward to your strengthened partnership as National Committees for UN Women starting 1 January 2011.

Best wishes for the holiday season.

Inés Alberdi
UNIFEM (part of UN Women) Executive Director

For your information.

Say NO’s video of the week (11-17 October) is UNIFEM’s interactive video series Make Women Count for Peace, marking the 10^th Anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 this month. In commemoration of the anniversary, women peace activists from more than 20 conflict-affected countries participated in UN-led Global Open Days worldwide, calling for women’s participation in peace-building, women’s protection and ending sexual violence in times of conflict. The series represents just some of the many voices in the call to make women count for peace.

Watch video

Action alert! Less than two weeks remain to sign the petition calling for women’s participation in peace-building. Your signature counts!

Sign the petition

Have Your Say

Every Monday UNIFEM’s Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women YouTube Channel features a different video that speaks on the issue.

Say NO is always on the lookout for compelling and insightful videos addressing violence against women to feature in its weekly slot. Have a suggestion? Send the name of the video and YouTube url link directly to sayno.video@unifem.org or to jaya.jiwatram@unifem.org. Please don’t reply to all.

Best Regards,

Kathleen Lior-Liechtenstein
President
UNIFEM Philippine National Committee

We are pleased to bring you up-to-date with news and information about the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), a partnership initiative of UNIFEM (part of UN Women) and the UN Global Compact. The Principles – developed through a year-long international consultation process and launched by our two organizations on International Women’s Day 2010 – represent seven steps for companies to take to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. We would like to ask for your help in promoting this initiative and begin dialogue with you on how we can support your efforts.

1. Public Release of the CEO Statement of Support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles
21 June marked the public release of the CEO Statement of Support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles signed by around 40 CEOs who are making equality a corporate priority (http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=1112). This initiative to expand the list of leaders signing the CEO Statement of Support will continue over the next several months through direct contacts with CEOs and also via UNIFEM field offices and UN Global Compact local networks. Please help us spread the word and encourage business executives in your network, country or region to join the growing list of signers!

Note: The CEO Statement is very particularly addressed only to CEOs or the top executive of a company, and requires that the attached form and CEO’s electronic signature be submitted to the WEP team at UNIFEM and the UN Global Compact as part of the authentication process. Completed forms and/or any questions should be sent to Laraine Mills (laraine.mills@unifem.org) and Lauren Gula (gulal@un.org)

2. WEPs outreach and advocacy: tools and next steps
Outreach to companies is a partnership endeavour. To facilitate this, attached you will find:

• CEO Statement of Support and Form for signing the CEO Statement
• Model letter from the Executive Directors of UNIFEM and the UN Global Compact inviting CEOs to sign the Statement of Support
• Current list of 41 signatories to the CEO Statement
• 21 June press release announcing the CEO Statement and group of lead signers
• One-page overview of the WEPs initiative
• PowerPoint presentation that can be tailored and used as an introduction to the WEPs
• Women’s Empowerment Principles booklet in English (for other languages, see point 6 below), that includes the 7 principles themselves, as well as sections on ‘How to Make and Measure Progress’ and ‘Principles into Practice: Company Examples’, among others.

Additional background materials and resources are available at: http://www.unifem.org/partnerships/womens_empowerment_principles/ and http://www.unglobalcompact.org/Issues/human_rights/equality_means_business.html

Organizing ideas:

• Working with stakeholders from the UN, government, business and civil society, organize an informational meeting about the WEPs using the context in your region, country or community to tailor focus
• Contact corporate responsibility (CR) and/or diversity officers of companies in your region, country or community, as well as other groups/organizations working in CR to introduce them to the WEPs and start a dialogue on strengthening integration of gender issues into overall CR concerns
• Organize a meeting – using the WEPs as a tool – that focuses on MDG 3, in the context of the lead up to the high-level MDG Summit in September at UNHQ
• Convene a meeting of stakeholders from the around progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment, with a focus on the role of the business/private sector, and importance of partnerships

As noted in point 1 above, outreach to business leaders to sign the CEO Statement of Support will continue over the next several months through direct contacts with CEOs and also via UNIFEM field offices and National Committees and UN Global Compact local networks.

For those UNIFEM SROs, liaison, country and project offices, and National Committees located in countries/regions where the UN Global Compact has a local network, we invite and encourage collaboration on WEP-related outreach and activities where possible. Some UNIFEM offices and Global Compact local networks – for example, in Egypt, India and Brazil – have already connected with one another to begin this work. We are finalizing a list of UNIFEM/UNGC regional and country presence to facilitate these connections, which we will send in a separate email in the next week or so. In the meantime, information on UNIFEM offices and National Committees can be found at: http://www.unifem.org/about/contact.php. UN Global Compact Local Network information is available at: http://www.unglobalcompact.org/NetworksAroundTheWorld/index.html.

3. UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010
The UNGC Summit in late June also featured and promoted the Women’s Empowerment Principles, echoing the call for CEOs to review the WEPs and lend their support as a first step to strengthening the efforts within their companies to advance and empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community.

4. Upcoming UN Private Sector Forum
On the 22nd of September, government and private sector leaders will convene at UN Headquarters – together with UN and civil society representatives – to discuss the private sectors’ contribution to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In anticipation of this important meeting, which is part of the UN MDG Summit, we are encouraging companies that have not yet signed the CEO Statement of Support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles to consider doing so. Achieving MDG3 – Promote gender equality and empower women – is not possible without the support of the private sector. By signing the CEO Statement, companies communicate to governments, civil society and other stakeholders that they are serious about gender equality. Our goal is to collect over 100 signatures by the MDG Summit.

5. What Leaders are Saying about the Women’s Empowerment Principles
We are also inviting companies that sign the CEO Statement of Support to provide us with a brief quote from their CEO indicating why gender equality is good for their company’s business and how the Women’s Empowerment Principles can help their company meet its goals on women’s empowerment. All quotes received will be added to the document ‘What Leaders are Saying about the Women’s Empowerment Principles’ which is available on our webpage: http://www.unifem.org/attachments/partnerships/womens_empowerment_principles/CEO_Quotes_What_Leaders_Are_Saying_June2010.pdf

6. What companies are doing to empower women
We have developed a complementary document to the WEPs called ‘Companies Leading the Way: Putting the Principles into Practice’ (http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/human_rights/Resources/Companies_Leading_the_Way.pdf) that lists examples of the many ways businesses around the world are promoting gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community. We are encouraging companies that have not already done so to send a brief description (1 to 2 paragraphs) of their efforts to empower women to be added to this living document. Please send to Lauren Gula (gulal@un.org) and Laraine Mills (laraine.mills@unifem.org).

7. Translation of the WEPs
The Women’s Empowerment Principles and supplementary materials have now been translated into all UN languages as well as Portuguese. The WEP booklet in all languages can be downloaded from: http://www.unifem.org/materials/item_detail.php?ProductID=166 or http://www.unglobalcompact.org/Issues/human_rights/equality_means_business.html.

In addition, the WEP booklet is now available in hard copy in English, French and Spanish (Arabic, Russian, Chinese and Portuguese coming soon!). To order copies, please contact Lauren Gula (gulal@un.org) and Laraine Mills (laraine.mills@unifem.org). UNIFEM offices and National Committees will each be receiving a standard shipment of booklets automatically from UNIFEM HQ.

Thank you again for your encouragement and support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Joan, Ursula, Lauren and Laraine
Women’s Empowerment Principles Team

UNIFEM (part of UN Women) and the UN Global Compact Office

Joan Libby-Hawk
Public Affairs Chief
United Nations Development Fund for Women -
UNIFEM (part of UN Women)

+1.917.405.6088
joan.libby-hawk@unifem.org

Ursula Wynhoven
Head, Policy & Legal
Special Assistant to the Executive Director
UN Global Compact Office

+1.212.963.5705
wynhoven@un.org

The establishment of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — to be known as UN Women — is a result of years of negotiations between UN Member States and advocacy by the global women’s movement. It is part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.

“I am grateful to Member States for having taken this major step forward for the world’s women and girls,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement welcoming the decision. “UN Women will significantly boost UN efforts to promote gender equality, expand opportunity, and tackle discrimination around the globe.”

“I commend the leadership and staff of DAW, INSTRAW, OSAGI and UNIFEM for their commitment to the cause of gender equality; I will count on their support as we enter a new era in the UN’s work for women,” said Secretary-General Ban. “I have made gender equality and the empowerment of women one of my top priorities — from working to end the scourge of violence against women, to appointing more women to senior positions, to efforts to reduce maternal mortality rates,” he noted.

Over many decades, the UN has made significant progress in advancing gender equality, including through landmark agreements such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Gender equality is not only a basic human right, but its achievement has enormous socio-economic ramifications. Empowering women fuels thriving economies, spurring productivity and growth.

Yet gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in every society. Women in all parts of the world suffer violence and discrimination, and are under-represented in decision-making processes. High rates of maternal mortality continue to be a cause for global shame. For many years, the UN has faced serious challenges in its efforts to promote gender equality globally, including inadequate funding and no single recognized driver to direct UN activities on gender equality issues.

UN Women — which will be operational by January 2011 — has been created by the General Assembly to address such challenges. It will be a dynamic and strong champion for women and girls, providing them with a powerful voice at the global, regional and local levels. It will enhance, not replace, efforts by other parts of the UN system (such as UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA) that continue to have responsibility to work for gender equality and women’s empowerment in their areas of expertise.

UN Women will have two key roles: It will support inter-governmental bodies such as the Commission on the Status of Women in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms, and it will help Member States to implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, as well as forging effective partnerships with civil society. It will also help the UN system to be accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progress.

Secretary-General Ban will appoint an Under-Secretary-General to head the new body and is inviting suggestions from Member States and civil society partners. The Under-Secretary-General will be a member of all senior UN decision-making bodies and will report to the Secretary-General.

“UN Women will give women and girls the strong, unified voice they deserve on the world stage. I look forward to seeing this new entity up and running so that we — women and men — can move forward together in our endeavour to achieve the goals of equality, development and peace for all women and girls, everywhere,” said Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

Today we have achieved our first Say NO milestone – we have recorded 183,132 actions and counting! This is your accomplishment and Say NO is proud to show the world your incredible work on ending violence against women and girls. Read more here.

We continue our journey towards ending violence against women with stronger conviction, thanks to your engagement. Don’t forget to tell us why you Say NO on Facebook and Twitter, and check out the video of the week on YouTube! A new Desktop Calendar for March awaits you here.

Thank you for Saying NO. Your actions inspire us.

Nanette Braun
Head of Communications, UNIFEM

On 8 March, we will commemorate International Women’s Day. While there is much to celebrate, violence against women, affecting up to 70 percent of women worldwide, remains a major obstacle to achieving women’s rights. We are seizing this day to Say NO to violence against women and want to count your voices and reflections.

I Say NO to violence against women because it is one of the most widespread human rights violations. Why do you Say NO?

Join the “I Say NO” testimonial drive, starting today until 8 March, and tell us why YOU Say NO to violence against women. Your voices will be presented to a global audience to raise awareness and inspire others.

• Twitter: Use #ISayNO to tell your followers why YOU Say NO to violence against women! Follow us on Twitter, use “#ISayNO because…” in your updates and learn why people around the world Say NO to violence against women.

• Facebook: Join the conversation on Facebook! Check out the discussions tab, and share your reasons for Saying NO to violence against women and what you think needs to be done. There will be a series of questions brought up within the next two weeks and we want to hear what you have to say!

• Twitter & Facebook: Add the Say NO – UNiTE Twibbon to your Twitter and Facebook profile picture to help spread the word! The emblem will not replace your picture, but added as a small banner on the bottom. Let your followers/friends know and encourage them to do the same.

Every action counts! Whether you use #ISayNO and the Say NO Twibbon on Twitter, or you participate in the discussion on Facebook, your contribution will be counted towards the global action counter to end violence against women. Help Say NO raise 100,000 actions by March 2010 and drive the message to governments worldwide that ending violence against women and girls must be a top priority.

Thank you for Saying NO. Let us count you in.

Nanette Braun
Head of Communications, UNIFEM

PS: Don’t forget to check out our Video of the Week Women on the Frontline – Morocco on YouTube. Watch, share and be counted! Send your video recommendations to sayno.video@unifem.org.

Signed into law as Republic Act No. 9710, the landmark legislation is significantly linked to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which — with assitance from UNIFEM’s CEDAW South East Asia Programme (funded by the Canadian International Development Agency) — provided the framework for the Magna Carta in the last three years. UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Habitat, UNDP, UNAIDS and ILO were also part of that process through the UN Joint Programme.

The CEDAW framework helped to define gender discrimination, state obligation, substantive equality and temporary special measures within the legislation, and outlined provisions to implement these principles. The signed Magna Carta has a number of provisions, such as training all government personnel involved with gender-based violence work in human rights and gender sensitivity, and giving men and women equal status on the issuance of stewardship contracts and patents.

While being lobbied, the Magna Carta was received with opposition from conservative religious parties due to its emphasis on reproductive health. They charged that the bill would promote promiscuity, abortion, divorce and homosexuality. However, that opposition was addressed through dialogue and factual presentations at congressional hearings, in community forums and schools, and through mass media outlets.

After all the attempts to block the passage of the Magna Carta of Women, the Filipino women have finally emerged victorious,” said Liza Maza, the Gabriela Women’s Party Representative in the 13th Congress of the Philippines. “This is a by-product of women’s continuous struggle for equality and serves as a gateway in support to women’s legitimate concerns.

For more information, contact Luz Rodriguez, National Coordinator, UNIFEM Philippines luz.rodriguez[at]unifem.org