Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice March 8,
2007
US State Department
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 205020
Dear Madame Secretary,
To mark the 2007 International Women’s Day, we the
undersigned as members of
FAWCO, the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas, the oldest and largest organization representing private sector Americans living abroad, urge you to express your support and push for final ratification of the CEDAW (Convention to End Discrimination Against Women) treaty.
The United Nations
General Assembly adopted the treaty on Dec 18, 1979 and it was subsequently
signed by the US
in July of 1980. It had full Senate
hearings in 1988, 1990, and 1994 and most recently in 2002. Since that time,
the treaty has languished in committee.
The time has truly
come for the United States to join the
other 185 countries in the world that have signed this treaty designed to help guarantee women’s and girls’
rights, to improve their daily lives, to help encourage female education and to promote women’s self-sufficiency.
Surely as one of the few females in a high-level position of authority
in this administration, you understand more than most that it is in the vital
interests of the United
States today to promote the rights of half
of the world’s population. The US should also encourage the rights
of the youngest girls not only raise the
future generation but also to lead
it.
Name of Member Home Voting State
