UN Advocacy: FAWCO Annual Report 2019
In 2019, FAWCO UN Reps continued to strengthen our advocacy and activism on gender equality, human rights, climate action and migration, and promoted the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Highlights of the year included the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) where FAWCO presented our first event at the NGO Forum and delivered an oral statement; and active participation at the Beijing+25 Regional Review meetings in Geneva and the Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP25) in Madrid. Four new members joined the FAWCO UN Reps Team in 2019: Karen Castellon (AWC Berlin), Sue England (IWC Munich), Rhonda Staudt (AWC Berlin) and Cecilia Zhuang (AW Philippines). UN Reps increased awareness of our work by engaging with FAWCO social media, blogging about UN conferences, publishing the UN Liaison Bulletin, leading virtual information sessions, and contributing to FAWCO regional meetings.
Gender Equality
The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the largest global gathering of activists for women's rights and gender equality; in 2019, over 5,000 women and men from around the world attended. FAWCO's delegation of 16 to CSW63 included Anette Arnold (AWC Berlin), Karen Boeker (AWC Denmark), Karen Castellon (AWC Berlin) and her daughter Claire, Alexandra De Jager (FAUSA), Yolanda Henry (FAUSA), Hari Kitching (FAUSA), Claire Mathijsen (AAWE Paris) and her Kenyan colleague Elizabeth Tunoi, Pam Perraud (FAUSA), Jane Politi (AWA Rome), Melissa Ruggles (AWC Amsterdam), Dorothy Wagle (ACIW Mumbai), and Amanda Lane (CRP) and her daughter.
For the first time, FAWCO held an NGO Forum event at CSW: “Fulfilling Unmet Needs: NGOs Leaving No One Behind”. On March 14, a panel of FAWCO women spoke about their work with grassroots organizations in Cambodia, India, Kenya and Jordan, providing housing, water, women's health, nutrition, vocational training, and psychosocial support in their communities. The panelists were Yolanda Henry, Dottie Wagle, Claire Mathijsen and her colleague Elizabeth Tunoi from Kenya, and Amanda Lane.
FAWCO is a member of the US Women's Caucus at the UN. Pam Perraud (FAUSA and AAWE Paris) and Erica Higbie (FAUSA) are active members of the Caucus, contributing to policy and advocacy work.
Eight FAWCO members took part in the UN Economic Commission for Europe Beijing+25 Regional Review Meetings and Civil Society Forum in Geneva from October 28-30: Sallie Chaballier (AAWE Paris), Paula Daeppen (AWC Zurich), Georgia Kallis (AWO Greece), Pam Perraud, Anne Riz (AWC Bern), Tara Scott (AWC Central Scotland), Rhonda Staudt (AWC Berlin), and UN Liaison Laurie Richardson (AWA Vienna).
New FAWCO UN Rep Cecilia Zhuang-Haas (AWC the Philippines and Regional Coordinator for Region 11) is the first UN Rep in the Asia-Pacific Region. When she was a member of AWC Rabat, she organized “Realizing Women’s Potential at the Workplace,” an event on elimination of cultural and social obstacles to gender equality in the MENA region. Cecilia received the Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad award from US Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
NGO Committees on the Status of Women
Erica Higbie works with the NGO CSW NY Generation Equality Forum Advisory Working Group to ensure they represent the needs and carry forward the mandates of global civil society. She is a member of the Beijing+25 working group on participation, accountability and gender-responsive institutions.
Anne Riz (AWC Bern) is Treasurer of NGO CSW Geneva. Paula Daeppen (AWC Zurich) is NGO CSW Geneva Parliamentarian and Advisor. She is a member of the new finance committee, which will also address membership recruitment and retention.
UN Liaison Laurie Richardson (AWA Vienna) serves as Chair of NGO CSW Vienna and is FAWCO's representative on the Board of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the UN (CoNGO).
Human Rights
Karen Castellon (AWC Berlin), Chair of the Human Rights Team, joined the UN Reps Team to follow the work of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) along with Sue England (IWC Munich). They covered meetings of the HRC via livestream. Rhonda Staudt (AWC Berlin), a new UN Rep, also a member of the Human Rights Team, focused on women's and children's rights. Many members of the UN Reps Team joined in the 16 Days Campaign project reading the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Climate Change
FAWCO UN Reps Ayuska Motha and Stacey Kimmig (AIWC Cologne) are actively engaged with the work of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn. FAWCO co-sponsored a side-event on climate-induced migration with other members of the Women and Gender Constituency (WGC): “Climate-induced migration: understanding systemic drivers and symptomatic responses to vulnerabilities”. Ayuska and Stacey attended the Conference of the Parties (COP25) in Madrid, along with Joan Evers (AWC Madrid), a member of the Environment Team. FAWCO co-sponsored a side event at COP25: "Beyond Labels, Beyond Borders: Advancing Rights-Based Protection of Climate-induced Migrants". Ayuska and Stacey participated in regular meetings with the WGC and the Human Rights and Climate Change working group. Ayuska is also a member of FAWCO's Environment Team.
Migration
Jane McCall Politi (AWC Rome) is Vice-Chair of the NGO Committee on Migration in New York, and co-convener of the Migrant and Refugee Subcommittee, promoting early childhood development for children in migration contexts. FAWCO co-sponsored side events and signed statements on “Social Protection for Migrants and Refugees: A Tool for Building Peaceful & Inclusive Societies”; “Migrant and Refugee-Led Social Protection Measures: A Child Sensitive Approach”; and “Social Protection in Migration Contexts: Women- and Child-Sensitive Approaches”. Jane attended the annual UN High Commission for Refugees (HCR) NGO Consultations in Geneva in July.
Grace Christovasilis (AWO Greece) worked with theUNHCR Inter-Agency Consultation Forum (IACF) as FAWCO UN Rep to UNHCR in Greece. She is a member of the UNHCR-led IACF with over 34 participating NGO partners. She attended a conference organized by the National Commission for Human Rights and UNHCR Greece,“Social Integration of Beneficiaries of International Protection in Greece: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects for the Future”. Grace connected the founder of Habibi.works, an NGO working with refugees in Ioánnina, with members of the FAWCO Refugee Network and AWC Heidelberg and Basel.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Tammy Mayer (AAWE Paris) worked on the development of a new FAWCO SDG Awareness Project and an SDG Toolkit for FAWCO clubs, to be launched in 2020. She presented the UN program and the SDGs at a regional meeting in London. Melissa Ruggles (AWC Amsterdam) analyzed how FAWCO Foundation Development Grants have helped to achieve the SDGs, and made a presentation on FAWCO's UN activities at a regional meeting in Amsterdam.
Advocacy
As an active member of the UN NGO community, FAWCO joins with other civil society organizations in developing and promoting advocacy through statements, position papers and letters to UN agencies and commissions. These advocacy statements are posted on FAWCO's website (https://www.fawco.org/un-advocacy/fawco-at-the-un/advocacy).
For the regional review of Beijing+25, FAWCO signed a Beijing+25 Statement developed by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women Vienna, stating that we must continue to advocate and stand up for women's rights, especially in times of anti-rights push back.
FAWCO endorsed an oral statement that Laurie Richardson delivered at CSW63, calling for re-allocation of military budgets to achieve the SDGs and create a more peaceful planet.
FAWCO signed on to five written statements submitted to UN Women for CSW63 on the priority theme “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls”.
FAWCO and other NGOs signed an open letter to UN Member States, Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights, against the postponement of sessions of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, due to UN funding shortfalls.
FAWCO joined the US Women's Caucus at the UN in signing a letter to US Secretary of State Pompeo condemning the US State Department's policies on women's human rights, especially sexual and reproductive health and rights.
For the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council, FAWCO signed a statement on women's health and rights and climate change.
November 20 marked 30 years since the 1989 adoption by global leaders of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). FAWCO advocates for ratification of the CRC by the US (the only UN Member State which has not ratified it).