Introduction
FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas) has had consultative status with ECOSOC since 1997. In 2017, we celebrated 20 years of active engagement at the UN. FAWCO is a global network of women's organizations with around 10,000 members in 30 countries. In the quadrennial report period 2017 - 2020 we continued our advocacy and action to improve the lives of women and girls around the world.
FAWCO's mission is to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide in four focus areas: education, environment, health and human rights. We raise awareness among our members and the public through our website, newsletters, bulletins and social media. We support the United Nations mission, and promote and join in UN campaigns.
Every two years at our international conference, we elect a new Board. We elected a new Board in 2019 for the period 2019 - 2021. In March 2021, we will elect a new Board. In 2019 we initiated a new three-year Target Program to raise awareness about a global issue and fundraise for a related project. (See below for more information about FAWCO Target Projects in the report period.)
FAWCO UN Representatives are active participants in conferences and events at the UN in New York, Geneva, Vienna and other cities, supporting the work of the United Nations. We are members of NGO Committees on the Status of Women in New York, Geneva and Vienna, the NGO Committee on Migration in New York, and the US Women's Caucus at the UN. FAWCO is an organizational member of the Board of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO). Each year, we assist in drafting and sign on to civil society advocacy statements and organize parallel events in connection with the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Social Development, and the Human Rights Council. FAWCO has Observer Status at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and we are members of the Women and Gender Constituency at the UNFCCC.
FAWCO UN representatives and members participate in meetings and conferences in connection with the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on Social Development, Human Rights Council and UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties, as well as conferences of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna (Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and Transnational Organized Crime). In 2018 we contributed to meetings and negotiations on the Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees through our work on the NGO Committee on Migration. Of course in 2020, our participation in all UN conferences and events was virtual. We are currently a member of the NGO committee organizing the NGO CSW65 Forum and we are involved in the CSW North America & Europe Caucus.
FAWCO works with UN Women, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department of Global Communication, the International Organization on Migration, the Human Rights Council, and UNFCCC.
In 2020, FAWCO launched an SDG Awareness Program for the Decade of Action (2020 - 2030), promoting the SDGs and Agenda 2030 among our members. Our Target Programs and Global Issues Teams raise awareness of the UN development agenda and use the SDGs as their framework for communication and action. Our Target Project for 2016 - 2019 was focused on education, and we raised over $190,000 to support the Collateral Repair Project in Amman, Jordan with education and training for displaced women and girls. Our Target Project for 2019 - 2022 is focused on health, and raises funds for Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania to support Safe Alternatives for FGM Elimination in the Mara Region.