WUNRN
To Sign Petition for 5th World
Conference on Women:
WRITTEN STATEMENT FOR ECOSOC
Geneva 4-7 July 2011
Submitted by the Women’s World
Title:
The need for a 5th
World Conference on Women
The last
United Nations World Conference on Women took place in
Recommendation
The undersigned
recommend to the 54 ECOSOC Member Governments to decide on convening a UN 5th World Conference on Women, preferably
in 2015. Such a UN Conference would be the first in the
21st century and would not re-negotiate the Beijing decisions but deal
primarily with new and emerging issues, i.e. food, water, financial and fuel
crisis and nuclear challenges, as well as information technologies and social
networks, that can bring issues and solutions into expanded global awareness, increase
education, generate empowerment and unprecedented participation.
While there
has been progress in women’s education, there is still need for equity in
employment, politics and social relations. Of the world's nearly one billion
illiterate adults, two-thirds are women.
UN Women headed by Under Secretary-General
Michelle Bachelet and a UN NGO 5WCW will generate renewed global awareness of
both this new super agency and the conference, raise consciousness,
media-coverage and funds for both.
The proceedings of delegates can be transmitted
via live-streaming, webcasts, smartphones and other technologies emerging by
2015, to reach every woman, man and youth throughout the world, catalyzing a
societal transformation by confronting our common challenges and creating a new
future.
Another positive result will be the empowerment of the next generation of women leaders who will get to know one another during a 5WCW, share experiences, programs, and stay connected.
With the MDGs coming up for review in 2015, which
touch essential aspects of women’s well-being and the need for women’s
empowerment for full realization, increased mobilization of women has proven
the most effective and often the only reason for gains made so far. Great
solidarity and international cooperation is also needed to achieve the shared
objectives of the International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD) by 2015.
A 5WCW will also raise concern about the world’s children and youth and for the creation of a culture of prevention of abuse and violence. Two-thirds of the 130 million children worldwide who are not in school are girls. Gender equality furthers the cause of child survival and development for all of society.
Women want a UN 5WCW
Once the decision to have this conference is made, the news will spread from woman to woman and the world will be better for it.
Indicators: An
online grassroots petition has over 11’000 signatures standing behind a 5th
WCW.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-a-un-5th-world-conference-on-women.html
Elly
Pradervand, Founder/CEO
Women’s World
Co-Signatures (as of 21 April 2011)
Intervida International
International
Human Rights Advocates, Inc.
World Movement of Mothers (MMM)
International Council of Women (ICW)
International Public Policy Institute (IPPI)
Worldwide Organization of Women (WOW)
The Women's Intercultural Network (WIN)
Sovereign Military Order of the
Women’s Welfare Centre (
Women’s Forum (
Girls' Power Initiative (
Women’s UN Report Network (WUNRN) part of
the Tandem Project
US Federation for
African Commission on Health Promoters and
Human Rights
Catholics for Choice
World Pulse