No occupation of social life belongs to
woman
because she is a woman or to a man because
he
is a man, but capacities are equally distributed
in the sexes, and woman should naturally
bear
her share in all occupations.
Plato's
Republic
Theme
for Triennium:
Looking Towards the Twenty-First
Century
| Full
Recognition of Women as People |
......................1975 |
| Women
- Their Total Potential |
......................1976 |
| New
Priorities in Changing Life Styles |
......................1977 |
INTERNATIONAL
OFFICERS 1974-1977
President
Beryl Nashar, Australia
Immediate Past President
Nazla L. Dane, Canada
First Vice President Mildred
Head, United Kingdom
Second Vice President
Marjorie Rundle, Zambia
Third Vice President Saira
Arias, Argentina
Vice Presidents Salima
Ahmed, Pakistan
 Louise
Allenspach, Switzerland
Marcelle Devaud, France
Sirkka Lehto, Finland
Ada Somed, Italy
Honorary Secretary Charlotte
VanDine, Canada
Honorary Treasurer M. Joyce
Kinchington, United Kingdom
Beryl
Nashar was elected the tenth president of
the International Federation at the Thirteenth
International Congress (1974) in Buenos
Aires, Argentina. She was the second International
President from Australia. Patience Thoms
was president from 1968 to 1971. Professor
F. L. Clarke, Dean of the Faculty of Economics
and Commerce of University of Newcastle,
presented Professor Nashar, his colleague,
with the University's Honorary Degree of
Doctor of Science. On the occasion, he complimented
Professor Nashar for "sharp perception
and faculty for gaining insights into problems."
He said that "these were the characteristics
that helped her most in attaining an academic
record few Australians have equaled."
They were also the traits that helped her
immeasurably as president of the International
Federation with members from many countries
and cultures.
Proving
to be a gifted student, Beryl Nashar gained
first place in the State in Geology upon
graduation from high school. She graduated
from the University of Sydney first in her
class. She continued her studies as a doctoral
candidate at the University of Tasmania
and was awarded a fellowship by Cambridge
University (UK).
She
became known as Professor Nashar when she
began her twenty-eight year university teaching
career in 1952. Appointed Dean of the Faculty
of Science at the University of Newcastle
in 1969, she was the first woman ever to
hold a Dean's position in an Australian
University.
Professor
Nashar was widely published. Many Australian
students made their first contact with geology
by reading the various texts she had written.
She devoted considerable attention to sharing
her scientific knowledge and expertise with
students in primary and secondary schools.
She made many speeches on the value of education
and especially the education of girls.
It
was most appropriate that a woman who had
achieved a groundbreaking honor in her profession
through tenacity and hard work should be
chosen to lead IFBPW during the groundbreaking
International Women's Year in 1975 and the
commencement of the International Women's
Decade in 1976.
IFBPW
PRESIDENT - HELEN G. IRWIN
1962-1965 USA
IN
MEMORIAM
Helen
Irwin died on June 9, 1976. She was the
International Federation's sixth president
and also served as Chairperson of the International
Federation's Subcommittee on United Nations
Fellowships for many years. Lady Littlewood,
Past International President, wrote, "During
Helen Irwin's term as International President,
I had the privilege of working with her
and learned of her dedication to the work
of the Federation and of her enthusiasm
for the aims and objects of our organization.
All members of the International Federation
will feel the loss of this distinguished
woman."
INTERNATIONAL
WEEK MESSAGES from the INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT
1975 Theme: Full Recognition of Women as
People
"A
nineteenth-century economist said that one
could judge the progress of civilization
by looking at the place of women in it.
A twentieth-century economist said that
economic development is an invitation to
women to join the human race. What will
the economist of the twenty-first century
say?"
1976
Theme: Women - Their Full Potential
"Women's
total potential in the development of their
respective countries is tremendous. It is
the duty of women to combine their talents
and efforts in bringing about acceptance
by society of equal opportunity and responsibility
for men and women in economic, social, cultural
and political activities. To enable women
to use their full potential, it is essential
that they receive the necessary education
and training. These are fundamental for
without them women will not get to first
base. In this respect, BPW members can play
a vital role."
36th
BOARD MEETING
LONDON, ENGLAND, February 16-19, 1976
Thirty-two
countries were represented by 450 women
at the Thirty-Sixth Board Meeting. Ivy Starkie,
as President of the hosting United Kingdom
Federation, cordially welcomed all in attendance.
The theme of the meeting was "Looking
Towards the Twenty-First Century: Women
- Their Full Potential." Developing
the theme in her keynote address at the
official opening ceremony, Shirley Williams,
Member of Parliament (UK), spoke of the
new confidence women have in themselves,
emanating from the knowledge of what women
can do and what many have already done.
However, she cautioned that, "In law,
much has been achieved; in substance, much
remains to be done."
Sally
Oppenheim, Member of Parliament (UK), as
guest speaker at the official opening banquet
of the Board Meeting said, "There are
very few pinnacles that women cannot reach,
but surely the final achievement in the
elevation of the status of women will come
when nobody finds it remarkable that a woman
has scaled these heights."
Discussion
groups at the Board Meeting focused on the
three part theme of International Women's
Year - equality, development and peace -
with questions for discussion prepared by
Joan Bielby, President of BPW New Zealand.
REGIONAL
SEMINARS
Initiated
and organized by President Nashar, an IFBPW
sponsored seminar was held in Rabat, Morocco,
January 8-10, 1977, for Muslim women from
countries of the Middle East. Financial
support came from three sources: the newly
established Marjory Lacey-Baker Trust/Madesin
Phillips Fund, International Planned Parenthood
Federation, and governments of the countries
in the region. The seminar was hosted by
the newly formed Rabat Club under the leadership
of its President, Fatem Zahra Tazi. Princess
Lalla Meryem, daughter of the King of Morocco,
officially opened the seminar.
Participants
came to the seminar from fourteen countries.
The theme was "The Muslim Woman - Her
Full Potential" with four subheadings:
education, health and family planning, employment,
and legal status. International Vice President,
Salima Ahmed (Pakistan), was the seminar's
keynote speaker and spoke on the subject
of legal status. Thirty per cent fewer girls
than boys completed a secondary education
in Morocco in 1977, while only five per
cent of those enrolled at the university
level were women.
The
Third All Africa Seminar was held in Gaborone,
Botswana in 1975. It attracted members from
seven countries. Establishment of a Regional
Committee for Africa was a direct outcome
of this seminar.
MEMBERSHIP
COMMITTEE
Marjorie
Rundle (Zambia), Membership Committee Chairperson,
reported that there were affiliates in 62
countries in 1977, 6 more countries than
in 1974.
At
the request of the Executive Committee,
Lucile Dunham (USA) made a return trip during
the triennium to the region of Southeast
Asia in order to consolidate the membership
work she had begun in the previous triennium.
With financial support from the Lena Madesin
Phillips Fund, she made an extended membership
drive to twenty-one countries. The Membership
Chairperson thanked her for undertaking
such an intensive membership campaign noting
that it was an incredible test of endurance.
As
the committee member responsible for Europe,
Rosmarie Michel (Switzerland) organized
a membership seminar in 1975 with fifteen
European Federations to discuss ways of
encouraging younger women to join. It was
held in conjunction with a "Leadership
in Business" seminar hosted by BPW
Switzerland. Marjorie Rundle expressed appreciation
for Rosmarie Michel's leadership in this
endeavor.
The
Membership Chairperson thanked several other
people for promoting membership: Blanche
Weekes, Maud Cussen, and Ethel Barker, all
members of BPW Ireland and Velma Jardine
(Trinidad).
HONORARY
TREASURER/FINANCE COMMITTEE
Joyce
Kinchington (UK), Honorary Treasurer, reported
that she had to use capital in order to
meet the International Federation's day-to-day
expenses during the first two years of the
triennium because income had fallen short
by $34,000. However, she was pleased to
report that the budget for the 1976/77 fiscal
year was balanced due primarily to the benefit
of the dues' increase which had become effective
on April 1, 1975. She said, "The International
Federation could now be said to be living
within its means," but she warned members
about the danger of having a "bargain
basement" attitude in relation to dues
because "it was a small price to pay
for what IFBPW meant to each one of them
- let alone what it had meant and would
mean to women throughout the world."
She hoped that "in the future, members
would be as forward thinking in financial
matters as they were in promoting the aims
of the International Federation."
Myra
Ruth Harmon (USA), Finance Committee Chairperson,
and her committee recommended an increase
in dues from fifty to seventy-five cents
per member. Delegates of the Fourteenth
Congress voted to approve the increase to
become effective on April 1, 1979.
PUBLICATIONS
COMMITTEE
The
Chairperson of the Publications Committee,
Delia Dalton (UK), reported that the Manual
of Procedures, first published in 1971,
had been updated and renamed the Handbook.
It was now available in the International
Federation's three working languages: English,
French and Spanish.
The
editor of Widening Horizons, Ruth Jowett,
described the two functions of the quarterly
magazine as providing a means of communication
between National Federations and Associate
Clubs around the world and publicizing the
International Federation. She reported a
slight increase in number of subscriptions
and thanked thirty members who had contributed
to the magazine as correspondents.
EDUCATIONAL
AND CULTURAL COMMITTEE/UNESCO
Jeanne
Chaton (France), Chairperson of the Educational
and Cultural Committee and also the UNESCO
Representative, pointed out that the two
positions complemented each other since
it was through this committee that information
about UNESCO was circulated to members.
The Committee had dealt with questions concerning
eradication of discrimination against women,
the promotion of lifelong education, and
increased access to cultural opportunities
by women during the triennium. The Chairperson
said, "We are convinced that education
is the basis of social progress and must
precede any of the structural modifications
which have been planned, and on this we
want to be heard the world over." She
reported that during the triennium affiliates
had undertaken literacy campaigns for adults,
educational and vocational guidance programs
at the primary and secondary level, and
the provision of grants to encourage women
to enroll in higher education at advanced
levels.
In
the field of culture, many affiliates had
taken part in the cultural development of
their communities by arranging talks and
conferences on art and literature, by encouraging
the development of handicrafts, and by arranging
art exhibitions of women's work.
Jeanne
Chaton described UNESCO's plans for participating
in the Decade for Women as including four
areas of emphasis: education, social sciences,
culture, and communication. She stated that
proof of the effectiveness of the International
Federation's relationship with UNESCO was
the presence at Congress in 1977 of Yasmina
Zahran of the Department of Education who
was representing the Director General of
UNESCO. Yasmina Zahran paid tribute to Jeanne
Chaton for bringing the International Federation
into closer collaboration with UNESCO.
EMPLOYMENT
CONDITIONS COMMITTEE/ILO
Madeleine
Jaccard (Switzerland), Chairperson of the
Employment Conditions Committee, reminded
affiliates that her report also covered
her work as the International Labor Organization
(ILO) Representative in Geneva. Her report
had been written with a view to helping
members understand the questions which were
being dealt with by their own governments
concerning women workers and the participation
of women in economic development. She advised
affiliates wishing to study the field of
employment and professional training to
contact the ILO directly for the most up-to-date,
precise and detailed information.
The
relations between the International Federation
and the International Labor Organization
were given new impetus at the beginning
of 1976 by the appointment of Nobuko Takahashi
as ILO Assistant Director-General and Advisor
to the Director-General on questions related
to the Programme on Working Women. A member
of the International Federation and former
President of the Japanese Federation, Nobuko
Takahashi attended the Fourteenth Congress
in 1977 and gave a speech on the subject
of "The New Woman and Industrialization."
The Programme on Working Women was based
on the ILO's five year plan (1976-1981)
to implement the recommendations contained
in The World Plan of Action adopted at the
1975 World Conference of the International
Women's Year and included specific ILO recommendations.
Problems concerning women workers such as
the ILO Night Work Labor Convention for
Women (No. 89) and inequality of treatment
in the field of social security, between
men and women, were the focus of the ILO's
five-year plan.
A questionnaire
pertaining to one of the essential aims
of the International Federation - the further
training of members in order to qualify
for higher positions - was prepared and
sent out to members by the Employment Conditions
Committee. The Committee recommended that
affiliates consider the subject a top priority.
PROJECTS
COMMITTEE
The
Ad Hoc Rehabilitation and Refugee Relief
Committee was renamed the Projects Committee
and was upgraded to Standing Committee status
in 1974. It had functioned as an Ad Hoc
Committee since 1962.
UNIVERSITY
of WEST INDIES SOCIAL WELFARE TRAINING CENTRE
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM - U.W.I./UNICEF
Mildred
Head (UK), Chairperson of the Projects Committee,
reported that the University of the West
Indies continued to offer an intensive residential
four-month course in principles and practice
of social work for mature women at its Social
Welfare Centre and had expressed appreciation
to the International Federation and affiliates
for contributions to the scholarship program.
WOMEN
and VOCATIONAL CENTRE at RAMALLAH SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM - UNRWA/UNESCO
The
continuing support given to "Ramallah"
during the triennium was outstanding, according
to the Chairperson. The cost of a one year
scholarship was $700. During the triennium,
affiliates contributed approximately $20,000
to the Centre.
The
first person to be sponsored in a practical
training course by the recently established
Marjory Lacey-Baker Trust/Madesin Phillips
Fund was a 1974 "Ramallah" graduate,
Haifa Ja'ouni. During her required six month
internship following graduation, she worked
at the International Headquarters, thus
broadening her experience in office management.
She also attended evening school classes.
 Projects
Committee Chairperson Mildred Head paid
tribute at Congress (1977) to In'am Mufti
(Founder President of BPW Jordan) "for
rendering a service to refugee girls that
cannot be measured in her position as the
Founding Director of the Centre at Ramallah
and for being its leading force and inspiration
for twelve years." Expressing her heartfelt
appreciation to Congress, In'am Mufti told
the membership: "You [IFBPW and affiliates]
have helped so many young women who had
lost all hope in their young lives, girls
who were refugees living under very difficult
circumstances who wanted to improve their
situation and who wanted to be independent
and to lead a decent sort of life. By providing
education, you gave them hope and the opportunity
for a brighter future. This demonstration
of international understanding has encouraged
the 'Ramallah' graduates to become better
citizens and participate in striving for
peace in an area where there has been strife
for such a long time."
International
President Beryl Nashar convened a meeting
with presidents of other Women's International
Non-Governmental Organizations (WINGOs)
at the 1975 World Conference of International
Women's Year in Mexico City. Believing that
the combined efforts of several organizations
could achieve more than the total of the
separate efforts of each, she made a proposal
in 1976 that international women's organizations
should cooperate on projects that would
benefit women in developing countries. Her
proposal was given official approval by
the WINGOs in 1977. President Nashar further
suggested that the leadership of a project
should come from whichever international
organization was strongest in the developing
country where the project was located (Widening
Horizons, 1982, 51:4 p.5). President Nashar's
successor, Mildred Head, carried on with
the project proposal throughout her term
as International President. The project
was officially founded in 1982 with the
name "Project Five-O."
UNITED
NATIONS COMMITTEE
According
to Nazla Dane (Canada), Immediate Past President/United
Nations Committee Chairperson, a major focus
of her committee's activities during the
triennium had been International Women's
Year and the beginning of the United Nations
Decade for Women: Equality, Development
and Peace 1976-1985. Other areas of interest
were human settlements, population and the
world food supply. The Committee published
three issues of Programme Notes which expanded
on the triennial theme "Looking Towards
the Twenty-First Century" and included
information for use by affiliates.
Strategies
for dealing with increasing world population
while at the same time encouraging national
development and production of sufficient
food to sustain population growth were the
subjects of two United Nations conferences
that took place in 1974. The World Population
Conference and accompanying NGO Tribune
were held in Bucharest followed by the World
Food Conference in Rome. IFBPW was represented
at both conferences.
As
an official observer, Nazla Dane attended
the 1976 United Nation's Conference on Human
Settlements (HABITAT) in Vancouver, Canada.
The purpose of the Conference was to assess
the distribution of the world's population,
compare life in urban and rural areas, and
address the food, water, energy, housing,
education, employment and social service
requirements of the world's rapidly escalating
population. As the International Federation's
official observer at the Conference, Nazla
Dane submitted a statement on behalf of
the organization which was distributed to
government delegations, non-governmental
organizations and others. Day care centers
for children of working parents, conditions
of employment, special needs of one-parent
families, access of girls and women in rural
areas to education and training were mentioned
in the IFBPW statement as areas that needed
consideration. Marjorie Lee (Canada) attended
HABITAT and reported in Widening Horizons,
Autumn, 1976, that "the unanimous commitment
of governments to providing clean water
for all human settlements by 1990 and the
authorization of a separate 'water' conference
to be held in Argentina, in 1977, could
well be the key commitment of HABITAT."
Delegates
at Congress in 1977 passed a resolution
on "Employed Women and the Issues of
Water, Food and Community" which stated
that the issue of potable water, adequate
nutrition and improved measures for community
development should be subjects of concern
to the International Federation's future
programs and policies.
INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN'S YEAR
The
three objectives of International Women's
Year (1975) were to: intensify action to
promote equality between men and women (equality);
increase women's contribution to national
and international development (development);
and recognize the importance of women's
increasing contribution to the strengthening
of world peace (peace).
Why
did the United Nations proclaim an International
Women's Year? In recognition of the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the Commission on the Status
of Women in 1972, the suggestion had been
made by non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
and others that the United Nations should
declare an International Year for the advancement
of women. A proposal was then drafted by
the Commission on the Status of Women recommending
an International Women's Year. It was approved
by the General Assembly of the United Nations
in 1972. The United Nations had always been
committed to the goal of equal rights for
men and women as proclaimed in its Charter
(1945) and further elaborated in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The
Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women (DEDAW), adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly in 1967, stated
that "discrimination against women
is incompatible with human dignity and the
welfare of the human family and society,"
However, despite these Declarations, women
still did not enjoy full equality with men
in any country. International Women's Year
was approved in order to find ways to fulfill
the promises of the United Nations Charter.
It was a call to governments and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) alike to take action.
The
official emblem of the International Women's
Year consisted of a stylized dove symbolizing
peace, the biological symbol for woman,
and the mathematical sign for equality.
The
special International Women's Year project
adopted by the IFBPW at its International
Board Meeting in 1973 was the establishment
of "search parties" by members
to seek information about discrimination
in their own countries and communities.
WORLD
CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S
YEAR
June 19 -July 2, 1975 Mexico City, Mexico
 The
World Conference of the International Women's
Year served as the focal point of the observance
of the Year. According to Kurt Waldheim,
Secretary-General of the United Nations,
the Conference represented "the first
major step in a concerted and worldwide
endeavor to provide true equality for women
in society." It was the first intergovernmental
conference ever devoted exclusively to women
and their concerns. A total of 1,200 delegates
from 133 Member States of the United Nations
attended the Conference. President Nashar
and Esther Hymer (USA), IFBPW Representative
to the UN in New York, attended the Conference
as the International's official observers.
The
documents adopted by the World Conference
were the "Declaration of Mexico City
on the Equality of Women and their Contribution
to Development and Peace" and the "World
Plan of Action for the Implementation of
the Objectives of the International Women's
Year." These documents offered guidelines
to Member States of the United Nations,
organizations and individuals around the
world for intensification of action in advancing
the position of women and ensuring their
full and equal participation in society.
BPW
Finland member, Helvi Sipila, was the United
Nations Secretary-General of both the International
Women's Year and the World Conference of
the International Women's Year. She inspired
women to continue their work in the face
of what, at times, seemed like insurmountable
odds with these memorable words:
We
might like to see the promised land come
to earth today
and not in the distant future,
but in the real world we have to confine
ourselves to the policy
of small steps.
We must maintain our tempo and movement
constantly;
only with such a determined struggle are
we able to reach our
goals.
If one loses one's hope for the future,
with it, one loses one's own heart.
 The
presidents of the Women's International
Non-Governmental Organizations (WINGOs)
held a series of meetings during the World
Conference initiated by IFBPW President,
Beryl Nashar. The result of these meetings
was to issue a joint statement to the Plenary
Session of the World Conference. While in
Mexico City, the WINGOs also met with Helvi
Sipila, Secretary-General of the World Conference
(UN Bulletin, 1975, no.3).
1975
NGO TRIBUNE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S
YEAR
The
NGO Tribune ran concurrently in Mexico City
with the World Conference and was attended
by 6,000 representatives of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) who came from 110 countries
and represented 114 organizations. Esther
Hymer (USA), IFBPW Representative to the
UN in New York, was Chairperson of the NGO
Planning Committee for International Women's
Year. As Chairperson, she was in charge
of both the preliminary planning and day-to-day
running of the NGO Tribune. Debates, workshops
and programs relating to International Women's
Year were featured. Many members of IFBPW
attended, and some participated as leaders
of workshops.
Enid
Kirton, a member of the South Trinidad Club
and the International Membership Committee,
attended the World Conference and NGO Tribune.
She reported that "economic and political
issues had dominated discussions at both
the Tribune and the Conference to such an
extent that some people felt that the needs
of women were shortchanged." On the
contrary, she believed that "economics
and politics were the basis of power in
any society today." A favorite adage
of President Beryl Nashar, "if you
ain't in it, you can't win it," summed
up Enid Kirton's belief that "women's
participation in economics and politics
must expand." She concluded her report
by saying, "If NGOs such as IFBPW carry
out their mandates to assist in the improvement
of literacy, nutrition, health, farming
and handicraft among rural women, the time
will come when woman power will be a force
to be reckoned with (Widening Horizons,
1975, 44:4 p.8)."
Esther
Hymer (USA) listed several notable results
of the World Conference: a proclamation
by the General Assembly of the period from
1976-1985 as the United Nations Decade For
Women; establishment of the International
Research and Training Institute for the
Advancement of Women (INSTRAW); approval
of a second World Conference to be held
in 1980 to review and evaluate progress
on the 'World Plan of Action" adopted
at the 1975 World Conference.
PROCLAMATION
OF THE UNITED NATIONS DECADE FOR WOMEN:
EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE 1976-1985
Five
months after the World Conference, the United
Nations proclaimed the period from 1976
to 1985 as the United Nations Decade for
Women: Equality, Development and Peace,
often simply referred to as the Decade for
Women. The Decade was to be devoted to the
implementation of the goals set forth in
the "World Plan of Action" adopted
at the 1975 World Conference.
IFBPW
PUBLICATIONS RELATED TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Words into Action
-an
eight page summary of the "World Plan
of Action"
adopted at the World Conference of the International
Women's
Year with suggestions for action by affiliates.
IFBPW
Launches into International Women's Decade
IFBPW Participation in the Work of the United
Nations, 1946-1977
14th
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS
HELSINKI, FINLAND, June 13-17, 1977
The
Fourteenth International Congress was officially
opened by Anna-Liisa Linkola, Deputy Speaker
of Parliament in Finland, the first woman
to hold such a high office. She was a Past
President of BPW Finland and a former Vice
President of IFBPW. Sirkka Lehto, President
of the Finnish Federation, extended greetings
to the 1,125 delegates and observers representing
40 countries and noted that it was the first
time that Finland had been the site of an
International Congress. The theme of the
Fourteenth Congress was "The Challenge
to the New Woman."
 The
keynote speaker for the official Opening
Ceremony of Congress, Helvi Sipila, was
a member of the Helsinki Club and former
member of the National Board of Directors
of BPW Finland. She was the first woman
ever appointed as Assistant Secretary-General
of the United Nations. In addition, she
was Secretary-General of the World Conference
of the International Women's Year as well
as of the United Nations Decade for Women
(1976-1985). She said, "The three main
objectives of the International Women's
Year in 1975 equality, development and peace
- had formed the basis for the "World
Plan of Action" and were the main force
behind the Decade for Women 1976-1985. Each
country had to decide on its own national
strategy to implement 'The Plan.' "
Helvi Sipila urged members to "work
toward implementation not only through membership
in this non-governmental organization, IFBPW,
but also as individual citizens in their
own countries." In concluding her speech,
the UN Assistant Secretary-General implored
the members of IFBPW to "use their
powers and knowledge to continue supporting
and contributing to society and especially
to the situation of the hundreds of women,
children and families living in poverty
worldwide."
The
Constitution (Article V - "Representation
at an International Congress") was
amended at Congress in 1977 to ensure that
the number of voting delegates at Congress
from each National Federation would be determined
in proportion to the number of paid-up members.
Following passage of the amendment, the
number of delegates per National Federation
ranged from a minimum of three delegates
per five hundred members or less to a maximum
of six delegates per five thousand members
or more. Note: Prior to this amendment,
each National Federation had been represented
at Congress by six voting delegates, irrespective
of the number of members in their Federation.
PRESIDENT'S
ADDRESS
President
Nashar told Congress that she had visited
affiliates in thirty-two countries during
her term. She complimented the membership
on their response to the unique event that
had occurred during her term in 1975 - International
Women's Year. Members had initiated campaigns
to elevate the status of women. Many served
on National Commissions, assisted through
literacy programs, or helped find solutions
for health and family problems.
The
President told Congress participants that
"International Women's Year was not
the be-all and end-all but the start of
a long tedious process." Furthermore,
she said, ''We cannot change the attitude
of society overnight. Each successive generation
will see a change for the better."
President Nashar reminded all present that
it was now 1977, the second year of International
Women's Decade, the Decade to implement
the "World Plan of Action" and
that each person should work to implement
the following goals for women: active involvement
of non-governmental organizations, full
political participation, increased integration
in economic life, additional education and
training opportunities, adequate civic and
social provisions, legal guarantees, services
for the urban and rural poor, and the establishment
of government machinery to speed the achievement
of the aims of the Decade.
At
the conclusion of President Nashar's term,
Mildred Head (UK), International First Vice
President, expressed appreciation on behalf
of the membership by saying, "A dedication
to the aims of IFBPW, supported by great
visions for the future, a directness of
purpose, an ability to communicate with
all people has enabled Beryl Nashar to build
on the past and provide the promise of an
exciting future. For this, we are all grateful."
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