I.
Participation in the work of the United
Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
and its subsidiary bodies and major United
Nations conferences
I.1
UN ECOSOC: BPW International attended
substantive Sessions of the Economic and
Social Council in Geneva on 28 July –
15 August 2003 and 7-25 August 2006.
I.2
United Nations Office – New York:
BPW International has attended the Commission
on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York
annually. BPW International, International
Council of Women, International Federation
of University Women, Soroptimist International
and Zonta International (Project 5-O) have
typically submitted joint written and/or
oral statements. BPW International organized
and/or co-organized workshops in parallel
to CSW sessions.
- For the
CSW 47th Session, 3-14 March
2003, Project 5-O submitted a joint
statement on Violence Against Women
and presented an oral statement on Women
and Media / Information and Communication
Technology (ICT). BPW International
co-organized Project 5-O workshops:
Good Practices to Handle High Priority
in Violence against Women, 4 March 2003
and Equal Access to Knowledge for Women
through Information and Communication
Technologies and Media, 6 March 2003.
BPW International Vice President was
a keynote speaker at the NGO/CSW Consultation
on 1 March 2003 on Women and ICT and
presented the BPW statement on the Fifth
Women’s World Conference at the
meeting of NGOs.
- For the
CSW 48th Session, 1-12 March
2004, Project 5-O submitted Joint Statement
on Women and Armed Conflicts and presented
oral statement on the role of men and
boys in achieving gender equality. BPW
International co-organized the workshop
Women Enabling Peace Process: Opportunities
and Partnerships to implement UN Security
Council Resolution 1325, 1 March 2004,
and organized the workshop Women for
Peace, 2 March 2004.
- For the
CSW 49th Session, 28 February-11
March 2005, Project 5-O submitted statement
on Review of the implementation of the
Beijing Platform for Action and presented
oral statement on Forward-looking strategies
for the advancement of women and girls.
BPW International organized the workshop
Beijing +10 Review: Two Steps Forward
and One Step Back, 1 March 2005.
- For the
CSW 50th Session on 27 February-10
March 2006, BPW International organized
the workshop Return on Investment When
More Women Become Executives, 28 February
2006. BPW representatives have also
served as members and as co-chair of
the NGO Planning Committee for NGO/CSW
Consultation Day and other events of
the CSW sessions; executive committee
of the NGO Committee on Status of Women;
executive committee of the NGO Committee
on UNIFEM, and have been actively involved
in consultation activities at 2 week
review of the Convention on Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW), 2003-2006.
I.3
United Nations Office - Vienna (UNOV):
BPW Representatives in Vienna worked closely
with the Conference of NGOs (CONGO) and
were members of NGO Committees on Peace,
on Narcotic Drugs, on Development, on UNIFEM,
on Human Rights, on Family and on the Status
of Women. BPW Representatives attended committee
meetings monthly and helped develop Joint
Statements to United Nations meetings. Key
ones which BPW International co-signed included
Joint statements on Women Trafficking and
Women and Poverty for the CSW 49th Session
in March 2005; Joint statement to UNECE
Regional preparatory meeting for the 10
year review and appraisal of the Beijing
Platform for Action, 14-15 December 2004;
Joint Statement for the 11th ministerial
meeting of the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XI) in
Sao Paolo, Brazil, 13-18 June 2004, etc.
I.4
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) - Vienna:
BPW International attended UNODC meetings
in Vienna: (a) Commission on Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice, 12th session, 13-22
May 2003, 13th Session, 11-20 May 2004;
(b) Commission on Narcotic Drugs 46th session,
16-17 April 2003 and 8-10 December 2003,
and 47th Session, 16-25 March 2004; (c)
Conference of Parties to the UN Convention
against Transnational Organized Crime (TOC)
1st session, 28 June -July 2004 and 2nd
Session, 10-21 October 2005; (d) Expert
Meeting on Drug Abuse Treatment for Women
on 15-17 December 2003. BPW International
attended the Ad Hoc Committee to prepare
draft rules of procedure for Conference
of Parties to the UN Convention against
TOC, 13th session, 26 January– 6 February
2003 and Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration
of a Convention against Corruption, 4th-6th
sessions in 2003.
I.5
International Labour Organization (ILO)
- Geneva: BPW International attended
(a) ILO Conferences 91st Session, 3-19 June
2003; 92nd Session, 1-17 June 2004; 93rd
Session, 31 May -16 June 2005; and 94th
Session, 7-23 February 2006; (b) Meeting
of Experts on Violence and Stress at Work,
8-15 October 2003; (c) Tripartite Meeting
on Future of Work and Quality in the Information
Society : The Media, Culture, Graphical
Sector,18-22 October 2004.
I.6
United Nations World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS): BPW members attended
WSIS Phase I in Geneva, Switzerland, 9-12
December 2003, and Phase II in Tunis, Tunisia,
16-18 November 2005, and lobbied for gender-sensitive
ICT indicators.
1.7
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) – Geneva: BPW International
attended UNCTAD meetings in Geneva, Switzerland:
Preparatory committee for UNCTAD IX. Hearing
with Civil Society and the Private Sector,
22 April 2004; the 35th Executive Session
of Trade and Development Board, 21 September
2004; the Expert Meeting on Promoting the
Export Competitiveness of Small and Medium
Enterprises, 9-10 December 2004; The 9th
Session of Commission on Trade in Goods
and Services and Commodities, 15 March 2005;
Commission on Investment, Technology and
Related Financial Issues 10th Session, 6-10
March 2006; the Trade and Development Board,
53rd session, 27 September – 10 October
2006; and the Expert Meeting on Foreign
Direct Investment in Natural Resources,
20-22 November 2006.
I.8
World Health Organization (WHO) –
Geneva: BPW International submitted
2002-2004 report for WHO to renew affiliation
status in 2004. BPW International attended
WHO Executive Board meetings in Geneva each
January during 2003-2006. BPW International
co-signed statements on Reproductive health
and on Health Systems for the 113th session,
19-23 January 2004. Other meetings attended
were the 56th-59th World Health General
Assembly each May during 2003-2006, and
the 57th Regional WHO meeting in Western
Pacific in Auckland, New Zealand, 18-22
September 2006, where BPW International
chair of health committee submitted a statement
on gender discrimination and disadvantages
relating to HIV/AIDS.
I.9
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO) - Vienna: BPW International
attended UNIDO Industrial Development Board
27th session, August 2003; attended 29th
Session, November 2004; submitted a statement
to UNIDO General Conference 10th session,
December 2003.
I.10
United Nations Economic and Social Commission
on Asia-Pacific (UNESCAP): BPW
International attended the 59th Commission
Session of the UNESCAP Meetings in Bangkok,
Thailand, 21-24 April 2003, and 1-4 September
2003. BPW International attended UNESCAP
Beijing+10 Review, 7-10 September 2004 and
lobbied UN officials on promoting Gender
Mainstreaming by convincing the private
sector that they will profit from supporting
such initiatives, and on gender sensitive
indicators / gender sensitive National ICT
plans. BPW International, UNESCAP and Asia-Pacific
Women’s Information Network Center
(APWINC) co-organized in Bangkok: e-Business
and Opportunities for Women in Asia-Pacific
seminar, 28-30 March 2005, and APEC Forum
on Digital Economy for Women 2006: Innovation
and Leadership in Asia-Pacific, 15 December
2006.
I.11
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE): BPW International attended
in Geneva: UNECE 59th Annual session, 24-26
February 2004; 60th Session, 22-25 February
2005; 61st Session, 21-23 February 2006;
Good Governance for Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises, 1-2 April 2004; Executive Forum
in Competing in changing Europe, 11-12 May
2004; Regional Preparatory Meeting for 10
year Review and Appraisal of the Beijing
Platform for Action, 14-15 December 2004;
and AIDE, Federation des agences internationals
pour le development, 9-10 May 2006.
I.12
United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Western Asia (ESCWA): BPW International
attended meetings in Beirut: Western Ministerial
Preparatory Conference for the World Summit
on Information Society, 4-6 February 2003;
Arab Meeting for the Assessment of the 10th
Anniversary of the International Family
year, 7-9 October 2003; Arab Regional Conference
10 years after Beijing call for the peace,
8-10 July 2004.
I.13
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Carribbean (UNECLAC):
BPW International attended Commerce, Development
and Poverty Conference in Santiago, Chile,
4 May 2004; “The High-level Panel
about Global and Regional Development”
in Santiago, 17 June 2004; Economic Integration
and Social Cohesion lessons learned and
perspectives in Santiago, 11 November 2004;
and 9th Regional Conference on Women in
Latin America and the Caribbean in Mexico
City, 10-12 June 2004.
II. Cooperation
with United Nations bodies and specialized
agencies
II.1
Ten Year Review Beijing Platform for Actions:
(Beijing+10) Preparation: A BPW
Representative worked with 6 other members
of the NGO/CSW Committee in New York to
produce Ten Years After Beijing: Still More
Promises than Progress: 1999-2005 Review
and Appraisal of the Implementation of the
Beijing Platform for Action, a report which
was distributed at the NGO Consultation
on 27 February 2005 and was the input at
the CSW 49th Session in March 2005 and the
five-year Millennium Development Goals review
in September 2005. BPW International developed
“Beijing+10 Review: Two Steps Forward
and One Step Back,” online archive
on www.bpw-international.org,
which collected evidences on advancement
/ setbacks pertaining to 40 countries. BPW
members attended NGO Beijing+10 Review for
Latin America and the Caribbean Forum in
Mexico City, 7-8 June 2004, and Asia-Pacific
NGO Forum on Beijing+10 Review in Bangkok,
30 June–3 July 2004, where BPW International
organized Beijing+10 Review: Two Steps Forward
and One Step Back workshop, 2 July 2004,
and published Financial Crisis that Breaks
the Glass Ceiling: Advancement of Thai Women
Executives in the Private Sector in the
Asia-Pacific NGO Forum Beijing+10 Review
booklet.
II.2
NGO/Department of Public Information (NGO/DPI):
A BPW Representative was a member of 56th-59th
NGO/DPI Planning Committee for the NGO/DPI
Annual Conferences in New York from 2003-2006.
BPW International, in partnership with other
NGOs, organized workshops/panels: Acting
on Human Dignity and Security: From Participatory
Theatre to Reality on the World Stage, 56th
NGO/DPI conference, 8 September 2003; MDG
1: Poverty, International Migration and
Development, 57th NGO/DPI Conference, 8
September 2004; Reducing Fear of Strangers/Reducing
Strangers’ Fears: The Challenges of
Providing Services to Migrants and Refugees
in a Hostile Environment, 58th NGO/DPI conference,
9 September 2005.
II.3
Migration: A BPW representative
in New York was a member of the taskforce
on Migration of the President of the General
Assembly, which selected participants and
organized the civil society hearings on
12-13 July 2006, in preparation for the
High-Level Discussion on Migration, 14-15
September 2006. In her role as a member
of the Subcommittee on Immigrants and Refugees
in 2004-2006, she organized a workshop,
International Migration and Migrants: Critical
Issues in Social Development and Human Well-Being
in parallel to the Commission for Social
Development 42nd Session, 13 February 2004;
co-convened meetings of the Migration Caucus
at the CSW 50th session, 27 February-10
March 2006; and co-founded the NGO Committee
on Migration in October 2006.
II.4
Collaboration with UNESCO: BPW
International nominated members from 21
countries for UNESCO’s Talent Bank
of Women with International Societal Expertise
(WISE) in April 2004. In 2004, BPW International
submitted the report IFBPW Monuments on
Messengers of the Culture of Peace for UNESCO
to UNESCO. UNESCO published BPW activities
from this report in its Culture of Peace
Newsletter, issue 2, on “Gender and
Culture of Peace”, December 2004.
II.5
Human Rights: BPW International
attended the 59th-62nd sessions of Commission
for Human Rights; the 55th-58th sessions
of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and
Protection of Human Rights; and the 1st-3rd
sessions of the newly installed Human Rights
Council in 2006 in Geneva.
III.
Actions to support Millennium Development
Goals
BPW
actions to support Goal 1: Eradicate
Extreme Poverty and Hunger include
literacy training for over 3,000 women in
Nepal; skills training to help over 4,000
people in Nepal and Thailand, helping also
with marketing to enable them to gain economic
independence; and building 30 houses for
displaced people in Sri Lanka.
BPW
actions to support Goal 3: Promote
Gender Equality and Empower Women
include micro-credit for over 6,500 women
to start up their businesses in Nepal, Panama,
Cyprus and Uzbekistan; career guidance for
over 6,000 girls in high schools/universities
in Korea; 360 scholarships for nursing students
in Mexico from BPW Australia, Bermuda, Canada,
Mexico, Switzerland, New York, New Jersey;
and mentoring young women in 21 member countries.
BPW New Zealand’s Auckland Refugee
and Migrant Women Resettlement Project helped
540 refugee women to integrate into New
Zealand society.
BPW
action to support Goal 8: Develop
a Global Partnership for Development
includes includes educating 299 people on
e-Business in partnership with UNESCAP and/or
APWINC.
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