WRITTEN STATEMENT FOR THE ECOSOC HIGH LEVEL SEGMENT UN GENEVA 4-7 July 2011
Joint written Statement submitted by the Women’s World Summit Foundation - WWSF (in special UN ECOSOC consultative status) and endorsed by NGOs in Ecosoc consultative status
Title: The need for a 5th World Conference on Women
The last United Nations World Conference on Women took place in Beijing almost 16 years ago in September 1995. The Platform for Action adopted on this occasion needs a renewed push for implementation as the realization of gender equality, sustainable development and peace for the women in the world is still lacking.
Recommendation
The undersigned organizations recommend to the 54 ECOSOC Member Governments to decide on the convening of a UN 5th World Conference on Women, preferably in 2015. Such a UN World Conference would be the first in the 21st century and would not renegotiate the Beijing decisions but deal exclusively with the new and emerging issues in the world, i.e. the food, water, financial and fuel crisis and nuclear challenges, as well as the promising information technologies and social networks, available today, that can bring issues and solutions into global awareness, empowerment and unprecedented participation around the world.
UN Women headed by Under Secretary-General Michelle Bachelet and a UN NGO 5WCW will generate 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 that will emerge by 2015, to reach every woman, man and youth throughout the world, catalyzing a societal transformation, confronting the challenges and creating a new future.
Another positive result will be the empowerment of the next generation of global and local women leaders who will get to know one another during the 5th WCW, share experiences, programs for the future, and stay connected. With the Millennium Development Goals coming up for review in 2015, which touch essential aspects of women’s well-being and need women’s empowerment for their full realization, the mobilization of women has been 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. The need to have women involved at every level of decision-making has become a prerequisite for the achievement of the UN objectives.
A 5WCW will also raise concern about the world’s children and youth and for the need to create of a world fit for children and youth, especially in creating a culture of prevention of abuse and violence.
Women want a UN 5WCW
Once the decision to have this conference is made, the news will spread from women to women via geometric progression and the world will be better for it. Indicators: a 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
Thank you for your attention.
Elly Pradervand, WWSF Founder/CEO
Women’s World Summit Foundation
www.woman.ch - wwsf@wwsf.ch
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Last Month to Apply for ECOSOC Consultative Status for 2012
ReplyDelete<31st of May, 2011 is the last day to submit an application for ECOSOC consultative status for 2012!>
NGOs wish to achieve ECOSOC consultative status need to apply before 1st of June. Completed applications must be received by the last day of May of the year before the year the NGO wants to be considered for recommendation by the Committee. For example, complete applications, (which include a completed questionnaire and all the required supporting documentation) received by the NGO Branch before 1st June 2011, will be taken up by the Committee on NGOs in the year 2012. Any NGOs who wish to achieve ECOSOC consultative status must meet specific eligibility mentioned as below.
Consultative relationships may be established with international, regional, sub regional and national non-governmental, non-profit public or voluntary organizations. NGOs affiliated to an international organization already in status may be admitted provided that they can demonstrate that their programme of work is of direct relevance to the aims and purposes of the United Nations. In the case of national organizations consultation with the Member State concerned is required.
To be eligible for consultative status, an NGO must have been in existence (officially registered with the appropriate government authorities as an NGO/non-profit) for at least two years, must have an established headquarters, a democratically adopted constitution, authority to speak for its members, a representative structure, appropriate mechanisms of accountability and democratic and transparent decision-making processes. The basic resources of the organization must be derived in the main part from contributions of the national affiliates or other components or from individual members.
Organizations established by governments or intergovernmental agreements are not considered NGOs.
For further information about application process, please refer to the website (http://esango.un.org/paperless/Web?page=static&content=apply)
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