Message from the IFUW President
11 November 2009
Gender Architecture reforms are passed!
Now to the Next Steps making four existing bodies into one.
Remember at our IFUW Conference in Manchester we passed an emergency resolution to support the GEAR (GENDER ARCHITECTURE) proposal? It was to ask the United Nation’s General Assembly to pass and implement the Gender Architecture proposal. Our resolution stressed that the agency have regular sustainable funding and the resources and mandate to initiate and operate programmes at the country level . The NFA’s in the future will be able to monitor activities in their countries (read the full resolution here).
It has taken the UN and governments three years to move forward this reform process and finally on the 14th of September 2009 the resolution passed. This will now enable the creation of one new gender equality entity and gives the Secretary General of the UN the power to appoint a Under Secretary General to specifically lead the new body.
The resolution had wide support within the G77, with Pakistan, Malaysia and the African Group speaking out in strong support of the creation of a new gender entity. Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and Singapore blocked progress, with the main concerns from Cuba. It was not clear if there were real concerns or if this was just a tactical ploy. The potential concern was the governance mechanisms of the new entity but the resolution states that these will be left until the next UN General Assembly. So they have a year to make it work.
No doubt at the next Commission on the Status of Women [CSW] in March 2010 there will be more talk and encouragement to get on with making the necessary changes. Making sure there is good governance mechanisms and oversight, a reasonable budget agreed to by donor countries to support a strong field operation and a clear outline plan of progress to be made within time frames and ongoing participation of Non Governmental Organizations and civil society will be essential. It is certainly appropriate that the Beijing +15 review takes place at the same time as many governments and other sectors have to improve their progress in areas of gender equality and human rights for women and girls.
Louise Croot
IFUW President
November 2009 |
