Policy Resolutions Adopted by the

30th IFUW Conference, 2010

1. Work-Life Balance for Women between Professional Careers and Family Responsibilities
2. Numeracy and Women
3. Financial Literacy
4. Abuse of Female Migrants
5. Human Trafficking Violates Human Rights
6. Bioethics and Women
7. Addressing Climate Change – Greenhouse Gas
8. Cluster Munitions
9. Peacekeeping

1. Work-Life Balance for Women between Professional Careers and Family Responsibilities

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that National Federations and Associations (NFAs):

1. urge their governments to ratify ILO Convention 156 on Workers with Family Responsibilities (1981);
2. urge their governments and the private sector to introduce more flexible labour market policies and practices to provide better employment opportunities and career development for women;
3. urge their governments to provide high quality, affordable state funded nursery and childcare placements to allow women to continue in their professional life after starting a family;
4. encourage co-operation with other women’s and men’s organizations to promote a more equal society with men taking their equal share of family responsibilities and care;
5. encourage all generations to give each other mutual support; and
6. encourage young women beginning professional careers to make full use of mentors and mutual support networks.

IFUW and NFA Action:

• A branch of the Australian Federation (AFGW) offers a mentoring programme to support women students undertaking honours and post-graduate studies at the University of the Sunshine Coast - 2010
• Georgian University Women to lobby government for increased employment opportunities and career development for women - December 2010
• The Turkish Association of University Women to organize a letter writing campaign to raise awareness on work-life balance between professional careers and family - November 2010

2. Numeracy and Women

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that:

1. National Federations and Associations (NFAs) urge their respective governments to encourage the promotion of numeracy, particularly among girls and women;
2. NFAs advocate for research to improve the delivery of numeracy training within their countries and seek to assist where appropriate; and
3. IFUW use its standing committees and its consultative status with appropriate United Nations’ bodies to implement this resolution.

Suggested National Action

• Urge your government to focus on numeracy as well as literacy and to publish regularly information and statistics about achievements at regional and national levels, including gender analysis of data.
• Gather information about the provision and take-up of primary and remedial training, especially among women and girls - “remedial” meaning any possibility of catching up at a later stage where basics have been missed (for whatever reason) in primary education – including adult education classes or extra courses offered in secondary schools, or after school clubs.
• Assess available data on the adequacy of provision for primary and remedial training.
• Offer or assist in the setting up of numeracy training workshops or courses.

IFUW and NFA Action:

• The Australian Federation (AFGW) reports that girls in their country are still falling behind boys in numeracy tests - May 2011
• Georgian University Women promote better access to gender studies courses at the national and international level - December 2010
• The Scottish Federation of University Women (SFUW) holds a Seminar on Numeracy and Women at the Scottish Parliament - September 2010

3. Financial Literacy

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that:

1. IFUW recognize “financial literacy” as an essential life-skill that includes amongst its critical components:
   (a) financial knowledge and understanding,
   (b) financial skills and competence,
   (c) financial decision-making responsibility,
   (d) understanding of credit and money management,
   (e) understanding of taxes, pensions, benefits and savings,
   (f) understanding of the legal and financial implications of one’s civil status.
2. IFUW and its National Federations and Associations (NFAs) strongly support the immediate development and implementation, with public consultation, of national strategies for financial literacy.
3. IFUW and its NFAs urge their respective governments to allocate resources to the promotion and implementation of financial literacy programs to be delivered to all adults, especially to women of all ages and all circumstances, by government agencies, employers and not-for-profit community organizations.

Suggested National Action

• Call on your government to develop and implement immediately a national strategy for financial literacy.
• Call on your government to allocate resources for promoting and implementing financial literacy programs.
• Urge your government to ensure that financial literacy programs are delivered to all adults, especially to women of all ages and circumstances.

IFUW and NFA Action:

• The Canadian Federation (CFUW) is involved in the Financial Literacy Week, a national awareness campaign - October/November 2011
• The British Federation (BFWG) is planning to gather data on the availability of financial literacy courses and to incorporate them into a National Study Theme 2011-2013 - July 2011
• The Australian Federation (AFGW) supports the 10thousandgirl Campaign, a Financial Literacy Programme for young women - May 2011
• The International Federation of University Women (IFUW) ran a 3-week online discussion on Financial Literacy in which 12 countries participated - April/May 2011
• Georgian University Women to organize courses in money management for women - December 2010
• The Turkish Association of University Women to organize a letter writing campaign to raise awareness on financial literacy - November 2010
• The Indian Federation of University Women’s Association (IFUWA) holds meeting on financial literacy - October 2010

4. Abuse of Female Migrants

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that:

1. National Federations and Associations (NFAs) urge their respective governments to review migration legislation in defense of human rights and, due to the increasing numbers of migrant women, specifically introduce legislation to protect women from discrimination, abuse and exploitation;
2. NFAs urge their respective governments to ratify and implement existing international conventions and instruments on the subject of migration;
3. IFUW use its social networks to discuss the issue and introduce further actions that will help to draw attention to the plight of migrant women; and
4. IFUW use its consultative status to urge the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Human Rights Council (HRC)and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to urge Member States to eradicate all forms of discrimination, including racism, xenophobia, related intolerance, and abuse of women and child migrants.

Suggested National Action

• Urge your government to ratify and/or implement international conventions, and introduce national legislation, education and practices to eradicate all forms of abuse of migrant women.
• Urge your government to ensure gender equality in the conditions and terms of employment for all women workers, regardless of their migration status.
• Urge governments to inform local authorities about international conventions and instruments and oblige them to enforce existing national and local legislation concerning migrants, specifically women and children.

IFUW and NFA Action:

• Georgian University Women to organize meetings with representatives of government, MPs and the media to raise awareness on the abuse of female migrants - December 2010
• Women Graduates-USA (WG-USA) to develop its activities in communities with large immigrant/refugee populations and establish a working group to promote the protection of female migrants - October 2010

5. Human Trafficking Violates Human Rights

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that:

1. National Federations and Associations (NFAs) educate their members about the issue of trafficking as it relates to their countries, including addressing the primary causes that contribute to the practice;
2. NFAs urge their respective governments to ensure that they have not only signed, but have also ratified the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (2003); if their countries have done so, NFAs monitor the status of their government’s implementation of the Protocol and take appropriate action where needed; and
3. IFUW use its standing committees, its consultative status with ECOSOC, its website and member networks to advocate for measures that would reduce the incidence of trafficking.

Suggested National Action

• Identify existing national laws and policies that support the UN Protocol Against Trafficking in Persons; as far as you can, evaluate the effectiveness of these laws at the national level and propose better methods of implementation when necessary.
• Work at the community level to identify which agencies and organizations are responsible for enforcing human anti-trafficking laws in your country; determine how serious the problem is at the community level.
• Partner with other NGOs involved in human anti-trafficking efforts, including rehabilitation of victims; and publicize the issue through the local media and public forums, such as parents and education groups.

IFUW and NFA Action:

• The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Vancouver branch to make representations to fight human traffiking - December 2010
• Georgian University Women to organize seminars for journalists and participate in television and radio programs raising awareness on human trafficking - December 2010
• The Australian Federation reports that their government has invested another $1.6 million to tackle human trafficking - November 2010
• The Italian Federation of University Women addresses Human Trafficking at its congress in Rome - November 2010
• The Pakistan Federation of University Women, along with other NGOs, have strongly taken up the issue of violence against women, particularly trafficking of women, with the Ministry of Women Development (MWD) - November 2010
• The Indian Federation of University Women’s Association (IFUWA) to organize awareness campaigns and petition the government for the implementation of stricter measures - October 2010
• Women Graduates-USA (WG-USA) to develop its activities in communities with large immigrant/refugee populations and establish a working group to promote the protection of female migrants - October 2010
• The Scottish Federation of University Women (SFUW) to make representation to the Scottish Parliament with updated information - September 2010

6. Bioethics and Women

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that:

1. National Federations and Associations (NFAs) initiate and/or contribute to the ongoing debate on bioethics, keeping in mind that scientific progress should be for the benefit of individuals and should respect human rights, in accordance with the principles set out in the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2006).
2. NFAs urge their governments to raise awareness of the specific importance for women of the issues covered by the Declaration, for example respect for human vulnerability, personal integrity, equality, justice and equity, social responsibility and health.

Suggested National Action

• Raise awareness of your members on issues relating to bioethics and their implications for women’s health and human rights.
• Monitor bioethics and human rights in your country.
• Educate yourself on issues of bioethics at all levels and participate in appropriate partnerships and networks concerning bioethical issues.
• Urge your government to establish national ethics committees that use as their mandate Article 19 of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2006).
• Urge your government to participate in the implementation of the recommendations being drawn up by UNESCO and other institutions in this field.

IFUW and NFA Action:

• Georgian University Women to start negotiations with NGOs to establish a National Ethics Committee - December 2010

7. Addressing Climate Change - Greenhouse Gas

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that:

1. IFUW and its National Federations and Associations (NFAs) urge their respective governments to act immediately to create national climate action plans that would:
   (a) set strong short-term targets for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions;
   (b) reaffirm their commitments to implement signed international agreements on climate change, ratify the successors to such agreements, and work to achieve international reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and
   (c) provide ongoing support for research and education concerning all aspects of climate change.

Suggested National Action

• Urge your government to act immediately to create a comprehensive national climate action plan that includes the targets and mechanisms included in this resolution, and to include women in the planning, decision-making, implementation and follow-up processes.
• Monitor the progress of your government and hold it to account in implementing and achieving the national climate action plan.
• Urge your government to provide support for research and education on climate change, including its impact on women.
• Set up study and action groups within your own country on the effects of climate change.

IFUW and NFA Action:

NFAs working on this resolution: The Australian Federation of Graduate Women, The Canadian Federation of University Women, Georgian Association of University Women

• Georgian University Women to discuss a national climate action plan - December 2010
• The Australian Federation of Graduate Women (AFGW) writes to government to support the foundation blocks for international climate agreement - October 2010

8. Cluster Munitions

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that:

IFUW and its National Federations and Associations (NFAs) urge their respective governments to ratify and take concrete action to implement the Convention on Cluster Munitions (Dublin Convention).

Suggested National Action

• Urge your government to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions (2008).
• Urge your government to implement the agreements of this Convention, including stopping the manufacture and use of cluster munitions, destroying any stockpiles of such weapons, and providing programmes to rehabilitate survivors and those affected by these weapons.
• Educate your members and encourage the implementation of this Convention as part of an overall strategy in seeking peaceful societies, free of such destructive weapons and respectful of human rights.

IFUW and NFA Action:

• The Australian Federation of Graduate Women (AFWG) congratulates its Government as the signing of the Treaty to ban the use of Cluster Bombs on behalf of Australia is leading to its ratification - March 2011
• The New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women (NZFGW) congratulates New Zealand Government for its commitment of NZD 1 million for clearance of cluster bomb remnants in Lao-PDR - February 2011

9. Peacekeeping

The 30th IFUW Conference resolves that:

1. IFUW re-affirm Resolution 2007/N°8 calling for IFUW, through its representatives at the United Nations, to argue that increased training in sensitivity to gender issues and women’s and children's rights be given to all UN peacekeeping personnel; and consequently
2. IFUW urge that the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325 be strictly enforced, particularly with regard to giving women an enhanced role in peacekeeping contingents; and
3. IFUW through its representatives at the United Nations, urge the implementation of UN SCRs 1820, 1882, 1888 and 1889.

Suggested National Action

• Monitor progress at national level on the implementation of UN SCR 1325,1820,1882,1888 and 1889.
• Encourage the creation and updating of databases of qualified women for decision-making posts related to peace processes.
• Encourage your government to develop national action plans with timetables and benchmarks for actual progress, to ensure the implementation of these resolutions.

IFUW and NFA Action:

NFAs working on this resolution: Georgian Association of University Women, Women Graduates-USA

• Georgian University Women to assist the peace process with Abkhazian and Ossetia - December 2010
• The Australian Federation (AFGW) asks its Government for evidence of action in the development of a National Action Plan to implement Security Council Resolution 1325 - September 2010