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| IFUW Update |
14/10/2011 |
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Conchita Poncini Jimenez International Human Rights Fellowship
The Fellowship is named in honour of Conchita Poncini Jimenez, IFUW Representative to the United Nations. From her professional career with the International Labour Office, to her active volunteer work with IFUW from 1994 until her death in 2011, Conchita spent her life fighting for gender equality and women's empowerment. She was a leader in the campaign to have women's rights recognized as human rights and lobbied continuously against violations and practices that threaten the rights and lives of women and girls throughout the world. Up to 70% of the world's women will experience violence in their lifetime. Up to 800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders each year, the vast majority of them women and girls. Three million girls per year are thought to be at risk of genital mutilation. Only one out of three countries has reached gender parity at both the primary and secondary school levels. These are but a few of the stark statistics on violations of women's human rights taking place throughout the world. International human rights instruments and agreements to protect women's human rights have been adopted, but much work is needed to ensure their implementation at the national and local levels. The CPJ Human Rights Fellowship will be given for advanced research, an internship or study related to the use of human rights instruments and agreements for the advancement of women, for example the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) or the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The Fellowship will continue the important work for which Conchita worked throughout her life. The Board needs the help of all national federations and associations (NFAs) to publicize the Fellowship widely to their members, as well as to higher education institutions and human rights organizations in their countries. Members can help by donating or encouraging others to contribute to this important initiative. For
award details or to donate, see: |
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How Much Do We Give? Together, IFUW and its national federation are one of the largest sources financing female education worldwide. But how much do we give? To help answer this question, the IFUW Fellowships Committee has prepared a short survey that is being sent to NFAs to ask about the amount each gives at the national and local levels. This information will be used at the international level to increase IFUW's visibiity with institutions like the United Nations. The information will also be shared with NFAs for use in their own fundraising. |
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French Association Supports Young Women AFFDU, the French Association of Graduate Women, offers annual financial support to female students carrying out research projects requiring travel to foreign countries. This year twelve grants totaling EUR 19'500 were awarded for research projects in Archaeology, Molecular Biology, History of Mathematics, Socio-cultural History, Mathematics, Physics, English Literature, Information Processing applied to Music, Geography, Ecology, Sociology and Political Science. Special consideration was given to women-related issues, such as jurisdictional post-conflict situations, health (reproductive autonomy), and political change in Eastern Europe.
AFFDU
also awards the Michelle Maugain Prize. Offered
through AFFDU's
CCE- Cercle Culture et Entreprise, the prize supports
original projects of women creating their
own businesses. Muriel
Derouet Cimolai was awarded this year's First Prize for her initiative
"Handicap et Diversité", which offers counselling
to disabled persons, seniors and women seeking employment.
Her project promotes the professional equality required
for the achievement of social diversity. A second Prize
was attributed to Laure Boulard, a jewellery designer. |
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NZFGW Canterbury Branch Moves to New Headquarters In
August, the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Federation
bid a sad, and what they hope will be a temporary, farewell
to their home at the Christchurch Arts Centre. Their
building, comparatively untouched by the September 2010
earthquake, received sufficient
damage in the February 2011 earthquake to be “red stickered”
as unsafe to enter. For the next five months members
had to operate their regalia (academic gown) rental
business from their homes. This is the major source
of income for their fellowships programme. In March
they were allowed to take a team of volunteers and students
into the building to retrieve some regalia, computers,
and business records. In August they moved into
a new house on the university campus. They
are now settling in their new home and waiting for a
temporary gown room which is to be constructed. |
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10
rue du Lac, 1207 Geneva, Switzerland |
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The
IFUW Board of Officers is pleased to announce that the
Conchita Poncini Jimenez International Human Rights
Fellowship will be offered in 2012 to a woman human rights
activist, scholar, journalist, writer, or social scientist
who is working to advance the human rights of women
and girls. The Board has set a goal of raising
20'000 CHF for this distinguished award. 
