UNITED NATIONS REFORM: HOW TO STRENGTHEN GENDER ARCHITECTURE?

– Tue, 2007 – 08 – 28 14:47

The United Nations Non-governmental Liaison Service (NGLS), in collaboration with the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), organized a parallel event entitled “United Nations Reform: How to Strengthen Gender Architecture?” during the fifty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

The panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Barbara Adams, Chief, Strategic Partnerships and Communications, UNIFEM. Panellists included Ms. Elisa Peter, Deputy Coordinator of NGLS, Ms. Gita Sen, Professor, Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore and Special Advisor to the UNIFEM Executive Director on Economic Security and Rights, Ms. Charlotte Bunch, Executive Director of CWGL and Ms. Jean D’Cunha, UNIFEM’s Regional Programme Director for East and South-East Asia.

Panellists summarized and discussed the recommendations from the Report of the High-level Panel on UN System-Wide Coherence issued in November 2006, “Delivering as One”. The discussion focused on recommendations that relate to reforming the gender architecture at the United Nations and strengthening coherence between UN agencies in delivering at the country level that builds on the work of the UN Country Teams through the One UN pilot programmes.

The panel discussion provided an opportunity to share experiences from Viet Nam, which is one of the eight pilot countries- Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uruguay, and to highlight the opportunities and challenges in promoting gender equality in this context. Panellists also described the successful role of NGOs in influencing the Panel to include recommendations on gender equality as a cross-cutting issue in the Panel report and the need to continue this engagement as Member States begin deliberations.

At the request of some of the audience members, a compilation of resources (UN and NGOs) available on UN reform and gender equality is provided below.

UNITED NATIONS RESOURCES

Reform at the United Nations
http://www.un.org/reform/index.shtml

High-level Panel on UN System-Wide Coherence
http://www.un.org/events/panel/

Delivering as One – Executive Summary
http://www.undg.org/docs/6879/coh_10_waysE.pdf

Delivering as One – Secretary General’s High Level Panel on UN System-Wide Coherence
http://www.un.org/events/panel/resources/pdfs/HLP-SWC-FinalReport.pdf
Also available as document number A/61/583 at http://documents.un.org/

One UN Pilots / Joint Offices
The “One UN” pilot initiative will test in eight countries how the UN family – with its many and diverse agencies — can deliver in a more coordinated way at country level.
http://www.undg.org/?P=7

UN Secretary-General’s report on “Delivering as One.”
Expected soon (mid-April).

NGO RESOURCES

Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) – UN Reform and the Gender Equality Recommendations
http://www.awid.org/go.php?pg=un_reform_recommendations

Heinrich Böll Foundation and International Women’s Tribune Centre (IWTC) - UN Reform – What’s in it for Women?
The publication from the Heinrich Böll Foundation and IWTC features reflections, insights, and analysis by women from different regions specifically examining the impact of the UN reform process on women at the regional and national levels. It also presents different initiatives and proposals in ensuring women’s spaces within the UN as well as concrete recommendations on how to influence the UN reform process. (August 2006).
http://www.iwtc.org/reform_report.pdf

NGO Linkage Caucus, convened by CWGL, WEDO and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women
Open Letter regarding Women’s/Gender Equality Architecture at the UN from the NGO Linkage Caucus taking part in the 51st Commission on the Status of Women
To: UN Member States and the Secretary-General
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ecosoc/CSW51/NGOdocs/CSW-LinkageCaucus.doc

NGO STATEMENTS

Africa: Statement of the African Feminist Forum on the New UN Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/GEAAFRICA.doc

CEE: Concluding Statement of NGO Regional Consultation, Reforming the UN Gender Equality Architecture: What Does it Mean for Women’s Rights in Europe and CIS?
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/GEACEE.doc

Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)
http://www.wedo.org/files/DAWN%20UNreformNov06.pdf

Europe: UK Gender & Development Network & Women in Development
Europe Statement on Gender Equality Recommendations of the High Level Panel on UN Reform
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/GEAEUROPE.pdf

Latin American and the Caribbean: Statement Of Caribbean Women Organisations And Women’s Rights Advocates Delivered to the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Coherence Panel on UN Reform Regional Consultation for Latin American and the Caribbean
www.awid.org/un_reform/women_orgs_statement.pdf

South Asia: Statement on Reforming the Gender Equality Architecture of the United Nations
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/GEASOUTHASIA.doc

WEDO and CWGL

WEDO - “UN Reform: What’s at Stake for Women?”
WEDO’s latest advocacy and activist resource on gender equality and UN Reform outlines the UN reform process and how it affects women’s lives.
http://www.wedo.org/files/UNreform+2.pdf

WEDO - Talking Points: Women’s Demands for UN Reform
http://www.wedo.org/files/TALKING%20POINTS.pdf

WEDO - Gender Equality & United Nations Reform: A Resource Packet
This packet includes talking points on gender equality & UN Reform, women’s groups statements and relevant news.
http://www.wedo.org/files/UNReform-InfoPacket.pdf

WEDO and CWGL: Statement on Reforming the Gender Equality Architecture of the United Nations, now signed by 157 organizations around the world.
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/Statement11.09.06withsig.pdf

September 2006: Briefing Note: Reforming the UN Gender Equality Architecture
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/BriefingNote0906.pdf

29 August 2006: Fact Sheet on Reforming the Gender Architecture in the UN System, for consideration by the High-Level Panel on Coherence, Oslo Meeting
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/UNReformFactSheet0806.pdf

2 July 2006: Gender Equality Architecture and UN Reforms, for submission to the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on System-wide Coherence, by CWGL and WEDO, and prepared by Aruna Rao, Founder-Director, Gender at Work.

8 May 2006: Briefing Note on Women’s Rights and the “Coherence Panel” in the UN Reform Process
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/UN%20Reform%20Briefing%20Note%20final.doc
Spanish http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/UN%20Reform%20Briefing%20Note%20SP.doc
French
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/globalcenter/policy/unadvocacy/UN%20Reform%20Briefing%20Note%20FR.doc

—-
Liz Bernstein
Director
Nobel Women’s Initiative
united for peace with justice and equality
151 Slater St, Suite 408
Ottawa, ON K1P 5H3
Canada
Tel: +1 613 569-8400
Fax: +1 613 563-0682
lbernstein@nobelwomensinitiative.org
www.nobelwomensinitiative.org


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