By Jen Caplan, WAGGGS UN Team NYC Member
November 25th was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and kickoff for the UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign’s 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence. At the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, a special event was held in observance of the day featuring the launch the first UN Framework on Preventing Violence Against Women and speakers to join discussions of this year’s theme, “Prevention.”
Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon made the opening remarks. Followed by speakers H.E. Ms. Gillian Bird, Permanent Representative of Australia to the UN; Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women; Ms. Maya Wiley, Counsel to Mayor Bill DeBlasio of New York City; Mr. Tony Gubesa, South Africa Site Coordinator of Grassroot Soccer; Ms. Mallika Dutt, President and CEO of Breakthrough, India; H.E. Mr. Mathew Ryfroft, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the UN, H.E. Mr. Carlos Serigio Sobral Duarte, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the UN; Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Population Fund; and Ms. Krishanti Dharmaraj, Executive Director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership, USA.
Each speaker discussed what needs to be done to prevent violence against women, and what their country or organization is doing is doing to achieve it. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the event addressing what the United Nations as a whole is doing, such as the UNiTE and HeForShe campaigns. Additionally, Mr. Ban touched on the next steps in order to end violence against women. Mainly, empowering women and girls is key in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In his work, the Secretary-General has and will continue to promote women's leadership in the "classrooms, boardrooms, [negotiating rooms, and the United Nations]" and it is they who can play a roll in defending human rights, justice, and the rule of law. "Women are victims,” he said, “but much more than that, they are agents of change with potentially enormous influence.” It is these empowered women and girls who have the power, and vision, to make gender-based violence a thing of the past.
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, concurred with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s comments on the importance and relationship between women’s empowerment and the Sustainable Development Goals. Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka said that violence against women is a “universal problem” impacting women of all races, religions, sexual orientations, and social classes; and, because of this, the response needs to be targeted. This targeted response will include a partnership between government, civil society organizations, and UN entities for a high-level leadership that can enforce international laws and close legislative gaps. In conjunction, there must be an education system set to teach men about unequal power relations and positive masculinity to break the cycle of violence against women; we must end violence before it begins.
That night, landmarks around the world were lit up orange “in solidarity and the promise of change” and to begin the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence. From the Pyramids in Egypt to the Empire State Building in New York City, the world showed their support and the need for a change.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
YUNGA Climate Change Badge in Now Available
The Climate Change Challenge Badge is designed to help children and young people understand the vital role our climate plays in supporting life on Earth and how our daily lives impact the Earth’s climate.
Most of all the Challenge Badge will help you better understand why climate change matters and motivate you to take action and become positive drivers of change in your communities and within international arenas.
What are you waiting for? It is time to start acting for climate! Find it online at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5216e.pdf
Other languages will soon become available (including Spanish, Russian and Hungarian and others will follow shortly).
What is YUNGA?
More about YUNGA here: http://www.fao.org/yunga
What are the Challenge Badges?
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Join the WAGGGS Thunderclap!
Support WAGGGS' efforts to raise awareness about violence against girls and showing that #GirlsAreValuable by joining the Thunderclap:
Or follow this link to sign up: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/34586-girls-are-valuable?locale=en
Also, the UN Women Twitter account has been sharing many great updates from around the world about the 16 Days of Activism, or Orange the World (#16Days #OrangeTheWorld). Here are a few about WAGGGS:
Or follow this link to sign up: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/34586-girls-are-valuable?locale=en
Also, the UN Women Twitter account has been sharing many great updates from around the world about the 16 Days of Activism, or Orange the World (#16Days #OrangeTheWorld). Here are a few about WAGGGS:
#VoicesagainstViolence uses education to prevent violence: https://t.co/Hg0EW8Jwer #orangetheworld #16days pic.twitter.com/BwMwCumjTF
— UN Women (@UN_Women) November 28, 2015
Meet a Girl Guide who prevents violence through education: https://t.co/cU4WHS8TWa #16days #orangetheworld pic.twitter.com/ErGSuWeXCc
— UN Women (@UN_Women) November 27, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Reminder: Tomorrow is the Start of the 16 Days of Activism
WAGGGS has created a digital "backpack" that can be "unpacked" by your troop. The activities can be done in a 90 minute session! Additionally there are social media actions that can be taken to raise awareness about the issue.
Below is information from the WAGGGS website on the event:
Download 16 Days of Activism resources now and join our "Girls are valuable" Thunderclap!
In the resources you'll find Twitter and Facebook cover photos and the "I am valuable" backpack, which is packed full of activities and WAGGGS' call to action.
Here in 2015 we’re still living in a world of silence, a world where people know violence happens but don’t understand why or what needs to change. We’ve rocked the boat, we’ve made some waves and we’ve planted many seeds, but still girls’ rights are being denied. Their right to a quality education, their right to make decisions on issues that affect their lives, their right to live free from violence and the fear of violence.
Download 16 Days of Activism resources now and join our "Girls are valuable" Thunderclap!
In the resources you'll find Twitter and Facebook cover photos and the "I am valuable" backpack, which is packed full of activities and WAGGGS' call to action.
Here in 2015 we’re still living in a world of silence, a world where people know violence happens but don’t understand why or what needs to change. We’ve rocked the boat, we’ve made some waves and we’ve planted many seeds, but still girls’ rights are being denied. Their right to a quality education, their right to make decisions on issues that affect their lives, their right to live free from violence and the fear of violence.
Get involved by:
Doing the Activities.
This backpack contains activities for all age groups, taken and tailored from the Voices against Violence curriculum. These activities can be run in a 90 minute evening with your unit or troop to help you and your troop explore issues around gender stereotypes and inequality.
Having a conversation.
Taking part in the activities is only the beginning of this journey. We don’t only want Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to gain a deeper awareness of violence against girls; we want to be able to reach people outside the movement with the message that girls are valuable. The more people who understand why violence happens, the more people there are who can take action to end it. So once you’ve taken part in the activities we want you to focus on having conversations. We’ve identified four different audiences and provided examples of conversations each age group could have with these audiences to spread the word.
Sharing your experience with WAGGGS.
Share your 16 Days experience on social media. Post on Twitter or Facebook using #16Days and #GirlsAreValuable. Tell us about the conversations you had on our "Girls Are Valuable" Tumblr page and earn yourself an electronic badge!
Monday, November 23, 2015
COP21: How you can influence global leaders
UNA-USA is hosting a nationwide conference call next Tuesday to talk with young people about how they can influence global leaders at the upcoming Climate Conference in Paris. Join the call and learn about how GenUN/UNA-USA is engaging youth around COP21:
December 1, 5 p.m. ET
#EarthtoParis:
Briefing on the Historic Climate Convening
and Tips for Effective Advocacy
featuring
Ryan Hobert
Senior Director, Energy and Climate, United Nations Foundation
This December, world leaders are gathering in Paris for a landmark convening to complete a new global climate agreement – an extraordinary opportunity for the international community to rise to meet the threat of climate change. UN Foundation has launched #EarthtoParis to drive awareness and host events that highlight the connection between people and planet and the need for strong action on climate; to showcase climate solutions and innovations; to bring together communities to promote collaboration; and to engage people around the world in the dialogue taking place in Paris. Whether you’re in Paris, France or Paris, Texas, you can help to drive the conversation and advocate for strong climate action in December.
Join us for a conversation with Ryan Hobert, Senior Director, Energy and Climate, at the UN Foundation for an in-depth look at these once-in-a-generation climate negotiations and how to best advocate to tackle climate change.
Hashtags: #EarthtoParis #COP21
Check out the Earth to Paris website here: http://www.earthtoparis.org/
Quick info on Earth to Paris: http://www.earthtoparis.org/resources/EarthToParis-One-Pager.pdf
How is WAGGGS engaging COP21?
WAGGGS has several exciting steps you can take to get involved! Taking this conference call will get you thinking about how you can engage your leaders. Here are some concrete steps you can take to address climate change with world leaders through WAGGGS (whether you take the call or not!): https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/speak-out/cop21-united-nations-conference-climate-change/get-involved/
Monday, November 16, 2015
Nov. 25 through Dec. 10: UNiTe to End Violence Against Women & Girls
Every month, on the 25th of the month, is "Orange Day"--a day to mark the continual struggle to end violence against women and girls. November 25th is the flagship day, known as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and is coupled with December 10, International Human Rights Day. The 16 days between November 25 and December 10, known as the 16 Days of Activism, are recognized by the UN as key days to push women and girls' right to live free of violence.
Read more about the campaign here: http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/what%20we%20do/orange_the_world2015_unite_toolkit.pdf
TWITTER
Read more about the campaign here: http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/what%20we%20do/orange_the_world2015_unite_toolkit.pdf
Take Action in Your Troop
WAGGGS has launched a 16 days of activism virtual "backpack," which contains activities for all age groups, taken and tailored from the Voices Against Violence curriculum. Voices Against Violence is the campaign that WAGGGS has taken to address the disproportionate effect violence has had on girls (you can read more about the Voices Against Violence program here). These activities can be run in a 90 minute evening with your unit or troop to help you and your troop explore issues around gender stereotypes and inequality.
More info about and download the backpack here: https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/stop-the-violence/get-involved/raise-awareness/16-days-activism/16-days-activism-2015/
More info about and download the backpack here: https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/stop-the-violence/get-involved/raise-awareness/16-days-activism/16-days-activism-2015/
Take Action in Your Community
Take the UN's call to action to "Orange Your World"! Here are a few ideas from the UN Women Toolkit:- Light and decorate in orange your country, city, or communities’ iconic buildings, landmarks and statues.
- Make orange advertising spaces on billboards, screens or in magazines to spread the message.
- Organize an orange march through the centre of your city, town or village and declare the space an ‘orange zone’.
- Organize orange marathons, flash mobs, dance parties, or bicycle rides. Find out from your local authorities whether there is a space you could arrange to be decorated with orange graffiti and messages!
- Find out what relevant meetings or conferences are taking place in your country during the 16 Days of Activism and invite the organizers to orange the meeting spaces and dedicate an item in the agenda to a discussion about violence against women and girls.
- For more inspiration, look back at how we oranged our neighbourhoods last year: https://www.flickr.com/photos/unwomen/sets/72157649322853638/
Social Media
Take to social media and spread the word about violence against women and girls and the 16 Days of Activism. Here are some sample posts you can do:
- This #OrangeDay we're preparing for 16Days of Activism 25Nov-10Dec. What will you do to #OrangetheWorld? http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ @SayNO_UNiTE
- Happy #OrangeDay! How will you mark the 16 Days of Activism 25Nov-10Dec? Time to start planning! http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ @SayNO_UNiTE
- Will your village, town or city go orange to support an end to #VAW for 25Nov-10Dec? It’s time to start planning! http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ
- Calling on youth! Last #OrangeDay you spoke out against #VAW&girls. Now it’s time to start planning to #OrangeTheWorld http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ
- From 25 November to 10 December, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women will “Orange the World” to raise awareness and inspire action on the issue. This #OrangeDay, find out how you, your organization and your community can start organizing to be a part of this global campaign. http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ
- Calling on youth! Last #OrangeDay, your voices were heard all over the world speaking out against gender-based violence. This month, the UN Secretary-General’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women calls on you to start planning how you, your organization and your community will help to “Orange the World” during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, 25 November to 10 December. Check out the UNiTE campaign’s toolkit and organize a planning discussion in your community. http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ
Sunday, November 15, 2015
"He Named Me Malala" Film Screening at UN
UN Women, the Malala Fund, and the Muslim American Leadership Alliance (MALA) are pleased to present the groundbreaking documentary, He Named Me Malala, as an extension of the Students Stand #withMalala youth screening program, a collaboration between the Malala Fund and Participant Media. Join us in honor of United Nations Human Rights Day for an intimate portrait of the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, co-founder of Malala Fund. Special thanks to UNICEF and World We Want for their support and partnership for this screening.
When:Thursday, December 10, 2015 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Where: United Nations Headquarters, General Assembly Hall, New York City
Where to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/un-women-malala-fund-and-mala-present-he-named-me-malala-at-un-general-assembly-tickets-19543424910
***Please note this event is FREE***
About the film: HE NAMED ME MALALA is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life – from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.
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