Aim for human rights celebrates creation of “UN Women” after years of advocacy

As an active member of the GEAR – The Gender Equality Architecture Reform Campaign, Aim for human rights is pleased to announce that the United Nations has established “UN Women” on Friday, 2 July 2010. This new entity has been sought by women’s organisations and other civil society actors around the world since the United Nations established a System-Wide Coherence Panel for a UN Reform in 2006.

The new Gender Equality Entity will merge the four existing United Nations bodies on women; the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), and the Office of the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women (OSAGI). Hereby, the new organisation should help the UN and governments deliver more effectively on their obligations and many commitment to enhance gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights.

As UN Women is developed, Aim for human rights, alongside other women’s, human rights and social justice groups, will continue to advocate for four major elements critical to its implementation:

• Meaningful, systematic and diverse civil society participation at all levels;
• Strong, country-level operational capacity and universal coverage;
•  Ambitious funding with stable and predictable resources aimed at reaching $1 billion within a few years;
• Strong leadership at the top with an Under Secretary-General who combines a global vision with gender equality expertise on the ground.

More information can be found a www.unwomen.org and http://www.gearcampaign.org or contact GEAR at gearcampaign@gmail.com