On September 30, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chaired a United Nations Security Council session on sexual violence in conflict, during which Resolution 1888 to end the use of sexual violence as a tool of war was unanimously passed by the body. Sponsored by 61 countries, the resolution related a “demand for the complete cessation by all parties to armed conflict of all act of sexual violence with immediate effect,” as AFP reports. The measure further affirms the link between safeguarding women’s rights and the promotion of peace:

“effective steps to prevent and respond to such acts of sexual violence can significantly contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security.”

Clinton chaired the meeting, entitled ‘Women, Peace and Security’, as part of the rotating presidency of the council, currently held by the United States. She noted that the resolution focused on an issue that “has received too little attention.” President Obama commented on the passing of the resolution:

“Today, the United States joins with the international community in sending a simple and unequivocal message: violence against women and children will not be tolerated and must be stopped.”

Resolution 1888 urges that states undertake “comprehensive legal and judicial reforms…without delay and with a view to bringing perpetrators of sexual violence in conflicts to justice.” Additionally, the measure creates a high-level UN special representative position to spearhead efforts to eradicate sexual violence in conflict.

UN demands end of sexual violence as tactic of war-AFP

September 30- In cooperation with Congresswomen Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Kay Granger (R-TX), The Women, Faith & Development Alliance held a hill briefing entitled, ‘Putting Women and Girls at the Center of Foreign Assistance’. Currently seated as the Chairwoman of the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, Congresswoman Lowey spoke on the importance of substantive and sustained investment in women towards the end of global progress. Lowey noted new commitments made by the subcommittee in provisions for fiscal year 2010 that stipulate that funds made available to USAID must provide for women in relation to greater access to markets and security assistance in conflict areas, among other issues. The congresswoman went on to affirm that the effect of women’s development and equality is far-reaching:

“If we are to have lasting peace…women must be at the center of policy.”

Congresswoman Granger, ranking member of the subcommittee, echoed the words of her colleague in calling attention to established research that indicates that investments in women extend to their families and communities as well. Granger further noted the significant role that education plays in the empowerment of women, explaining that a woman’s lifetime earnings can increase by as much as 20 percent if she has received an education.

A sense of momentum and increasing awareness of the positive impact of women’s contribution to development was noted by the speakers, who pledged to continue in their work to incorporate a gender focus within foreign assistance.

This September, Vital Voices once again partnered with the Open World Leadership Center and American Councils to host two delegations of women from Kazakhstan and Ukraine as part of the Open World program, sponsored by the United States Library of Congress. The delegates were accomplished businesswomen, political officials and NGO leaders, selected for demonstrating leadership in their field. During the program, participants engaged in intensive professional development training designed to enhance their knowledge, skills and networks in their spheres of influence.

The focus of the Kazakhstan program was Women in Public Leadership. The goal is to further the effectiveness of the government, private sector and civil society in Kazakhstan as an important step to achieving democracy, government accountability and respect for human rights. The delegates from Kazakhstan were Kuralay Bekenova, Sara Gumirova, Kadisha Ospanova, Bakhyt Syzdykova and Gaukhar Ospanova. One of the delegates, Bakhyt Syzdykova, is the youngest female deputy in parliament and has helped develop laws to combat domestic violence and achieve gender equality as a member of the Committee for Social and Culture Development.

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Dr. Carol Lancaster in Guatemala

From June 26 to June 30, Vital Voices Guatemala carried out a week of “Women’s Political Strengthening,” which counted on the participation of over 600 individuals from different sectors, including women’s groups, professionals, academics, and the general public.

The central focus of this week was the visit of Dr. Carol Lancaster, Director of the Mortara Center for International Studies at Georgetown University, and a member of Vital Voices Global Partnership Board of Directors. Dr. Lancaster, who obtained her doctoral degree in International Relations at the London School of Economics and has written numerous books and articles, was in Guatemala to share her knowledge and ample experience in international politics, economic development, and the stabilization of governments and democratic states.

During her visit, Dr. Lancaster was interviewed by Guatevisión, Canal Antigua Telediario, Radio Infinita, and Radio Fabulosa. Her stay also included a visit to Jocotán, Chiquimula, during which she learned about the work of Kiej de los Bosques, an organization started by Maria Pacheco, who also founded the Vital Voices Chapter in Guatemala. Dr. Lancaster gained insight into how the community in Jocotán managed to come out of hunger and poverty through a successful sustainable development model based on the implementation of production chains.

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On September 17 the Vital Voices El Salvador Chapter was officially launched in San Salvador. The fourth chapter in Central American Network of Vital Voices, it is joining existing chapters in Guatemala, Panama, and Nicaragua, with one in Costa Rica on the horizon for 2010. A public forum was held with four of the “most admired women in Central America,” including Maria Eugenia Brizuela and Elena María Lacayo Castro de Alfaro of El Salvador, Yara Argueta of Guatemala and Gisela Porras of Panama, moderated by Carmen Irene Alas, founder of leading business magazine Estrategia y Negocios and President of Vital Voices El Salvador.

These women, who were chosen through a regional competition, shared their experiences and the challenges they faced in their journey to success in business and political leadership. More than 250 women attended the discussion and embraced the future possibilities of women’s leadership and their critical role in the political, economic and social development of their countries and the region.

Carmen Irene Alas described her vision for the new chapter as President of the Vital Voices El Salvador Chapter:

“Vital Voices El Salvador will be an inclusive and participative project with national scope…[and will serve as] an agent of change and integration, generator of opportunities, and promoter of local programs for the development of the leadership, self esteem, and empowerment of the women in our country.”

Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson expressed her enthusiasm with the launch, adding that the chapter exemplifies the mission behind Vital Voices by bringing together women who want to improve the world. Vital Voices Senior Program Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean Eugenia Podesta commented on the new chapter as a welcome addition to a thriving regional network:

“The Central American network is something extraordinary, it enables us to unite efforts.”

On September 10, Vital Voices hosted a meeting with 20 African women political leaders, participants in the International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Vital Voices Africa Program Officer Celena Green, Global Grants Manager Melysa Sperber, and Senior Advisor Stephenie Foster spoke with the visiting political leaders, who represented 17 African nations. Offering an overview of previous and current political participation programs in Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe, Vital Voices representatives engaged the leaders in a dialogue on the unique challenges faced by African women in the political sphere.

During the discussion, impassioned leaders from diverse political landscapes shared their insight and experience from varied levels political engagement, which ranged from members of parliament to political party spokespersons, mayors, judges, NGO directors, political appointees and government administrators. The participants were in agreement that women must support each other in order to affect change and increase female political representation.

Senator Eve Masudi of the Democratic Republic of Congo explained that she views “democracy as expression,” and urges women to claim and practice their right to expression in an effort to advance democracy. She went on to describe the courage it takes for a woman to venture into the political realm:

“It is not easy for a woman to leave her kitchen, cross the living room, open the front door and find power.”

Senior Advisor Stephenie Foster further emphasized that local political involvement and engagement should never be discounted, as it is from smaller, more immediate communities that women emerge and develop as leaders on a larger scale. The need to build capacity and empower African women with education and skills training was noted as central to enhancing female political participation across the continent.

The significance of network support was discussed when several of the leaders expressed a need to feel connected with other political women as they navigate the challenges of retaining power while maintaining their integrity. A recurring message of the meeting was that a critical mass of unified women can effectively alter both the course and practice of politics. The familiar adage rang true to the group of women – ‘One woman in politics changes that woman. Many women in politics changes politics’.

Mary Schnack has more than 30 years of experience in journalism, public relations and public affairs, crisis communications, writing, and marketing communications (www.MarySchnack.com). Mary also has been giving speeches and presentations worldwide for more than 25 years. Mary has established international business alliances in Kenya, China, Iceland, Bermuda and Italy, and has done speaking and training throughout Europe, Africa and in Mexico and Russia. She is a consultant and trainer for Vital Voices and past chair of the International Forum for the National Association of Women Business Owners. She was the recipient of the 2004 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Women in Business Advocate award for the Arizona District and Region IX and in 2008 she was awarded The International Alliance for Women Inaugural World of Difference 100 Awards, Advertising Working Mother of the Year Trailblazer Award and Member of the Year for Women Impacting Public Policy. She is also the founder of a business, www.UpFromTheDust.com, which supports the global growth of women microenterprises.

Whether you are part of a large corporation or have your own woman-owned business, no one is exempt from a crisis. Crises occur all the time and small businesses are often the victim—business loss due to arson, product tampering, someone getting hurt on your premises, or any lawsuit that has the potential to harm your business. Crises are not always “negative” – an employee that wins the lottery may create enough media attention that you need to activate your crisis communications plan!

If something were to happen at your place of business, would you be prepared? It’s too late to develop a crisis communications plan once the crisis hits. You need to have a plan in place with professionals “on call,” know how to communicate both internally and with the media, know who on your team is going to manage the response that gets you through this stressful time, and what message you will want to transmit.

1. Appoint a crisis communications “team” and develop a crisis communications plan. Communicate it to all appropriate parties. A crisis communications plan needs to have systems developed to disseminate information quickly and efficiently, internally and externally, before and after a crisis strikes.
2. Proactive media and community relations programs should be part of your comprehensive disaster plan. Having an on-going public and community relations program with pre-existing, positive relationships with the media and your community will help minimize the impact of many crises.
3. Don’t forget to communicate to your internal audience during a crisis. Internally, you need to “over communicate” to strengthen your internal team and for rumor control. Do not let them hear about your crisis for the first time from the news. Providing no information leaves a vacuum, which is quickly filled with speculation – usually erroneous. Make sure you continue to communicate with your internal audiences as the crisis unfolds and gets resolved. Continue Reading »
   

At the Clinton Global Initiative annual summit last week a new program was launched called Technologies to Improve Women’s Economic Livelihoods, which aims to “help identify and deploy technologies and innovations that can improve quality of life and enable women to participate more fully in income-generating activities.”

The $1.5 million dollar program is sponsored by Exxon Mobil Corporation, Ashoka’s Changemakers, a global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka’s Changemakers, said, “We have seen what individuals can do to engineer change in their communities. This collaborative search will help us see how technology innovations for women can be part of the solution to global poverty.”

Press Release

Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer joined World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in launching Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a panel discussion on September 28 at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. In an event co-hosted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Ambassador Verveer gave a keynote address in which she noted that “no nation is immune” from domestic violence, indeed “it is every nation’s problem.” Assessing the global scope and challenges posed by violence against women, the ambassador cited statistics which indicate that one in three women in the world face gender-based violence, in some regions this number grows to as many as 70 percent of women. Ambassador Verveer insisted that violence against women be met with a response that is commensurate with the seriousness of the situation:

“How we deal with the global scourge of violence against women will say a great deal about our future.”

The correlation between economic progress and women’s empowerment was noted by World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who in her remarks urged that all recognize a shared obligation to address violence against women: “We are all in this together. The responsibility is all of ours.” The cycle of poverty and poor health perpetuated by violence must be broken, said Ambassador Verveer, citing established research that states women’s equality is a matter of smart economics. Economic growth and development are increasingly linked to an environment of gender equality, as are democratization and improved health.

In closing, Ambassador Verveer assured those gathered that “moderation will not prevail” in the face of such a challenge, rather that violence against women must be elevated as a priority on the global agenda. Affirming that every woman is owed the right to freedom from violence, wherever she may live, the ambassador expressed a need to scale-up methods and programs that have proven effective.

On September 28, the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe ruled that human rights activist Jestina Mukoko could not be prosecuted for crimes of terrorism since she herself “had been terrorized when state security agents abducted and tortured her,” The New York Times reports. The decision comes as a “rare triumph” in a nation with a poor record of human rights. Mukoko was abducted last December and held for three weeks, later testifying that she had been “held in secret locations, where her abductors forced her into a false confession, making her kneel on skin-piercing gravel and relentlessly beating the soles of her feet.”

The head of a civic group that had been monitoring and documenting human rights abuses prior to the contested March 2008 presidential election, which ultimately led to a power-sharing deal between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe, Mukoko had been jailed along with dozens of other activists, prompting Western diplomats to claim that Mr. Mugabe was unwilling to respect human rights and restore the rule of law in Zimbabwe. The New York Times further reports that the decision is all the more a victory when considering that “the Zimbabwean judiciary has been deeply compromised in recent years, with many judges accepting luxury cars and farmland from the Mugabe government.”

Irene Petras, executive director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, commented on the ruling:

“Today’s decision can be read as a movement toward the restoration of an independent justice delivery system.”

Zimbabwe Court Frees Rights Activist - The New York Times