The 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, marking the fifteenth anniversary of the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, is a year of reflection on the progress on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals. At the opening session of CSW attended by nearly 8,000 NGO and government delegates, the UN Deputy Secretary General, the President of ECOSOC, the Under-Secretary General for the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Assistant Secretary General Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, the Executive Director of UNIFEM, and the Chair of CEDAW gave overviews of the efforts made by each of their departments and organizations. They each emphasized that Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has designated gender equality and women’s empowerment as priority areas in the next five years. Women are key to national economic growth, peace and security, and development. While gaps remain between legislation and implementation, the rhetoric must be supported by action to achieve these goals.

According to Ambassador Hamidon Ali, the current President of ECOSOC, this year holds special significance for women’s empowerment. This year ECOSOC will review the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), the global blueprints for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Specifically, MDG3 (promote gender equality and empower women) is considered a goal in and of itself but also as a means to achieving all other goals, since no country can develop without the full and effective participation of women.

While education and the development of national laws have been areas of progress, the global economic crisis has impacted the rate of women’s employment, especially poor and rural women. Other challenges include balancing work/caregiving responsibilities for women, the increase of human trafficking, and the uneven and sporadic progress of women’s equality. There is hope that the new Under-Secretary General for Women’s Affairs will leverage the momentum and strength of the UN system to attain further progress in these areas, in collaboration with the invaluable role of NGOs working with local communities.

The following is a post written by Dinah-Kareen Jean, who joined Vital Voices in the fall of 2009 and is currently a Consultant with the Vital Voices Human Rights Program. Dinah-Kareen graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in Political Science and Community Health.

On January 29th, 2010 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced his decision to appoint Margot Wallström as his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict position was created in response to Security Council Resolution 1888, adopted on September 30th, 2009. The resolution called for the Secretary General to create the position in order to coordinate efforts between non-government organizations, governments and the military to address the issue of sexual violence in armed conflict.

Ms. Wallström is currently the outgoing Vice-President of the European Commission for Institutional Relations and Communications and was previously the Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders Ministerial Initiative. Her career in politics began in 1979 when she was elected to the Swedish Parliament. Ms. Wallström plans to apply her wealth of knowledge and experience to an issue that she regards “as one of the most important and yet one of the most overlooked and ignored in modern conflicts.”

In her role as a Special Representative of the Secretary General, Ms. Wallström will be given the opportunity to provide first hand observations of conflict situations to the Secretary-General and to communicate the issues of those working on the ground to the greater UN community.

Curbing sexual violence in conflict is ‘mission irresistible’ for new UN envoy-UN News Centre

Editor of The Daily Beast Tina Brown, who has long been involved with Vital Voices, announced the first annual Women in the World summit on February 17. The three-day summit will “showcase leaders on the frontlines working on innovative solutions to challenges ranging from sex slavery to girls’ education in the developing world to women caught in the violence of war zones.”

On the opening night of the summit, Meryl Streep will join fellow Academy Award winning actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and five other critically acclaimed actresses to stage a reading of SEVEN, the documentary play produced by Vital Voices that tells the stories of seven remarkable women in our network. This production is graciously being led by renowned director Julie Taymor.

Read about the summit on The Daily Beast.

In a February 17 article, The New York Times reports that 12 women in Iraq have formed a political party of their own, “with a platform built on women’s rights and a jobs program for Iraq’s more than 700,000 widows.” After interviews with local women, the NYT writes that “some women say a new female political class is starting to emerge.”

Read the full article: Iraqi Women Are Seeking Greater Political Influence- The New York Times

In a February 10 interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, fashion designer and Vital Voices board member Diane von Furstenberg discussed her passion for promoting women’s leadership while announcing the first annual DVF Awards, to be held on March 13 at the United Nations in New York City. Furstenberg has long been an advocate for women’s empowerment, and spoke of her involvement with Vital Voices and the women leaders who make up our international network. Two of the four DVF awards to be presented will recognize Vital Voices network members Danielle Saint-Lot of Haiti and Sadiqa Basiri of Afghanistan. The designer created the awards to honor women who are giving back to their communities and inspiring positive change.

“I have never met a woman who is not strong.”

As President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Furstenberg led a recent effort to raise awareness and funds for survivors of the January 12 earthquake that struck Haiti. Proceeds from a t-shirt designed by members of the CFDA have already reached $1 million, and are expected to continue to increase.

Furstenberg will attend the 2010 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards on March 10, when she will present an award to Rebecca Lolosoli of Kenya, an artisan whose necklaces have been featured in Furstenberg’s 2010 Spring Collection.

Watch the full interview with Diane von Furstenberg on Good Morning America.

Read about the DVF Awards.

Turkish police have found the body of a 16-year old girl who they believe was buried alive in an honor killing “carried out as punishment for talking to boys,” reports The Guardian. An informant allegedly told the police that the girl had been killed after a “family council meeting.” The father and grandfather of the girl, who is known only by the initials MM, have been arrested and are being held in custody.

Honor killings are reportedly prevalent in the southeast of Turkey, and official figures estimate that more than 200 honor killings take place each year, “accounting for around half of all murders in Turkey,” according to The Guardian.

Turkish girl, 16, buried alive for talking to boys - The Guardian

On February 8, Laura Chinchilla was declared winner in the presidential election in Costa Rica, becoming the first female president of the nation and the fifth in Latin America. Winning 47 percent of the votes counted, Chinchilla avoids a potential run-off. In her acceptance speech, Chinchilla said to the gathered crowd:

“Thank you, Costa Rica. It’s certainly a moment of happiness, but above all of humility.”

Chinchilla, a former vice president, follows in the footsteps of female presidents in Chile, Argentina, Panama and Nicaragua. Her victory comes after various efforts in recent years to promote change and increase women’s political representation in the region.

Laura Chinchilla voted first female president of Costa Rica -TimesOnline

Laura Chinchilla to be Costa Rica’s first female leader -BBC

In her keynote address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast on February 4, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about the current crisis in Haiti, where tent cities, “food lines and makeshift hospitals” are evidence of the urgent needs of millions of people.

“When I think about the horrible catastrophe that has struck Haiti, I am both saddened but also spurred.”

Secretary Clinton went on to say that the people of Haiti will need assistance and committed partners in reconstruction efforts long after the memory of the crisis fades and news cameras move away.

Read Secretary Clinton’s full remarks: Keynote Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast - U.S. Department of State

Kakenya Ntaiya of Kenya, 2008 Rising Voices Award honoree and a valued member of the Vital Voices network, has been voted as one of the People of 2009 by One World, an online news service. Kakenya provides young girls an education through her Academy for Girls, the Kakenya Center for Excellence.

One World was introduced to Kakenya from the inspiring blog entries written by Vital Voices and Advocacy Project Fellow Kate Cummings, who spent her summer with Kakenya.

Congratulations to Kakenya and to Kate for sharing her story!

People of 2009: Neipamei Ngodia and Kakenya Ntaiya - One World

Senator Barbara Boxer at the introduction of I-VAWA, joined by Senator John Kerry and Representatives Bill Delahunt, Ted Poe, and Jan Schakowsky

On February 4, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) joined Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Ted Poe (R-TX) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) to both Houses of the 111th Congress. The bipartisan bill would authorize the development of a 5-year strategy to “reduce, prevent, and respond to violence against women and girls around the globe,” expanding on a goal of the Obama Administration to address violence against women as a component of American foreign policy.

In his remarks, Senator Kerry said that I-VAWA has “crucial, long-term importance,” and will serve to strengthen national security by promoting peace and stability abroad. He went on to say that women are “peacemakers and change agents” who should no longer be suppressed by gender-based violence that currently affects 1 in 6 women internationally. While acknowledging that some of his colleagues are weary of authorizing additional funds at this time, Kerry stated that support for I-VAWA and investment in the eradication of violence against women “will reduce expenditures in so many other ways.” Pledging his support for the legislation, Kerry said:

“societies that do respect and empower women are all around healthier…[which] makes all of us safer.”

Representative Delahunt echoed his colleague, expressing his support for a bill that will not only reduce violence against women globally, but also “make the world more stable and less prone to conflict.” He added that female education has proven critical to the eradication of extremism.

Senator Boxer recognized the efforts of former Senator and current Vice President Joe Biden, who authored the Violence Against Women Act, passed in 1994. Noting that there is not merely a “moral dimension” to ending violence against women, Boxer cited evidence that societies with less incidence of gender-based violence tend to be more prosperous.

“Women are engines of peace and prosperity…”

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