FRIENDS of the SF Commission on the Status of Women NEWS

UN Leaders Call for Global Conference on Women in 2015

SF Women — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:53:10 GMT

From ChinaDaily.com.cn:

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the president of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser proposed the idea here Thursday of holding a global conference on women's issues in 2015, 20 years after the last women's summit held in Beijing.
The joint announcement was released on the International Women's Day, which is held to draw attention to the challenges faced by women as well as to their contributions.

Read more at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-03/09/content_14792676.htm

Additional coverage at "U.N. Aims at Major Global Conference on Women in 2015" from IPS News at http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106999

Are Women Better Leaders than Men?

Florence Corteza — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:58:54 GMT

Zenger Folkman, the authors of The Extraordinary Leader and The Inspiring Leader, shared some interesting data about the comparison of women and men in leadership positions. Click on the link to read more...

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/03/a_study_in_leadership_women_do.html

2012 Women's History Month Awards Ceremony in BeyondChron

Florence Corteza — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:38:11 GMT

Here is a nice article on the Women's History Month awards ceremony in BeyondChron. Rochelle Metcalfe, BeyondChron reporter, is interested in covering more of the Department on the Status of Women's work in the future. Thank you to Carol Sacco and the team for the photo!

http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=9993

Joint Statement by PGA and SG on the occasion of the International Women's Day

SF Women — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:30:56 GMT

8 March 2012

JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT BY PGA AND SG
on the occasion of the
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

The President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser and the Secretary-General of the United Nations H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon would like to jointly propose the convening of a Global Conference on Women by the United Nations in 2015, twenty years after the last women’s summit in Beijing.

Given that women compose the half of humanity and the inherent importance and relevance of women issues for the global progress, it is high time that such a world conference is convened, more so as the world is going through enormous changes in all fronts having both positive and other implications for women.

The President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General hope that the international community in general would welcome this joint initiative. They also hope that the Member-States who have the final authority to convene the proposed conference would take the necessary step in that regard during the on-going 66th session of the General Assembly.

They believe that high point that the UN reached with the establishment of UN-Women in 2011 can be meaningfully substantiated with a global programme focusing on women and articulated at the Fifth Conference.

The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing which adopted in 1995 the current Forward-Looking Platform of Action was preceded by three such world conferences beginning in 1975 in Mexico City, in 1980 in Copenhagen and in 1985 in Nairobi, held in intervals of five years. The enthusiasm of civil society, particularly women’s organizations, for such a conference has added extra strength to the general support expected for the proposal.

The Assembly President and the Secretary-General believe that a world conference on women would do justice in looking closely not only at the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action but also at the emerging issues, in particular those relating to women and political participation, UNSCR 1325 related issues on women and peace & security, equal access to decent work and to decision-making, involvement of rural women and girls as well as aid effectiveness, food security, trafficking, drugs, migration, environment, climate change, information technology which impact on women in various ways at all levels. As a result, naturally these have implications for nations and societies as a whole. With their manifested complexities, all those areas need to be addressed in a holistic manner, benefitting from ever-widening potentials of global connectivity.

In all these, role and involvement of the young people, particularly women, would bring in an important dimension of intergenerational empowerment that did not get a deserving prominence in earlier conferences.

Download PDF of this announcement here.

Support a UN 5th World Conference on Women - Sign the petition!

SF Women — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:29:32 GMT

MOMENTUM GROWS FOR A UN 21ST CENTURY WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

First since Beijing 1995. Would utilize internet technology. Simultaneous satellite conferences could be held worldwide. Would energize global women’s moment.

To sign the petition, http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/5wcw.html

Growing support for a UN 5th World Conference on Women (5WCW) was evident in the numbers of NGO delegates wearing large blue 5WCW buttons, and in speeches and panels during meetings of the 56th Commission on the Status of Women (February 27-March 9, 2012).

This grassroots campaign for) begun in 2002, led by activist-author Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD, backed by four prominent ECOSOC Consultative Status NGOs, was joined by Ambassador Gertrude I. Mongella, Secretary-General of the Beijing Conference and first president of the Pan-African Parliament who came to New York specifically as a 5WCW advocate, and in the address by Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, former president of the Security Council, whose efforts led to the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the Women, Peace, and Security resolution.

Both respected leaders emphasized that new issues deeply concerning women have arisen since 1995: the rise of terrorism, climate change, food scarcity, lack of safe water, economic recession and its effect on women and girls. And that fears for undoing the Beijing Platform for Action, some of whose goals have been opposed by fundamentalist religious leaders should not stand in the way of all the benefits: inspiring a new generation of women leaders, energize the global women’s movement, reach people worldwide through technology to raise awareness of problems to women, new and available solutions.

A large delegation from San Francisco birthplace of the UN where the UN charter was signed, came to lobby for San Francisco as the host-city, which while premature until the UN General Assembly supports a 5th World Conference on Women, added to the momentum. A petition in support of 5WCW now has over 13,000 signatures.

To sign the petition, http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/5wcw.html

SF Chronicle: S.F. getting it right on domestic violence

Florence Corteza — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:49:57 GMT

Emily Murase, director of the Department on the Status of Women, was interviewed by SF Chronicle regarding domestic violence in San Francisco. Read more...

SFGate: Battered Woman Amazed by Domestic Violence Help

Florence Corteza — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:34:14 GMT

One of the thousands of 'miracles' we see in San Francisco every year. - Beverly Upton, Executive Director, San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium & Partners Ending Domestic Abuse

An article from SFGate reported the importance of the domestic violence intervention work. Read more...

La Casa de las Madres Billboard Unveiling "Domestic Violence is NEVER a private matter"

Florence Corteza — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:19:08 GMT

Today, Feb. 16^th, La Casa de las Madres will unite with the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, Futures Without Violence, city leaders, and elected officials to unveil this billboard! Read more...

Shout out to the SF Commission from Gavin Newson

SF Women — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:17:23 GMT

On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 -- 9:00 AM California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was on KQED's Forum with Michael Krasny.

Click through to KQED's Forum site at http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201202010900 to listen to an audio podcast of his interview.

Around the last 3-4 minutes of the interview, you will hear his very positive response and high praise for the SF Commission.

Thanks to FRIENDS Board Member Barbara Mark for getting the Lieutenant Governor to acknowledge the Commission!

Women of San Francisco take on Jerry Brown

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:08:32 GMT

"Emily Murase, director of the city’s Department on the Status of Women, said the elimination of the state version comes as state programs relied upon by poor women, including CalWorks and childcare programs, are on the chopping block. “At precisely the time when women most need a voice at the table, most need advocates, I just don’t see how it makes any sense at all,” she said."

More at SFGate's City Insider blog.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee appoints Marily Mondejar to the SF Redistricting Task Force

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:59:49 GMT

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee appoints Marily Mondejar to the SF Redistricting Task Force

San Francisco Receives Prestigious International Award for Gender Equality Work

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:57:59 GMT

San Francisco Receives Prestigious International Award for Gender Equality Work

Senate Hearing on CEDAW

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:57:10 GMT

Senate Hearing on CEDAW

San Francisco Celebrates Women's Human Rights

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:56:05 GMT

San Francisco Sentinel:San Francisco Celebrates Women's Human Rights - Community Leaders Named 2010 Honorees (October 17, 2010)

Red or Blue: Which Party Truly Needs Its Women?

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:54:22 GMT

Red or Blue: Which Party Truly Needs Its Women? By Dorka Keehn and Marya Stark (Huffington Post) We are intrigued by the sudden surge of Republican women candidates at the national level. Read more . . .

History is on Women's Side in the Workplace

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:52:28 GMT

History is on Women's Side in the Workplace. Amid all the statistics whirling around women and paid employment, Peggy Drexler steps back to spot history in the making during Women's History Month. Read more . . .

Beijing+10: Journey of Small Steps, Large Leaps

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:50:06 GMT

Women's Enews: Beijing+10: Journey of Small Steps, Large Leaps

Maria Shriver in San Francisco

SF Women — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:48:13 GMT

Read more at San Francisco Sentinel: Maria Shriver in San Francisco

March is National Women's History Month! Top 10 ways you can celebrate women!

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:48:52 GMT

1) Take a woman friend, your mom, sister, sister-in-law, niece, daughter, granddaughter to lunch.
2) Read a book written by a woman.
3) Write down your thoughts on what it's like to be a woman.
4) Buy an item designed / produced by a woman.
5) Bring your dollars to a woman-owned business.
6) Bring a friend to a woman-owned business and get your friend to support her.
7) Is there a woman in your life that has helped you in some way? Call her, email her or better still, write her a letter and thank her again!
8) Get to know a woman who is not of your heritage. Talk to her. Have coffee or tea with her. Ask her what it's like to be a minority woman in the 21st century?
9) Name 5 women you admire and post it on this blog.
10) Celebrate YOU! How awesome it is to be a woman!