Image Copyright Hans Erni / WWSF the WWSF Foundation Logo Was Kindly Donated by WWSF Message from the President & CEO Hans Erni, Switzerland’S Most Famous Artist
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(c) Image copyright Hans Erni / WWSF The WWSF Foundation logo was kindly donated by WWSF Message from the President & CEO Hans Erni, Switzerland’s most famous artist. right to development, equality and peace, and lobby their government for robust implemen- 2018 Achievements tation of the unfinished business of gender and 2019 Outlook equality and women’s rights. The world has today a powerful roadmap pro- Dear Partners and vided by the Sustainable Development Agen- Friends, da 2030, and there can be no more excuse not to deliver lasting results. WWSF Global Newsletter Empowering Women and Children In closing a good year Femmes et Enfants-Maitriser sa vie with many activities and Regarding the WWSF Children-Youth section, Mujeres y Niños – Dirijan sus vidas events, we wish to say we are happy to share that some very impres- Edition No. 25 – 2018 «Thank You» to all our sive activities were organized by coalition partners, friends and member organizations in several countries, Published by sponsors who accom- briefly described in this report. In addition, WWSF Women’s World Summit Foundation panied us through our WWSF published online a more detailed “Glob- Case postale 5490, CH-2011 Genève 11 al Impact Report 2018. Tel +41 (0 ) 22 738 66 19 annual program of work. Fax + 41 (0) 22 738 82 48 Indeed, partnerships [email protected] - www.woman.ch with generous relation- In 2018, WWSF included in its 19 Days cam- www.ruban-blanc.ch ships and networks are paign Kit a new dimension to remind coalition WWSF, a Swiss Foundation and an the new leadership for members “that it will take compassion to help International empowerment network for women, children and youth, empowering the Social Good and drive the de- end violence against children and youth”, serves with its annual initiatives, velopment agenda for solving local problems. while advocating for the implementation of the campaigns, world days, prize awards Convention on the Rights of Child, (our road and Round Tables, the implementa- tion of women and children’s rights In 2018 WWSF attended the 62nd session of map) to create a world fit for children. and the United Nations Development the UN Commission on the Status of Women WWSF invited its members to learn about Agenda 2030. (CSW) in New York with the Priority theme: “How to create circles of compassion” as a WWSF has consultative status with “Challenges and opportunities in achieving community service program, and shared the the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations ECOSOC and gender equality and the empowerment of need to develop increased compassion in our with UNFPA and DPI. rural women and girls.” (Link to the agreed societies to empower local change makers to help end abuse and violence against children All rights reserved Copyright © conclusions: http://www.unwomen.org//media/ WWSF 2018 headquarters/attachments/sections/csw/62/ and youth and decide to individually and csw-conclusions-62-en.pdf?la=en&vs=4713 ) collectively help realize the promise of the Sus- List of WWSF Board of Directors: Elly PRADERVAND tainable Development Goal Target #16.2. Founder and President, Switzerland During the CSW 62 session, WWSF co-con- Gulzar SAMJI vened with our partners in the USA a side Regarding the Swiss White Ribbon campaign, P.Ag., Vice-President, Canada Jyoti MACWAN event on the topic «Rural Women Rise, we continued in 2018 with our regular outreach Board Member, SEWA, India Rise, Together for a 5th World Conference via social media alerts and newsletters to Anne Pélagie YOTCHOU T. Board Membre, Cameroon on Women in 2022» in the hope that a UN invite civil society (men, women and youth) to Member State will emerge and declare to pledge online “not to commit, condone or re- host the conference to take stock of the 1995 main silent about violence against women and Beijing promise and the SDG Agenda 2030. youth in our country”. We organized events Acknowledgements: WWSF also submitted a written statement to and Round Tables, and launched with local Sincere thanks are that effect, which was published by the UN university students a “Youth Engage-White expressed Economic and Social Council in the context of Ribbon campaign” and Declaration by and for to all donors, board directors, advisors, the Commission on the Status of Women (copy youth to sign on. (Read more on our website consultants, on pages 7-8). www.ruban-blanc.ch) staff and volunteers who make the work Regarding our WWSF rural women section, 2019 Outlook – Now is the time to create of WWSF possible. we celebrated in 2018 the 25th Anniversary lasting change. WWSF will continue with its of our annual «Prize for women’s creativity in annual empowerment programs to help enable rural life» with a ceremony at the Geneva Press coalition networks to double their efforts to Club in the presence of the Swiss prizewinner, speed up social change, respect for human Marie-Thérèse Chappaz, who presented her rights and the rights of the child, and increase work as a winegrower with passion and cre- compassion to break the cycle of persistent Fondation privée Genevoise ating miracles (more about her on page 19). violence and abuse. Join us on that journey - Geneva Communes 10 prizewinners were honored with US$ 1000 the world will become better for it. each. A new additional national rural women’s prize award was launched in Cameroon (see In partnership and solidarity, page 11) by the 2016 WWSF Prize laureate, Anne Pélagie Yotchou T. The prize program Elly Pradervand WWSF Members continues to honor rural women entrepreneurs WWSF President and Executive Director who empower their communities to claim their WWSF Introduction Introduction to the WWSF Program of work As an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental, lay organization (INGO), created as a Swiss Foundation on 8 March 1991 in Geneva, WWSF serves by building an international network coalition and designing programs for the empowerment of women, children, youth and relevant NGOs. With its annual conferences, campaigns, world days and prize awards, WWSF advocates for the implementation of women and children’s rights and the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Since 1995, WWSF has enjoyed UN consultative status with ECOSOC, UNFPA and DPI and is an active member of several global partnerships and NGO working groups connected to the UN. An international Board of Directors manages the annual program of work and oversees the functioning of WWSF. Specifically, WWSF seeks to fulfill its mission by organizing annually the following initiatives 1) ● 17 Days of activism for the empowerment of rural women and their communities 1-17 October ● International Day of Rural Women – 15 October ● WWSF Prize for women’s creativity in rural life (442 prizes awarded to-date) 2) ● Swiss White Ribbon campaign and its “16 Days of activism for the elimination of violence against women and youth by 2030”, mobilizes men, women and youth to pledge not to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and youth with main activities during the 16 days of activism (25 November – 10 December) 3) ● 19 Days of activism for prevention of violence against children and youth 1-19 November, including the World Day - 19 Nov. ● WWSF Prize for innovative child abuse prevention activities ● Round Tables, UN side events and working group meetings strategizing for transformative action Communicating ● With a global network of common understanding, broad e-Alerts, video clips, social media, etc. solidarity, cooperation and collaboration with NGOs, women’s ● Via websites: www.woman.ch and www.white-ribbon.ch groups, UN entities, the media and civil society at large. ● Publishing on Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram Networking and partnership building with organizations, ● Via oral and written statements to the UN Commission ● institutions and grassroots actors to expand outreach and action on the Status of Women and occasionally to the Human Rights Council, press releases, e-Newsletters, Activity Reports, Maintaining ● A secretariat for administration and management of relation- and prizewinners, as well as UN contacts and the media, ships with WWSF Board-and Advisory Panel members, Swiss the Swiss White Ribbon Ambassadors network, including authorities, donors and partners, coalition member organizations relations with NGOs and civil society actors. WWSF recommendations to governments and civil society actors for the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 ● Delivering the transformative Sustainable Development ● Assisting small farmers and especially women farmers Agenda 2030 with a strong rights-based focus who are feeding the majority of the populations and encouraging ● Reducing the gap between the very rich and the very poor, them to continue to protect local seeds which continues to rise ● Achieving the elimination of violence against children and ● Achieving the full implementation of the binding UN Conven- youth with the SDG Target 16.2: “End abuse, exploitation, tion’s CEDAW and CRC, as well as the unfinished business of trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture the Beijing Platform for Action to speed up the realization of a of children, including harmful practices, such as child, early more just and non-violent world and forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and prostitution” ● Convening a UN 5th World Conference on Women in 2022 ● Commemorating 19 November - World Day for Prevention ● Achieving the elimination of violence with SDG Target 5.2: of Violence Against Children & Youth, now that