WELCOME TO THE 5WCW SITE
This site was created as a clearing house
of information and grassroots activism opportunities
for those who support and wish to advocate for a United
Nations sponsored
5th World Conference on Women.
Will a 5th World Conference on Women Undo the Beijing Platform for Action?
The answer is "NO!" Check out this video to understand why!
Produced, Shot and Edited by E. Ashley Young (SomeDayFire.com)
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choose either "View Image" or "Open in new window or tab."
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MARCH 2017
During the last UN CSW 61, Ms. Dubravka Simonovic, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences made a reference to 5WCW as she concluded her statement before the Commission as follows:"To conclude, let's look at the future.It is time to start a discussion on the scope and focus of the 2020 review of all our commitments related to gender equality. This could be the 5th World Conference on Women, with a focus on the implementation of all commitments under all agendas on gender equality and on the prevention of violence against women. Therefore, I call on governments and civil society to start the process leading to a fifth UN World Conference on Women with a focus on violence against women as a priority.Thank you!"CLICK HERE for her full statement. |
Click on link below to go to our Documents section to download: |
5WCW GLOBAL VISION
(Click here to download 5WCW Global Vision Flyer)
Let’s spark and sustain inter-generational global feminism.
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MARCH 2, 2013 CALL TO ACTION
From U.N. Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury
March 2, 2012 -- Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury addresses a crowd of women at the 57th UN CSW to tell the truth about why a year ago a draft resolution for a 5th United Nations Conference on Women (WCW) did not even make it to the floor of the UN despite the UN leadership stating formally that it is "high time" and despite grassroots women strong support worldwide. Seven or eight powerful countries, including the US and countries of Europe blocked it and continue to send the signal to slow it down. It has been 17 years since the last WCW. Why the delay? He explains what we should and can do about it. Ambassador Chowdhury should know. He is former Chief of the Security Council and Under-Secretary General of the Assembly and was the man behind drafting Resolution 1325 which ensures women are part of the peace-making process. Please see our other video by Ambassador Chowdhury in which he explains why a 5th WCW would strengthen, not threaten the Beijing Platform for Action document. We invite you to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Enoughers, and to visit our website, www.weareenough.org to stay connected to our coalition of grassroots women calling for a 5 WCW. |
NOTE: A silent non-religious hour meditation is held every 2nd Wednesday of the month, 5 –6 pm, at different UN missions, at the end of which each person may name a person, an event or an intention. Anele Heiges of IPPI, always speaks the intention to have a UN 5th World Conference on Women, 5WCW. You are invited to participate wherever you are.
A CALL TO ACTION: There are 3 petitions that we'd like you to sign at the links below:
CLICK HERE TO SIGN |
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December 10, 2012:
Download the Statment Advocating a Global Conference on Women at the link below:
August 2, 2012: Download the 5WCW Position Paper
June 3, 2012:
1. Please post the following statement on your website or blog to show your support for a 5WCW:
“We support holding the 5th UN World Conference on Women and call upon our own UN ambassador and those of member states in the General Assembly to pass the 5WCW resolution needed to hold it in 2015. We want 5WCW to address new and emerging issues affecting women and girls since the Beijing Conference in 1995, to build upon and not re-open previous UN documents.”
Also place a WCW button or banner on your website or blog and use it in your emails.
Download them here.
2. Send a message to President Obama (here's the link)
3. Send the GoPetition link to your friends. http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/5wcw.html
4. Tell your Facebook friend to LIKE our page
5. List your organization in support of a 5WCW on our new Facebook page.
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT BY SECRETARY GENERAL AND
PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
CALLS FOR 5WCW
March 8, 2012: On 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 jointly proposed the convening of a United Nations Fifth World Conference on women 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.
For entire Joint Statement: http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=5904
Gertrude Mongella Speaks on the Need for a UN 5WCW
MOMENTUM GROWS FOR A UN 21ST CENTURY WOMEN’S CONFERENCE (5WCW)
March 6, 2012: 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.
CLICK HERE TO |
A Step toward 5WCW in 2015
UN General Assembly Establishes “UN
Women”
On July 2, 2010 in a historic moment, the UN General Assembly voted unanimously for the establishment of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment, to be known as “UN Women.” This was the result of years of negotiations between UN Member States and active advocacy of women’s groups and civil society. With the establishment of UN Women, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the world has entered “a new era in the UN’s work for women.” UN Women will be headed by Under-Secretary-General Michelle Bachelet. It became operational in January 2011. (Click here for more information.)
Listen to Jean's Interview with See Jane Do about the need for a 5WCW
What the UN Needs To DoThe United Nations needs to be the sponsor of the 5th World Conference on Women, so that women from all 193 UN countries know that it is about and for them. Many will be able to come only because it is a UN conference that is recognized by their governments. It needs to be designated as the 5th, to acknowledge that it follows the other four, specifically Beijing and that it is intended to bring to fruition the goals and aspirations that were put into the Beijing Platform for Action (with no further debate on them). It would be as significant to women working for women as the Olympics are to athletes. Events leading up to it, the conference itself, and the ripples radiating out from it, including meeting in circles, would raise consciousness and oxytocin levels, moving us toward reaching a critical mass and a new era. |
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5WWC is the predecessor to this website. It is being maintained as a sister site documenting the history of this grassroots initiative in support of a 5th Women's World Conference prior to 2009. It also contains the current listing of the organizations who have registered with us in support of a 5WCW.