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Table of Contents
Highlights from the Governor * Save
the Date for D12 Conference * Betty
Edwards * Area Happenings * Membership * ZI Service
Awards * JMK Scholarship* 2015 YWPA Winner * Forming a Z or Golden Z
Club *
New D12 Brochures *
Bylaws Update * Advocacy
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Spring is a very busy time in the Zonta community! Here are a few of the highlights:
- Area
Meetings were held in April for Areas 1, 2 and 4. (Area 3 held its Area
Meeting in January, with a combined Amelia Earhart event.). All of the
Area Meetings were fun, informative and a great chance to meet new
Zontians!
- New club officers are being installed during the month of May. I've installed officers for Pikes Peak, Greeley and Denver.
- Reporting is in progress, not only for the Clubs (due May 22nd), but also the Governor's report to International (due May 31st).
Take this opportunity to brag about all the good things we do.
Also, the club report is used to select the District 12 Advocacy and
Service awards during the District 12 Conference.
- Planning
for the new Zonta year is underway, not only for the clubs, but also
for District. The District leadership team meeting will be held in
Denver from June 5 - 7, 2015. (Once completed, the District leadership
team status reports will be posted on the District 12 website in the
Members Only section.)
The District Leadership planning team is working on training for Club
Officers and Club Boards. We will be providing conference calls with
Powerpoint presentations during the month of June. Put these dates on
your calendars:
- President / Vice President June 16 & June 25th. Trainers are Area Directors (Theresa Forbes (A1); Michelle Ammerman (A2); Ann Hodgson (A3), and Linda Hawkins (A4.)
- We
will also be providing a "new" Presidents manual, outlining best
practices / calendar events * all in one location.
- Secretary June 2 & June 11th Deedee Boysen, District 12 Secretary, will be conducting the training.
- Treasurer June 4 & June 9th. Terri Otley, District 12 Treasurer, will be training the Club Treasurers, and
- (NEW) Club Board Training
June 18 & June 23 hosted by Michelle Ammerman, Area 2
Director and myself. This new training will cover full Club
boards, which consist of President, Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer, and Directors. If you hold any of these offices, please
attend the Club Board training.
I will continue to be very busy for the remainder of the summer with the
North American Inter-District meeting June 12-14 in Minneapolis, MN and
planning for the 2015 District Conference the weekend of
September 25 - 27, 2015 in Boulder, CO. The District Conference
will be co-hosted by the Zonta Club of Foothills/Boulder and the
Zonta Club of Boulder County. Our theme is "HerStory of
Heroes."
Please join me for a fun-filled event!
Enjoy the rest of the summer,
Marcy O'Toole
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Zontian Betty Edwards Honored
On Thursday, March 26th,
I traveled to Kansas City, MO. Why would one choose to go to a city on a
river where the weather is that in between winter and spring cold
chills to the bone? The occasion was the 78th Annual
Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society. I went there because my
dear friend Betty Edwards, mentor, sister Zontian and the founder of the
Southern Colorado Human Trafficking Task Force was honored for founding
the task force. On Friday Betty was awarded the Jane Addams
Outstanding Service Award. Jane
Addams was the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Jane Addams
received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work in Chicago.
Betty was nominated by Dr. Aditi Mitra from the University of
Colorado-Colorado Springs. It is so gratifying to see recognition given
to someone who genuinely cares about her fellow human being and has
given her heart and soul to such a worthy cause. On Saturday Betty, Dr.
Mitra, and Dr. Mac Z-Zurawski from the Chicago State University gave
a workshop, Human Trafficking: A Global Issue. It was a good workshop,
there is always something to learn. All in all it was a busy, wonderful
weekend.
~Mary Benoit
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Area 1 Meeting
Teresa Forbes, Area 1 Director
On April 24th and 25th,
thirty Zontians brought their passion, inspiration, and energy to the
Area 1 annual meeting hosted by the Zonta Club of Sturgis. Saturday
morning's meeting began with South Dakota's
Attorney General
Marty
Jackley presenting on human trafficking. His remarks focused on
procedures and operations used to catch predators, particularly in large
events like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the changing landscape
resulting from the oil boom in North Dakota. He was clear that advocacy
and service organizations like Zonta can make an impact. His
department's primary focus is to prosecute crimes after the harm has
been done but advocacy programs can play a role to serve victims and
monitor internet sites where the illicit activity thrives.
Potential advocacy opportunities may be monitoring and, or contacting
the websites Backpage.com, Craigslist and Facebook and looking at South
Dakota laws designating certain crimes involving prostitution as a
misdemeanor. Our organization can be looking at ways to
support strengthen penalties for those involved in the sale of women and
girls.
District
12 leaders presented the members with the latest information from Zonta
International including details of the branding campaign, Net Plus One
for membership growth and sustainment, Zonta Says No, and many ways to
contribute to the Zonta International Foundation. A letter was read from
Samantha Johnson, Jane M. Klausman scholarship recipient. Samantha
received an award from the Spearfish club, District 12, and from
International. We can be proud of Samantha and grateful to
the Spearfish club members for their work in putting forward such an
outstanding candidate.
Attendees
were generous and brought donations of cleaning supplies and light
tools to give women transitioning from shelter to their own home. Some
’€œtools’€ to live an empowered life free from violence. The project
resulted in a significant donation to the Crisis Intervention Shelter
Service the local domestic and sexual violence shelter program. A
beautiful raffle basket with items donated by Geo's, Akela Spa, and
Wheeler Farms Candy raised just over $200 for the District 12
scholarships.
The
meeting ended with club updates. It is amazing to know that tens of
thousands of dollars are raised and given back to community programs
changing the lives of women and girls throughout Area 1. There is a lot
of service and advocacy going on in Area 1 Zonta clubs including; Art
Shows, the BH Zonta Expo, a Zonta Rose Garden project, a Women's Movie
Festival, the showing of "It's a Girl"
documentary and so much
more.
The
Friday evening social and the Saturday meeting offered many
opportunities to reconnect with long-time Zonta friends and meet several
"first-timers."
This was truly a gathering of inspiring
women with a
strong commitment to equality and justice for women and girls
everywhere.
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Area 2 Meeting "Making a Difference - We can! We
will! We Are!"
Michelle Ammerman, Area 2 Director
Area 2 of Zonta District 12 held their
annual area meeting in Greeley, CO on April 17-18, 2015. The theme of
the meeting, "Making a Difference - ¶We can! We will! We
are!" focused on "how a Zontian can
grow.
Seed
packets were used
to align attendees in teams, and
"growth"
was prevalent
throughout
the full meeting. Hosted by the Zonta Club of Greeley, the meeting
started Friday evening, and continued on Saturday with thirty-two
members attending. The cost of the meeting was $40.
The Friday Night event, held at Kenny's Steakhouse, provided an
opportunity for networking and meeting other Zontians from Area 2 clubs.
Delicious hors
d'oeuvres were provided.
The meeting was held at the Medical Center of the Rockies from 8:30 to
3:30 on Saturday. Most speakers were Zonta District 12 leaders,
providing updates on District 12 initiatives, membership, advocacy (CSW
and Beijing +20), and Zonta International foundation. Each club
president also provided a round table of club activities - what worked
well and future opportunities on the horizon. Anna Smoot, the lunchtime
key note speaker, spoke about fundraising. Also, Cara Chambers spoke
about human trafficking.
Other exciting details included a District 12 Scholarship basket that
netted $71.00, and the overall Area meeting had a surplus of $105.10
that was provided to the District 12 conference fund.
The 2015 Area 2 meeting will be hosted by the Zonta Club of Fort Collins and will be held in Ft. Collins, CO.
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Area 3 Happenings
Ann Hodgson, Area 3 Director
Area 3 clubs are close enough that we can hold our Presidents'
meetings face to face. At our first meeting Beth Robertson, the D12
Archivist, attended and explained what reports are required by the clubs
for eventual input into a book Zonta International is publishing for
the 2019 one hundred year anniversary of Zonta. At another meeting Deb
Beatty went over the need for clubs to update their bylaws to comply
with changes ZI has made in the International bylaws. At every meeting
each President shares what her club is doing for advocacy, fundraising,
membership and service.
The Zonta Says No Empty Shoes Art Show
All six clubs in Area 3 worked together to put on the second annual Zonta Says No Empty Shoes Art Show and Sale
which took place November 8, 2014 at the Posner Center in Denver.
Members collected art, put together a catalog for the show, did PR,
arranged for refreshments, and volunteered to set up and run the event.
Michelle Mèdal of Boulder Foothills chaired the committee this year.
Organizations that are working to end violence against women and are
supported by our clubs had display tables and shared information about
the important work they do. Over $10,000 was raised. One third was
donated to ZISVAW with the credit for the donation split between the
clubs. Each club also received over $1,000 which they donated to a local
organization working to end violence against women.
The ZSN Empty Shoes committee
The Area 3 calendar on the D12 website is being updated with the events
planned by our clubs for 2014-2015. It is a very busy, fun
filled spring with Foothills' Zing for Zonta,
Denver's Film
Festival, Douglas County's Trivia Night,
Boulder's
Women and
Girls
Rock, Denver II's Wine Tasting and
Denver's Garage
Sale. Later in
the summer Denver II will host the annual Candy Meininger-John's Golf
Tournament and Lakewood/Golden puts on a Day at the Races at Bandimere
Speedway.
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Area 4 Meeting
Linda Hawkins, Area 4 Director
Twenty Zontians from Area 4 met on March 27-28, 2015 in Canon City,
Colorado for the Area 4 meeting. Hosted by the Zonta Club of Royal
Gorge, the program started Friday night with wine tasting and hors
d'oeuvres at the Abbey.
A full program was provided on Saturday, providing Zonta International
and District Updates by Governor, Marcy O'Toole, membership progress
and retention strategies by Lt. Governor, Renee Coppock, and
Advocacy
- CSW & Beijiing+20 by Renee Coppock.
Each club provided club updates, with Vicki Bonds of Prowers County
providing a report on all the great work in Prowers County. The Royal
Gorge club provided an update on all of the projects.
A highlight of the program included a presentation by historian &
writer Sherry Johns portraying infamous women convicts at the prison in
Canon City.
An overview of the Zonta International programs & Zonta
International Foundation was presented after lunch, and then the members
broke into groups to learn more about international projects, followed
by discussions.
Overall, the Area Meeting was a very successful event, raising $101 for
the District 12 scholarship fund, and a surplus of $19.98 was provided
to the District 12 Conference fund.
A BIG THANK YOU goes to the Zonta Club of Royal Gorge for their hard work.
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Club Presidents
2015-2016
Area 1
Billings
Darcie Howard
Black Hills
Mary Kaiser
Glendive
Sherry Corneliusen
Pierre-Fort Pierre Laurie Schultz
Southern Black Hills Ramona Flaig
Spearfish
Andrea Parker
Sturgis Area
TBD
Area 2
Cheyenne
Kathy Cathcart
Converse County Jacque Pollock
Fort Collins
Andrea
O'Connell
Greeley
Susan Bromley
Laramie
Tasha Bauman
Area 3
Boulder County
Debbie Squires
Denver
Judy Allen
Denver II
Carol Leffler
Douglas County
Judy Nesavich
Foothills of Boulder County Lora Blakeslee Atkinson
Lakewood-Golden Deb Beatty
Area 4
Pikes Peak Area RoxAnne Krute
Prowers
County
Rosemary Marrin
Royal Gorge
Stacey
Cline
Thank you for your Leadership!
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A review of membership
Renee Coppock, Lt. Governor
By now, you are all familiar with the Net +1 Goal term. This relates to
not only recruiting new members, but also retaining your experienced
ones. The chart below puts the numbers in perspective. HOWEVER, as
you can see, the members reported to District by the clubs do not agree
with the number of members reflected in Zonta International records. We
need to figure this out. I am asking each club to send a
list of members to me and a list of members who did not renew, along
with a note if any members have not yet paid dues. Please send the information to me by May 22, 2015.
NET + 1 GOALS
| Clubs |
Paid Members as of 01 June 2014
(used to create goals) |
Paid Members as of 30 April 2015 |
Goal
by 01 June 2015
(net 1 per year)
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Members According to
ZI
Records
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| Area 1 |
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| Billings |
47 |
58 |
48 |
52 |
| Black Hills |
62 |
80 |
63 |
76 |
| Glendive |
17 |
17 |
18 |
18 |
| Pierre-Ft. Pierre |
27 |
27 |
28 |
27 |
| So. Black Hills |
16 |
16 |
17 |
16 |
| Spearfish |
43 |
43 |
44 |
43 |
| Sturgis |
19 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
| Area 2 |
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| Cheyenne |
37 |
39 |
38 |
38 |
| Converse County |
17 |
18 |
18 |
17 |
| Fort Collins |
20 |
28 |
21 |
25 |
| Greely |
16 |
16 |
17 |
20 |
| Laramie |
43 |
50 |
44 |
48 |
| Area 3 |
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| Boulder County |
13 |
18 |
14 |
14 |
| Denver |
30 |
34 |
31 |
32 |
| Denver II |
21 |
25 |
22 |
24 |
| Douglas County |
22 |
24 |
23 |
23 |
| Foothills-Boulder |
23 |
23 |
24 |
23 |
| Lakewood-Golden |
9 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
| Area 4 |
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| Royal Gorge |
17 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
| Pikes Peak |
20 |
26 |
21 |
23 |
| Prowers County |
27 |
39 |
28 |
36 |
| DISTRICT TOTALS |
546 |
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629 |
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On a more positive note, kudos to the Zonta Club of Black Hills for the
great increase in membership numbers. Black Hills has been
recognized by ZI as one of the clubs in the WORLD with the most growth.
Way to go, ladies! You can see from the chart that there are some
clubs that need to do some recruiting. I also ask that you call some of
those members who have missed meetings to keep them engaged, a key to
membership retention.
DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP MANUAL
The District Membership Manual is complete and ready for each club to
personalize. I will e-mail a template to each club president and
membership chair in the next coming week. It will also be available on
the District website.
E-CLUB
In order to meet our goal of forming an e-club this year, we need a
sponsoring, organizing and mentoring committee (SOM). To date, we have
no committee, and we are half way through the biennium. Ideally, the SOM
Committee is comprised of 4-6 members:
SPONSORING - ORGANIZING - MENTORING
COMMITTEE
Members of the SOM Committee can belong to the same or to different
Zonta clubs. Effective SOM committees are typically comprised of four
- six members:
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or two members with extensive knowledge of Zonta's organization at
club, area, district and international levels, including Zonta's role
at the UN and Council of Europe. |
A member with extensive knowledge of Zonta's advocacy initiatives and tools. |
A
member with extensive knowledge of Zonta's programs and project - with
both a local and international impact. |
A member with knowledge about finances, including dues payments. |
A
member willing to tell her personal story of "why I am a
Zontian."
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The Committee is responsible for finding potential members, meeting with
potential members, and educating the potential members about Zonta.
Because the new club must have 20 members, many contacts need to be
made. The formation of a new club should be viewed as a service
project. Those members who are on the SOM Committee should be relieved
from some of the local club duties in order to have time to devote to
the successful organization of the new club. Club Presidents, please
send to me a list of members who are willing to help formulate the
e-club. It is an opportunity to make contacts all over the region.
INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP
With membership in service organizations on a decline worldwide,
there have been many studies and surveys completed in an attempt to
reverse the trend. The studies showed that retaining members,
experienced and new, is problematic across organizations. Many members
drop out of their clubs for perfectly understandable reasons: death,
sickness, economic hardship, and transfer to an area without a club.
Others lack the commitment required of a true active member. But most
leave for reasons that could have been prevented by a club with a strong
membership retention program -- a club determined to retain its
members. Some of the reasons listed were poor club leadership,
inadequate orientation of new members, no participation or involvement,
no meaningful club projects, and lack of encouragement to members (new
and old) to attend international conventions, district conferences, area
meetings, training seminars, etc.
No matter how many of the above are true for your club, there are
simple, basic solutions that can be implemented to retain members.
Research shows that membership engagement is key to retention. Member
engagement builds loyalty and creates "ambassador
members" -
those
members who renew automatically, engage consistently and spread the word
to others. But what is "membership
engagement?"
Essentially,
it is members taking action on behalf of the club's causes, working on
service and advocacy, making telephone calls, sending correspondence,
attending meetings and events, donating money. In other words,
when members interact and relate to Zonta, and to one another, they are
more inclined to renew their memberships and become ambassadors for the
club. There are other benefits, too, such as increased visibility and
success for the
club's objectives. A few ways to engage
membership include leadership training at the club level and district
levels; education or orientation of new members on Zonta history,
culture and objectives; mentoring; find opportunities to make members
feel needed and wanted; and reorientation and motivation of old members.
The Zonta International Membership Committee is working on membership
issues. In a recent poll of governors and lieutenant governors, the
following were identified as problematic to Zonta membership:
- Retention
- Leadership Development
- Recruitment
- Visibility
- Administrative Support
A ZI North American Membership Task Force has been formed to work
with governors and lieutenant governors to find real solutions to the
most pressing membership issues. The subcommittees of the task force
have completed their review of the root causes of the membership
decline. Reports have been submitted to the Task Force and a report will
be generated for the North American Inter-District Meeting. Stay tuned
for more information.
If you have questions about membership, be sure to contact me at rcoppock@crowleyfleck.com or 406-255-7287. |
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Zonta International Service Awards
Ann Hefenieder, District 12 Service Chair
Did you know that ZI sponsors service awards in two categories for club
projects and for district service projects? Awards are presented to
clubs and districts at the ZI Convention every other year.
Two categories of projects will be considered for Awards during the
2014-2016 biennium. A club or district project must either: "empower
women and girls in general to achieve equal rights and to secure access
to all legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional
resources;" OR focus on "prevention of the root causes of
violence
against women and girls through education."
Each club may nominate up to two projects, one in each category. Club
projects that won in Orlando cannot be resubmitted. Each district may
submit one project, in either category. For this biennium, Governor
Marcy wants to focus on
"prevention of the root causes of violence
against women and girls through education." This is a perfect topic
for a combined Service-Advocacy project. To do that, I am working in
conjunction with District Advocacy Chair Dedi Larue to prepare a
guideline for your club's participation in this exciting project.
All the details have not been determined; I expect to have more
information out to Club Service chairs this summer. The project will be a
"Silent Witness" event combining the silhouettes and stories
of
victims of violence in your communities with community educational
activities.
I am excited about the possibilities of a district-wide project of this scope, and I hope you will be, too!
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Jane M. Klausman Scholarship
Kathy Hyzer, JMK Coordinator
It is that time of year again, and hopefully your club will be
considering submitting a JMK applicant for the District Scholarship. The
scholarship is awarded to women enrolled in at least the second year of
a undergraduate program through the final year of a Master's program
in Business. If you don't yet offer a scholarship, please consider
offering one. If your club budget does not allow for money for a local
scholarship, I hope your club will submit applications from any
qualified young woman who inquires about the scholarship.
Remember, it is not required that a club award a local scholarship to
have an application considered at the District level. However,
applications must be submitted by clubs. We cannot consider an
application submitted directly to District.
Everything a club needs is on the Zonta International web site. Go to www.zonta.org
and click on member resources - click on
Tools - click on
Awards,
Scholarships. The JMK Scholarship will be there. The website also
contains sample news releases, Certificates for Clubs, Evaluation
Criteria Scoring Sheet, and sample letter for applicants not
selected.
In addition to any money awarded at the club level, the District JMK
scholarship winner will receive $1,500 ($1,000 from International and
$500 from District). International awards 12 $7,000 scholarships to
District winners, which are pretty good odds - better than one
in three.
Please submit your club's selection for Jane M Klausman Scholarship by
July 1 to my email address: kathyhyzer@comcast.net. Remember that applications must be complete and sent in PDF. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Kathy Hyzer, JMK Coordinator
Email - kathyhyzer@comcast.net
Cell - 303-886-7803
Home - 303-282-1062
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Young Women in Public Affairs
Debbie Sundberg, YWPA Coordinator
The goal of the ZI Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) program is to
encourage more young women to participate in public affairs by
recognizing a commitment to the volunteer sector, as evidenced by
volunteer leadership achievements and the dedication to the empowerment
of women through service and advocacy.
In order for more women to be represented in key decision-making
positions worldwide, we must continue to encourage young women to pursue
leadership positions in public policy or governmental organizations.
YWPA recipients demonstrate
- A commitment to volunteerism
- Experience in local or student government
- Volunteer leadership achievements
- Knowledge of Zonta International and its programs
- Advocating
in Zonta International's mission of empowering women through service and advocacy.
By April 1, 2015, 9 clubs submitted YWPA award winners for
consideration of the District award. The scholarship committee completed
its review and forwarded its selection to the Governor, and this winner
was forwarded to Zonta International on May 1, 2015. Zonta
International will select the 10 winners of the International award on
July 1st, 2015.
On behalf of the District 12 board and the District 12 YWPA selection
committee, it is with extreme pride that we announce this year's
District 12 YWPA Award Recipient:
Annalese Warner
Nominated by the Zonta Club of Billings
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Forming a Z or Golden Z Club
by Deedee Boysen, Z and Golden Z Club Coordinator
Several clubs have expressed an interest in starting a Z Club or Golden Z
Club this year, and at least one club is getting close to
chartering! In addition, District 12 home to 4 Z clubs, which are located in Glendive, Laramie, Cheyenne, and Foothills Boulder County We have learned a lot from these clubs.
For the novice, the Z Club is formed on secondary school campuses or in
the community (high school), and Golden Z clubs are established on
college and university campuses. Both are organizations that provide
opportunities for youth to develop leadership skills, explore career
alternatives, and to improve international understanding through service
projects and advocacy. If you are interested in forming a Z or Golden Z
Club, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Sponsorship. A Z or Golden Z club is
sponsored by a Zonta Club, with the sponsoring club paying the charter
registration fee and the yearly renewal fee to Zonta International. The
sponsoring club serves as the link between the Z Club and Zonta
International, and handles the responsibility of sharing international
information and programs with the Z Club or Golden Z Club.
Organization. Following approval by the club, a champion
within the club should be identified. This person should be someone
willing to make a 2-3 year commitment to stay with the project in a
leadership position. Next, identify a potential high school to partner
with. The champion will arrange to meet with a representative of the
secondary school or college to determine if a partnership is a good fit.
The champion should also provide a venue for students to become Z Club
or Golden Z club members, provide a place to meet, select a teacher as
advisor to the Z Club or Golden Z Club members, provide assistance to
the advisor if/when necessary, and complete the New Z Club Authorization
Form, which is found on the ZI website. Please note that the selection
of an advisor within the school is very important. Qualifications of a
good advisor include an interest in youth, and the ability to guide and
encourage members to participate actively in club projects.
More Information. The information
provided above is available on the Zonta International website
(www.zonta.org) as well as on our District 12 website
(www.zontadistrict12.org) under the topic of leadership training. Please
contact Deedee Boysen at boysen.deedee@gmail.com for more information
about forming a Z or Golden Z Club and, if you have already formed one
of these clubs and your Zonta Club isn't listed above, please let me
know so I can touch bases with your leadership. I think there is much to
be gained in the coming year through information sharing and it is my
hope to connect the club advisors so they can share service project
ideas as well as their advocacy projects. I also hope to gather
information from the clubs to include in our Outreach newsletter.
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New District 12 Brochures
are HERE!
District 12 brochures have been updated and are available to purchase.
Cost: 50 for $25.00
Contact: Marcy O'Toole (motoole48@comcast.net)
Note: Booth in a Box will have the new brochures so you are ready to go to your next event!
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Update from your Bylaws chair
Deb Beatty
Greetings from your Bylaws and Resolutions chair. My responsibilities
include updating the District Policies and Procedures manual and making
sure all clubs in our district have updated and current governing
documents.
I hope all the club presidents received my email about updating your
bylaws. I have received responses from many, but not all clubs. Zonta
International made some fairly significant changes to the bylaws at the
last international convention, so it's important that the clubs update
theirs as well.
There is a very useful template on the Zonta website for clubs that are
updating their bylaws. If you go to
ZI's website and click on "Member
Resources" and then on
"Forms" you will find a document
entitled "Club Bylaws
Template."
This is an easily editable
Word
document that has all the latest language approved by Zonta
International.
If your club would like help with this process, please don't hesitate to
email me at debbeatty423@comcast.net.
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Advocacy: Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW) & Beijing + 20 - What is it? What are next steps?
By Renee Coppock
The Fourth World Conference on Women held in 1995 resulted in the
adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA) by
189 member States of the United Nations that had 12 Critical Areas of
Concern to guide the mainstreaming of gender in policies, strategies and
programs. The Declaration called upon member States to commit to the
advancement of the goals of equality, development and peace for all
women, while reaffirming the fundamental principal that the rights of
women and girls are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of
universal human rights. The accountability framework for the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action requires member States of the United
Nations to meet on a five-yearly basis to review their implementation,
at both regional and global levels, of the Platform for Action with a
view to fine tuning, remapping progress and reactivating commitment,
taking into account prevailing global and local conditions.
Fast forward 20 years - Beijing + 20. The CSW is the principal global
intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and
empowerment of women. It is part of the UN, specifically through the
Economic and Social Council. The CSW is instrumental in promoting
women's rights and was given a mandate in 1996 to take the leading
role in monitoring, reviewing and reporting on the implementation of the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and in mainstreaming a
gender perspective in UN activities.
The Commission meets 2 weeks each year in NY. UN member states,
NGOs and UN entities gather at the UN headquarters in NY to discuss
progress and gaps in the
Declaration's implementation, as well as
emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of
women. The member states agree on further actions to accelerate the
progress and promote women's rights in political, economic and social
fields. These outcomes and recommendations are forwarded to ECOSOC for
follow-up.
Every 5 years, the CSW has to make a thorough review and adopt a
political declaration for the UN's member states to follow. In other
years an outcome document is produced, after reviewing how member states
are progressing in the implementation of the Beijing Platform. This is a
negotiated process, taking place on the UN floor and often in side
meetings or discussions. Rather than rely on the CSW to bear the entire
burden, organizations in each country track the Beijing Platform and
other women's rights issues. This is often done by NGOs. Caucuses also
meet to keep NGOs informed about the progress of women's rights.
How does Zonta fit in? There are 4,000
NGOs with consultative status at the UN. However, only 146 have
General Consultative Status, the highest status an NGO can have. ZI has General Consultative Status, so it can participate directly in the CSW by making written statements and speak during sessions.
Before we can really understand what the CSW is all about, we have to
understand the commitments under the Beijing Platform. The Platform
contains 12 Areas of Critical concern. These concerns include:
- Women and Poverty
- Education and Training
- Women and Health
- Violence against Women
- Women and Armed Conflict
- Women and Economy
- Women in Power and Decision-Making
- Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women
- Human Rights of Women
- Women and the Media
- Women and the Environment
- The Girl Child.
CSW comments on these concerns on each year and thoroughly reviews every 5 years. The
Platform for Action imagines a world where each woman and girl can
exercise her freedoms and choices and realize her rights, such as to
live free from violence, go to school, participate in decisions and earn
equal pay for equal work.
In addition to CSW, there are also other UN organizations that look at
women's issues. Last November, the UN Economic Commission for Europe
conducted a regions review and recommended 5 focus areas for CSW 59:
- Women in the Labor market
- Women's representation in policy and decision making
- Preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls, governance and gender justice, and
- The
way forward - gender equality for inclusive and sustainable societies.
The CSW also discusses the Millennium Development Goals, which will
expire in Sept. of this year. There are 8 MDGs that dovetail with the
Beijing Platform:
- Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
- Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
- Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
- Goal 5: Improve maternal health
- Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
- Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
Using indicators, the UN has stated that enormous progress has been made
toward achieving the MDGs: World leaders have called for an ambitious,
long term agenda, tentatively called the
post - 2015 development
agenda, hoping to tackle the most relevant issues. The Agenda is
expected to be adopted at the Special Summit on Sustainable Development
in NY, in September, 2015.
This year marked the 59th session of the CSW, with took place
March 9 - 20 at the UN. Representatives of the Member States,
UN entities and ECOSOC accredited NGOs from all regions of the world
attended. The main focus was the Beijing Declaration, including current
challenges that affect its implementation and the achievement of gender
equality and empowerment of women. Pay equity was included in
those discussions. The progress of the implementation of the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was reviewed. The session
also addressed opportunities for achieving gender equality and the
empowerment of women in the Post -2015 development agenda. The end
result is a group of resolutions and the Political Declaration passed
after discussion and debate. The first draft that received
substantial comment from NGOs was published on January 26.
Zonta joined in with 341 NGOs stating that the proposed
declaration represents a bland reaffirmation of existing commitments
that fails to match the level of ambition in the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action and in fact threatens a major step backwards.
The comment demanded an accelerated implementation and accountability
for governments, among other items. A revised version of the Political
Declaration was circulated March 5, just days before the CSW.
Zonta and other NGOs made statements. Zonta International (ZI)
demanded:
- A Political declaration that expressed a commitment to realizing full gender equality and the empowerment of women of all ages.
- A commitment to creation of enabling environments and resources to make gender equality happen.
- Commitment to universal ratification and implementation of CEDAW.
- Recognition of the link between gender equality and long-term sustainable development.
ZI also requested increased participation by NGOs, invitation to expert
group meetings and the ability to nominate panelists.
It appears that the adopted Political Declaration is not as firm as ZI
would like. One of the most important aspects is that the Declaration is
striving for full realization of gender equality and empowerment of
women by 2030.
The most useful tools at the CSW to most Zontians are the parallel
sessions. This year there were over 60 Zontians in attendance,
along with over 9,000 other participants. Over 1,300 NGOs were active in
the 450 parallel events. The events, called the NGO CSW Forum, are
coordinated by NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY (NGO CSW/NY). In
its work with the NGO Committees on the Status of Women in Geneva and
Vienna, NGO CSW/NY supports the Beijing Platform for Action, UN Security
Resolution 1325, the Millennium Development Goals, and the Convention
to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Members of NGO CSW/NY represent approximately 100 organizations that
monitor and actively participate in the daily UN events in New York.
Every year NGO CSW/NY organizes the NGO Consultation Day in preparation
for the UN Commission on the Status of Women sessions.
In bringing together activists from around the world for two weeks at
the UN, NGO CSW/NY enables members to network, share strategies and best
practices, and lobby governments to implement resolutions and treaties
they have signed. The 2 week Forum is kicked off by Consultation
Day, which was held this year at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. After
Consultation Day, participants participated in the International
Women's Day March, hosted by UN Women. The March started at the UN
Women's HQ and walked to Time Square. There were over 10,000
participants, with speakers following the March.
At the end of the March, UN Women officially kicked of its Step It Up
for Gender Equality Campaign, which has a slogan of Planet 50-50 by
2030. "Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It UP for Gender
Equality"
asks governments to make national commitments to address the challenges
that are holding women and girls back from reaching their full
potential.
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