| US Women
Connect Initiatives 1999-2000 Women
Action 2000 Internet Focal Point: In September 1999, US Women Connect was designated as
the U.S. focal point of the NGO Global Communications Network, Women Action 2000. Women
Action 2000 was created to use electronic networking among NGOs globally to assess gains
and gaps in the critical areas of concern of the Platform and to share experiences on
advocacy. US Women Connect's website is the US Internet gateway to key information and
campaigns related to NGO advocacy and follow-up on the 1995 UN Conference on Women. |
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Online Working Groups on Critical Areas of Concern:
In spring
2000, USWC sponsored three online working groups on three areas of the Platform for Action
and US Women's National Action Agenda: Women's Economic Security and
Justice; Girls Speak Up; and Women in Power and
Decision-Making. Each group operated for about five weeks and
was moderated by an "expert," who was identified and prepared in online
moderating by US Women Connect. USWC also supervised and provided ongoing technical
support to the moderators. Seventy women participated in the Economic group; 25 in the
Girls group; and 60 in the Decision-making group. The purpose of the online working groups
was to provide a means for women and girls across the country to contribute their views to
the Beijing +5 review process. Reports were prepared based on each group's deliberations,
focusing on obstacles to progress and recommendations for future action which have been
sent to members of the Presidents InterAgency Council on Women, selected members of
Congress, and leaders of national women's organizations.
To access the reports, www.uswc.org/reports.html.
Report Card on US Government Implementation of the UN
Platform for Action: To mark the five-year review of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on
Women, US Women Connect issued a report card grading the US government on progress in
implementing the UN Platform for Action.
In 1995, 189 governments signed the Platform for Action at
the Beijing Conference, making commitments for action in "twelve critical areas of
concern." US Women Connect (USWC) has promoted Platform implementation in the United
States since 1996. At the June 2000 UN Special Session, known as "Beijing +5,"
governments presented reports on how they implemented the Platform in their respective
countries. NGOs also prepared their own assessments of progress.
The USWC report card assesses US government performance in
the twelve Platform areas: women and poverty; education and training; health; violence
against women; armed conflict; the economy; power and decision-making; institutional
mechanisms; human rights; the media; the environment; and the girl child. The government's
grades range from an "F" for poor effort toward alleviating poverty to a
"B" and "B-minus" for strong programs to prevent domestic violence and
for the dramatic increase of women in appointed governmental positions.
At the report card's launch, USWC made the following
statement: "What Beijing +5 is about is accountability. The US government has taken
follow-up to the Beijing Conference seriously, and we applaud its accomplishments in many
areas," said Suzanne Kindervatter, Chair of US Women Connect and Director of
InterAction's Commission on the Advancement of Women. "But the five year review is
just a milestone on the road to attaining women's and girls' rights and gender equality.
USWC and other NGO coalitions will continue to act as watchdogs and as advocates--for
holding our government accountable to fulfill all the promises made in Beijing."
To access the report card visit
www.uswc.org/reports.html.
The USWC received considerable coverage in the press,
including a major article by the Associated Press which appeared in the Boston Globe and
other newspapers; stories in the Pittsburgh Gazette, the National Review, and on NPR; and
mention on CNN and ABC Nightly News.
Hold Government Accountable Report Card Workshops: During the
UN review in June 2000, USWC convened several workshops which presented the federal report
card and the idea of taking the report card "on the road" for state and local
assessments. One workshop was co-sponsored with the Philippine NGO Scoreboard; another was
co-sponsored with the regional organizers of the ten US regional meetings for Beijing +5.
Participants were enthusiastic about the tool as a mechanism for coalition-building and
advocacy, and follow-up plans are still in theworks.
US Women Connect Initiatives --
2001 & Beyond
San Diego Grass Roots
Report Card" Campaign
Online Community and Electronic
Activism
| US
Women Connect: 2001 and Beyond
USWC's
new initiatives build on its successful advocacy and outreach during the five year review
of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. Watch for updates!
San Diego
"Grass Roots Report Card" Campaign
USWC has taken its successful federal report campaign on the
road in a pilot program with California Women's Agenda San Diego. The initiative has two
aims: to coordinate and amplify the advocacy of CAWA San Diego as a local grass roots
organization and to develop a guide for other communities to use in their own advocacy
efforts. We're having a "process documentor" work with us to capture useful
"how to" tips to share with others. |
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The prototype report card framework being used in San Diego, enables women and
girls to grade their local, city, or state government on 8-10 key areas that are of
priority locally. The initiative is also developing ways to best use the report card as an
advocacy tool, including town meetings, meetings with elected and appointed officials,
letters to the editor, appearing on talk radio, etc.
USWC encourages other groups to take advantage of the prototype report card
and adapt it to their own community. Contact USWC if you're interested in being part of
the expansion of the campaign this year. A copy of the prototype can be
accessed
here in .PDF format or in web
format which you can use as a template report card in
your local community.
Online
Community and Electronic Activism
US Women Connect's vision is to provide the necessary links
that will allow those with and without access to technology to participate and work for
change. USWC is using the creative energy of the Internet to reach out to U.S. women and
girls. The USWC web site aims to amplify existing advocacy efforts and to strengthen the
U.S. women's movement by connecting to the global women's movement.
Planning for an expanded and inclusive web site is underway.
Here's what we're considering. Join our listserv for updates on how you can become
involved. (* to view the final reports from our successful online
working groups in 2002, please click
here)
Special Populations: Special
efforts to reach specific populations, including Spanish speakers and the visually
impaired (through translations and adjustments to the web site).
Girls: Ongoing outreach efforts to girls designed to address their
concerns and promote leadership.
Get the Word Out: USWC will work with local organizations, which have
Internet access to get information out into communities where women and girls are not
online (via postings at local libraries, community centers and the like)
USWC Online Community: Creation of a true online community for the
USWC website including the following tools:
Message boards/chat rooms
Online chat sessions with specialists and others
Comprehensive search engine
Fax and email capability to reach
Congress (for the community to submit initiatives/sign-on letters).
Spidering capability - using this technology to search other relevant
advocacy and research web sites to pull in relevant information (using key words)
International news (by key word--including UN wire)
Free e-mail and listserv service
Event calendar to online community members could self-submit items
Address book
Questionnaires
Advocacy Center: Updated online advocacy center,
state-based and linking the local to the global.
About
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Women Connect Home |
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About US Women
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