Empower Women
Each year the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) hosts our Intergenerational Spring Seminar. Our 2011 theme was Empower Women for a Better World. Below is the statement complied by attendees to represent Unitarian Universalist voices at the United Nations. Learn more about UU-UNO work for women.
UU United Nations 2011 Seminar Statement
Whereas:
- Women represent over 50% of the population yet carry the burden of systemic, global injustices and inequalities;
- Women are victims of violence, rape, and torture;
- One hundred countries do not have any laws against domestic violence, and seventy percent of women worldwide experience some form of violence in their lives;
- Sex trafficking of women and children is an escalating issue in all countries;
- Significant social change and economic development occurs when a country invests in its girls’ education;
- When women have access to family planning services, they choose to have smaller, healthier families;
- Women’s reproductive rights can mitigate the negative impacts of climate change by eliminating 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions;
- Agricultural workers, the majority of whom are women, are unaware of and most subject to the effects of climate change;
- Global climate change exacerbates war and gender disparity;
- The presence of women normalizes the volatile climate in areas of conflict;
- Women are underrepresented in policy-making and decision-making yet bring equally beneficial perspectives, talents, and abilities to the political arena;
- Women’s rights are human rights,
We hereby resolve to:
- Demonstrate the Unitarian Universalist principles and values instilled in our faith to the world community.
- Continue to educate ourselves and our communities on global women’s issues.
- Support implementation of General Assembly Resolutions 1325 and 1820 and the initiatives of “UN Women” to strengthen the power of our civil society.
- Advocate for all businesses involved in the tourism industry to commit to the code of conduct for the protection of children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism.
- Lead a faith-based effort to demand the ratification of CEDAW by the US Senate.
- Invest in the education, healthcare, and security of women to empower women for a better world.
- Provide voluntary family planning services to all women, specifically those in countries where women’s reproductive rights go unrecognized.
- Encourage women to educate, advocate, and organize to support sustainable living.
- Help women be equally and proportionally represented in government and international affairs.
- Urge women to join together to work towards peace and civility in the world.