US State Department Supports Adoption of CEDAW

The US State Department spokesman issued a press release on December 18th, the 30th anniversary of the UN's Adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, known as CEDAW, supporting its ratification by the US. Only the US and a handful of other countries have not ratified this treaty. Although Secretary Hillary Clinton's position has been known for some time, the press release should be good news to all who support CEDAW's ratification by the U.S. Senate. It is now important to make sure CEDAW gets on the agenda of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by John Kerry, (D - Mass), who has indicated that he supports the bill. Senator Barbara Boxer, a strong supporter, chairs the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues, where the bill will be debated.

According to the statement, "President Obama’s Administration views CEDAW as a powerful tool for making gender equality a reality. We are committed to U.S. ratification of the Convention and look forward to joining the countries that have adopted it as a central part of their efforts to ensure that human rights are enjoyed fully and equally by all people."

It takes 67 Senators to vote for ratification, and it will be necessary for strong grassroots pressure for this to be achieved in a political climate of partisanship.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey named International Family Planning Hero

l to r: Cecile Richard (PPFA), Reina Schiffren (PP HP), The Hon. Nita Lowey, Dr. Gill Greer (IPPF), Kathy Bushkin Calvin (UN Foundation)

I was very happy to attend a breakfast at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County, at which Congresswoman Nita Lowey received the first "International Family Planning Hero" award offered by the UN Foundation and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, as well as Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic. About 90 community leaders, politicians and Planned Parenthood supporters attended. Brenda Smith, board member of UNA Westchester and former Superintendent of Schools of Mount Vernon, Noema Chaplin, board member of UNA Queens and I made up the UNA-USA contingent.

I had a chance to talk with Kathy Bushkin Calvin of the UN Foundation, Amir Dossal, Executive Director of the UN Office for Partnerships, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator from my district (Greenburgh, Yonkers), Representative John Hall of the 19th Congressional District, Reina Schiffrin, President of PP Hudson Peconic, and Dr. Gill Greer, Director-General of IPPF. Adequate funding and U.S. support for family planning services and education, as well as linked issues such as women's economic rights and human rights, and education for women and girls, are very important to me.

I worked for many years as an international family planning consultant, beginning my career in family planning with Planned Parenthood's Washington office, and later worked in the IPPF Western Hemisphere Office in New York. I also consulted with the UN Population Fund. I'm a strong supporter of family planning- not only because for its implications for women's personal choice, but also for its impact on family health & economics and community & national development.

Through her position as the chair of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Lowey has worked to increase the level of funding for international reproductive health programs to an all-time high of $648.5 million in the Fiscal Year 2010 House Appropriations bill. The 2010 appropriations bill also expands funding for the UN Population Fund. Mrs. Lowey has also fought consistently against the Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush Mexico City policy that barred any foreign organization receiving U.S. foreign assistance from using its own funds or funds from other donors to perform abortions; advocate for the liberalization or decriminalization of abortion in laws and policies; or provide information, make referrals, or counsel women on the procedure—even in countries where abortion is legal. That policy was overturned by the Clinton Administration, reinstated by the Bush administration in 2001, and repealed by President Obama this year.

Madagascar's Youth - a UNICEF Study

Nombone, 26, has six children, with whom she lives in a rickety hut in Anjado village. Many Madagascans have been left without a livelihood amid the turmoil and economic decline since a coup in March. (Graeme Williams / UNICEF/ World Food Program / October 14, 2009)

Madagascar was a "least developed country" and one of the poorest in the world when political unrest began in January 2009. Now, nearly a year later, conditions are worse and worsening for the majority of its people. Especially hard-hit are children and youth.

I've just read a report for UNICEF published in June called "Pandora's Box: Youth at a Crossroad," which assesses the status of youth in relation to the socio-political crisis in Madagascar. It's a disturbing picture of societal breakdown related to political unrest, reduced jobs and income, and the hopes, fears, beliefs, expectations and experiences of the mainly urban youth who were interviewed. Worth a read. It will take some while for the country to be restored to peace.

Robyn Dixon of the L.A. Times has also reported on the status of youth in her Los Angeles Times article "Madagascar's children face hunger, abuse and neglect."