We are half-way through the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). Last year has been rich with meetings and international conferences addressing issues related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) – a priority for IFUW at UNESCO.

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Bonn last year, for example, brought together 700 participants from around the world to discuss themes ranging from lifestyle choices, to water, food security and biodiversity.

In 2008, 240.000 people worldwide died as a result of natural disasters. This is why there is such a need to develop educational programmes that explain the nature of these events and help prepare populations for the future, to avoid panic and to strengthen resilience. UNICEF’s educational programme, integrated in school programmes or used as informal education, is an example of a programme that is gaining prominence.

As UNESCO’s documents show, the complexity, breadth and diversity of sustainable development and ESD requires the mobilization of a wide range of committed actors working together in a spirit of partnership. UNESCO plays an important role in contributing to and facilitating the creation of new global partnerships, and serves as a platform for meetings of key actors and exchanges between Member states on ESD issues and as a provider of strategic directions.

To find out more on ESD and to read the full report by Cynthia Ghorra-Gobin, IFUW Representative to UNESCO see the full document.

A recent court case in New York confirmed that you can’t sue United Nations officials on the basis of gender discrimination.  Lucky for them.  A quick look at UN practices in hiring, promotions, assignments, dispute settlement, compensation and high-level appointments suggests a clear and systematic pattern of bias against women.

…Women’s associations within the UN, outside civil society groups and UN offices themselves have documented a series of discriminatory employment practices against women, including slower promotions, fewer prestigious awards or appointments, little if any accommodation for working women with children, and quicker separations.  And until last summer, many of the mechanisms for redressing these grievances, as well as charges of sexual harassment, were hopelessly stacked against those filing complaints, forcing them to work through in-house structures that provided little protection from recriminations…

See the full report by Donald Steinberg, Deputy President of International Crisis Group, is a member of the UN Civil Society Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security and a Board Member of the Women’s Refugee Commission.

Two members in WG-USA delegation attending the 30th Triennial Conference of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW) wrote comments about sessions they attended. Kathy Mumford (now returned to her home in Australia) and Nicole Nelson share with you some of their experiences at this site.

In conjunction with the 2010 Commission on the Status of Women meeting an open letter signed by over 100 international and national civil society organizations ranging from women’s, environmentalist, development, faith-based and youth movements and trade unions has been sent to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in response to his report “Keeping the Promise – a forward-looking review to promote an agreed action agenda to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.”

To read the letter, click here.

The Obama administration has submitted its first appraisal of its own human rights record to the recently formed United Nations Human Rights Council. This is a response to a requirement of the Council that President Obama joined after the previous US administration had withdrawn from the predecessor, the Human Rights Commissions.

The Nation magazine has an article written by Barbara Crossette, that provides an overview of some of the issues, starting out by stating, (the US) “admits to gaps in social and economic areas, pledging to push ratification of international rights conventions that have lingered in limbo in Washington and recognizing that the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have become a defining issue of the era.”

To read the entire article, dated 1 September 2010, click here.

To read the twenty-nine page copy of the official statement from the US State Department, click here.

To read the description of the  Human Rights Council “universal periodic review” process approved by the 192-member UN body, click here.

From Human Right Watch

(Washington, Aug 25, 2010) – The US government needs to strengthen its protection of people in immigration detention to prevent sexual abuse and to ensure justice for victims, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 24-page report,“Detained and at Rist: Sexual Abuse and Harassment in the United States Immigration Detention,” describes documented incidents and allegations of abuse. It also discusses recent proposals by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to address the issue. Human Rights Watch emphasized that the agency should make improvements swiftly to improve oversight of the entire detention system and ensure accountability…

In 2007, a trafficking victim was sexually assaulted in a Florida jail with which ICE had a contract to rent bed space for immigration detainees. Women detained on criminal charges who were housed in the same dormitory assaulted the trafficking victim while she was partially incapacitated by prescribed sedatives.

For the full press release go here.

Applications are now available for AAUW’s 2011-2012 fellowship and grant programs.  Information about all our awards, including eligibility criteria and guidelines, can be found here.

The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by California Representative, Howard Berman , is currently examining the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act with an eye to developing a comprehensive approach to foreign aid., according to a recent conference call led by UNA-USA. This Act currently is 507 pages long, while the draft has 55 pages and is described as “extraordinary.”

For a summary of US aid go to this site.

This Act evolved from the days of the Marshall Plan and since evolved into a conglomeration of 26 government departments each with their own guidelines and rules that makes the work of implementing the act, or providing the necessary oversight nearly impossible.

A Congressional hearing was held in June where government, non-governmental and business leaders testified. The fact that business and trade – both within the government and from the corporate world – are being included is considered a new direction. In a global world, all elements are necessary to achieving an equitable and peaceful world.

The annual United Nations Day will be on 24 October  – you are “invited” to learn more about the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and where the world is at with only five years left to meet the targets.

Led by the United Nations Association-USA and local chapters (perhaps in your own locale), key-noters and workshops on this day will be devoted to updates and what strategies still need to be employed to meet the 2015 targets set by the world body.

There are other ways to learn about the MDGs…

Although there has been measurable improvement in childhood education, many more of the world’s people are are falling into poverty, while the goal of the MDGs is to “eradicate poverty.” Another achievable target of 86% success is that of providing those in the developing countries with drinkable water of the current trend continues.

One strategy was that each country would devote .7% of their foreign policy budgets to this aim; the United States currently designates .4%. However, for the first time, US trade policies are being incorporated into the strategies with a coalition group of representatives from the departments of State, Treasury and Trade participating.

The annual United Nations Summit will be held in New York on 20-22 September 2010.

Leading up to the Summit will be an NGO-sponsored Stand Up for MDGs” campaign on 17-19 September. Groups that are endorsing this are: US Mayors’ Conference, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Global Compact – an initiative by businesses aligning their strategies to those of the MDGs, and the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service, in which IFUW is a partner.

For Women Graduate-USA members, of the eight categories, our organizational focus is on Universal Education and Gender Equality.

By Jimmy Langman, special to Global Post

July 20, 2010 9:59 ET

SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile has often been called a model economy for Latin America because of its stability and high growth rates. Now, its also got a model for early childhood development programs…

…Under former President Michelle Bachelet, who made universal access to early childhood development her emblematic project, the country built on average an astounding 2.5 preschools per day across the country, increasing from 781 state-built preschools to 4,300…Chile is an exceptional case. Bachelet is a former pediatrician, a single mother of three and a socialist who focused on ramping up social protection programs. But a powerful array of economists, scientists, celebrities, businessmen and diverse others are also among a growing worldwide movement for early education.

For more on this story go to the Global Post.