A joint Education Policy Group and Women’s Caucus Seminar was held on 9 June 2010 concerning UN Reform to address girls’ and women’s issues, CEDAW, and the potential of the International Violence Against Women Act in the US Congress

Conditions to promote and sustain women’s equal opportunity and protection have regressed over the past twenty years worldwide. Yet a new generation of young women feminists and activists alongside an older generation are working to ensure a more transparent and effective United Nations response and that of their own countries, through the implementation of the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women) and its long-awaited U.S. ratification, as well as by careful scrutiny and support for the International Violence against Women Act currently before the U.S. Congress. About 40 DAF members, French and international students met at Connie Borde’s home on 9 June to learn and discuss these issues. This seminar was a follow-up to one held in February at the AUP, also organized by the DAF Education Policy Group. Leslie Limage, DAF Education Policy Group Chair organized, and led the discussion event to which she had invited Francoise Gaspard, eminent French political scientist, sociologist, historian, feminist and former CEDAW officer to speak. Anna Elomaki, GEAR Campaign Europe Coordinator came from Brussels to speak on NGO mobilization to encourage a transparent and effective UN architecture reform. More information, background documents and photos are available on the DAF Education Policy Group workspace at http://daf-epg.groupsite.com or contact Leslie at leslie.limage@wanadoo.fr