Center for Women's Global Leadership
Encyclopedia
The Center for Women’s Global Leadership, based at Rutgers University
, was founded in 1989 by Charlotte Bunch
, the former Executive Director and an internationally renowned activist for women's human rights
. The current executive director is Radhika Balakrishnan
, a professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers, current chair of the Board of the US Human Rights Network
, and a board member of the Center for Constitutional Rights
. Located on Douglass Residential College (formerly Douglass College) at Rutgers University
, CWGL is a unit of International Programs within the School of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Institute for Women's Leadership
, a consortium of women's programs at Rutgers.
with ECOSOC Special Consultative Status
at the UN working on policy and advocacy. CWGL works to develop and facilitate women’s leadership worldwide not only for women’s human rights, but also for international social justice.
While CWGL works from a human rights perspective, the Center emphasizes:
Integrating gender and women's human rights into the work of local, national, regional and international institutions, CWGL’s programs inform and mobilize advocates for women's human rights around specific events and build linkages among them to enhance their capacity to influence policy making. Much of the Center's programmatic work stems from footholds made at the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights
and the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women
.
Working in collaboration with women leaders and NGOs around the world—whether at UN meetings such as the Commission on the Status of Women, international mobilization campaigns, such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, or through global education endeavors—CWGL has helped secure international policy commitments that clearly state "women's rights are human rights."
With these policy benchmarks in place, the Center has turned its energy toward implementation of this concept and holding policy making bodies accountable to their promises to the world's women. Core activities in this program area include UN Monitoring and Advocacy and the coordination of International Mobilization Campaigns.
With its new Executive Director in place, the Center is continuing with programmatic work on ending violence against women, protecting women human rights defenders
, and encouraging UN reform with a new body to monitor the realization of women's human rights. Moreover, the Center is expanding into considerations of the application of macroeconomic policies and the relationship between women and development within a human rights framework.
. The Center is a unit of International Programs within the School of Arts and Sciences. The CWGL has a special position within this department because the other programs of the Office of International Programs are either focused on the United Nations
or broken up into regional studies with regional scopes. Thus, the CWGL plays a unique role by fostering women's leadership globally and having an international scope.
The CWGL is also a member of the Institute for Women's Leadership
(IWL), a consortium of eight women's programs at Rutgers University created to study and promote how and why women lead, and to develop programs that prepare women of all ages to lead effectively.
, CWGL plays a major role at various UN meetings addressing the implementation of commitments from world conferences including the Vienna Conference (1993), Cairo
Hearing on Reproductive Health and Human Rights, Copenhagen
Hearing on Economic Justice and Women's Human Rights, and Beijing Conference, in particular at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the UN Human Rights Council, and at the reviews of these UN World Conferences.
There are several critical meetings at the United Nations
that serve as important opportunities for women's human rights advocates to assess successes and failures in implementing commitments to women. As an ECOSOC accredited NGO, the CWGL participates directly in roundtables organized by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in preparation for each session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
In this capacity, the CWGL plays a multifaceted role, by:
In March 2007, the Women's Environment & Development Organization
(WEDO), together with the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) convened a meeting of 50 women activists from around the world, to develop a comprehensive and multi-faceted strategy for global, regional and national action to gain the UN General Assembly’s approval of a stronger and single, fully resourced women’s entity at the UN. As a result of that meeting and the continued need for women’s collaborative advocacy on this issue, WEDO and the CWGL, along with hundreds of activists spanning all regions, launched the Gender Equality Architecture Reform
(GEAR) Campaign in February 2008, to mobilize women’s groups and allies to push for the adoption of the new UN entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
On June 30, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly
resolution was agreed to and subsequently formally adopted by the General Assembly on Friday, 2 July to establish “UN Women
”, the new gender equality entity at the UN.
This rallying cry erupts annually between November 25 and December 10, and over 2,000 organizations participate in the event from over 154 countries.
The dates of the campaign align with significant dates, including:
Activities include a series of Global Tribunals, petitions, and "Take Action" kits. Additionally, the Center also holds public forums to conduct assessments of the women’s human rights movement. One such event was the “International Strategic Directions Consultation” that took place in November 2003 as part of the Vienna + 10 Updates.
The Coalition is currently composed of 21 members: Amnesty International
(AI); Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD); Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
(Forum Asia); Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID); Baobab for Women’s Human Rights; The Center for Reproductive Rights
(CRR); Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL); Coalition of African Lesbians
(CAL); Front Line
International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (Front Line); Human Rights First
; Information Monitor (Inform); International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH); International Service for Human Rights
(ISHR); International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW‐AP); ISIS‐Women’s International Cross‐Cultural Exchange (ISIS‐WICCE); The Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights (CLADEM); MADRE; Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (UAF); Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ); Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML); World Organisation Against Torture
(OMCT).
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, was founded in 1989 by Charlotte Bunch
Charlotte Bunch
Charlotte Bunch is an American activist, author and organizer in women's and human rights movements.A Board of Governor’s Distinguished Service Professor in Women's and Gender Studies, Bunch founded Washington D.C...
, the former Executive Director and an internationally renowned activist for women's human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. The current executive director is Radhika Balakrishnan
Radhika Balakrishnan
Radhika Balakrishnan is the Executive Director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers University. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Board of the United States Human Rights Network and Chair on the Board of the Center for Constitutional Rights.-Early life:Radhika...
, a professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers, current chair of the Board of the US Human Rights Network
US Human Rights Network
The US Human Rights Network is a national network composed of over 200 self-identified grassroots human rights organizations and over 700 individuals working to strengthen what they regard as the protection of human rights in the United States...
, and a board member of the Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Constitutional Rights
Al Odah v. United States:Al Odah is the latest in a series of habeas corpus petitions on behalf of people imprisoned at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The case challenges the Military Commissions system’s suitability as a habeas corpus substitute and the legality, in general, of detention at...
. Located on Douglass Residential College (formerly Douglass College) at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, CWGL is a unit of International Programs within the School of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Institute for Women's Leadership
Institute for Women's Leadership
The Institute for Women's Leadership, created by the eminent former dean of Douglass College Mary S. Hartman, is a "consortium of teaching, research, and public service units" operating in close association with Rutgers University, and more specifically Douglass Campus...
, a consortium of women's programs at Rutgers.
About the Center
The CWGL is both an academic center at a major public research university as well as a non-governmental organizationNon-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
with ECOSOC Special Consultative Status
Consultative Status
Consultative Status is a phrase whose use can be traced to the founding of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council." Also some international organizations could...
at the UN working on policy and advocacy. CWGL works to develop and facilitate women’s leadership worldwide not only for women’s human rights, but also for international social justice.
While CWGL works from a human rights perspective, the Center emphasizes:
- Violence against womenViolence against womenViolence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
- Sexual and reproductive health
- Socio-economic well-being
Integrating gender and women's human rights into the work of local, national, regional and international institutions, CWGL’s programs inform and mobilize advocates for women's human rights around specific events and build linkages among them to enhance their capacity to influence policy making. Much of the Center's programmatic work stems from footholds made at the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights
World Conference on Human Rights
The World Conference on Human Rights was held by the United Nations in Vienna, Austria, on 14 to 25 June 1993. It was the first human rights conference held since the end of the Cold War...
and the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women
Fourth World Conference on Women
The United Nations convened the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace on 4-15 September 1995 in Beijing, China. 189 governments and more than 5,000 representatives from 2,100 non-governmental organizations participated in the Conference...
.
Working in collaboration with women leaders and NGOs around the world—whether at UN meetings such as the Commission on the Status of Women, international mobilization campaigns, such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, or through global education endeavors—CWGL has helped secure international policy commitments that clearly state "women's rights are human rights."
With these policy benchmarks in place, the Center has turned its energy toward implementation of this concept and holding policy making bodies accountable to their promises to the world's women. Core activities in this program area include UN Monitoring and Advocacy and the coordination of International Mobilization Campaigns.
With its new Executive Director in place, the Center is continuing with programmatic work on ending violence against women, protecting women human rights defenders
Human Rights Defenders
Human rights defender is a term used to describe people who, individually or with others, act to promote or protect human rights. Human rights defenders are those men and women who act peacefully for the promotion and protection of those rights....
, and encouraging UN reform with a new body to monitor the realization of women's human rights. Moreover, the Center is expanding into considerations of the application of macroeconomic policies and the relationship between women and development within a human rights framework.
CWGL at Rutgers University
In addition to bridging the worlds of academia and activism, CWGL spans two different areas of academia at Rutgers UniversityRutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. The Center is a unit of International Programs within the School of Arts and Sciences. The CWGL has a special position within this department because the other programs of the Office of International Programs are either focused on the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
or broken up into regional studies with regional scopes. Thus, the CWGL plays a unique role by fostering women's leadership globally and having an international scope.
The CWGL is also a member of the Institute for Women's Leadership
Institute for Women's Leadership
The Institute for Women's Leadership, created by the eminent former dean of Douglass College Mary S. Hartman, is a "consortium of teaching, research, and public service units" operating in close association with Rutgers University, and more specifically Douglass Campus...
(IWL), a consortium of eight women's programs at Rutgers University created to study and promote how and why women lead, and to develop programs that prepare women of all ages to lead effectively.
CWGL at the United Nations
At the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, CWGL plays a major role at various UN meetings addressing the implementation of commitments from world conferences including the Vienna Conference (1993), Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
Hearing on Reproductive Health and Human Rights, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
Hearing on Economic Justice and Women's Human Rights, and Beijing Conference, in particular at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the UN Human Rights Council, and at the reviews of these UN World Conferences.
There are several critical meetings at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
that serve as important opportunities for women's human rights advocates to assess successes and failures in implementing commitments to women. As an ECOSOC accredited NGO, the CWGL participates directly in roundtables organized by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in preparation for each session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
In this capacity, the CWGL plays a multifaceted role, by:
- Facilitating planning sessions in which women’s human rights defenders and advocates can both monitor and contribute to meetings effectively
- Convening a women’s human rights caucus and other gatherings
- Organizing monitoring and other advocacy trainings
- Sending out alerts and reports both before and after such meetings
In March 2007, the Women's Environment & Development Organization
Women's Environment & Development Organization
The Women's Environment & Development Organization is an international non-governmental organization based in New York, U.S. that advocates women’s equality in global policy. It was founded in 1990 by Bella Abzug and Mim Kelber to take action in the United Nations and other international...
(WEDO), together with the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) convened a meeting of 50 women activists from around the world, to develop a comprehensive and multi-faceted strategy for global, regional and national action to gain the UN General Assembly’s approval of a stronger and single, fully resourced women’s entity at the UN. As a result of that meeting and the continued need for women’s collaborative advocacy on this issue, WEDO and the CWGL, along with hundreds of activists spanning all regions, launched the Gender Equality Architecture Reform
Gender Equality Architecture Reform
The Gender Equality Architecture Reform Campaign is a network of over 300 women’s, human rights and social justice groups around the world....
(GEAR) Campaign in February 2008, to mobilize women’s groups and allies to push for the adoption of the new UN entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
On June 30, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
resolution was agreed to and subsequently formally adopted by the General Assembly on Friday, 2 July to establish “UN Women
UN Women
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for the empowerment of women and girls....
”, the new gender equality entity at the UN.
16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
The 16 Days Campaign was launched by CWGL in 1991 as an annual campaign that demands the elimination of all forms of violence against women.This rallying cry erupts annually between November 25 and December 10, and over 2,000 organizations participate in the event from over 154 countries.
The dates of the campaign align with significant dates, including:
- November 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against WomenInternational Day for the Elimination of Violence against WomenWomen's activists have marked November 25 as a day to fight violence against women since 1981. On December 17, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women...
- November 29 – International Women Human Rights Defenders Day
- December 1 – World AIDS DayWorld AIDS DayWorld AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
- December 5 – International Volunteer DayInternational Volunteer DayInternational Volunteer Day - is an international observance designated by the United Nations since 1985.The declared aim of this activity is to thank the volunteers for their efforts and increase public awareness on their contribution to society...
for Economic and Social Development - December 6 – Marks the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, observed in Canada as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against WomenNational Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against WomenThe National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is a day commemorated in Canada each December 6, the anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique Massacre, in which 14 women were singled out for their gender and murdered...
- December 10 – International Human Rights Day and the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human RightsUniversal Declaration of Human RightsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
Global Campaigns for Women's Human Rights
CWGL interacts with a community of women’s human rights defenders in order to place pressure on local, national, and international decision-making bodies. Global Campaigns usually emphasize that "women’s rights are human rights" and are supported by thousands of individuals and organizations from around the world. These constituencies rally to take action to protect individual rights defenders and advocates in countries from Serbia to Iran.Activities include a series of Global Tribunals, petitions, and "Take Action" kits. Additionally, the Center also holds public forums to conduct assessments of the women’s human rights movement. One such event was the “International Strategic Directions Consultation” that took place in November 2003 as part of the Vienna + 10 Updates.
Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
The WHRD IC is a resource and advocacy network for the protection and support of women human rights defenders worldwide. When their gender or the nature of their work has made them the subject of attacks, gender-sensitive mechanisms are required for their protection and support. The Coalition involves women activists as well as men who defend women’s rights and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) defenders and groups committed to the advancement of women’s human rights and sexual rights.The Coalition is currently composed of 21 members: Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
(AI); Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD); Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development is a membership-based human rights organization "committed to the promotion and protection of all human rights including the right to development". They were founded in 1991 in Manila, and are now based in Geneva, Switzerland. Their Secretariat...
(Forum Asia); Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID); Baobab for Women’s Human Rights; The Center for Reproductive Rights
The Center for Reproductive Rights
The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global human rights organization that uses constitutional and international law to secure women's right to an abortion in over 45 countries....
(CRR); Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL); Coalition of African Lesbians
Coalition of African Lesbians
The Coalition of African Lesbians is a gay-rights pressure group in Africa. It is affiliated with the law faculty of the University of Pretoria....
(CAL); Front Line
Front line
A front line is the farthest-most forward position of an armed force's personnel and equipment - generally in respect of maritime or land forces. Forward Line of Own Troops , or Forward Edge of Battle Area are technical terms used by all branches of the armed services...
International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (Front Line); Human Rights First
Human Rights First
Human Rights First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan human rights organization based in New York City and Washington, D.C....
; Information Monitor (Inform); International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH); International Service for Human Rights
International Service for Human Rights
The International Service for Human Rights is a Geneva- and New York-based human rights NGO that specializes in providing training, information and advice for defenders of human rights worldwide. Established in 1984, ISHR provides information on both international and regional human rights law...
(ISHR); International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW‐AP); ISIS‐Women’s International Cross‐Cultural Exchange (ISIS‐WICCE); The Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights (CLADEM); MADRE; Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (UAF); Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ); Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML); World Organisation Against Torture
World Organisation Against Torture
The World Organisation Against Torture is the world’s largest coalition of non-governmental organisations fighting against arbitrary detention, torture, summary and extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances and other forms of violence...
(OMCT).