Sociologists for Women in Society

International Committee

Description

The International Committee promotes global social justice for women and girls through United Nations advocacy, partnerships with global feminist scholars and activists, participation in international conferences, and the promotion of women’s human rights. We encourage global and transnational gender scholarship through visits from international scholars and panels on international issues. Our work takes place through four subcommittees (detailed below) that are open to all SWS members.

Actions & Activities

United Nations Participation

SWS gained official status at the United Nations following the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. We have accreditation with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC.) We participate in UN conferences as NGO observers and typically send a delegation to the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). We sponsor a CSW panel on gender scholarship featuring SWS members that draws a diverse international audience of women. We participate in NGO advocacy at the UN, submitting statements that become official UN documents and partnering with other NGOs in the US Women’s Caucus at the UN. DGC encourages and assists educational, governmental, and non-governmental organizations in spreading public information about the UN.

Contact Information

For current International Committee chair, please visit: https://socwomen.org/about/current-officers-and-chairs/.

For more information, please contact the co-chairs of the UN subcommittees:

Current SWS representatives to ECOSOC:

  • Solange Simões (lead delegate)
  • Kristy Kelly
  • Vicky Demos
  • Nicky Fox
  • Mollie Pepper

Current SWS representatives to DGC:

  • Francesca Deguili (lead representative)
  • Jennifer Rogers-Brown (representative)
  • Diana Papademas (representative)
  • Shuchi Sanyal (youth representative)
  • Monioluwa Ogunleye (youth representative)

 

GFPP (Global Feminist Partnership Program)

SWS has established collaborations and friendships with feminist scholarly and activist centers across the world. Our global partners share their work with us through Network News and visits to our Winter Meeting where we meet face to face to exchange views on global gender justice. We have had partnerships with centers in China, India, Korea, Nepal, Italy, Hungary, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Columbia, and Peru. SWS members serve as liaisons to our partners to facilitate scholarly and feminist rapport. Applications for new partnerships are always welcome. We hope to build ongoing connections with centers from each of the following regions: Asia, Africa, Central/Eastern Europe, Latin American/Caribbean and the Middle East.

The Partnership Program reflects the commitment of SWS to foster activism and advocacy for and by women, support research on gender issues, and increase organizational inclusiveness.

For more information, please contact the chair of the Global Feminist Partnership Program: Maro Youssef (maro.r.youssef8@gmail.com)

International Collaborations

International Sociology Association: Research Committee 32: Women, Gender, and Society (RC32)

SWS encourages participation by members in international meetings and sponsors panels, workshops, and receptions as appropriate. We have taken part in the International Sociology Association (ISA) Research Committee 32 (Women, Gender, and Society), the Women’s World Congresses (WWC), the World Social Forum, and the US Social Forum.

For more information, please contact the subcommittee chairs:

Marcia Texler Segal (msegal@ius.edu) (ISA)

Subcommittee Chair, TBD, (WWC)

More information on the International Sociological Association visit www.isa-sociology.org/

More information on RC 32 visit http://www.isa-sociology.org/rc32.htm

CEDAW

SWS promotes US ratification of the international women’s treaty, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the main international instrument protecting the human rights of women and girls. CEDAW was passed by the UN in 1980 and virtually all UN member states have joined, with the glaring exception of the United States. This subcommittee raises awareness of CEDAW among SWS members, takes action to support US ratification, and supports participation in the Cities for CEDAW movement in which cities commit to observe the treaty.

For more information, please contact the co-chair of CEDAW, Vicky Demos (demosvp@morris.umn.edu)

Colleges for CEDAW

Please visit: https://socwomen.org/colleges-for-cedaw/

SWS STATEMENTS TO THE UN

2019: Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls

2018: Empowering Rural Women & Girls
2017: Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Changing World of Work https://undocs.org/E/CN.6/2017/NGO/14
2016: Women’s Empowerment & Sustainable Development
2015: Implementing the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing +20)
2014: Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls
2013: Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls
2012: The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges
2011: Access and participation of women and girls in education, training and science and technology
2010:  Fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

 

Resources, articles, reports, etc.