VSO welcomes UN decision on women’s agency but calls on swift decisions to agree budget and mandate

16/09/2009 12:50:00

VSO welcomes the positive steps the UN General Assembly has taken in expressing unanimous support for the creation a UN women’s agency to be headed by a new Under Secretary-General (USG). 

This decision comes three years after a high level panel first recommended the creation of a unified women’s agency and follows committed lobbying from hundreds of NGOs and their supporters around the world.  Thousands of VSO supporters across the UK campaigned for this agency through the charity’s Help Women Help the World campaign and overseas staff and volunteers got involved by lobbying their UN Permanent Representatives.

However, while VSO welcomes this decision, it is also urging the Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, to act swiftly to ensure the agency is operational during 2010 and has the budget and mandate to enable it to genuinely change the lives of disadvantaged women.

Commenting on the decision VSO Chief Executive Marg Mayne said: 

“This is an historic moment for women around the world and the efforts of the numerous campaigners and organisations calling for this resolution have been justly rewarded.  But let’s be realistic, this agency has its work cut out.  Persistent inequalities and discrimination have led to women being amongst the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the world and it will take money, clarity and commitment to really have an impact. A UN women’s agency has the potential to change lives but VSO will be watching closely to make sure its creation does not become embroiled in bureaucracy and political game playing.”

VSO believes a functioning and effective agency must be funded to at least $1bn a year, with expert staff and adequate resources to run programmes on the ground that will improve women's lives. It must have strong leadership along with a willingness to listen to the women’s organisations and charities operating on the ground.

Currently over half a million women die in childbirth or pregnancy every year because they can't access the healthcare they need. Every day hundreds of women are the victims of rape and sexual violence in conflict zones like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Three-quarters of people infected by HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa are female and the majority of children out of school are girls.

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For further information please contact Catherine Raynor on 020 8780 7343 or catherine.raynor@vso.org.uk

Editor's notes

• VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers. Since 1958 over 33,000 volunteers have worked in over 120 countries.  Today there over 1600 international volunteers working in 42 countries around the world.

• VSO volunteers live and work in local communities all over Africa and Asia. They see the impact and their work is affected by HIV and AIDS, poor education, and women’s inequality has on those communities.  Through its campaigning and lobbying activities VSO brings the issues and the changes needed to the attention of policy makers and people in the UK.

• VSO recruits volunteers from a wide range of professional backgrounds. The strongest need is for experienced managers, professionals with experience of working in primary education, advocacy, communications and marketing specialists and doctors and midwives. VSO can use financial professionals where they have strong planning or management expertise.

• VSO needs to raise £10 million each year in the UK in order to continue its vital work: working through volunteers to fight poverty in some of the world's poorest communities