Support the UN Feminist Network in Ending Sexual Assault and Discrimination at the UN
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The FMWC received the following request for support from the UN Feminist Network. The FMWC has signed the petition and we encourage you to explore the issue and join us in supporting women at the UN.
Dear feminist friends,
On 20 March, the UN Feminist Network convened a meeting in New York, bringing together more than 100 feminists working in at least 17 agencies, offices and departments of the Secretariat, as well as civil society allies, to discuss the serious, ongoing problem of sexual harassment and assault in our organization. The discussion was marked by the high level of expertise of the participants, most of them technical experts on gender based violence, civil and human rights law, and child protection and safe guarding. Highly valuable expertise was also brought to the discussion through the powerful testimony of survivors and witnesses of sexual harassment and assault.
Based on the discussions at that meeting, members of the UN Feminist Network have put together a set of four key principles for addressing these problems:
1 - Listen to the voices of survivors
2 - Technical independent expertise is needed to devise effective policies and investigate allegations
3 - Invest adequate time and resources to get the solutions right
4 - Culture change should start at the top.
For more detail about these principles, please visit the petition website:
https://www.gopetition.com/pet
By signing up, and sharing this link widely with colleagues, you will help us to demonstrate a groundswell of support from UN workers and our civil society partners that we want to see decisive and effective action on this issue now. Our goal in compiling them is to support the UN to be at the forefront of efforts to tackle the global problem of sexual harassment and abuse, because we believe in the values of our organizations and believe that we can and must do better.
To date, the UN Feminist Network has convened in New York, but to our colleagues across the world, we encourage you to get together, share this agenda, discuss it and add to it. When we share these principles with the Secretary General, we will also compile and share any other messages, experiences or recommendations that you send us (please write to [email protected]).
Thanks for your support!
In solidarity,
Laura Turquet
Tolulope Lewis-Tamoka
Vivek Rai
Sarah Douglas
Coordinators of the UN Feminist Network.