Hong Kong Association of University Women

IFUW (www.ifuw.org) is an international, non-profit organization of women graduates working to promote lifelong education, to improve the status of women and girls, and to enable women to effect positive change for a peaceful, sustainable future. Its 79 national affiliates and members are present in more than 120 countries.

IFUW National Federations and Associations
IFUW's 79 national federations and associations (NFAs) around the globe offer a wide range of educational, humanitarian and cultural activities. Discover more here.

IFUW Regional Groups
IFUW's seven regional groups offer members opportunities to exchange ideas and work together with members from nearby countries, experiencing the international aspect of IFUW membership, while drawing on similar geographical, cultural and historical backgrounds. Discover more here.

IFUW Networks Update are released regularly:

[IFUW Networks] IFUW Update - 30 January 2009

[IFUW Networks] International Womens Day celebrated - 09 March 2009

[IFUW Networks] IFUW Update - 18 March 2009

[IFUW Networks] IFUW Update - 09 July 2009

IFUW BLOG LOOKS AT ACHIEVING FULL GENDER EQUALITY IN EDUCATION
We have relaunched the IFUW Blog, offering members and potential members an on-line space to share views and hear the thoughts of others on a wide range of issues. New blog topics will be posted every two weeks, on Wednesdays. The first blog looks at achieving full gender equality in education. According to UNESCO, girls in many countries are catching up or surpassing boys in achievement test results at the primary and secondary levels, even in the maths and sciences. Yet, at the tertiary level, some subject areas remain male domains, especially in science and engineering. In half the countries with data, women account for more than two-thirds of students in fields long considered feminine, such as education, health and welfare. Why is there such a difference in educational outcomes? Is this still a problem in your country? Are girls and boys treated differently in the classroom? Is sexual stereotyping still present in textbooks? What can we do to remedy the situation? We hope you will visit the IFUW Blog and tell IFUW members, as well as other women graduate colleagues and friends, to share their experiences at http://www.ifuw-forums.org/blog/ .

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2008 BINA ROY PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (BRPID)
Twenty four projects were funded by the BRPID programme in 2008, each addressing pressing needs in local communities. The attached flyer provides highlights from four of the project reports. The project in Uganda promoted education for single teenage parents. The one in Georgia provided skills-training to refugee women, unemployed women and women with physical disabilities. The Egyptian project partnered with Shell Egypt to provide the skills training and funding needed for young women graduates to start new businesses and develop business projects. In India, IFUW members took aptitude testing materials into secondary schools in low income areas across the country, helping to identify interests, talents and skills of teenage girls and offering mentoring. None of this would have been possible without the generous support of IFUW national federations and associations, local branches and individual members. The flyer will give you a first glimpse of what the BRPID programme accomplishes. Please help us circulate the flyer widely to other members in your national federation or association (NFA). Information from the other 2008 BRPID project reports can be found on the BRPID site at: http://www.ifuw.org/brpid/index.shtml .

PROTECTING CHILDREN IN CYBERSPACE
In the past ten years the number of internet users has increased from 186 million to 1.5 billion; in the same period, Interpol (the world's largest international police organization) went from 12 reports of child abuse material per year to 1.5 million. The cyber safety of the world's children is a growing concern. This was one of the issues at the recent 2009 WSIS Global Forum, part of the the continuing followup to the World Summit on the Information Society held in 2003 and in 2005. IFUW participated in several of the 2009 Global Forum workshops, including one on Protecting Children from Cyber-exploitation. The workshop highlighted the numerous threats to children who do not possess the judgment to recognize and deal with online predators, improper content, and potential exploitation. The threats are not all external. Michael Moran, of Interpol, warned that young girls are too often exploring their own sexuality in a very public, online atmosphere, instead of in a safe private environment. They have the technology to upload pictures and video onto the web. In these instances the girl is both the victim and the perpetrator. Children and adults must learn to be more media literate together in order to have the safest online experience possible. To help end cyber exploitation of children, Interpol is encouraging people worldwide to report any explicit photos of children to their regional Interpol offices for entry in an international databank. A photo reported in one country can help to save a report in another. For the full IFUW report on the WSIS Global Forum, see http://www.ifuw.org/advocacy/reports/2009_WSIS_forum_report.pdf
Erin Liepa, IFUW Intern

CYBERHATE: DANGER IN CYBERSPACE
The latest seminar in the United Nation's "Unlearning Tolerance" annual series looked at two specific risks the Internet poses to young people - cyberhate and cyber bullying. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon opened the seminar by saying that a top priority of the UN is protecting children by preventing abuse by racism, xenophobia and related intolerance. While the internet has brought much good to the world, it also causes anguish and suffering because of those who use it to target religious and ethnic and minorities or bullying youth. Speakers stressed the need for parents, teachers and teenagers to become more sceptical about the information posted on the web by asking key questions: Who put up the information? Why was it posted? What was the objective? More also needs to be done by schools, the IT industry and NGOs to help people recognize hate speech. Speakers warned of the rise and consequences of cyberbullying - when a child, preteen or teen is harassed, threatened, or humiliated by a peer using the internet, mobile phones or other interactive digital technology. Some countries are having success combatting the problem through teen peer counselling programmes. For the full report and links to other information, see: http://www.ifuw.org/advocacy/reports/2009_CyberHate_Seminar.pdf
Loretta P. James, IFUW Representative, New York

REACHING OUT TO NEW MEMBERS
Finding ways to attract new members is one of the biggest challenges facing NFAs in all regions. To help give ideas, the IFUW Membership Committee has compiled a list of suggestions from its 2008 Survey on Membership Best Practices . The list highlights some of the strategies NFAs are using both to recruit and to retain members. If your NFA or local group has other strategies to share, please send your ideas to memcom@ifuw.org. To view the list: http://www.ifuw.org/docs/2009_membership_best_practice.pdf

YOUNG MEMBERS' JUNE NEWSLETTER ON-LINE
The June edition features a portrait of a Zambian member working as a veterinarian in South Africa, an article on a public health project in the Inner Mongolia region of China, a report on an Eco event 'Be Veg Go Green, Save the Planet", an article on the Inequalities of Social Security for Women in Developing Countries (in French) and another on the Fight Against HIV/AIDS in Togo (in French). All articles are written by members of the Network. The YM newsletter is published twice a year. Those interested in submitting an article for the December edition should contact Evelyn Aremu.
To view the June edition: http://www.ifuw.org/ym/2009-06-ym-newsletter.pdf
To view previous editions: http://www.ifuw.org/ym/index.shtml
To join the network: http://www.ifuw.org/networks/subscribe-ym.shtml

NEW OPENING HOURS FOR IFUW HEADQUARTERS
Effective immediately, IFUW Headquarters in Geneva is open from 8.00 to 17.00 (CET time) Monday to Thursday and closed on Friday. Visits to Heaquarters on Fridays will still be possible by advance appointment. The office will be closed for the mid-year break from 27 July to 9 August, inclusive.

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International Federation of University Women

10, rue du Lac, 1207 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: (+4122) 731 23 80; Fax: (+41 22) 738 04 40
E-mail: ifuw@ifuw.org Internet: www.ifuw.org

[IFUW Networks] IFUW Update - 18 March 2009

CSW ADDRESSES FEMINIZATION OF AIDS AND REAFFIRMS NEED FOR WOMEN'S
EMPOWERMENT
The 53rd Commission on the Status of Women adopted a draft resolution calling on Governments to better protect women and girls from HIV infection by creating an enabling environment for women's empowerment, strengthening their economic independence and inheritance and property rights, promoting their human rights and strengthening health care and services, including for sexual and reproductive health. The resolution urged Governments and all relevant stakeholders to help women better access HIV prevention and treatment, and care for others infected with the disease. The Commission called for administrative and other measures to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls as an integral part of national HIV/AIDS response and for Governments to institute and enforce laws to protect them from early and forced marriage and marital rape. The Commission also highlighted the need to improve -- and promote -- the accessibility of quality public health-care services, and design programmes that encourage men's responsibility for home-based care.

The Commission reaffirmed the importance of women's empowerment by calling on Governments, along with the United Nations, civil society and the private sector, among others, to intensify efforts to fully implement the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, to mainstream gender perspectives into all legislation, policies and programmes, and to incorporate a gender-responsive budgeting process across all policy areas.

- UN Dept. of Public Information. For the complete press release, the full draft conclusions and reports from IFUW's delegation, see
http://www.ifuw.org/advocacy/csw.shtml.

ARMENIAN ASSOCIATION PREPARES ALTERNATIVE CEDAW REPORT
The Armenian Association of Women with University Education (AAUWE) co-authored an alternative report to the 43rd Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Dscrimination Against Women (CEDAW) assessing the discrimination Armenian women and girls face in areas such as education, employment and health. For example, the report highlighted the continuing underrepresentation of women in political decisionmaking. There is only one woman minister; only two women deputy ministers out of 65; only one woman regional governor out of 10, only one deputy governer out of 17 and women hold only 8.3% of the top-level positions in local and regional administrations. The report provides a critical analysis and recommendations for action needed to remedy the current problems. For the complete report, see -
http://www.ifuw.org/advocacy/docs/2009_AM_CEDAW_AlternativeRpt.pdf.

In each of the CEDAW sessions, official reports from six to twelve countries are reviewed. Alternative reports from civil society partners or coalitions are welcome and are used in evaluating progress Governments are making toward meeting their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. IFUW's Working Group on the Girl Child and the Working Group on Education Advocacy are currently preparing material that will assist other national federations and associations (NFAs) that would like to take part in this process. At 44th Session in New York in June 2009, Argentina, Denmark, Japan, Spain and Switzerland are the countries reporting where IFUW has NFAs. In Geneva in January 2010, Egypt, the Netherlands and Panama will report. IFUW is pleased to accredit one or two representatives to these meetings from NFAs whose countries are reporting, but no funding is available to help with travel or living expenses.

JOIN THE IFUW ADVOCACY NETWORK
Members can receive regular updates on key international issues and IFUW's work with the United Nations and its specialized agencies by joining the IFUW Advocacy Network. To subscribe, send a message stating your name, city, country and national affiliate (or independent member number) to advocacy-sub@ifuw.org.

DAME DAPHNE PURVES REMEMBERS IFUW
IFUW has received a small legacy from Dame Daphne Purves (1908-2008), who served as IFUW President from 1977-1980. She was a noted educationist, who saw education as the key to better conditions for women worldwide and worked passionately through IFUW at the international, national and local levels. Her gift is much appreciated.

UNIVERSITY WOMEN OF ASIA TO MEET IN SINGAPORE, 1-2 MAY 2009
The University Women's Association (Singapore) will host the 8th Triennial Conference of the University Women of Asia (UWA) with the theme "Promoting Financial Literacy Among Women and Girls". Now, more than ever before, in the current economic crisis that is sweeping the world, there is a great need for women and girls to be educated in common financial literacy principles and attain a measure of financial capability that will both enable and empower them in all aspects of their life. The UWA Conferenceaddress a wide range of issues, from financial literacy programmes in schools, to debt management, microcredit and planning for retirement. The
meeting is open to all IFUW members. For more information see
http://www.uwas.org/index.php?click=UWAConference.

FRENCH ASSOCIATION WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD
The French Association of University Women (AFFDU) has been awarded the 2009 Irene Joliot-Curie Prize for mentoring. This prize, awarded annually by the Ministry of Education and EADS Foundation, was created in 2001 and is awarded every year by Ministry of Education and EADS Foundation to promote women in research and technology in France and to highlight women's exemplary scientific career paths marked by excellence and dynamism. AFFDU was honoured its outstanding work over the years encouraging and mentoring young women entering scientific careers.

ALERT - CONFERENCE SCAMS
Several IFUW members have reported receiving invitations to fictitious conferences. We urge our members to be cautious when registering for conferences that have been advertised on the internet. Do not divulge any personal information or transfer funds until you are certain the event is legitimate. For some hints that a conference might not be real, please see

http://www.ifuw.org/docs/conf-scams.shtml

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International Federation of University Women

10, rue du Lac, 1207 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: (+4122) 731 23 80; Fax: (+41 22) 738 04 40
E-mail: ifuw@ifuw.org Internet: www.ifuw.org

[IFUW Networks] International Womens Day celebrated - 09 March 2009

As International Womens Day is celebrated around the world over this time I thought I would share with you some of the history that is available on the dedicated website.
www.internationalwomensday.com

In 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day.

She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.

The very first International Women's Day was launched the following year by Clara Zetkin on 19 March (not 8 March). The date was chosen because on 19 March in the year of the 1848 revolution, the Prussian king recognized for the first time the strength of the armed people and gave way before the threat of a proletarian uprising. Among the many promise he made, which he later failed to keep, was the introduction of votes for women.

Plans for the first International Women's Day demonstration were spread by word of mouth and in the press. During the week before International Women's Day two journals appeared: The Vote for Women in Germany and Women's Day in Austria.

Various articles were devoted to International Women's Day: 'Women and Parliament', 'The Working Women and Municipal Affairs', 'What Has the Housewife got to do with Politics?', etc. The articles thoroughly analyzed the question of the equality of women in the government and in society. All articles emphasized the same point that it was absolutely necessary to make parliament more democratic by extending the franchise to women.
Success of the first International Women's Day in 1911 exceeded all expectation.
Meetings were organized everywhere in small towns and even the villages halls were packed so full that male workers were asked to give up their places for women.
Men stayed at home with their children for a change, and their wives, the captive housewives, went to meetings.

During the largest street demonstration of 30,000 women, the police decided to remove the demonstrators' banners so the women workers made a stand. In the scuffle that followed, bloodshed was averted only with the help of the socialist deputies in Parliament.
In 1913 International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen's Day ever since.

During International Women's Year in 1975, IWD was given official recognition by the United Nations and was taken up by many governments. International Women's Day is marked by a national holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam."

As you celebrate with friends and your IFUW communities we can reflect that there is more work to be done. Almost 100 years have passed and IFUW has been part of this story since 1919.
Congratulations to all those NFA's who had birthdays in 2008. Those with 80 years to celebrate included Iceland and Latvia.

Each of us has a part to play and together we have a global responsibility now unheard of in 1911. Electronic communication and the speed of travel have created their own advantages and disadvantages for us but as tools we need they can be useful. Do us our IFUW website for your comments, dialogue and friendships, twinning with other NFA's, and as your resource base.

Have a happy day and all success with your endevours in the year ahead.

Louise
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Louise Croot
IFUW - President

82 Passmore Crescent
Dunedin 9010
New Zealand
Ph 0064 [0]3 4640778
Fax0064 [0]3 4640772
www.ifuw.org
Empowering women & girls through lifelong education

[IFUW Networks] IFUW Update - 30 January 2009

NEW IFUW HIGHER EDUCATION NETWORK - highered@ifuw.org
Members are invited to join IFUW's newest member email network - highered@ifuw.org. This network will link professors, lecturers, researchers, women active in higher education governance, and others interested in issues concerning women in higher education. From February through June 2009, the network will offer members an opportunity to share concerns, ideas, experience and information to help prepare IFUW's participation in the 2009 World Conference on Higher Education. IFUW has been asked to contribute on two themes: "Equity, Access and Quality: Women in Higher Education Governance" and bringing a gender perspective to "The contribution of higher education to a sustainable future through education, research and innovation". Members interested in joining the network can subscribe by sending a message stating their name, city, country and national affiliate (or independent member number) to highered-sub@ifuw.org.

WOMEN & EMPLOYMENT: WOMEN WORKING IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD
For three weeks, from 2 to 26 February 2009, the discussions@ifuw.org network will look at aspects of employment and the labour market as they affect women in a globalized world. Members will share their own experiences in the job market, look at how globalization impacts our individual lives and how we can work toward a more just process of globalization. Members who wish to join this discussion can subscribe by sending a message stating their name, city, country and national affiliate (or independent member number) to discussions-sub@ifuw.org.

IFUW WORKING GROUP ON EDUCATION ADVOCACY APPOINTED
The IFUW Board of Officer has confirmed the appointments of the following members to the Working Group that will develop an Education Advocacy Handbook to be used by NFAs to improve education in their respective countries: Evelyn Aremu (USA); Alice Baucom (USA); Christine Bucher (Switzerland); Marianne Haslegrave (England, IFUW Vice-President); Tangul Hincal (Turkey); Madeleine Mattarozzi Laming (Australia); Dorothy Meyer and Alice Kagoda (Status of Women Committee); Marianne Haslegrave and Phyllis Scott (IFUW Vice-Presidents). The Handbook is expected to be completed by March 2010.

IFUW EMPOWERING WOMEN POSTER COMPETITION - DEADLINE 28 APRIL 2009
IFUW is seeking submissions of graphic art for a series of postcards and posters to raise awareness of the challenges facing women and girls in accessing education and leadership positions in todays world. All IFUW members V both members of NFAs and independent members V are automatically eligible to participate. Artists who are not members may participate if sponsored by one of IFUW's national federations or associations. Entries are sought in the categories of education for the girl child, adult literacy for women, gender equality in higher education, empowering women for leadership and decision-making, and gender equality and peace. The grand prize for the overall winner will be a choice of a paid conference enrolment fee for the 30th IFUW Conference in Mexico City or a cash prize of 500 Swiss francs. A prize of 100 Swiss francs will be given to the first place winners in each of the other four categories. Encourage your own members or artists in your local community to take part. One art school is using IFUW's competition for a class project. Complete competition deadlines and entry forms can be found at http://www.ifuw.org/postercomp/. The deadline for submission is 28 April 2009.

IFUW JOINS EUROPEAN INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE
IFUW has joined the Hellenic Association of University Women (SEE) and other partners in submitting a multi-faceted project proposal to the European Union for funding. The project seeks to strengthen the role of women in scientific research and scientific decision-making. If accepted, the project will open a Europe-wide dialogue looking at factors limiting the participation of women in research and research decision making. Proposed activities include public events to bring women scientists close to the general public, networking and the development of guidelines for a gender policy for research centres and universities. IFUW's contribution will be to organize a session during the 2010 Conference where outcomes from the project can be shared. The proposal is currently under consideration by the European Commission. Willemijn van der Meer, President of the University Women of Europe, is our liaison. The Hellenic Association, IFUW's former affiliate in Greece, is in the process of re-affiliating to IFUW.

CHANGES IN IFUW STAFF
IFUW's Finance Officer, Christine Marijan will retire on 7 February after 35 years of service. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Christine for all she has contributed to the Federation. Our new Finance Officer is Elly Fischer. She may be contacted at elly.fischer@ifuw.org. Elly brings a strong background in both accounting and financial analysis.