News
Karama Brings Arab Perspective to the UN Commission on the Status of Women
NEW YORK, NY, March 4, 2010 – On March 3, Karama and UNIFEM convened a one-day conference attended by more than 100 people at the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to present a detailed review of progress towards the gender equality goals set fifteen years ago in the Beijing Platform for Action and after ten years of the Millennium Development Goals and 30 years of CEDAW implementation.
Join Karama at the United Nations
This week, Karama’s delegation of 32 women from around the Arab world is headed to the UN in New York to participate in the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
During the session, Karama’s team will join women’s activists from around the world to present a detailed review of progress towards fulfilling the gender equality goals set fifteen years ago in the Beijing Platform for Action and ten years ago in the Millennium Development Goals.
Our delegation will present the Arab Regional NGO Shadow Report on Beijing+15 to illuminate the gains and gaps in fulfillment of major international conventions and goals in the region.
These interventions will culminate in a one-day conference on March 3rd, hosted in partnership with UNIFEM to allow our delegates and other experts to share analysis, recommendations and strategies for future advocacy in fulfilling international standards of gender equality.
UN NGO Liaison Service Interviews Hibaaq Osman
To read this story on the NGLS website click here.
1. How have efforts to implement the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) in the Arab region evolved since Beijing? Has this been satisfactory?
Karama Delegates Speak Out at CEDAW Session
CAIRO, EGYPT, February 16, 2010 – From January 15 to February 5 Karama sponsored a delegation of three representatives from Egyptian women’s rights groups to participate in the forty-fifth session on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) treaty held in Geneva.
The CEDAW treaty, first adopted in 1979, calls for regular reports by signatory governments to track progress towards implementing the agreement, and encourages NGOs and other civil society organizations to contribute to these progress reports.
Karama’s delegation this year consisted of Dr. Hoda Badran, Chairperson of the Alliance for Arab Women, Dr. Fatema Khafagy, head of the Ombudsperson Office of Egypt’s National Council for Women, and Dr. Azza Kamel, president and founder of Appropriate Communication Tools for Development (ACT Egypt).
Regional Beijing+15 NGO Shadow Report Issued by Women’s Rights Experts
On December 13-14, in Cairo, Egypt, the Alliance for Arab Women, Karama and UNIFEM held a regional consultation meeting to evaluate the achievements and challenges faced in the Arab region since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995 by 185 states at the UN World Conference on Women. The regional meeting included 235 women’s rights leaders and civil society representatives from fourteen countries and concluded by outlining future priorities in the Arab region towards the fulfillment of the Beijing Platform for Action.
Fifteen years later, the Beijing + 15 regional consultation convened to issue a Regional NGO Shadow Report evaluating the Arab states' fulfillment of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Sudanese Journalist Lubna Hussein Receives ‘Mahfoutha’ Prize in Cairo
Sudanese journalist Lubna Hussein was honored by Karama and the Arab Women’s Fund with the 2009 ‘Mahfoutha’ Sindiyanat El-Karama Award for challenging a decency law in Sudan which forbids women from wearing pants. Standing trial in September 2009, Ms. Hussein faced a punishment of 40 lashes and one month in prison.
Arab League, Karama and UNIFEM Commemorate 30 Years of the CEDAW Treaty to End Discrimination Against Women
CAIRO, EGYPT, December 9, 2009 – On December 15-16, 2009, in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Karama, together in partnership with UNIFEM and the League of Arab States, will host a Regional CEDAW Celebration for the NGOs in the Arab region to launch a retrospection on the history of CEDAW advocacy in the Arab region, as well as to form commitments for the future.
Karama on openDemocracy
'The Dignity of Women' brings us the voices and views of women working to end violence against women in the Arab region. In collaboration with Karama organisations, the 5050 section of openDemocracy is providing a platform for their knowledge and experiences, increasing Arab women's participation in global debate through articles, podcasts and blogs. We are grateful to Hivos for funding this editorial project.
Empowering women in the middle east
Hibaaq Osman on dignity and violence in the middle east.Listen Now
Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
Honored with a special NGO membership, Karama participated in the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) from September 22-25 in New York City. In the past, CGI annual meetings have brought together more than 100 current and former heads of state, 14 Nobel Peace Prize winners, hundreds of leading global CEOs, major philanthropists, and accomplished members of the media. This year, the annual meeting noted a special focus which was of particular interest to Karama: Investing in Girls and Women.
Bill Clinton presents Karama Founder and
Karama to Convene Regional Consultation on Beijing+15 in Cairo
On December 13-14, 2009, in Cairo, Egypt, Karama, UNIFEM Egypt, and the Alliance for Arab Women will convene a two-day 22-country consultation to issue the Regional NGO Shadow Report on the Arab States' fulfillment of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPFA), fifteen years after it was adopted at the UN World Conference on Women in 1995.
NGO representatives from across the Middle East and North Africa will gather in Cairo on December 13th and 14th to assess the regional progress of the BPFA, what has been implemented, challenges and obstacles to implementation, and the role of NGOs. Building from this analysis, the representatives will also issue recommendations and targets related to the Millennium Development Goals, which all UN member states adopted in 2000 and will continue to pursue through 2015.