UN Women announces members of Global Civil Society Advisory Group

Press Release
For immediate release
17 May 2012

Media Inquiries:
Oisika Chakrabarti, UN Women, oisika.chakrabarti[at]unwomen.org, +1 646
781-4522

UN Women announces members of Global Civil Society Advisory Group

United Nations, New York — UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet
today announced the members of her Global Civil Society Advisory Group that
will facilitate regular consultations and dialogue between civil society and
UN Women.
"I am delighted that a group of outstanding international women's rights
advocates and experts on gender issues have agreed to serve on my Global
Civil Society Advisory Group. They will play an important consulting role,
and provide strategic perspectives on advocacy on gender equality and
women's empowerment and on UN Women's thematic priorities," said Ms.
Bachelet. "They will also help strengthen UN Women's engagement and
partnerships with civil society at all levels. I look forward to working
together towards our common goals," she added.
The establishment of UN Women Civil Society Advisory Groups at the global,
regional and national levels was announced earlier this year at the 56th
session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Global Group appointed
by the Executive Director is based on wide consultation with civil society
networks and nominations from civil society organizations. All members have
proven track records of work in areas related to gender equality and women's
empowerment, and bring diverse experience and expertise to the group.
Members include grassroots, rural and community-based leaders, leaders of
indigenous people's groups, feminist scholars, human rights lawyers, and
male leaders working on gender and women's rights issues.
The main objective of this Group is dialogue and engagement to advance
global goals of gender equality and women's empowerment. The Group serves as
a consultative forum for UN Women.
The membership of the Group will be rotational, and the current members will
be serving for a period of two years. The current members of the Group are:
Marling Haydee Rodriguez, President of the Union of Cooperatives Las Brumas,
Nicaragua; Teresa Fernández de la Vega Sanz, Former Vice-President of Spain,
Eminent Jurist and Founder, Women for Africa Foundation, Spain; Tarcila
Rivera Zea, Founder, Center of Indigenous Cultures of Peru, Peru; Rawwida
Baksh, Former Head of the Women's Rights Programme, International Research
and Development Centre, Trinidad and Tobago; Patricia Perez, Global Chair of
International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW), Argentina;
Charlotte Bunch, Founder of GEAR Campaign, United States; Todd Minerson,
Executive Director, White Ribbon Campaign, Canada; Hibaaq Othman, Strategist
for Dignity Fund, the Think Tank for Arab Women and Karama, Somalia; Nehad
Abol Komsan, Founder and Chairperson of the Egyptian Center for Women's
Rights, Egypt; Rabea Naciri, President of the Democratic Association of
Moroccan Women, Morocco; Violet Shivutse, Leader, GROOTS, Kenya; Bineta
Diop, Executive Director and Founder, Femmes Africa Solidarité, Senegal;
Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, South Africa;
Josephine Castillo, Organizer-Trainer, Damayan Ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api
(DAMPA), Philippines; Hina Jilani, Founder, Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan, Pakistan; Bandana Rana, Executive President of Saathi and Regional
Coordinator, South Asian Campaign for Gender Equality, Nepal; Sharon Bhagwan
Rolls, Founder, FemLINKPACIFIC, Fiji; Drude Dahlerup, Professor of Political
Science at Stockholm University, Sweden; Selma Acuner, Professor, Ankara
University, Turkey; Cecile Gebroval, Programme Director, European Women's
Lobby; and Joanne Sandler, retired Deputy Director, UNIFEM.
The first meeting of the Global Civil Society Advisory Group will be
convened at the time of the 67th session of the General Assembly in
September, when members will be able to provide important inputs into the
work of UN Women, including on partnerships and the post-2015 development
agenda.
National and regional civil society advisory groups are also currently being
set up by UN Women regional and country offices, and a dedicated global
website will be established for information sharing between the civil
society groups and UN Women.
________________________________
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the
empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was
established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. For
more information, visit www.unwomen.org. UN Women, 220 East 42nd Street, New
York, NY 10017. Tel: +1 646 781-4400. Fax: +1 646 781-4444.