100 Cities for CEDAW Campaign Fundraising Drive

WHAT IS THE CITIES FOR CEDAW CAMPAIGN?
Do you want to close the wage gap between men and women in your city or town? Stop gender-based violence and prevent domestic homicides? Do you want gender equality to be more than just words? Adopting CEDAW is proven to tackle these issues and more.

Cities for CEDAW is a national campaign to bring women’s rights—in the form of enforceable ordinances—to 100 US cities by January 2018. The US Mayor’s Conference supported this goal in a June, 2014 resolution (pdf). The campaign's peer leader is Women’s Intercultural Network (WIN). WIN leads the Civil Society leg of the campaign and the San Francisco Department on Women  leads the government leg. Both stand ready to help you turn your city into a CEDAW city.

WHAT IS CEDAW?
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a United Nations treaty for gender equality. It calls for action to eliminate discrimination in many areas including politics, law, employment, education and health care. And it has legal teeth including a budgets, gender audits, implementation strategies, and periodic reviews of progress.

In 1980, President Carter signed CEDAW, but the U.S. Senate has yet to ratify it.  US advocates have passed legal Ordinances in five cities,  Resolutions for CEDAW ratification in 20 municipalities and counties, 20 cites are in process toward these goals with many on the waiting list to engage.  In 1998, San Francisco passed a law integrating CEDAW into city and county governance and establishing the Department on the Status of Women. A couple years later, Los Angeles did the same. In both cities, CEDAW has made a measurable difference in public safety, budgetary allocations and employment. For more information on the cities progress see the web site www.citiesforcedaw.org or write: citiesforcedaw@winaction.org

WHY DO WE NEED A CITIES FOR CEDAW CAMPAIGN?
CEDAW laws have materially improved the lives of women in their municipalities and fostered more transparent and accountable governance. Past successes lead us to expect results in women’s political participation and representation, in income and earnings, in access to healthcare throughout the life cycle, and in public and personal safety. An implemented CEDAW can help to create a more civil society in the world and safe, healthy, sustainable cities and towns.

By engaging 100 U.S. cities and towns in women’s advocacy through CEDAW, this campaign will increase awareness of, and strong support for, national CEDAW implementation. We will prove CEDAW’s power as a tool for achieving gender equity.

Our goals:

• 100 U.S. cities and towns for CEDAW by January , 2018;
• 100 municipal CEDAW ordinances adopted by January , 2018;
• Improving the lives of millions of women;
• Building critical mass at the grassroots for national ratification;

HOW CAN YOU JOIN THE CAMPAIGN?

Write to your mayor. Organize in your city or town. Access tools and support you’ll want in moving a local measure forward.

PLEASE GIVE AS GENEROUSLY AS YOU CAN TO THE CITIES FOR CEDAW CAMPAIGN!

Donations to the Cities for CEDAW Campaign will enable WIN to provide support to  cities and towns across the country as they push to turn their own communities into CEDAW Cities. If you have ideas for future fundraising are interested in making a major gift to the campaign, please write to us at citiesforcedaw@winaction.org.