IAW Actions 
Women's Rights Worlwide
IAW Actions 2009/2010
IAW is organising several actions to promote and defend women's rights. Like: sending open letters, writing statements, signing and supporting petitions, organising side events etc. On this page and on the Dutch action page we have collected some of the actions of 2009 and 2010.
* Commission on Sustainable Development, 3-14 mei 2010
During CSD IAW will co-sponsor three side events and has signed a 'Position paper' with other NGOs.
* Statement sub
mitted by the International Alliance of Women and the International Network of Women Against Tobacco to the Meeting of the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) – Annual Ministerial Review 2010 at the United Nations.
Download statement to ECOSOC
During the 54th Session of the CSW the IAW was represented by a large delegation and presented the following statements:
* Oral statement: Decision-making by Women in Conflict Situations .
Download article: “Decision Making in Conflict CSW54”
* Statement submitted by among others IAW for the session of the Commission on Population and Development - on Maternal Mortality
Download the statement.
* Of Hunger, Climate Change and the Empowerment of Women.
Download article: “Hunger-Climate Change-Empowerment CSW54”
* Joint statement to the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women: International Alliance of Women & IPAS – On Women's Reproductive Rights and Health
Download article: “CSW March 2010 joint NGO Statement – IPAS intitiated”
* CSW54 – what's next? A report and personal analysis by IAW President Rosy Weiss. Download report
* IAW Side event: Keys to Women's Empowerment: Mental Health and Human Rights. Download event document .
* Shadow Report of the IAW submitted to the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York on the Topic of Beijing+15Download the shadow report. (December 2009)
* During CSW IAW has organised two side events on Women and Climatic Change
* Action: the urgent need now is to request your Government to lobby the UN to ensure that sufficient funding is allocated so that the new UN agency can be established quickly and that these other concerns are dealt with promptly 
(Action Sheet, October 2009).
* Action - GEAR - Gender Equality Architectural Reform
A campaign of NGOs, including IAW, for a new UN agency to deal with rights of women. With a letter to send to governments (09-09-09)
Result - UN to establish single new agency to deal with rights of women
Four United Nations agencies and offices will be amalgamated to create a new single entity within the Organization to promote the rights and well-being of women worldwide and to work towards gender equality (15-09-09)
* Action: IAW has joined the Campaign of promoting the Optional Protocol to the UN Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, by signature of her President, Rosy Weiss (September 2009)
* Letter by President Lyda Verstegen to the Dutch ambassador, with a request to support Ms Farida Shaheed from Pakistan as candiate for an independent expert on cultural rights at the Human Rights Council (September 2009).
* Action Maternal Death
On 17 June 2009, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution recognizing maternal death and morbidity (MDI) as pressing human rights concerns.
More than 1500 women and girls die every day from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth; that translates to around 550,000 annually.
Helene Sackstein, IAW representative at the human Rights Council. worked with other NGOs for three years at this important resolution. Many deaths could have been prevented by better health care.
Picture: Helene Sackstein talking to Simone Chapuis, IAW Switzerland
* Action Climate Change
August 2009 - IAW calls upon her affiliated organisations to support the Statement of the CEDAW Committee to elect more women leaders for the important issue of Climate Change. It is the most important and urgent matter that the world at large must face. There is the Conference in Copenhagen, December 7 - 18 2009, to be prepare.
* Action Oprional Protocol to CEDAW
August 2009 - The International Alliance of Women calls on its affiliated organisations to urge their governments to ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in time!
It would be appropriate to enable the Human Rights Committee to receive and consider, as provided in the present Protocol, communications from individuals claiming to be victims of violations of any of the rights set forth in the Covenant.
* Action Women and Peace
In August 2009 Susanne Riveles, Convenor of the IAW Peace Commission, has mailed us an Open Letter, scheduled for the debate on Resolution 1820 on 6th of August 2009 in the UN Security Council. Through our collaboration with the IANSA Women's Network the International Alliance of Women is also part of this work.
* Action public flogging by Taliban
April 2009 - A horrifying video was shown by various media of a public flogging of a young woman. The International Alliance of Women calls on its affiliated organisations to condemn these practices generally and without reservation.
* Action closing girl schools
In January 2009 President Rosy Weiss wrote by Open Letter a protest when the Taliban ordered the closure of all girls’ schools in the war-ravaged Swat district of Pakistan and warned parents and teachers of dire consequences if the ban is flouted.
In March IAW President Rosy Weiss took the Open Letter to the Commission on the Status of Women where it was signed by 41 NGOs.
The letter, addressed to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Government of Pakistan, was sent on 19 March 2009.