Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/481579
March/April 2015 23 women's protection from discrimi- nation. I n 1998, San Francisco became t he first US city to adopt an ordi- nance embracing the principles of CEDAW. San Francisco has had great success implementing these principles, resulting in the creation of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, which over- sees the management of the city's research related to CEDAW mat- ters. Due to the radical success of the San Francisco model, a "Cities for CEDAW" campaign was launched in 2013 by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/New York, partnered with the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women and the Women's Intercul- tural Network (WIN). The Cities for CEDAW cam- paign aims to mobilize 100 cities to adopt the principles of CEDAW into local governments. The pur- pose of the campaign is to "make the global local," utilizing a variety of stakeholders in each city—from government officials to NGOs, peo- ple of faith, and men and women with a passion for the cause. Louisville Makes Commitments On November 6, 2014, Louisville, Kentucky, became the second U.S. city to officially adopt a resolution based on the principles of CEDAW. The Louisville resolu- tion commits to end all forms of violence against women and girls and promote the health and safety of women and girls, as well as ensure equal academic, economic and business opportunities for them. Sponsored by Councilwoman Tina Ward Pugh, the resolution also promises to provide an over- sight body and resources to support that body. The oversight body will conduct a gender-based analysis of all departments of the Louisville metro government. 6 Louisville's next step is compos- ing an ordinance to present to Louisville's Metro Council. If passed, the ordinance will put into place a system of checks and bal- ances around ending discrimination toward girls and women. This ordi- nance is the catalyst for discovery and change. Until research is con- ducted to show what inequities exist, they cannot be mended; with- out the ordinance, the research isn't likely to happen. Louisville isn't the only city rally- ing for CEDAW, though. Cities for CEDAW is rallying 99 others cities to champion change at the local level by joining the Cities for CEDAW initiative and implement- ing the principles of CEDAW through their local governments. In addition to San Francisco and Louisville, New York, Los Angeles and North Carolina, are working Mayor Greg Fischer (seated) signs Louisville, Kentucky's CEDAW resolution as Louisville Coalition for CEDAW members look on—(left to right) Michael Aldridge (executive director, American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky), Teena Halbig (president, Kentucky division of the United Nations Association of the USA), Tina Ward-Pugh (then- Louisville Metro councilwoman), Mary Sue Barnett (chair, Louisville Coalition for CEDAW), Sariena Sampson (educator, Jefferson County Public Schools) and Victoria Markell (vice president, League of Women Voters, Louisville). Chris Poynter Learn More Learn more about the 2015 UN Commission on the Status of Women and progress for women since the Fourth World Conference on Women 20 years ago in Beijing, China; watch the May/June issue of Horizons for articles. And be sure to follow Presbyterian Women (/presbyterianwomenpcusa) and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations (/PresbyterianMinistryUN) on Facebook. T