Take Action on the New GEAR Website

Take a look at the recently launched website for the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) Campaign! 

You can visit the site for updates on the campaign's progress working towards the creation and implementation of a new and empowered women's agency at the UN.

Last September, when the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the creation of a new women's agency, we posted this to the myMADRE blog:

After more than three years of work and struggle by women’s rights advocates worldwide, the UN General Assembly yesterday took a momentous step forward.  In a unanimous vote, they adopted a resolution pledging to create a new UN agency for women.

To date, the efforts of existing UN entities related to women’s rights issues have been undermined by their lack of funding and political clout.  Unlike many other UN agencies, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), are not headed by an under-secretary-general, the third highest ranking position in the UN system.

All of these factors have combined to weaken the status of women’s rights at the UN.

All of this is set to change with this week’s historic resolution.

Here is more information from the site:

The Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) Campaign, a network of over 300 women’s, human rights and social justice groups around the world urges UN Member States and the UN Secretariat to move swiftly forward to create the new UN gender equality entity. GEAR also urges the UN to set up a transparent process now for recruiting the best qualified Under Secretary-General to head this agency. The United Nations must move without further delay to implement changes that it has repeatedly recognized as critical to fulfilling its mandate of working for gender equality as a crucial component of development, human rights, peace, and security.

You can also take action here by sending a message to the UN representative for your country and to urge them to work towards the creation of this agency.