Open Letter to President-Elect Obama

On December 5, 2008, a few days before the 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a group of global and domestic women's organizations gathered in New York to frame a shared agenda for advancing global women's rights. Determined to use their collective strength and expertise to work together to advance a global agenda for women's freedom, safety and agency, they crafted the following open letter to President-elect Obama and committed to working together to see their vision come true in this century.

Dear President-Elect Obama,

As a group of women leaders who have given our lives to the transformation, protection and empowerment of women in the United States and globally, we want to begin by congratulating you. We are honored and proud to have you lead the nation during this historic time. We also welcome your call to action, reminding us of what we have always known -- that as global citizens we cannot solely rely on any one administration's ability to bring about change, but must be steadfast in pushing forward our own vision and agendas.

We represent a historic movement for change: millions of women across the globe with innovative ideas, influential constituencies and collaborative solutions. We are calling on you to ensure that women are equally represented in everything, from your administration's infrastructure to its decision-making and solution building. We are calling on you to exercise leadership in dismantling the structures that perpetuate gender inequality, impede women's full participation in society and thwart real progress for people around the world.

As war rages in Gaza, it is clear that the time has come to dismantle militarism as the dominant ideology in world politics. We must ensure that women take the lead in building lasting peace in the Middle East, ending genocide in Darfur, stopping femicide in the Democratic Republic of Congo, fighting the War on Terror in Afghanistan, and ending the war in Iraq.

Though the select-few women who hold leadership positions in this country's political system inspire us; women represent more than 50% of the population and deserve more than marginal representation. We believe that in order for your vision of change to succeed, women must be in positions of power. While US women gained the right to vote 100 years ago, to date only 14% of the US Congress are women. This must change.

The major economic, security, governance and environmental challenges of our times cannot be solved without the equal participation of women at all levels of society -- from the home to institutions of national and global governance. Women's voices must be central in all major discussions including the economic crisis, overhauling our education system. Long-term investments in women's education, health and leadership development are equally critical. Economic structures continue to marginalize women. Consider this: women represent two-thirds of the world's labor yet we own less than 1% of the world's assets.

In addition, more than 500,000 women die each year because of inadequate medical and reproductive care. Violence against women is a pandemic that determines women's realities, impeding their access to education and economic self-sufficiency. This global epidemic is undermining the future of the world, as women are at the heart of all communities and families; we literally carry the future in our bodies.

Yet these are not "women's issues." In fact, such investments are vital to economic growth and the well-being of all individuals, communities, societies and nations. Consider India's economic transformation of the past 15 years: The World Bank finds that states with the highest percentage of women in the labor force grew the fastest and had the largest reductions in poverty.

As policy makers, activists, researchers, and grant-makers we have spent our lives investing in women and know that these kinds of investments have immeasurable and fundamental impact for the better. Worldwide, women are uniquely positioned to bring innovative insights and creative solutions to global leadership forums. If we hope to improve existing economic, peace and security, and human development frameworks women must not only be included, but must be at the heart of the discussion.

We are calling on you to be the President who ushers in the time of women. Our vision of the future is one in which women and men are equal partners, standing shoulder to shoulder in confronting the world's challenges. We welcome, with hope and anticipation, your shared commitment to this vision.

We represent more than half of the world's human potential. And our time has come.

Sincerely,

Linda Basch, PhD
President, National Council for Research on Women

Mallika Dutt
Executive Director, Breakthrough: Building Human Rights Culture

Eve Ensler
Founder, V-Day

Adrienne Germain
President, International Women's Health Coalition

Sara Gould
CEO, Ms. Foundation

Christine Grumm
CEO, Women's Funding Network

Geeta Rao Gupta
President, International Center for Research on Women

Carolyn Makinson
Executive Director, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children

Kavita Ramdas
CEO, Global Fund for Women

Zainab Salbi
President, Women for Women International

Comments

[Cynthia Shebar-Thomas]

Violence against women is violence against society. Violence against women stops progress and locks us into a state of suffering. As women are recognized as full human beings deserving of respect to mind body and soul, we will all come to see each other for the truly incredible beings that we are. Our suffering will diminish and we will soar into a future beyond our greatest hopes and dreams.

[BigCheese]

So... what exactly are they asking Obama to do? Shouldn't this letter be addressed to potential female voters and candidates? They have the power to put more women in Congress, not President Obama.

[GuyRC]

There are a lot of good women scientists coming out of university these days. The last five years we have hired as many women as men. But there aren't many jobs. In science there is one hire for 2-3 retires in many fields. I've been at it for 25 years but I can't afford to retire. So, even though we hire proportionately it will be a decade before we have gender balance or female seniority due to demographics, not bias.

I hope Obama focuses on universal health care and quality education. I think if we shifted focus from high tech planes and ships to elite ground operations we might be able to go into places like darfur as part of an international effort, and establish some order.... but if the UN won't agree to do something I don't want us unilaterally policing other countries regardless of what is going on there.

[SammyD]

Asking permission from "the man". denied. ladies, you had your chance now go home and raise babies like you should. Women are not leaders in America. You willnever be elected to the top positions in America now.

[bruster55]

Wow, A dinasaur that can write, too bad the cognitive skills are so small.

[auntiecairo]

While your letter is eloquent I think you are continuing to make the same problem which is what hinders women in this country and others - you are asking a man- others to solve the problem. Women are their own worst enemy - for every enlightened woman who wants to celebrate and increase women's potential and standing in the world - you have women who are either content with the status quo, scared or uneducated enough to take a risk and break with tradition. I think Hillary's campaign highlighted that - she didn't start focusing on the gender issue until others brought it up and it became advantageous. I think to help Obama and others you need to speciffy how to solve some of the problems - I think most know they exist. And some are not gender specific - i.e. they involve people who are underprivileged no matter what their gender. I don't think you can force more women into government - those are elected positions and symbolize what the electorate is feeling. I think Obama's election will improve electability for all non-white, male middle aged candidates. However you need to articulate exactly what the issues are, how you can effect change better and that your candidate should be elected not because she's a woman but because she is the best person for the job. And you need to convince other woman - who are more than 50% of the population - they will be just as safe with

[Cuyahoga]

"Women"s rights are the
responsibility of humankind;

combating all forms of violence
against women is the duty of all humankind;

and achieving empowerment of women is
the advancement of all humankind."

United Nations Secretary - General Kofi Annan

[Shawn0965]

It's great to want change. I do too.

But reading this letter, it looks like just another interest group that thinks they know best. There aren't enough hispanics in the cabinet, there aren't enough gay/lesbians in the cabinet, now there aren't enough women in the cabinet. I'm sure next there won't be enough trombone playing dwarf's in the cabinet.

I'm all for making yourself heard and working for what you want, but telling the President that he should populate his cabinet based on the percentage of votes from your constituency is arrogant and totally self serving.

Hopefully, there is more to the letter than what is posted here and the innovative ideas and solutions that women around the world have, aren't waiting to spring forth until Obama's cabinet has the appropriate percentage of women in it.

[InsideScoop]

Other than giving women additional competitive advantages, I'm not sure what is required of the US Gov. Laws are in place to protect womens' vote, salaray, education, access, etc.

Try looking at this from a male perspective. In the US (and for some of these statistics, globally) men have:
1. Higher suicide rates globally
2. Higher drug addiction rates
3. Higher highschool and college drop out rates
4. Lower highschool and college entry rate

The reality is men are facing a crisis, but women in this country still want to be victims.

I welcome feedback.

[mpell]

That's this country. Men don't get acid thrown in their faces if they attempt to go to school, as has happened to women in some third world countries.

[teasley]

"We are calling upon you to exercise leadership in dismantling the structures that perpetuate gender inequality." What precious naivetae. 1) We elected a President of the United States, not the world. 2) If you are not in agreement with how the Moslem world treats its women (which I assume you are not ) How do propose Obama change the Islamic faith.

[Lilybart]

Send this letter to Hillary. SHE will have the interests of women in her heart.

Obama has a big picture of destruction to deal with.
Hillary will make sure our foreign policy and trade decisions don't impact women in negative ways.

[KofTX]

While I certainly recognize the massive inequalities facing women socially, politically and many other spheres of everyday life, I think the agenda of addressing these inequalities would benefit from the inclusion of a male presence. I think back on the Civil Rights movement and it is evident to me that without the visible support of other American ethnic groups, the movement would have conveniently been depicted and written off as a "black thing". I was inspired and very pleased when I heard President-elect Obama's view of how if government took more active and progressive stances on what ills our society (lack of healthcare, unemployment, broken education system), we would find that those who are disproportionately affected by them would be the biggest beneficiaries. I believe that the efforts to achieve equality for women in all levels of society would only be aided by a more diverse representation of these issues. After all, women's rights issues are HUMAN rights issues. I was inspired and very pleased when I heard President-elect Obama's view of how if government took more active and progressive stances on what ills our society (lack of healthcare, unemployment, broken education system), we would find that those who are disproportionately affected by them would be the biggest beneficiaries.

[mergina]

I was somewhat shocked to hear Hillary Clinton mention issues like HUMAN TRAFFICKING where women and girls as young as 5 years of age are sold into a life of sex slavery, disease and despair, the rights of women around the world, ESPECIALLY women living in archaic countries like many in Africa where they are ritually raped, murdered, violated with insance genital mutilation practices, or the women living throughout the Muslim world, all of whom, even at best, are treated as less than second class citizens, and at worst, living without any rights against the brutality of their male masters. There is perhaps no issue MORE IMPORTANT that these crimes against women ending. Women ARE humanity's future, a future without war and brutality being the order of the day.

[RobertHenryEller]

I think you may have this backward. It has been women who in fact have ushered in the "age of Obama."

Watch Obama with his wife and daughters, and his acknowledgement of his grandmother and mother.

Who gets elected to public office in the US is more in your own hands than anyone's. Women make up the majority of the electorate. You have only to come together and support women candidates. Yes, it is in fact "that simple."

Take a good look at the demographics of college education in the US. I don't know how to break this to you, but you've "won" (Hillary's loss notwithstanding.). In fact, one of the biggest problems that will face American women, at least, in the coming decades, may be the socio-economic disenfranchisement of many American men.

The scales have already been tipped in some places, and will continue to tip in others. While you're still asking for equality, in many ways you are already have, overall, greater power than men.

This is a good thing for both women and men.

I'm sure that not-a-moment-too-soon-to-be-inaugurated President Obama is on your side, as a intelligent man, a human being, and as a politician. And he is listening carefully.

Address your message not to Obama, but to the world's women. To borrow my favorite exhortation of the last two years: "You are the ones you've been waiting for."

Robert Henry Eller
Milan, Italy

[NoToGOP08]

Brilliantly put - "It has been women who in fact have ushered in the "age of Obama."

[PATina]

WOW !!!! I enjoyed reading your comment. You are right in so many of your points. I just want to say that I don't think it's about "winning"... or even disenfranchising men (hopefully that won't happen)... but as the letter said...

one in which women and men are equal partners, standing shoulder to shoulder in confronting the world's challenges.

If we can achieve that... we ALL win !

[susangg1]

Absolutely right. Obama does not need to be taught the importance of women's equality in every aspect of life. Instead, why don't you send your message to the Muslim world, in which the most backward of cults, especially Wahabism, is spreading like a cancer, and in which women are nothing more than slaves? Challenge Hamas, Hezbollah, the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Sudan. And take it to Africa, where all sides of virtually every war have made rape their primary weapon?

[PDH5204]

Might I advise the authors of the letter to run and vote for office. As related, you're the majority and you have the vote. Do the math.

[CeeCee]

Look at the caliber of the woman he married, and you'll know that he is already pro-women.