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

[cylindar]

Your not saying anything that Obama does not already know. He is ahead of you already and I am sure he will lead in ways you have never imagined.

[mergina]

He may already know, but even Bush briefly spoke out about Human Trafficking and Women's Rights around the world, yet so very little ever was done. ACTION IS NEEDED. THE TIME FOR WORDS IS PAST.

[nobigots]

Yes! Yes! Yes!
It is w---a---y past time for 'the time of women.' The inequalities, the misogynies, are still astonishing, in and in every country. For ALL of our sakes (i happen to be a guy), let's make sure women are "at the heart of the discussion"--all discussions, at all levels, in all the big rooms and little ones.
Let's hope Obama addresses this loud and clear in his inaugural speech, and that the speech will be only the first of many steps.

[vote-obama]

first they try to sink him(PUMA) now they write open letters...­.stay classy ladies.

[PippiLongstocking]

haha, right.

[Aaror]

There are a lot of women who supported Obama, even during the primary (or he wouldn't have won), PUMA's were a tiny minority, mostly Republicans who switched to Dem to try to sabatoge Obama (and a lot of the ones on HuffPost were men).
But you missed another important point:
The better you treat women, the lower the birthrate. The higher the birthrate, the higher the poverty level, the higher the violence level, the higher the threat of terrorism, and the higher the threat of starvation/water shortages.
More people use more resources, and will fight for them any way they have to and do anything to survive. Treat women in the equatorial belt (with 6 births per woman) better, and you do more to fight terrorism than any 5 wars.

[Gunfighter]

"The better you treat women, the lower the birthrate.­.."

Except in upper middle-class suburbia where having large families seems to be catching on again.

[Andie Olivia]

Specifically, access to education has a huge impact on the birthrate. If you're barred from a secondary education, or even a primary one, then all that can be expected from you is manual labor and motherhood.

[Taxi]

President elect Obama likes girls. A lot.

His mother, his grandmother, his wife and his two daughters.

I have no doubt he will be doing everything he can for women. Globally.

About time someone in power did!

[Dukedraven]

This is so cool that the women's movement and other factions are coming together for change. This is a really interesting period right and applaud everyone for their efforts. Peace always

[PATina]

I agree. I love that people are becoming more involved and engaging in changing their lives for the better.

[FilthyHarry]

No Way! This is totally black people's time! You want women's rights? Shoulda elected Hillary. Better luck next time!

Just kiddin, I hope he does right by all people.

[PATina]

hahahahaha­ha... you were so wrong for that... hahahahaha

He will... but we should all try to do right by all people.

[singforpeace]

Excellent!