GROWTH in Empowerment means Economic Growth for Developing Countries

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This coming Monday is Women's International Day which is being celebrated by two BloggerUnite events International Women's Day with BlogCatalog and International Women's Day with AmnestyISOnline. There is a natural connection with this blog through the United Nations' Millennium Campaign Goal 3. Gender Equity.

I am finally getting around to writing the posts and there has been a tremendous amount of information available on the web. Somethings shouldn't wait until Monday.

Change.org and Accion International are Fighting poverty by supporting the economic empowerment of women worldwide by drumming up support for the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH) Act (S. 1425) through encouraging co-sponsorships in the United States Senate. I just wrote my to two Senators becoming one of 1,807 people who signed so far. They are looking for 2,500 but considering what day Monday is you would think that they could go far beyond that. What everyone participating is telling their Senators is:

This innovative, bi-partisan piece of legislation would improve the effectiveness of U.S. international assistance and trade policy by focusing on economic opportunities for marginalized women in developing countries. The GROWTH Act would help millions of women lift themselves and their families out of poverty through access to microfinance. It would also empower women in poor countries in the following areas: small business ownership, land and property rights, equal wages and working conditions, and global trade opportunities.

Microfinance efforts have shown again and again that economically empowered women invest in the nutritional, health and educational needs of their children, helping to lift their families and communities out of poverty.

Unfortunately, women face unequal barriers and hardships in many underdeveloped regions. The GROWTH Act would work to address those obstacles.

I urge you to make moving the GROWTH Act (S. 1425) forward one of your top priorities this year.

Thank you for your attention. I look forward to your response on this important issue.

My two cents were: This coming Monday, March 8, 2010 is International Women's Day. There would be no better recognition of the importance of women to the betterment of the world than passing the Growth Act. It will also be an important milestone in addressing the 3rd Millennium Development Goal Gender Equity.

This is the second time I have supported the GROWTH Act. Back in January Women Thrive Worldwide saw my profile on Change.org and sought my support for their organization which I am more than happy to give.

We advocate on behalf of women and girls living in poverty around the world.

As you may know, we develop bills aimed at ensuring that international development projects and programs take into account the needs of vulnerable populations. One bill, the GROWTH Act, is currently in the Senate and, if passed, would give women in poor countries access to land and property rights, small loans to start their own businesses, and improve wage and working conditions. We need your help in reaching out to US Senators to urge the to pass this bill. I hope that you get a chance to sign our petition and join our community! Thanks for your support!

Others supporting GROWTH

• Growth Act | ONE
• Support the GROWTH Act! | Women's Funding Network
• GROWTH Act Introduction Is a Positive Step for Women's Economic Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency|Care
• History of the Bill
  

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• Take a Stand Against Poverty by Investing in Women to Save the World
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• Support Women and Girls around the Globe!
  

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Iran - Counting Down to a Day of Solidarity with Those Who Speak Out

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On Thursday February 11, 2010, Amnesty International is calling for support for those participating in the mass protests standing up to the authorities and the abuses of Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards by disputing the outcome of the last year's June Election. As of this posting, it is February 11th in Iran.

Current local time in Mashhad, Iran

In creating this post, the arena of collaboration that I have chosen is again, Bloggers Unite, who are working with Amnesty International to get the word out on February 11, 2010 which isVictory of the Revolution Day in Iran. Equivalent to the Fourth of July in the United States, it is a day commemorating liberty, independence and freedom.

Admitting to being a slacktivist is my way of recognizing that this blog on its own is only a minor contribution and does not compare with the commitment being made by others. After all, I am writing this from usually sunny southern California where although the economy is bad and jobs are now tenuous, I am safe writing this post rather than fearing torture or death. That for me though is an argument against keeping quiet. Small voice blogs such as this one can help spread the word and push awareness beyond the edge of mainstream news sources. By using multiple means of communication through writing, podcasts, and video we can provide greater clarity regarding the impact of these issues. This YouTube video from the Amnesty International (Belgium Flemish) chapter shows former detainee Ali Kheradnejad talking about his experience.

As Amnesty International asserted

Since blogs and websites like Twitter and YouTube were virtually the only way the Iranian people could expose the horrific treatment being inflicted on them in the days following the contested Presidential election, we full expect Iranians to turn to the Internet once again to carry their messages. That is why we are asking everyone to show their solidarity online on February 11th whether its on your blog, website, or social networking profile.

It is also an assertion that having more slacktivists on the web will not lead to those committed to causes leaving to Farmville on Facebook, as some argue, rather it will help accumulate into potential tipping points of change. This is especially true as these efforts are done in collaboration as with Amnesty International's effort to support protester's in Iran. The sort of effort can be faulted for being "activism for a lazy generation”, but as ict.developmentgateway.org, The Boston Globe -News of Iran, edited in Newton and Clay Shirky: Social Media vs. the Dictator demonstrate social media tools such as Twitter can be effective tools in creating social awareness.

News #CNNfail: Twitter Blasts CNN Over Iran Election

Twitter users blasted CNN this weekend for a lack of coverage of the Tehran protests, with Iranian citizens claiming ballot fraud and taking to the streets.

Twitter has proven a powerful tool for spreading news of developing events in the country, but it has also taken on the role of media watchdog: thousands of Twitter users adopted the hashtag #CNNfail to highlight a lack of Iran coverage from the news organization.

Language: EnglishSource: Mashable: The Social Media Guide

Added by John Daly

June 15, 2009 Archive Date: June 15, 2009

News of Iran, edited in Newton - The Boston Globe

The website is called Tehran Bureau, but it is not housed in the Iranian capital. It’s edited from Niknejad’s parents’ living room in Newton

The English-language site has generated a lot of attention over the past few weeks as tensions escalated over allegations of electoral fraud by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government. When demonstrators were shot and communication with the West was curtailed in a government clampdown, Tehran Bureau’s stream of news alerts and Twitter feeds became a valued source of information cited by The New York Times and other Western news organizations.

Clay Shirky, in this TED Talk looks at how the end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics, Iranian protestors streaming news to the world, showing how Facebook, Twitter and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news by bypassing censors (if all too briefly).

Although it is not the primary focus of this blog, it has in the past supported Amnesty International efforts on behalf of dissident Hana Abdi, a women's rights advocate in Iran and posted on Kristof and WuDunn's general theme in their book HALF THE SKY". To wit, the brave women of Iran who took to the streets to protest the results of the recent election.

In the final analysis, it recognizes the perspective put forward by Former Irish President Mary Robinson, also former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that Progress on MDGs Requires Focus on Human Dignity, Equality and Equity.

Help Free Aung San Suu Kyi - Late Better Than Never - Small Better Than None

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In my last post I wrote about not participating in the Amnesty International letter writing campaign and provided some excuses for not doing so. The undone and unsent posts remained in my drafts and one in particular gnawed at me.

Amnesty International had reminded me that the military rulers of Myanmar have jailed thousands in their efforts to crush all dissent – including prisoner of conscience and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. But the pressure on Myanmar's leaders is building, and Suu Kyi's release is not only possible today, but could happen very soon.

The more letters we send, the better chance we have at setting Aung San Suu Kyi free.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been a source of inspiration for both this blog and for My Pathways to New Paradigms, which helped define this journey. There have been times when I have been skeptical of these efforts but this time I am putting those thoughts aside.

So even if it is the end of the campaign and its is only one letter, I fulfilled a pledge to write a letter on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi: Yes, I will write a letter!

Senior General Than Shwe
Chairman State Peace and Development Council c/o Ministry of Defense Naypyitaw UNION OF MYANMAR (Burma)

Dear Senior General:

I am deeply concerned that Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced in August 2009 to 18 months of house arrest after already spending 14 of the past 20 years under detention or restriction because of her work to protect human rights in Myanmar. She is one of more than 2,100 political prisoners detained in Myanmar, including student leaders Htay Kywe, Mie Mie, and Zaw Htet Ko Ko, Buddhist monk U Gambira, and political activist U Win Htein.

The sentencing of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to 18 months of detention is an affront to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which your government is obliged to uphold as a member of the United Nations.

Our President Obama urged Myanmar's Prime Minister, Thein Sein, to release democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners in Myanmar when he met with the leaders of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

I urge you to demonstrate Myanmar’s commitment to human rights by ordering the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other prisoners of conscience in Myanmar.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Brian Dowling

copy to: U Myint Lwin Minister-Counselor,
Charge d’Affaires Ad
Interim Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
2300 S Street NW Washington, DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 332 4351 Email: info@mewashingtondc.com

It is a very minor effort in this year's Amnesty International Global Write-a-thon which has as this year's goal 10,000 activists sending 250,000 letters compared to last year's of 7,000 people in the U.S. who wrote 200,000 letters in support. Still, it will add one more straw to the junta's back. Even though the effort seems meager and last minute, I keep in mind what else Amnesty International reminded me about.

P.S. – We've seen prisoners freed and lives spared when letters flood into government offices! Just last year, Ma Khin Khin Leh, a school teacher in Myanmar and Hana Abdi, a women's rights advocate in Iran, were both released from prison after Write-a-thon letters overwhelmed their respective government offices.

Related Posts:

1. Two requests - One to help one woman, the other to help millions, both help us all
2. Aung San Suu Kyi Support gets thanks but not results
3. Once Again Help Free Aung San Suu Kyi
4. Avaaz asks Help Free Aung San Suu Kyi
5. Revisiting The Past Creating the Future
6. Refugees Across the Globe - A Millennium Problem
7. Open Architecture Network - Making a difference with the Web and Triangular Scale
8. Even In A Digital World It Takes Real Heart To Make Change
9. A Paradigm Shift in Seeing the Potential of Paradigm Shifts

Getting Down to Basics and Helping Where We Can

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My exploration of paradigm shifts moving from an individual level to a global level has always been predicated on a belief in the human right and ability to transcend circumstances. Before establishing the Millennium Development Goals we need to start with the basic premise of Human Rights. Everyone should have the right not to be hungry, not to be uneducated, not to suffer from disease and to have the economic tools necessary to achieve this.

To achieve this though there needs to be a more basic definition which is provided by Youth for Human Rights International which has the highest click rate by eight times on my FeedBurner account. This is something people care about.

- What Human Rights Are. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Do you know what Human Rights are?
  

  Every person is entitled to certain rights – simply by the fact that they are a human being. They are "rights" because they are things you are allowed to be, to do or to have. These rights are there for your protection against people who might want to harm or hurt you. They are also there to help us get along with each other and live in peace.

Trouble is that I am still a slacktivist and because of pressures (budget cuts/layoffs) from my real life/day job I did not participate in the Amnesty International letter writing campaign [This changed the next day/post]. I feel a sense of guilt and frustration about this. I did get a chance to communicate with my two Senators a few weeks ago on an important issue that I am told helps Amnesty International's on-the-ground efforts, even slacktivists try to help in their own way.

Senator Barbara Boxer Senator Dianne Feinstein

I urge you to take an important step for human rights and a crucial step for women's rights by supporting Senate consideration of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Women's Convention is the best instrument for advocating effectively on behalf of women's human rights in Afghanistan and around the world. CEDAW is the only treaty to provide an international standard for promoting the basic human rights of women. The Convention provides important measures to ensure the full development and continued improvement of women's human rights at home and abroad by addressing such issues as violence against women, access to education and health care and equal protection under the law.

The past several months have underscored the fundamental importance of the protection of human rights, and particularly the protection of women's rights. The overwhelming adoption of this Convention by more than 185 countries serves to counter claims that in any culture discrimination, domestic violence, and other forms of oppression are acceptable.

I ask you to support Senate consideration of CEDAW during this Congress. Please tell me how you intend to address this issue.

Sincerely
Brian Dowling

I received an answer from Senator Boxer a week ago.

Dear Mr. Dowling:

Thank you for writing to me in support of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). I appreciate the opportunity to hear your views.

Since first joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1999, I have been a strong advocate for U.S. ratification of CEDAW. In 2002, the committee voted to approve CEDAW. Unfortunately, this treaty has not yet been brought before the full Senate for a vote.

I believe that the American effort to promote human rights and equality for women around the world will be much more effective and credible if we join with other nations and ratify CEDAW without further delay. That is why I am very pleased that we now have a President who has publicly pledged his support for CEDAW and has encouraged the Senate to take action.

Because I feel so strongly about CEDAW, I will continue to fight for its ratification in the U.S. Senate.

Thank you for contacting me about this important treaty. Please do not hesitate to contact me again about this or any other issue of importance to you.

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator