Graduate Women International (GWI) News

Posted November 23, 2016

In Education (SDG 4), GWI UPDATES, Human Rights, International

April 2017

GWI Education for All Manifesto

As per the Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 32/20 of June 2016 on Realizing the equal enjoyment of the right to education by every girl, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is preparing a report to be submitted at the HRC thirty-fifth session in June 2017. To this end, the OHCHR is collecting information from United Nations Member States, the United Nations Children’s Fund, other relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, regional organizations and human rights bodies, national human rights institutions, and civil society. In this context, GWI has submitted for consideration its Education for All Manifesto and it has been placed on the OHCHR website!

You can consult the GWI Education for All Manifesto by clicking on the link below then scroll down to Civil Society and Youth, http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WRGS/Pages/EveryGirl.aspx

January 2017

“Olympes de la Parole”- Silent no more! It is time to educate the new generations of girls to become the active voice of those women who were silenced to death while defending their rights.

The GWI Project: “Olympes de la Parole”, is a competition for high school students. It is inspired from an initiative launched by the French Association of University Women (AFFDU) in 2001. The objective is to encourage primary and secondary school girls examine issues relevant to women and girls through the lens of equality. This competition is named named after Olympe de Gouges a French politician, playwright and activist who authored la Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne in 1791. She wrote several articles to express her opposition against slavery and to defend women civil and political Rights. Because of her writings, she was convicted of treason and was guillotined in Paris in 1793.
“Olympes de la Parole” was recognized by the Council of Europe as part of its “All Different, All Equal” programme to promote diversity and gender equality among European youth. It remains a great model for successfully promoting girls and women’s rights . It is currently running in France, Morocco, Spain, Switzerland and Tunisia. With all women pioneers who have paved the way to women Rights in Canada, it would be pertinent to develop a Canadian version of these «Olympes». More information can be found at:

November 2016

Participation in campaign to end violence against women and girls. This awareness activity is carried out though the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence which begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25 and end on International Human Rights Day on December 10. More information at: https://www.graduatewomen.org/end-violence-women-girls/

Supporting the 5th Conference of International Association of Women’s Museums. The International Association of Women’s Museums (IAWM) gathers a network of about 30 member-museums worldwide with the purpose of promoting women art work, providing an updated database of women’s museums worldwide, disseminating activities and exhibitions of Women’s Museums. More information at: https://www.graduatewomen.org/5th-conference-international-associations-womens-museums/

Investing in girls’education and training teachers for rural futures. In partnership with the Ugandan Association of University Women (UAUW), GWI is sponsoring girls from rural areas to train as qualified secondary teachers. More information at: https://www.graduatewomen.org/teachers-rural-futures-invest-girls-education/