Advocacy

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

What is Advocacy?

Advocacy originates from Latin advocare, meaning to speak out on behalf of someone. Conceptually, advocacy relates to engagement in activities, organizations and discussions intended to influence opinion and public policies locally, nationally and internationally. The expected outcome is a stronger accountability from governmental and international bodies. In this perspective, advocacy is a key element of democracy as it secures the voice of the voiceless in political dialogues aimed at the common good.

Why do we do it?

  • To express views and concerns on policies related to girls and women’s rights
  • To support actions and policies that protect girls and women’s rights
  • To promote access to education for girls and women
  • To bring changes that will positively transform the lives of girls and women around the world.

How do we do it

Advocacy is at the heart of UWCM activities. We use a human rights based – approach to advocate for policies that were adopted by CFUW https://www.cfuw.org/. We advocate on different platforms by:

  • Supporting CFUW to retain its special consultative status with the United Nations Social and Economic Council (ECOSOC) https://www.un.org/ecosoc/en
  • Collaborating with community organizations on issues related to the status of girls and women.
  • Raising money to provide scholarships for university and college education for girls and women.
  • Raising money to support the fight against women’s poverty.
  • • Submitting briefs to government bodies on several topics related to girls and women’s education, safety and health.
  • Developing educational tools that promote lifelong learning, such as a Financial Literacy Kit.
  • Blogging on women’s issues
  • Reviewing and proposing Resolutions