The More Women More Power campaign joined with 8 thousand women activists - on a very cold March 6th - to speak out for women's rights and denounce all forms of violence towards women.
Hot-off-the-press: The new More Women More Power campaign postcards - which allow activists to pledge to join One World Action's network of Women's RIghts Champions - attracted some interest in Trafalgar Square.
Watch this space for updates on the exiting second phase of the More Women More Power campaign.
(From left) Anna Boswell and Theresa Peters
Regina Hansada
(From left) Becca Price and Kate Spiegelhalter
Jaymaine Parkes
(From left) Rhiannon and Bethan Buck
Join MWMP Campaigners NEXT WEEK for International Women's Day 2010!
One World Action will be back at Million Women Rise this year on Saturday, 6th March to demonstrate about the lack of awareness and action taken on violence against women. Do come and show your solidarity with our partners! For more info on the day click here.
We will also be campaigning alongside Women for Women International on Monday, 8th March - International Women's Day - in their Join Me on the Bridge march, building bridges of peace between women around the world. We will have a stall at the Women's Festival held outside the Tate Modern from midday onwards, so please come and find us and join us on Millenium Bridge! Please find more information on this event here.
Remember, International Women's Day is a great chance to get our voice heard, show solidarity for our sisters and, importantly, to celebrate the lives of women across the world!
We hope to see you there!
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Read One World Action's Women's Rights Co-ordinator Emily Esplen's reflections on gender equality and the need for the radicalisation of political spaces and movements here. Emily wrote this piece for OpenDemocracy.net.
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Conservatives make a historic commitment to all-women shortlists
After almost a year of engaging with political parties to champion radical measures to ensure women are equally represented in our parliament, the More Women More Power Campaign was delighted to read in this morning’s Guardian that David Cameron has committed to the use of all-women shortlists in some seats in the forthcoming elections.
Campaign Co-ordinator Marie Birchall said:
“Having women equally represented in parliament and in other public bodies is a basic matter of justice and not simply a matter of merit. We are therefore delighted that the Conservative Party is taking positive steps to address this deeply embedded and historic injustice. The proof of the commitment, however, will be in the implementation and we very much look forward to hearing the details of the policy in the coming weeks.”
Earlier in the year, Shadow Minister for Women Theresa May MP got in touch with the campaign team to underline her interest in the goals of the More Women More Power Campaign and her commitment to gender equality and more recentlyI, International Development spokesperson Andrew Mitchell MP wrote to us to insist that empowering women is a powerful tool for reducing poverty. One World Action will continue to work with the Conservative Party – and all parties – to ensure that the UK becomes the international champion of gender equality and women’s rights.
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Business as usual? MWMP at the Compass Conference
On June 13th One World Action was delighted to jointly host the break-out session ‘Business as Usual? Gender justice in the post-recession economy’, with the Fawcett Society at the Robin Cook Memorial Conference, organised by Compass and built around the theme of a new 21st Century political and economic settlement. Both partner organisations had been concerned by the way women are bearing the brunt of the recession in the UK and globally and felt now was time to ensure that any new political or economic settlements are built on an understanding of how gender relations shape the political economy, and on a commitment to promote gender justice.
Panellists Bea Campbell (journalist, author and broadcaster), Baroness Uddin (Chair of the BME Councillors Taskforce), Prof. Ruth Lister CBE (Professor of Social Policy) and Natalie Bennett (editor of the Guardian Weekly) gave the audience food for thought, with a range of addresses that welcomed the new willingness to question the merits of capitalism and proposed radical feminist solutions, such as the introduction of a citizen’s wage. The More Women More Power campaign got a further boost with a prominent stand in the exhibition hall.
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More Women Needed to Power Through this year's 5k Challenge!
Where better to raise awareness of the importance and lack of female political representation than at a fun event soley for women - and 20,000 of them at that! We've decided to make this year's Adidas Women's 5k Challenge all about the More Women More Power Campaign so if you fancy being a part of the action on Sunday 6th September, whether you want to run it, walk it, win it or just make a stand for women's equality then join our MWMP team!
To find out more information and enter click here!
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Goldsmiths Back MWMP
On June 3rd, hundreds of students turned out to the first Goldsmiths University Annual Fête organised by Louis Rutherford in support of One World Action. Amid the 5-a-side football tournament, coconut shy, open air production of a Midsummer Nights Dream and Tombola (where the bizarre prizes included an X Files VHS video and springed meer cats), the students relaxed on the sun-soaked grass and listened to live swing music. The day provided the perfect opportunity to chat to groups about the work of One World Action and sparked various debates about the merits of positive action for women in politics. We were delighted that almost 150 people backed the More Women More Power campaign and want to say a big thank you to Louis for his hard work!
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More Women in Europe!
In the run-up to June’s European election, the More Women More Power campaign team have been delighted to receive wide-ranging support from across the political spectrum. So far, over 40 current MEPs and candidates standing in the European election have backed our campaign.
When signing up tothe More Women More Power pledge, Liberal Democrat candidate John Pindar felt current levels of gender representation were ‘disappointing’, whilst UKIP’s Paul Henke described existing inequalities as ‘appalling’, adding that there is an ‘urgent’ need for women in politics. Green Party candidate Steven Dawe urged One World Action to take the campaign forward during the general election, with fellow Green Felicity Newman pledging to raise the issue of women’s representation during the European campaign.
Labour MEP Catherine Stihler stressed the importance of the continued ‘work towards achieving greater fairness for women to fully participate at all levels of the political decision-making process’, with David Martin MEP adding that achieving equality for women in all walks of life would be the ‘greatest contribution’ we could make to our world.
And Liberal Democrat candidate Peter Hirst had a very clear message for women who want to follow him into politics - ‘Go for it!’
Candidates who have backed the More Women More Power Campaign (as of 22nd April 09)
Green Party
Peter Lynn; Dr Derek Wall; Felicity Newman; Beverley Golden; Jonathan Essex; Hazel Dawe; Chris Williams; Ricky Knight; Chloe Somers; Richard Lawson; Molly Scott Cato; Steven Dawe; Miriam Kennent; James Abbott; Vicky Dunn; Jean Lambert MEP; Caroline Allen; Peter McColl; Ruth Cameron; Shirley Ford; Justine Hall; Jill Perry; Margaret Westbrook; Ruth Bergan; Peter Cranie; Caroline Lucas MEP
Labour
Catherine Stihler MEP; David Martin MEP; Stephen Hughes MEP; Mary Honeyball MEP; Glynn Ford MEP; Derek Vaughan; Nilgun Canver; Eluned Morgan MEP; Lisa Stevens
Liberal Democrats
Peter Hirst; Steve Cooke; John Pindar; Ed Maxfield
UKIP
Nikki Sinclaire; Paul Henke; Christopher Browne; Andrew Moncreiff
Sign the More Women More Power Pledge here and ask your MEP to sign it!
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Million Women Rise 2009
Joining women from across the UK, One World Action commemorated International Women’s Day by participating in Million Women Rise – a march to demonstrate women’s united rage and opposition to male violence. After being invited to host a stall, we also took the opportunity to talk to women marchers about our More Women More Power campaign, highlighting the difference that gender-parity in decision making can have on legislation surrounding violence against women. One World Action activists Bethan Cobley and Aimee Oxley enjoyed an inspirational day speaking to hundreds of women on the day and were delighted to receive over 100 signatures in support of the campaign.
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More Women More Power Motion in Scottish Parliament!
As the More Women More Power Campaign gathers momentum, One World Action has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament calling on MSPs to show their support for women’s political representation.
Recognising the significant achievement of the Scottish Parliament in ensuring a third of its members are female, the motion urges MSPs to avoid complacency and ensure that women’s political representation stays firmly on the agenda in Scotland.
Launching the motion, former Scottish First Minister the Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP said;
"Action to ensure greater representation of women in elected politics is essential for fairness, but it also delivers better politics and policies too."
The motion has gained support from across the Scottish political spectrum, with more than a third of MSPs backing the campaign. This mirrors the success of One World Action’s EDM, tabled in the House of Commons by Emily Thornberry MP. So far, 77 MPs have shown their support for the More Women More Power campaign by signing the motion.
You can see the More Women More Power Motion in the Scottish Parliament by clicking here.
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Local Girls Take on Poster Challenge
Girls at Highbury Fields School - local to One World Action - have recently put their creative skills to the test by designing innovative posters that capture the essence of the More Women More Power message. Encouraged by art teacher Celia Errington, the explorations around the theme of empowerment culminated in a Year 9 assembly led by One World Action staff Marie Birchall and Anne Mosley, which challenged the girls to use their talents to become leaders in their own communities. The assembly was also an opportunity to award three of the most striking posters with special gifts - contributions towards books of the girls' own choice for the school library.
One World Action staff were particularly impressed by the simplicity and boldness of winner Lekeisha Mills' design and loved runners-up Nafisa Yarasheva's and Nicole Doherty's hand-drawn artwork. But it was runner-up Lauren Walsh Fearon's strong strapline that most got the office talking:
'The Suffragettes campaigned for equal rights for women, so why aren't we using them?'
Click on the images to see the larger posters.
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More Women More Power Celebrate International Women's Day With Lively Debate!
One World Action marked International Women's Day 2009 with a lively debate on women's political participation called Do Women Need a Leg Up in Politics? The debate was held last March 5 at Kings Place. Speakers were Isma Almas (award-winning comedian), Jennette Arnold AM (chair of the London Assembly), Natalie Bennett (editor of Guardian Weekly), Lucy Changwe (Deputy Minister for Gender and Development in Zambia), Nicholas Parsons OBE (actor) and Emily Thornberry MP. Anna Ford chaired the panel.
The debate was a lively one, with the speakers discussing their diverse personal experiences as women in politics and the media. Anna Ford spoke of the underrepresentation of women on television, for example. Emily Thornberry recounted the difficulties women faced to be selected as a candidate until all-women shortlists were introduced by the Labour Party. Lucy Changwe also discussed positive action measures and their impact in Zambia and other African countries. Jennette Arnold discussed cooperation and support among women for women in politics.
Students from the London School of Economics bring up young women's concerns about formal politics.
Natalie Bennett, editor of Guardian Weekly, blogs about the debate andthe limitations of the electoral system in the UK here.
Get involved! Sign the More Women More Power Pledge now!
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MORE WOMEN MORE POWER LAUNCHES!
Women make up more than half the world’s people and yet, barely 20 % of parliamentarians around the world are women. This is the highest level it has ever been in history but it is not enough.
If you believe, as we do, that it is time for women all over the world to be fairly and adequately represented in politics; if you believe that urgent and radical measures are needed to ensure that women get elected and stay in office, please sign the More Women More Power Pledge and do your share to advance women's political participation. All the signatures gathered for this online pledge will be sent to the UK Prime Minister in December 2009, the 30th anniversary of the ratification of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).
You can also download the More Women More Power postcard appealing to the UK Minister for International Development appealing for more British aid to be devoted to promoting women's political participation in developing countries.
The More Women More Power campaign was launched on October 30 2008 at the House of Commons. The launch was a cross-party gathering with MPs, members of the House of Lords, activists and feminists in attendace.
Speakers were Solicitor General Vera Baird MP, Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP, Ivan Lewis MP(Under Secretary of State at DFID), Jo Swinson MP and Helen O'Connell (Head of Policy, One World Action). It was hosted by Emily Thornberry MP. Listen to the inspiring speeches and read more about the launch by clicking here.
More activities are lined up for More Women More Power this year and throughout 2009. Please check back for updates. For more information on the campaign, please e-mail Carla at .
