the latest in a series on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Wa Federation of Democratic Women

1. Washington State Federation of Democratic Women Ellensburg, June 18, 2009 Rep. Maralyn Chase

2. Goal: Intergenerational Justice The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Golden Rule between Generations Across epochs, cultures and regional and partisan divides, the obligation to do right by our children carries moral and political weight.

3. Globalization & the Knowledge Based Economy World Marketplace World Labor Market Knowledge is intangible and mobile Intellectual Property Rights WTO as world constitution

4. Structural Changes in our Culture & Community Communications & Internet Trade Culture Climate Banking The Air We breath The Water we Drink Politics

5. The last few years of our journey as The Federation In 2005 we met in Shoreline: Democracy or Fascism? The Role of the Media and the Post Office Transparent Government A press that is free to investigate and criticize the government is absolutely essential in a nation that practices self-government and is therefore dependent on an educated and enlightened citizenry.

6. Getting News to the Citizens Democracy requires enlightenment Enlightenment requires education Which is why we defend public education… Journalists require transparent government Freedom of information – Public’s right to know Remember the white papers produced during Vietnam Journalism delivered to our living rooms every night Post office – Pony Express – Radio & TV Now: THE GLOBAL INTERNET –

7. The Internet & Broadband It is not just to have broadband – it is what having broadband can do for the people. It is the new post office, the new television, the new pony express. It opens windows to the world. Think about the Twitters coming out of IRAQ.

8. PROJECT FOR THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY We devoted a day to the discussion of democracy, fascism and the media. THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY 1997 – 2006 – the Neo-Conservatives Cheney – Wolfowitz – Libby – Khalilzad Advocated pre-emptive attacks with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, it proclaimed that the U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order…

9. Rebuilding America’s Defenses (RAD) – The new PNAC The use of genocidal biological warfare for political expediency Stressed updating of conventional offensive weapons including cruise missiles with stealthy strike aircraft Extended its offensive posture by envisioning and supporting the use of genotype-specific biological warfare “…advanced forms of biological warfare that can “target “ specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool.”

10. Freedom of the Press We must have freedom of the press, freedom to have access to government actions and the means to disseminate that information to the citizens. Exposure of the plan to control space and cyberspace http://www.truthdig.com’report/print/20080612_john_mccains_chillling_project_for_america

11. Citizen Responsibility Citizens must take the information and deliberate about the proper course of action for our government and public policy. The responsibility of citizenship includes the informed discussion of issues and interaction with elected representatives. A nation of sheep begats a government of wolves.

12. 2007 in Bellingham Platform for 2007 Contained further documentation Moved us forward

13. 2008 – In Spokane Universal Declaration of Human Rights Gender Mainstreaming The process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, legislation, public policy at any level of government. Requires action to identify areas where gender constitutes a risk factor for a violation of and abuse of human rights.

14. 1910 to 2010 One Hundred Years of Women Voting in the State of Washington 98 years of women serving in the State Legislature Nellie Axelrod of Bellingham was one of the first two women to join the legislature

15. Global Gender Agenda In 1945, 64 years ago, the United Nations was formed as a treaty among nations. It was the first global treaty in the history of civilization to call for equality between women and men.

16. United Nations Moving Forward 1945 to 1962 UN focused on data collection regarding the unequal treatment of women in all parts of the world (and many thought it all started with Betty Friedan). 1963 to 1975 focused on recognizing the substantial role of women in economic and social development and supporting women in their roles as agents and beneficiaries of change.

17. 1970 In 1970, Washington voters approved Referendum 20, which legalized abortion in the early months of pregnancy. In 1991 Initiative 120 (Reproductive Privacy Act) was passed by a vote of the people. The purpose of I-120 was to place the standards of the Supreme Court decision, Roe v Wade, into state law so that if Roe v Wade was overturned, women in Washington would continue to have the same rights and protections. RCW 9.02.100

18. 1972 Washington State passes Equal Rights amendment to the State Constitution which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in all areas of public life. Passed November, 1972

19. 1973 Roe v Wade – gave women the first right to control their own bodies in national law There is a constitutional right to privacy, guaranteed by the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment, which disallowed most existing state and federal restrictions on abortion in the United States.

20. Mexico City – 1975 The First World Conference on Women…ever It electrified women across the globe and especially in the United States. Women demanded a women’s conference in our own country!

21. 1976 – 1985The Decade for Women 1977 the first Ellensburg Conference 1977 Houston Women’s Conference in support of the Equal Rights Amendment 1979- 32 years after the declaration of equality between men and women, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDAW: Entered into force in 1981. The United States is the only major power that has yet to sign on.

22. 1977 in Ellensburg..a near riot Fueled by the popularity of United Nations’ 1975 International Women’s Year conference, the U.S. Government funded a national conference in Houston and statewide meetings for women in 1977. Each state elected national delegates and voted on resolutions that were to be debated at the National Conference held in Houston, Texas, resulting in a National Plan of Action.

23. Ellensburg, 1977 Conference attendees discussed a wide variety of women’s issues, including education, equal rights, their role in the workforce and childcare. The Washington State Women’s Conference was hosted by the Central Washington State College Women’s Center.

24. Women’s Conferences The UN Human Rights Conference declared that women’s rights are human rights in Vienna in 1993 Copenhagen – 1980 Beijing 1995 All have strengthened the international women’s community…but

25. But… Since 1985 the global focus has been on securing equality, development and peace for women, forgoing consensus on actions to be taken in advancement of women as part of comprehensive international goals.

26. Measuring Progress What are the standards – the metrics - by which we measure progress? Comparison of US health care with the rest of the developed world? Human Rights Standards? Gender analysis…remember the gender gap? It is still there.

27. Critical Areas of Concern Poverty Education & Training Health Violence against women Women and Armed Conflict Women and the Economy Women in Power and Decision Making Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of women

28. Critical Areas of Concern Human Rights of Women Women and the Media Women and Environment The Girl Child

29. Millennium Development Goals At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the states of the United Nations reaffirmed their commitment to working toward a world in which sustaining development and eliminating poverty would have the highest priority. The Millennium Development Goals grew out of the agreements and resolutions of world conferences organized by the UN and have been commonly accepted as a framework for measuring development progress.

30. A Washington Plan for Action Using the United Nations Critical Areas of Concern as a framework, it is almost impossible to find updated information on the gender gap in the critical areas of concern. Government stopped gathering statistics on the gender gap …on the different impacts of policies on men and women.

31. Human Rights & Golden Rule Human rights standards for contemporary society and the golden rule for intergenerational justice. What we do today and the standards by which we evaluate those areas of concern to us, are part of our most fundamental responsibility to make sure that we do not deny the future the resources to meet their needs.

32. Call to action We need accurate data on how women and girls are doing. If only 19 of every 100 high school freshmen go to college, what are the other 80 doing? How are they living their lives in the critical areas of concern?

33. Status of Women How can it be that a national health plan would be proposed that would not include the reproductive health care needs of women? How can it be that we have a national epidemic of aids and we are silent about the fact that the fastest grown victims of aids are women?

34. Status of Women How can it be that we have a 66% increase in domestic violence and we are silent? Our basic human rights as women are being violated. Let us reclaim those rights. If we don’t have inherent rights, how can we possibly defend the inherent rights of our children --

35. Women’s Rights are Human Rights Every society in the world has some version of the Golden Rule More than gender mainstreaming analysis Based upon universal principles That will get us to intergenerational justice.