BPW Australia is affiliated globally with other BPW clubs and regions, as well as women's organisations who work with BPW to make a difference to women around the world. We are affiliated with BPW International and our members pay dues to help support the organisation with its international work.

Every three years, BPWI holds an International Congress to which every affiliated federation is invited to attend; to report and to bring issues to be debated. These issues can then be passed to our members in the international forums of the United Nations, UNIFEM, UNESCO, ILO and others to make representation.

The current theme for BPWI which is spread throughout the 80 countries around the world in which there are members is,

“New Dimensions of Leadership”.

BPWI is divided into five regions, each of which has a Coordinator:

• Africa
• Asia & Pacific
• Europe
• Latin America & Spanish-speaking Caribbean
• North America and non-Spanish-speaking Caribbean

The Asia & Pacific Region features further subregions:

• ASEAN
• Oceania
• South Asia
• East Asia
• Arab States

BPWI has consultative status at the United Nations and it is through this forum we are able to argue issues relating to women around the world. Excellent information can be obtained from the BPW Europe webpage, including the BPW representatives at the UN ..... www.bpw-europe.org

More information about BPWI can be obtained from the website ……www.bpwi.org

Asia Pacific Region

BPW Australia is part of the Asia-Pacific region and a sub-region Oceania. The Current Asia Pacific Coordinator is Ambica Shresthra from Nepal but the work of the region is best covered by excerpts from the report to BPWI Congress 2005, by the Co-ordinator of the time, Dianne Glenn of New Zealand. A full report can be obtained by clicking here.

“For this triennium, the Asia Pacific Region had a programme established which reflected implementation of resolutions adopted, and projects initiated at Congress 2002. Once the Sub-regional co-ordinators had been appointed, they were set a programme of work that was to be reflect these, with affiliates implementing them through country as well as club actions. It was planned that these would be reported to Sub-regional Meetings (if held) and to the Regional Meeting, where further actions could be instigated leading up to Congress.

Two resolutions adopted at Congress, (“Water for Life” and “Integrated Water Resource Management”), were set for all affiliates to enact through a Water Project – “Bridging the Gap : Women for Water - Water for Women” which I had drafted for BPW members following the BPWI attendance at the UN Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg in 2002. This water project was initiated to improve women’s influence on integrated water resources management. Several affiliates were either already involved in Water Projects (e.g. Nepal) or established projects (e.g. Jordan Forum of Business and Professional Women). Several affiliates encouraged members to investigate the state of water resources in their city/district (e.g. BPW New Zealand) or advised members through national newsletters of actions being taken by the government “Where are Women in Water Policy and Water Reform Process in Australia?” (e.g. BPW Australia). All affiliates had newsletters from the World Water Council, distributed through the Internet Ambassadors.

All members were also encouraged to follow the established Peace programme set over the triennium by the Peace Task Force Leader Dr. Pat Harrison. Year 1 was Peace in Employment, Year 2 was Peace in Community and Year 3 was Peace in Politics. Several resolutions adopted at Congress 2002, reflected the Peace Theme 2002-5, and so members were encouraged to implement them, either within their Sub-region as a group, (as described above), or individually within their own country.

There have been three Sub-regional Meetings as well as another planned which was changed into a Peace Forum. The ASEAN Meeting was clipped on to the APEC Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where members from Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, and Indonesia met for a half-day seminar led by Evelyn Leong-Chan and co-hosted by BPW Singapore and BPW Thailand. Also attending were representatives from Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, and 12 women guests from Laos. On the programme was Membership expansion, (with BPW Philippines to follow-up on Vietnam and BPW Singapore with Laos), the Water Project, Marketing YBPW, SARS and Terrorism, Funding issues. I was unfortunately unable to attend.

The Oceania Meeting was held over two days in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, hosted by BPW Cook Islands, with the programme including United Nations/ CSW, the Peace Theme, Resolutions and which to implement, the Water Project, Membership and Twinning. Affiliates attending were from Australia (including Dr Pat Harrison), New Zealand and Cook Islands, with one member from BPW Japan, Atsuko Euhara also attending. I attended and was accompanied by Sub-regional Co-ordinator Caitlin Medley.

The third planned meeting, for South Asia, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was unfortunately not well supported and evolved into a Peace Forum, hosted by BPW Sri Lanka. Members who attended, including President Antoinette Ruegg, VP Ilse Spritzendorfer, Water Task Force Leader Lesha Witmer, and a members from each of UK (Jane Tickle), Japan (Yumiko Kinoshita) and Australia (Arlene Quinn) also visited the Peace Village established by BPW Sri Lanka, where they laid the foundation stones for a clutch of houses funded by BPW members. To date, there are 30 houses built. Even though I had planned to attend, I was unable to do so, as I was in hospital in New Zealand, following an operation, but Sub-regional Co-ordinator Anila Dholakia was present. “

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is one of nine Functional Commissions of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations in New York, USA. An organisational chart of the UN is available at http://www.un.org/aboutun/chart.html. 

The objective of the Commission is to promote implementation of the principle that men and women shall have equal rights.

CSW is mandated to:

CSW consists of 45 members (13 Africa, 11 Asia, 4 Eastern Europe, 9 Latin America and Caribbean, 8 Western Europe and Other), serving four-year terms.

Australia is not currently a member of CSW and so does not have voting rights at the meeting, but can attend and work to influence the votes of the countries that are members. Australia has been a member of CSW 5 times, most recently 1993-1996. 

The CSW forward work plan is approved by ECOSOC. The current forward work plan expires in 2006, and like many countries we are keen to work with the UN to ensure that the next work plan is both strategic and practical.

Under the current plan, each year CSW has focused on two themes that relate closely to the 12 critical areas in the Beijing Platform for Action. The current work plan is available at http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/resolution20014.pdf .

Australia's involvement

The Office for Women is the lead government agency for CSW and has consistently attended in recent years, with the exception of 1997.

Benefits of attending CSW include:

CSW is about much more than attending the official plenary sessions. Delegations and NGOs alike use this unique gathering of the world's women ministers, officials and NGOs to pursue ideas and issues of common interest in organised and more informal meetings in the margins of the official sessions.  

BPW's involvement

Because BPW has consultative status at the UN, BPW members can attend the CSW meetings which are held each February/March in New York, and participate in the various forums and discussions which occur during the two week meeting. In 2006 there were more than 120 BPW members who attended, including 4 Australians.

As a BPW member. you too can participate in this meeting if you choose. Contact vpep@bpw.com.au if you could like any further information.

Project Five-O

Project Five-0 supports vocational training for women and girls in developing countries and countries in transition, and BPWA has made many contributions to the projects being managed. More details about Project Five-0 can be found under that menu heading in Projects or go to Project Five-O

Other members of Project Five-O, in partnership with BPWI are:

Soroptomists International
Federation of University Women
Zonta International
National Council of Women