Fwd: [CEDAW Taskforce] SFRC Hearing on Women and the Arab Spring--Nov. 2 at 2:30--Actions you can take

[Beth Dehghan]

REMINDER—We need your sign on to the testimony by the end of the day TODAY. (see below)

 

PLEASE ATTEND SFRC HEARING on WEDNESDAY at 2:30pm  (See hearing notice attached)

 

 

Dear friends,

We are very pleased that Senator Boxer and Senator Casey will hold a joint hearing on “Women and the Arab Spring: Spotlight on Egypt, Tunisia and Libya” on Wednesday, November 2 at 2:30pm in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 419.  The hearing will examine the role women have played in the Arab spring, how women can participate in all aspects of these critical transitions to democracy and how the United States can be supportive.  We expect that CEDAW will be raised at the hearing as an important tool women in the region are using to advance women’s rights and how ratification by the United States would signal strong and unequivocal support for their efforts.  While this will not be a hearing specifically on the treaty, we think it is an excellent opportunity to continue the discussion of CEDAW in the Senate.

In advance of this hearing, we have three action items for you to take part in:

1. Attend the hearing and/or encourage your local networks to attend.  We will distribute CEDAW stickers so that we can all show our support!
2. Endorse the attached testimony developed by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Task Force Co-Chairs (ACLU, Citizens for Global Solutions and National Women’s Law Center), by sending your organization's name to Beth Sadler, sad...@civilrights.org by Monday, October 31.  (If you have questions, please contact me directly).   Or, if you prefer, submit testimony directly to the Subcommittee(s) on behalf of your organization.
3. Please call the Senators on the two Subcommittees (http://www.civilrights.org/action_center/cedaw-hearing-alert.html) if you are from any of these Sates to encourage them to attend this hearing. 

The hearing will be co-chaired by Senator Boxer, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women’s Issues and Senator Casey, Chair of the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Central Asian Affairs.  We will provide more detail about the hearing witnesses as soon as the formal hearing notice is available.

I apologize for the very short notice.  Although we have been in discussions about the possibility of a hearing for some time, the hearing was not finalized until this week.  We hope you can attend the hearing in person, and don't forget to endorse the attached testimony by emailing sad...@civilrights.org.

 Thanks very much as always for your support.  June

June Zeitlin

Director, CEDAW Education Project

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

The Leadership Conference Education Fund

1629 K Street, NW, 10th Floor

Washington, D.C.  20006

202-263-2852 - Phone

www.civilrights.org