International Day of the Girl Child - October 11, 2017

On the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child, CFUW’s International Committee highlights the interconnections between SDGs for achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

Read here what was put together to commemorate this day.

Consult UN Women’s website here for more information on this year’s theme “Girls Progress = Goals’ Progress: A Global Girl Data Movement”.

CFUW Denounces the Violence against the Rohingya People in Myanmar

On September 26, 2017, CFUW joined 29 civil society organizations (CSO) to denounce the ongoing human rights violations of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. In a joint statement the group of CSO calls on the Canadian Government to press Myanmar officials to protect the human rights of the Rohingya peoples and stop the ongoing violence causing more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee their native Myanmar and seek refuge in Bangladesh. Notably, we urge the Government of Canada to “push for humanitarian access and ensure relief assistance in Rakhine State.”

Rohingya women and girls are most vulnerable to this violence as evidenced by reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on killings of children and women as well as massive and systematic rape and sexual violence. OHCHR identified the level of violence as “unprecedented” and “a total disdain for the right to live of Rohingyas.”

We urge the government to continue all diplomatic efforts to protect and support the Rohingya population.

See the joint statement here.

International Literacy Day - September 8, 2017

This year marks the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day which UNESCO is celebrating under the banner ‘Literacy in a digital world’. In conjunction, the Canadian Federation of University Women highlights this important day in the series on the Sustainable Development Goals. Our purpose is to overlay a recognized Theme Day with the SDG lens in order to shine a light on and bring the conversation to everyone. Read here what CFUW and partners have put together in honour of this special occasion