Friends of the African Union

We, the African Diaspora in the USA, can be a change Africa needs – now .

FAU Hamilton County smartWISE Community Reinvestment Chapter – Women’s Committee

We will build our response to the Hamilton County’s Commission on Women & Girls Report “A SEAT AT THE TABLE”

According to the Commission on Women & Girls, “We find ourselves at a moment in time for women in society. All around us, in the news, on social media, and even in the streets, women are making their voices heard, but real & sustained change only comes when women have a seat at the table.

While women make up 50% of the population, they do not enjoy equal representation in the institutions making decisions that influencing their live, careers, and well-being. When women don’t have a seat at the table, it is difficult to accomplish things like:

  • Achieving pay equity and employment opportunity across genders,
  • Having more women in leadership positions, and
  • Ensuring women & girls’ health and safety

Women “having a seat at the table” means having empowered voices which are heard. It means keeping one’s seat, being supported, and being influential. It means creating awareness of different perspectives and enhancing teachable moments. Organizations do better when women have a seat at the table.

This Commission was formed to give women a seat at the table, a powerful platform to help turn rhetoric into action.

We are excited for this opportunity to contribute to our community, and we look forward to working with community partners, companies, schools and governments to enact sustainable changes.”  Below is the report – 

Final-Report-2018-Commission-on-Women-and-Girls

HAMILTON COUNTY COMMISSION ON WOMEN & GIRLS PURPOSE:

The Commission shall make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners and local government jurisdictions to eliminate any distinction, exclusion, or restriction made on the basis of sex, which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of marital status, on the basis of equality between men and women, of human rights or fundamental freedom in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field.

The Commission shall facilitate partnerships between government, nonprofit, and business, which will support the mission of the Commission on Women and Girls.

The Commission shall promote and encourage women to seek leadership positions in society, and help girls to develop leadership skills.

The Commission shall develop public information and/or education campaigns to support the mission of the Commission on Women and Girls.

ESTABLISHING AUTHORITY:

A resolution adopted by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) of Hamilton County, Ohio, July 19, 2017.

COMPOSITION:

The Commission on Women and Girls shall consist of twenty (20) members and ten (10) student members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners and organized as follows:

  • The membership shall consist of community members with either professional expertise or personal experience relating to the issues of economic development, human resources, healthcare, violence against women, education, communications, and leadership development as they relate to women and girls.
  • The members shall be diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, vocation, socio-economic status, ability, age, and political affiliation.
  • The members shall be residents of Hamilton County.
  • Each of the three members of the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners, the County Administrator, and the County Human Resources Director shall be ex officio members, and will not count toward the roster of 20 members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners.
  • In addition to the members, the Board of County Commissioners will select 10 students under the age of 18 who are residents of Hamilton County to serve as student members. The 10 student members shall be diverse in terms of age and level of education. The student members will serve for a term of 1 year and have all the rights and responsibilities of the other members of the Commission on Women and Girls.
TERMS:

Members shall be appointed for two-year terms. The terms of the board members shall be staggered so that each year, ten members will be eligible for either renewal of their terms or replacement by a new board member.

COMPENSATION:

None.

Here is the draft FAU Report to the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019.  Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world attended the session. 

FAU broadcast our FAU JV with a ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organization and created this draft report – 

03-The-CSW63-Friends-of-the-African-Union-Womens-Manual-

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