Authored by: Mads Menoher, NGO CSW/NY Advocacy & Admin Intern
“We hope that more women and youth will have a seat at the table where peace negotiations take place.” – Soon-Young Yoon
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a treaty created by members of the United Nations made to prevent discrimination against women and girls. It is the only international treaty that focuses on gender equality by defining terms such as equality and discrimination, while laying out clear expectations for women’s health care, education, employment and more. The goal of the convention was to provide a bill for countries to implement to ensure that women’s rights are protected around the world. Although the United Nations signed CEDAW at the UNGA in 1979, the United States remains one of the only countries to not ratify it, along with Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Nauru, Palau and Tonga.
After years of advocacy and support for the bill to be standardized in the federal government, in 1998, San Francisco decided to take matters into their own hands, becoming the only city in the world enforcing provisions of CEDAW as an ordinance. Since, the city has experienced lower crimes against women, proving that CEDAW has an overall positive impact on communities. Through this, Cities for CEDAW was born.
Cities for CEDAW is an organization that pushes gender equality through cities across the globe through enacting ordinances and legislation in compliance to CEDAW. As of 2023, there are 15 counties with CEDAW ordinances, and over 70 cities that have adopted CEDAW legislation across the country. According to Women’s Intercultural Network, “adopting CEDAW as local law has been proven to effectively address barriers that reduce the quality of life and equity of opportunity for women and girls.” The cities and counties have seen improvements in GBV, discrimination, and the overall quality of life.
Life-long women’s advocate and former NGO CSW/NY Chair, Soon-Young Yoon, is the founder and co-director of the Cities of CEDAW History and Futures Project. She works directly with the campaign to help spread the word about the ratification of CEDAW in cities, pushing for gender equality across the world. Her history in the creation and ratification of CEDAW and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is noteworthy, as she continues to fight against GBV and women’s rights.
Soon-Young has put together the Cities for CEDAW Art Gallery Campaign, which celebrates young women and their voices. Currently, the gallery is working directly with the Girls Hub, Young Women of Toledo, an organization that provides young girls in STEM workspaces to build, work, and empower each other through classes in woodworking, architecture, and art.
The Cities for CEDAW Art Gallery Campaign is a new portion of the Cities for CEDAW organization that celebrates the 10th anniversary of the campaign. It provides spaces for grassroots organizations to showcase their work and participate in the theme of “a culture of peace,” highlighted in the Beijing+30 CSW review.
The gallery showcases the “A Seat at the Table” project, which presents the young girls of Girls Hub, with their stories and self-inspired chairs which represent their seat at the decision making table. The girls showcased range from ages 8 to 18 years old, and have a variety of different ideas and artistic abilities. All of the girls used their personal experiences to embrace intersectionality, their personal life experiences, and their inspirations.
Soon-Young Yoon’s goals include those that are to push for more women and girls to have seats at the table in the process of legislative leadership in gender-based decision making, and where peace negotiations take place. By using this campaign as an instigator for more individuals and organizations to become a part of the fight for gender equality and peace, she hopes to provide adequate spaces for girls to become educated in their power as leaders in decision making spaces.
As we close on our 16 days of GBV Activism, it is crucial to acknowledge the importance of women in leadership roles, as highlighting the needs of the diverse citizens around the world is necessary. GBV will only improve if we include women at the table for peace.
The gallery provides spaces for multiple organizations to showcase their work. You can apply to be a part of the campaign at the Cities for CEDAW website.
