Women's Equity Council

In the mid-1970s, the Women’s Equity Council (WEC) was founded to raise funds for students and low-income women to attend the First World Conference on Women convened by the United Nations in 1975 in Mexico City. Since then, WEC delegates have participated in each of the U.N.-convened conferences on women, the second in 1980, the third in 1985, and the fourth in 1995.  

Since that first world conference, the WEC has been actively involved in promoting the work of the United Nations in advancing women’s rights and empowerment. Our annual programs center on three specific dates: International Women’s Day (8 March), Women’s Equality Day (26 August), and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) as well as the 16-Day Campaign to End Violence against Women (25 November – 10 December). Another important  opportunity for women in our community is to become a UNA delegate to the United Nations in New York City to participate in the annual sessions of the U.N.’s Commission on the Status of Women (first two weeks in March) and/or to attend review sessions on women’s progress held by the U.N. General Assembly. 

The purposes of the Women’s Equity Council are 1) to support the efforts of the United Nations and its specialized agencies and funds in advancing women and girls; 2) to participate in the work of the U.S. Committee for UNIFEM and to provide funding for UNIFEM projects as well as such WEC projects as the Afghan Women’s Project; 3) to monitor the implementation of the documents of action agreed upon by governments at the world conferences on women, especially the Beijing Platform for Action (PFA) signed by delegates from 189 countries at the Fourth World Conference on Women  held in 1995; 4) to create, implement, and monitor the San Diego Women’s Agenda, based on the 12 critical areas of concern highlighted in the PFA; 5) to conduct two projects on women’s health and refugees: a) the Global Health Initiative Research Project centers on the identification of health concerns and health care needs of women and children in our refugee and immigrant communities in San Diego and b) the Refugee Women’s Photographic Project, “War through the Eyes of Refugee Women,” showcases the stories and faces of 25 refugee women who survived armed conflicts in their home countries and are now residents of San Diego; and 6) to cosponsor events with other like-minded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). 

WEC programs monitor and report on the implementation of the PFA from the Fourth World Conference on Women that specified actions to be taken by governments and NGOs in twelve critical areas of concern: women and poverty, women and education, women and health, violence against women, women and armed conflict, women and the economy, women in power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, human rights of women, women and the media, women and the environment, and the girl-child. 

In two of the twelve critical areas of concern, violence against women and women and health, for example, the WEC reports on such health- and violence-related issues as infant mortality rates, maternal mortality rates, breast cancer rates and treatment programs, reproductive health concerns, rapes and domestic violence incidents in police reports, homicides of women and children, and trafficking in women and children. WEC programs are educational in that reports are presented in public forums and in the media (print, radio, and television) highlighting the local and global results of WEC’s monitoring and data collecting. 

In the broad area of women and armed conflict, the WEC promotes the role of women in creating, building, and maintaining peace throughout the world. To date, the role of women has been minimal, however, although U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 in October 2000, a document that requires member states to ensure women’s participation in the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict. Since 2000, representatives of the WEC have participated in numerous conferences and programs emphasizing the role of women in efforts to prevent war and to promote peace. 

To volunteer, please contact Anne Hoiberg at 619.223.8074 or ahoiberg@aol.com