President's Message

This is an exciting time for the International Convocation of Women. We all see more opportunities than ever before to engage with our friends and partners throughout the world as well as more opportunities for us to engage with one another.

Since our 2009 Convocation, I have reflected many times on the UN Millennium Development Goals, and especially those goals concerning women that lag so far behind.  It was these that prompted Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General, to persuade Michelle Bachelet, following her exceptional presidency of Chile, to lead the new UN Women at the United Nations.  We are fully in accord with the goals of this UN Women’s organization.  ICUUW works with the UU UN Office and with our international partners, because no one organization will win the struggle for women’s rights alone.  We are part of this historic movement together. Here are four current programs that provide opportunities for your personal engagement. Three come up this January and February and a forth comes up this fall.  You will hear more about all of them in forthcoming issues of this newsletter.   

1.   Doldol Livelihood Project (January, 2012).  This came about at the request of women in the Philippines, who knew about the projects initiated through Women’s Rights Worldwide, the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines, and the Annapolis, Maryland, UU Church.  The goal of this project in 2012 is to enable women to learn about livelihood opportunities that will become a sustaining community-based support system for them and for their families. Livelihood is the basis for almost all goals of the ICUUW.   Without sustainable livelihood, women cannot achieve full human rights, including education for their families, health care, safety in the face of domestic violence, access to finance to support small business development, and a voice in government.  And as women in North America know, these are our goals too.

Yet they are complex and difficult. Regardless of the difficulty, the commitment I see among us is straightforward and strong.  I see the dedication and progress that International Convocation of Women members, partners, and friends are making.  I am encouraged and strengthened in my resolve.

2.         The First Gathering of Unitarian Universalist Women in the Philippines (February, 2012).  We come together with the members of the UU Church of the Philippines and its president, Rebecca Sienes.  We gather with lay women from around Negros Island, engaging with them to learn from a Philippine government leader, from entrepreneurs, and from the director of CEDAW  there.  Together we will facilitate priority setting and prepare an action agenda we can all take hold of and achieve. 

I believe we are building on a model that will enable women to discover new kinds of work that will benefit their families, themselves, their religious and political communities. 

The goal is full human rights in a community of faith and freedom.  

3.   The first face-to-face meeting of our full board.  Our representatives from Transylvania, Philippines, and NE India will meet with members from North America for board development and strategic planning. We have derived benefit from our SKYPE calls, but a face-to-face meeting gives us time to examine our minds and hearts--to build solidarity, trust, commitment, and religious “woman-ship.” (That, ladies, is a gender correction for fellowship.)  Moreover, we are all going on a UUPCC-UCP educational tour of women’s microfinance organizations in greater Manila, and this will inform and educate, as well as afford each of us the casual conversations that build deep friendships among us.

4.   Second International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women in Transylvania, October 4-7, 2012.  Gizi Nagy and a team of Transylvanian women began planning for this Convocation shortly after they returned home from the 600+ person gathering in Houston, in March 2009.  Their plans to date demonstrate a remarkable vision for women, church, and society.  I urge you to look again at the ICUUW Winter Newsletter (website http://www.icuuw.com) for details and travel opportunities. 

A number of UU congregations are planning to bring representatives of their North American partner church committee, sponsor their Transylvanian partner’s minister and lay leaders, and come with them in body and spirit to manifest the values we seek to bring to fruition together.

These programs help fulfill the vision and mission of the International Convocation—namely, to engage with UU women and women of progressive faith communities throughout the world.  We partner with women where our free faith is strong and where it is just emerging. We collaborate as equals and partners to achieve what we could not achieve alone. 

Each of us, I believe, has a personal reason—a commitment of the heart and spirit—for our work with women.  Each of us is motivated by the fire of a vision that illumines what we can achieve together.  Together, we stand for justice and full human rights for women.  Together we are Convocation!