are confident, also, that they will share in the benefits which will flow to the people of all lands from the cooperative efforts of their governments to solve economic and social, educational and cultural, and related human problems. Where women as a group suffer from discriminations, we believe that the commission on human rights contemplated in the draft Charter of the United Nations will be effective in helping to bring about the eventual disappearance of such disabilities. Moreover, the Delegation of the United States hopes that the excellent work of the Committee of Jurists appointed by the League of Nations to study the legal status of women throughout the world may be continued in an appropriate form, either as an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council or as a part of the commission on human rights which this Council is intended to establish.'" Further, measures might be initiated by the Commission on Human Rights that would include the interests of women, as the Report to the President stated: 66* the commission on human rights will have the opportunity to work out an international bill of rights which can be submitted to member nations with a view to incorporation in their fundamental law, just as there is a Bill of Rights in the American Constitution. It can furthermore be expected to take up, in the early stages of its existence, such problems as freedom of information, of press, the radio and the screen and to prepare draft conventions on these and other subjects. These are freedoms which cannot be attained by declarations and resolutions alone. Hard work extending over many years, careful studies, and long-range planning will be necessary to attain these freedoms throughout the world and to make them secure. The commission on human rights might also undertake to promote equal rights for women, be it in the fields of politics or economics or with respect to their legal status." ACTIVITY OF WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES After completion of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco, women's organizations that had been represented by consultants there (see Appendix, p. 106 f) urged wider attention to the needs of women in other countries and to the possibilities of work through the United Nations to improve the general status of women. They took the initiative in calling a conference of about 50 interested organization leaders in Washington in the fall of 1945. Early Conference on Implementing Charter Provisions This conference demonstrated immediately an energetic determination to achieve practical implementation of the pronouncements in the Preamble of the Charter for "equal rights of men and women." The conference first reviewed the Charter provisions applicable to its task. (See text of these in Appendix, p. 64.) It then considered at length what type of agency in the United Nations would be most effective to implement the Charter provisions for freedom and equal participation. It must be remembered that this conference took place prior to the first session of the United Nations Assembly, that the conception of a Subcommission on Status of Women had not been developed, and that the organs provided for in the Charter had not yet been fully formed. The only one of these organs that would have specifically within its purview women's particular interests as such was the Economic and Social Council. The Conference emphasized the belief that attention to women's interests must be carefully coordinated with the work of all the various committees and activities of the United Nations in order to prevent isolating the problems of women from the general problems of society. However, caution was expressed against assuming continuous effort on women's interests by general agencies that also have many other areas of work to cover. Further it was observed that at San Francisco some countries having the greatest problems with respect to women seemed to have little consciousness of them. The experience of women who had worked in organizations connected with the League of Nations indicated that the participation of women as technical experts and staff workers in United Nations agencies would not in itself guarantee attention to the special problems of women. Finally, this conference urged the removal of discriminations against women "wherever they exist" and called for the "cooperation and use of women in the United Nations to the fullest possible extent." It concluded that an international body would be needed with the special function of scrutinizing the work of international technical committees and suggesting to them full attention to women's needs. The organizations most closely concerned with these continuing efforts were the American Association of University Women, the American Civil Liberties Union, the General Federation of Women's Clubs, the National Consumers' League, the National Council of Catholic Women, the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Council of Women, the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, the National League of Women Voters, the National Women's Trade Union League, and the National Board of the Young Women's Christian Association. These are organizations vitally concerned to improve the status of women in the United States and throughout the world, that have worked toward this objective for many years; most of them also have international affiliates active in this area. Some of them have had long experience in combined conference and committee work along various lines of joint interest. For these particular consultations, they sought to bring together members who had international background and whose thinking in this field would have national significance. Valuable assistance was also given by more than 20 other women's, labor union, and professional organizations who participated in one or more of the sessions. Continuing Activities of Conference Group With their work well under way before the first session of the United Nations General Assembly, the representatives of these organizations conferred further at intervals during the following winter and spring, during the developing organization and initial work of the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Commission, and finally the Subcommission on Status of Women. In these subsequent discussions, the representatives of women's organizations expanded their recommendations. From time to time they made proposals looking toward adapting their earlier suggestions on policies and procedures to pertinent proposals actually being considered in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council's Commission on Human Rights. THE FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS Participation of Women The first General Assembly of the United Nations met in London in January of 1946. Five of the 51 United Nations sent women as delegates, and 6 other countries sent women as alternate or assistant delegates, or as advisers. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt was a member of the United States Delegation, and among the advisers to the Delegation were Miss Frieda Miller, Director of the Women's Bureau in the United States FROM THE #OMEN DELEGATES AL ADVISERS AT This First Assembly of the United Nations marke the second attempt of the peoples of the world to live peaceably in a democratic world community. This new chance for peace was son through the joint efforts of men and women working for common ideals of human freedom at a time when need for united effort broke down barriers of race, creed and sex. In view of the variety of tasks which women performed so notably and valiantly during the war, "o are gratified that seventeen women delegates and advisors, representatives of eleven member states, are taking part at the beginning of this new phase of international effort. do hope their participation in the work of the United Nations Organization may grow and may increase in insight and skill. To this end we call on the governments of the world to encourage women everywhere to take a more active part in national and international affairs, and on comen who are conscious of their opportunities to come forward and share in the work of peace and reconstruction as they did in war and resistance. de recognise that women in various parts of the world are at different stages of participation in the life of their communities, that some of them are prevented by law from assuming full rights of citizenship, and that they therefore my see their immediate problems somewhat differently. Finding ourselves in agreement on these points wish as a group to advise the women of all our countries of our strong belief that an important opportunity and responsibility confronts the women of the United Nations: 1) To recognize the progress women have made during the war and participate actively in the effort to improve the standard of life in their own countries and in the pressing work of reconstruction so that there will be qualified women ready to accept responsibility when new opportunities arise. 2) To train their children, boys and girls alike, to understand world problems and the need for international cooperation as well as the problems of their own countries. 3) Not to permit themselves to be misled by antidemocratic movements, now or in the future. 4) To recognize that the goal of full participation in the life and responsibilities of their countries and of the world community is a common objective toward which the women of the world should assist one another. |