By Karen Morian
It was Eleanor Roosevelt, the formidable diplomat who led the creation of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, who said, “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it."
And more than one leader has expressed the idea that, in order for peace to exist, justice is necessary. As a non-governmental organization with a 75-year mission of promoting peace and, with a presence in over 100 countries, Servas International works to promote a culture of peace and inclusion. We reject racial, gender, and religious discrimination and xenophobia in all of their manifestations.
To further our efforts in this direction, in September 2024, Servas International officially recognized the constituency group called Servas Women. While the primary focus of this group is coordinating our efforts at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women meeting (CSW) in New York in March, there are many ways members can be engaged in the work for equity and equality. ALL members are welcome to join in this work.
Servas Women has been instrumental in engaging our members of the Global South. Recently, there was an SI-and SW-led conference in Kenya for Central African members. In India and in South America, Servas Women are engaging in helping new mothers with supplies and supporting girls in schools. Others are working on ways to increase safety for women travelers
This growing network is a direct reflection of the work being done by other NGOs with the United Nations around the world. Younger activists are providing their energy and technological expertise, and more experienced activists are contributing their wisdom and historical perspectives.
If you wish to know more about Servas Women and/or our CSW Work, see it here: https://servas.org/gender-and-equality If you wish to attend CSW69 in March 2025 virtually (online), visit the online Application Form.
For further information, contact us at: Servaswomen@servas.org
We hope you will join us in our work to make the world a better place for al
