User:HilaryFA/Inter-American Commission of Women

The Inter-American Commission of Women (know by its Spanish acronym, CIM) was established in 1928, in recognition of the importance of the social inclusion of women for strengthening democracy and human development in the Americas. Over the years, it has become the main hemispheric policy forum for women's rights and gender equality in the Americas.

In 1948, CIM became a specialized agency of the Organization of American States (OAS). Its mission is to achieve women's full citizenship and the elimination of gender discrimination and inequality. Through substantive and continuous policy dialogue at the hemispheric level, CIM influences political, economic and social agendas from the perspective of women's rights and democractic governance.

CIM is made up of 34 Delegates, one for each country in the Americas (with the exception of Cuba). The Delegates are designated by their respective governments and meet every two years during the Assembly of Delegates. The Assembly is CIM's highest authority and is responsible for approving the CIM Strategic Plan and Biennal Work Program. The Assembly also elects a seven-member Executive Committee, which meets once or twice a year in order to address and resolve more routine matters.

Brief History

In 1922 the Pan American Association for the Advancement of Women was founded in order to influence the outcome of the Fifth International Conference of American States in Santiago, Chile (1923) from the perspective of the legal status of women and their right to vote. To that end, a number of "unofficial" female delegates came to the Conference and engaged in an active lobbying campaign to promote women's suffrage.

During the 1923 conference a resolution, proposed by Máximo Soto Hall of Guatemala, mandated that future Conferences study ways to eliminate constitutional and other legal discrimination against women. The resolution was eventually adopted unanimously by the Conference, providing the framework for women of the Americas to enjoy the same civil and political rights as men. The Conference also adopted a resolution calling for the inclusion of women in the delegations to future conferences.

Despite the expectations raised in 1923, not one woman was included in the delegation of any country to the Sixth International Conference of American States in (Havana, 1928). As a result, women from across the Americas mobilized to demand that they be allowed to participate in conference. They also urged members of the Conference to ratify an Equal Rights Treaty drafted by Alice Paul of the National Women's Party in the United States. The treaty would have moved the consideration of women's rights into political debates throughout the hemisphere. However, the official representatives of the 21 nations present at the conference argued that only they were allowed to speak on the floor and that the meeting's agenda had no room for discussion of a treaty on equal rights.

Although the Treaty for Equal Rights was not ratified, the decision was made to create the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM). CIM was charged with conducting a study of the legal status of women in the Americas, which would be presented to the next International Conference of American States (Montevideo, 1933). The creation of CIM was the product of emerging women's movements throughout the hemisphere and reflected growing cooperation between the women of North, Central and South America. Doris Stevens, the first president of CIM, and many other feminist leaders often invoked the notion of Pan Americanism. In her address to the 1928 conference, Stevens stressed "the necessity of action through the Pan American Conference, not by separate countries, in obtaining equal rights for women in all the American republics."

Montevideo (1933) marked a major turning point in inter-American relations, ushering in an era of greater mutual respect and cooperation between the nations of the Americas. Appropriately, it was also the occasion of a major victory for the women of the Americas in their struggle for equality. This was the first Conference to see women included in the attending delegations, where the CIM President was scheduled to present a study on the status of women in the Americas.

Once again, the Conference did not approve the Treaty on the Equality of Rights for Women, although four countries (Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay) did sign it. The Conference instead adopted the Inter-American Convention on the Nationality of Women which enabled women to retain their own nationality in the event of marriage to a man of another nationality. This treaty was the first international legal instrument to address the rights of women and became a catalyst for recognition by the League of Nations of the existence and validity of the women's rights movement in the region.

Areas of Work

CIM Executive Committee 2011-2012 President Rocío García Gaytán (Mexico) was appointed Director of the Mexican National Institute of Women (Inmujeres) in February 2007. Prior to that, she has served as a Congressional Deputy from the State of Jalisco, where she established the Gender and Equity Commission and spurred legislation on gender-based violence. She has also served has a federal Deputy in the 57th Congressional Legislature and, from 2002-2007, acted as President of the Institute of Women of Jalisco.

Vice-presidents  Magdalena Faillace (Argentina) currently serves as the Special Representative for International Women’s Issues of the Ministry of External Relations of Argentina. She has also served as the Cultural Coordinator of the IV Summit of the Americas (Mar del Plata), and as Under-Secretary of Culture in the Secretariat of Culture of the Presidency of Argentina. Irene Sandiford-Garner (Barbados) currently serves as a Senator and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health of Barbados. She is a graduate of Queen's College and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies. She is a trained Journalist and Marketing Executive. Previously, she has worked in the print media and as a Credit Union Marketing Executive for several years. Sonia Escobedo (Guatemala) currently serves as the Presidential Secretary for Women of Guatemala.

Executive Committee The Committee for 2011-2012 is composed of Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago

Meetings

CIM Assembly of Delegates The CIM Assembly of Delegates is held every two years and brings together the CIM Delegates from each country of the region in order to examine issues of hemispheric concern and propose and debate policy and programmatic solutions. CIM Delegates are usually the highest responsible authority (minister, secretary or equivalent) for gender and women’s issues within the government of their respective countries.

CIM Executive Committee The CIM Executive Committee is a smaller body made up of eight OAS member states, which are elected during the CIM Assembly of Delegates for a two-year period. The Committee meets more regularly in order to address issues of immediate concern and review the progress made by the Permanent Secretariat, the Secretary-General and the General Assembly in fulfillment of the Commission’s mandates.

Meeting of Ministers Every four years, CIM is responsible for organizing the Meeting of Ministers or of the Highest-Ranking Authorities responsible for the Advancement of Women in the Member States (REMIM). This meeting brings together the Ministers of Women (or their equivalent) from each of the OAS member states in order to discuss key issues of concern to women of the Americas and to prepare recommendations for other ministerial and high-level meetings, including the Summit of the Americas.