Category: News

Femicide (gender-related killings), human trafficking and environmental crime were high on the agenda at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, during its 22nd Session from 22-26 April.  Soroptimist International’s UN representatives in Vienna, Roswitha Benesch, Dora Vrdlovec and Martina Gredler, were joined at the Commission by President-Elect Ann Garvie. The CCPCJ, organised by…

  Members of the Soroptimist International Programme Team gathered from nine countries for a rare face-to-face meeting last week to share experiences, discuss issues and plan future work to educate, empower and enable women and girls. The lead UN Representatives from Geneva, Vienna, New York, Paris and Nairobi all attended the meeting from 10-12 May,…

Update 10 May: more than 1000 people are now known to have died in the disaster. Soroptimist International President Alice Wells has called on women around the world to take action to prevent future disasters like the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, last week. Over 500 people died and left more than 2000…

A recent study into the Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards by the Fels Institute of Government, a research and consulting organization based at the University of Pennsylvania has shown that when women are educated, it yields a dramatic impact in improving their lives, as well as their families, their community and national economy.  The film above shows the impact of receiving an…

Dr Jane Zimmerman, former President of Soroptimist International,will be awarded the Order of Australia Medal, General Division, at a ceremony on Friday May 3, in recognition for her valuable contribution to the community as a Soroptimist. Jane was a charter member of SI George Town, Tasmania (Australia) in 1982 and has served as President of her Region (1994-6), President of the…

On Thursday April 25, the Soroptimist International UK Programme Action Committee (UKPAC) launched their Action Pack on Reducing Women’s Imprisonment at a reception at the House of Commons in London, attended by the Minister of State for Justice, many MPs and Peers, as well as Soroptimists from around the UK. The joint initiative by UKPAC and Prison Reform Trust aims…

Four months on since President Alice Wells launched the Birthing in the Pacific Appeal for a second year, the project is making real progress in improving healthcare for women in Papua New Guinea during pregnancy and childbirth. Since September 2012, Soroptimists have raised $207,871(AUD) to support the project.   You can read about how this money…

  With a global day of action, Enough is Enough: End Violence Against Women, on International Women’s Day  and the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women, March was a busy month for many Soroptimists around the world.  Take a look at some of the photos of clubs in action in India, Kenya, Fiji, Lithuania, Australia, Canada, UK, and USA in the slideshow…

Soroptimist International has written to outgoing Head of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, to express appreciation for her “strength and commitment to the rights of women and girls” and “exemplary leadership”. “You have inspired our membership across the globe to pursue gender equality at all levels of decision-making and to advocate gender as a cross cutting…

On Friday, 15th March 2013, at the CSW 57, UN Member States adopted Agreed Conclusions, with reservations, on the priority theme of ‘The Elimination and Prevention of all forms of Violence against Women and Girls’. Last year no outcome document was agreed upon. This strengthened the resolve of the NGO community and UN officials to…