UNIFEM Australia began in 1988 and since evolved to include the National Committee based in Canberra, four chapters including Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne and International Women’s Day (IWD) events across Australia. We are very excited to note that Sydney and Perth Chapters have recently formed and look forward to their further development.

UNIFEM Australia is one of 19 National Committees including the U.S., United Kingdom, Sweden and Canada. The National Committees support UNIFEM through membership programmes, raising public awareness of gender and development issues and supporting regional programmes through fundraising.

UNIFEM Australia Programmes

Timor-Leste - Rural Women’s Leadership and Participation in Nation Building 

Our 2008 IWD Fundraising will be directed to a Programme for Enhancing Rural Women’s Leadership and Participation in Nation Building in Timor-Leste (PERWL). Over the last several years, UNIFEM trained 1265 potential women candidates across 13 districts to stand in council elections in Timor-Leste. Altogether 1300 women were in fact elected. Funds raised by UNIFEM Australia at 2008 IWD events will support a pilot project in three districts to build the capacity of these women to be effective leaders in their districts and support them in their roles as councilors. This training will include leadership training, gender awareness, formulating gender sensitive policies, gender budgets, accountability to constituencies, as well as public speaking.

Bicycles for Democracy

Bicycles for Democracy supports women elected to local and state government in Cambodia primarily aimed at building stronger partnerships between elected women and their constituencies in rural Cambodia. 

The project is also designed to support worldwide gender equity through local governments, to nourish local democratic processes that recognise social inclusion and citizens rights to participation and to nurture the quality and legitimacy of women's decision making in that process.

Since 1992 over 5000 women have received training in the skills needed to run for election and to govern once elected to local or state government in Cambodia. Nanda travels across the country every week mentoring elected women in the sorts of problems they encounter and the decisions needed to resolve them for their local communes. Many of these women live and work in remote, rural communities and their constituents are spread quite far apart so getting to visit them is often challenging and time consuming. 

There is a huge need for these bicycles to help increase the participation of women in local government which in turn improves gender equity, decision making for communities and democratic governance through peaceful means.

Your one-off donation of $A80.00 will purchase one bicycle for an elected woman in Cambodia and help make her job representing her community so much easier to do.
 

UNIFEM Australia Board

UNIFEM Australia is governed by a Board of Management consisting of 12 members. Rosalind Strong has been the President since 2005. In the past 12 months, UNIFEM has been able to employ 2 full time staff members who now form the basis of our national office in Canberra. The office is co-located with IDP Australia, and we thank IDP for their support in providing office space for our staff and interns.

Board Members

Rosalind Strong
President

Sue Conde
Vice-President

Corinne Kemp
Vice-President

Leonie-Ruth Acland
Secretary

Rosemary Derwin
Treasurer

Libby Lloyd
Immediate Past President

Anne Banks-McAllister
Board Member

Anna Lewkowicz
Board Member

Anuradha Mundkur
Board Member

Brooke Dahlberg
Board Member

Diane Goodwille
Board Member

Hilary Pope
Board Member

Kate O'Connell
Board Member
 

Staff Members

Julie McKay
Executive Officer

02 6285 8254
julie.mckay@unifem.org.au

Lara Jacques
Policy , Communications and Membership Officer

02 6285 8272
lara.jacques@unifem.org.au
 

For all White Ribbon Day enquiries

Isabel McCrea Director
02 9453 1811