WWSF 0.7% Fund

Developing effective partnerships to help finance empowerment programs for rural women and children.

Governments together with civil society lead the way!

INTRODUCTION

The idea to start a WWSF 0.7% Fund was approved in 2006 by the WWSF Board of Directors with a unanimous decision to launch the Fund in 2007. Evolution is calling us to find new ways to connect with people at a deeper level.

Purpose

Getting down to business; creating change and achieving impact by helping to advance the implementation of

MISSION OF THE 0.7% FUND

• The empowerment of Rural Women and Women's organizations in their community work; honour and award their contributions to development; household food security and peace; advance their economic and social status; inform them of their basic human rights.

• The empowerment of Child Rights organizations, the Media and Civil Society at large to participate in creating a new culture for better prevention of abuse and violence against children.

• The empowerment of Governments, the Business Community, Corporations and individuals to stand up for responsible investment in the 0.7% Fund to help advance the UN development agenda, to scale up partnerships and enhance impact for change.

AIM OF THE 0.7% FUND

The Fund serves as an endowment which holds permanent assets, money, securities, or property that are invested to earn a fixed income to support WWSF program activities. The Fund will enhance long-term planning capabilities and ensure the ongoing success of WWSF initiatives, campaigns and projects. The Fund is meant to be a human chain of solidarity, commitment and sharing to help realize the promised UN development goals by 2015. All monies donated or loaned to the Fund are kept intact. Only the interest generated, year after year, is used for program/project funding.

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HISTORY OF THE 0.7% CONCEPT

In 1970, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that the wealthiest nations of the world would commit 0.7% of their annual Gross National Product (GNP) to aid developing countries. This goal has not been met.

In 1992, the world's governments met at Rio de Janeiro and the wealthiest nations (22 at that time) reconfirmed their pledge to donate 0.7% of their GNP for development. However, most of these nations did not honour their commitments.

In 2002, the 22 nations renewed their pledge at the Monterrey Conference on development, to contribute 0.7% of their GNP to achieve the UN MDGs. Sadly, only 5 nations have so far fulfilled their promises (Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden).

On the contrary the opposite has occurred and the average aid has substantially decreased to 0.2%-0.4%. As a result, the development aid commitment has fallen short of about 100 billion dollars per year. At this rate, the UN Millennium Development Goals will never be achieved. These failures have created feelings of hopelessness among developing countries. Poverty and suffering could be ended in humanity's lifetime, and global leaders must do everything in their power to make this happen. This was the clear demand of the 40 million people in 36 countries who took part in the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP 2005).

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WHY A WWSF 0.7% FUND

Because of the 0.7% history, WWSF is using 0.7% as a metaphor for increased donations from governments and civil society as an investment to help achieve the UN development agenda. The Fund seeks to recapture the original spirit of the 0.7% pledge and use this number as a catalyst to inspire governments and civil society for a renewed commitment to the eradication of extreme poverty.

Combating poverty and upholding Human Rights are urgent matters today as global inequalities are growing at a staggering rate. In Africa, half the population lives with less than one dollar a day. Although the continent accounts for nearly a sixth of the world population, it represents less than 3% of global trade and lags behind in other areas, including investment, education and healthcare. These problems need to be tackled urgently, as the increasing gap between rich and poor fuels resentment and erodes global solidarity.

In developing countries, women form about 70% of the agricultural labour and produce 60 to 80 % of the food, as well as process, manage and market it. Women have little or no say on political issues and the education rate for women in rural areas in developing countries is minimal. It is imperative that women be given the opportunity to have a more hands on approach regarding issues facing them and their children in our evolving/ever changing world.

According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Report, 80% of the world's domestic product belongs to one billion people living in the developed world, while five billion people living in developing countries share the remaining 20%. The DESA report comes 10 years after the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development and the Beijing Conference on Women - where governments pledged to confront profound social challenges and to place people at the centre of development. DESA stresses that some decade-old social gaps have actually widened, particularly gender disparities. Achieving gender parity requires a strong commitment to increase overseas development aid to 0.7% of gross national income by 2010, so DESA encourages the western governments to honour their pledges.

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SOURCES FOR THE WWSF 0.7% FUND

Funds are solicited from Governments or public sources; the private sector; multinational corporations; international and national foundations; philanthropy services; wealthy individuals; legacies and non-governmental organizations.

WWSF BACKGROUND AND PROGRAMS

Founded in 1991 as a not-for-profit, non-confessional, humanitarian, Swiss Foundation and international NGO, with United Nations consultative status (ECOSOC, UNFPA and DPI), WWSF serves as a global empowerment network on the premise that women and children represent almost 75% of the world's population and as the largest constituency have almost nothing to say in shaping the political, economic and social space in which they live. WWSF works to help change this situation by serving the implementation of women and children's rights and the UN Millennium Development Goals with annual initiatives, world days and prize award programs for the empowerment of women, children and NGOs. The website's listing of the prize winners and their activities offers models for creative solutions to development problems women encounter in many parts of the world.www.woman.ch

Current WWSF Women's section annual activities include: • WWSF Prize for women's creativity in rural life; • World Rural Women's Day-15 October and annual empowerment campaign; • Mali micro-credit sheep project; • Community circles for development

Current WWSF Children's section annual activities include: • World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse-19 November and its international partnership coalition; • WWSF Prize for innovative child abuse prevention measures; • WWSF Intl. Clearinghouse: a database for good prevention practices; • Yellow ribbon campaign "YES to prevention of child abuse."

WWSF Board of Directors: Wu Qing, President (China); Gulzar Samji (Canada); Elly Pradervand, Founder/Executive Director (Switzerland/Germany); Filomina Steady (Sierra Leone/USA); Bunny McBride (USA), Reema Nanavaty (India). Board members oversee all WWSF programs and are accountable for the WWSF Fund.

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HOW TO INVEST

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!

CONTACT:

WWSF 0.7% Fund c/o WWSF Women's World Summit Foundation

11 avenue de la Paix, 1202 Geneva Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 66 19/Fax: +41 22 738 82 48
www.woman.ch
Bank relations: UBS SA, 1211 Geneva 20,
Acct.: No. 279 HU165291.2 IBAN CH 6500279279HU1652912

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