On Tuesday, December 10th, the United Nations Association Southern New York State Division and the Eleanor Roosevelt Leadership Center at Val-Kill will observe International Human Rights Day with an event titled, “Human Rights: The World We Want.”

The event will feature Ryan Kaminsky, a UNA-USA Leo Nevas Human Rights Fellow, as keynote speaker. After the keynote address, the audience is invited to participate in roundtable conversations focused on topics of interest including Climate, Education, Energy, Food & Agriculture, Gender & Protection, Good Governance, Health, Jobs, and Water & Sanitation. Notes, concerns, and suggestions from the discussions will be compiled in a report submitted to the UN Secretary General by UNA-USA.

The event runs on Tuesday, December 10, from 11 am to 2:30 pm at the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home at 4079 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, NY 12538 (map). Participants are invited to visit the FDR Presidential Library and Museum free of charge after the event.

The program is free and open to the public, there are $10 box lunches available, but they must be ordered in advance. To RSVP, order lunch, or get more information please email mbenedict@erleadership.org  or jbs@stratdev.com or call 914-478-3450 or 845-229-5302.

The World YWCA is sponsoring a petition calling on the UN Commission on the Status of Women to issue a special resolution to end child marriage.

Worldwide, 1 in 3 women ages 20 to 24 were married before the age of 18. In developing countries, 1 in 7 girls are married before the age of 15. If present trends continue, the UNFPA estimates that over the next decade, 14.2 million girls will be married before they turn 18 every year. Without meaningful and aggressive intervention, by 2021 the average number of  girls married each year will raise to 15.1 million girls– a figure nearly equal to the population of New England.

Early marriage limits girls’ economic and social opportunities, decreases their access to education, and seriously impacts their health. Worldwide, complications from pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death for adolescent girls. Furthermore, young brides are more likely to become victims of domestic violence. Early marriage helps to perpetuate unequal gender roles, poverty, and lack of education. Allowing girls to have a childhood, education, and make their own choices helps strengthen communities in the long-run, advance development, and stabilize societies.

On March 7, the World YWCA will deliver its petition to the CSW57 session. You can support the rights of women and girls around the world by adding your name here and then sharing the petition with your family and friends.