Issue 80 March
The 2022/23 Resolution selection results are in!
Join our Resolution Discussion Webinar in April
Our International Women’s Day survey finds that women are still penalised in workplace for caring responsibilities
Did you miss our International Women’s Day webinar?
Million Women Rise march in London
The WI joins call for more research into impact of plastic on health
See the Signs this Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Great British Spring Clean launch event in Parliament
Fairtrade Fortnight - Endangered Aisle
Read the NFWI-Wales bulletin
Campaigns Corner
The 2022/23 Resolution selection results are in!
Between November and February, every WI member had the chance to have their say on the shortlist and the resolution they would like to see go forward to the Annual Meeting on 25 May. The NFWI Board of Trustees has agreed to put forward the top (one) resolution to the Annual Meeting in June.
Clean rivers for people and wildlife
Water quality in our rivers is shameful. Legally, designated bathing waters must be regularly monitored for pollution. The NFWI urges its members, the wider public, local authorities and Government to make, support and promote applications for official designated bathing sites on appropriate stretches of rivers in their area. This will be as instrumental to the clean up of rivers as it has been for water quality improvement at coastal beaches. WIs should now consider how they wish their delegate to vote on the resolution at the NFWI Annual Meeting in Cardiff on 25 May 2023. All WIs get one vote on the resolution – for or against. The NFWI has developed resources to help WIs make their decision about how they wish their Link Delegate to vote on 25 May. You can access them and read more about voting at the Annual Meeting here.
Join our Resolution Discussion Webinar in April ahead of the Annual Meeting
To support members in learning more about the resolution that will be voted upon at the Annual Meeting, the NFWI will be hosting a virtual discussion event on Wednesday 12 April at 7pm. We are currently finalising the arrangements for the event, but you can register your interest below.
The event is open to all members. It will be chaired by Nicky Amos, NFWI Chair of Public Affairs, and will be an opportunity to hear from expert speakers on the subject of the resolution.
It is intended as a supplementary opportunity to learn more about the resolution in addition to meetings and events organised by federations and WIs in advance of the Annual Meeting.
If you want to take part, please register your interest here.
Our International Women’s Day survey finds that women are still penalised in workplace for caring responsibilities
For International Women’s Day this year, the NFWI conducted a short survey among members to understand more about how gender equality and its progress is perceived. The figures from our survey show that WI members overwhelmingly believe that caring responsibilities continue to hamper women’s careers, and that more needs to be done to achieve true equality. We believe that the findings are a clarion call for change.
Key findings included:
90 per cent of respondents believe that more needs to be done for men and women to be equal in society.
84 per cent of respondents agreed that women have more choices than ever.
87 per cent of respondents believe a more equal society between men and women would be better for the economy.
You can read more about the survey in our blog here.
Did you miss our International Women’s Day webinar?
The event allowed members of the WI and other women’s organisations the chance to hear from expert speakers Lina AbiRafeh (global women’s rights expert and gender equality advocate) and Tabitha Morton (Chief Operating Officer, UN Women UK on the importance of women in leadership.
You can catch up by watching the recording here.
To mark International Women’s Day members took part in our pledge board action to share their views about what needs to change and making personal pledges.
Million Women Rise march in London
On Saturday 4 March, the WI joined the Million Women Rise march in London to march against violence against women.
Before joining the march, over 100 members joined for a pre-meet event. Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary Anneliese Dodds MP addressed the meeting considering the challenges women face in society. Anneliese then joined the panel of representatives from Women’s Aid and Southall Black Sisters to consider what needs to change to tackle violence against women.
You can read more about the day in the May/June issue of WI Life.
The WI joins call for more research into impact of plastic on health
In February, the WI paid a visit to 10 Downing Street, joining plastics campaigners to deliver a petition to government. The petition calls for further research to study the effects of plastic on human health and has been signed by over 100,000 people- including WI members. The campaign has been backed by over 80 scientists, campaigners and MPs, and calls on the government to ringfence a £15 million Plastic Health Impact Research Fund.
The petition was organised by the plastics campaign group Common Seas, whose blood-testing research found plastics in human blood for the first time. The study found that nearly 80% of those tested had plastic in their blood.
There is little to no research on the short and long-term consequences of having microplastics in our bodies. With global plastic production on course to double by 2030, we urgently need research to understand the potential health impacts of plastic on our health.
See the Signs this Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 7,500 new ovarian cancer cases in the UK each year, and 4,200 deaths. It is one of the most common types of cancer in women, with many not knowing the signs and symptoms pre-diagnosis. Our See the Signs campaign aims to increase awareness of the subtle signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. This month, the NFWI encourages you to learn and share the four major symptoms of ovarian cancer.
You can download our infographics to share, as well as other resources such as our Action Pack on MyWI here.
Great British Spring Clean launch event in Parliament
Chair of NFWI Public Affairs Nicky Amos joined the launch of this year’s Keep Britain Tidy event at an event held in Parliament. The WI founded the Keep Britain Tidy campaign in 1954, and WI members remain committed to taking practical action to keep the places they love free of litter.
Join in the Great British Spring Clean 2023 between 17 March and 2 April - you can find out further information here.
Fairtrade Fortnight - Endangered Aisle
As part of Fairtrade Fortnight, between 27 February and 12 March, the NFWI Public Affairs team visited the Fairtrade Foundation’s ‘Endangered Aisle’ supermarket. The supermarket shone a light on the supermarket staples most at risk of becoming endangered from the climate crisis, including coffee, bananas and chocolate. The event also featured a speech from Nimrod Wambette, Board Chair for CPF and Vice Chair of the Fair Trade Africa Board, where he explained how warming temperatures were affecting coffee yields and livelihoods of Ugandan coffee farmers.
The WI was one of the original founders of the Fairtrade Foundation in 1992.
Find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight and their Endangered Aisle campaign here.
PA Digest on My WI
Missed an issue of the Digest? You can now access previous issues on My WI.
We have a PDF versions of the digest available, that you can share with the people around you. Please get in touch with the Public Affairs department if you would like a copy. Please also encourage other members of your WI to sign up to receive this monthly digest. Kind regards, The NFWI Public Affairs team. pa@nfwi.org.uk 020 7371 9300 ext. 2002
Commentaires