CALLS FOR PROPOSALS: Call for Proposals for Art for Social Change/ Peace and Art for Activism'

United Nations Development Fund for Women [UNIFEM – part of UN Women] Pakistan provides its technical expertise in gender equality and women empowerment to strengthen the effectiveness, coordination and quality of outputs of the UN mission on gender equality. With its links with the global women's movement and the re-establishment of a programme office in Pakistan, UNIFEM is uniquely positioned to support initiatives of the government leading towards a full realization of gender equality commitments in line with the National and International gender equality and human rights commitments such as the Beijing Platform for Action, CEDAW, Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals. UNIFEM collaborates closely with civil society and women's organizations both as a) partners in advocacy and lobbying with the government around implementation of gender equality in national laws, policies and strategies b) as partners in the implementation of specific initiatives at local and national level.

UNIFEM is supporting awareness raising activities in conjunction with the annual '16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence' campaign to take place from 25th November to 10th December every year.

Since 1991, individuals and organizations worldwide have been sponsoring activities to mark what is now an international phenomena aimed at raising awareness of all forms of violence against women in their communities.

Activists use the sixteen day period to foster a solidarity movement that raises awareness around gender-based violence as a human rights abuse, demands implementation against challenging obstacles, works to ensure better protection for survivors of violence and calls for its elimination.

The 16 Days of Activism is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Defenders Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a human rights violation. The 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.

More information can be found at: http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/kit07/kit.html The 16 Days Campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by:
• raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels
• strengthening local work around violence against women
• establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women
• providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies
• demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women
• creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women

UNIFEM is supporting International Women's Day (IWD) celebrated every year. Each year around the world, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Hundreds of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Organizations, governments and women's groups around the world choose different themes each year that reflect global and local gender issues.

Some years have seen global IWD themes honored around the world, while in other years groups have preferred to 'localize' their own themes to make them more specific and relevant.

To find out more information please see the atatched PDF.