USNC-UN Women Chicago Chapter

The United States National Committee (USNC) for UN Women is an independent non-profit, 501c3 organization that supports UN Women programs. These projects promote social, political, and economic equality for women and girls spanning 100 countries around the globe.

The USNC is one of 15 national committees that support UN Women in their mission towards gender equality and the empowerment of women globally.

What We Do

USNC’s financial support and advocacy benefits UN Women projects, such as:

• Opening women’s access to finance and expanding employment options in Pakistan, resulting in secure employment for 1,000 women and growing
• Training more than 6,000 women in marketing and business management in Ethiopia
• Extending paralegal services for survivors of domestic violence in the marginalized Roma communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, leading to a 50-per-cent increase in requests for help
• Launching “Safe Cities Free of Violence against Women and Girls” in several cities

How We Do It

We advocate by asking Congress to support legislation like the International Violence Against Women Act and ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women -- laws that would promote gender equality and protect women from violence.

We fundraise to support the work of UN Women through campaigns like our Walk to End Violence against Women and Girls. We also sponsor events, like International Women’s Day and the 16 Days to End Violence Against Women, to increase awareness of women’s issues and to raise money to support UN Women.

We educate our members during annual meetings and chapter events about how they can empower themselves and others to end violence, poverty, and inequality. Student groups are designed to create the next generation of gender rights advocates, like in our Learners to Leaders program instituted by UNSC’s Florida Gulf Coast Chapter.

We collaborate with UN agencies, international NGOs, and civil society in our efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. Organizations USNC partners with include Amnesty International USA, Women Thrive Worldwide, and Family Violence Prevention Fund.