Every member of the League in Victoria and Wagga Wagga has an 'national' and 'international' voice through our affiliation with the Catholic Women's League Australia (CWLA) and the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO).
Catholic Women's League Australia (CWLA)
We are a member organisation of Catholic Women's League Australia. It has consultative (Roster) status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
CWLA is dedicated to upholding the dignity of women through education and encouraging their participation in social and public life. The CWLA promotes the spiritual, social, cultural and intellectual formation of women. CWLA also advocates for the respect of human rights with a particular focus on women and children.
Elected convenors keep members up to date regarding the issues affecting our society both locally and internationally. Reports are prepared by our Bioethics and Social Issues Convenors. We are represented by our National International Secretary at the Commission on the Status of Women Sessions held at United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York each year.
Article 71 of the UN Charter requires the UN to maintain close relations with NGOs in order to remain true to its goals. We are in touch with the realities of life and are an invaluable link between the UN and society. To have our voice heard in international decision-making processes, we need to continue our presence and participation at the UN.
If you would like to know more about CWLA, please go to https://www.cwla.org.au.
World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO)
Founded in 1910, WUCWO now represents 100 Catholic women's organisations worldwide with a membership of more than 5 million women. The Board of WUCWO is currently made up of 27 members from the five WUCWO Regions – Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and North America – each woman representing the Catholic women's organisation(s) of her country.
WUCWO's aim is to promote the presence, participation and co-responsibility of Catholic women in society and the church, in order to enable them to fulfil their mission of evangelisation and to work for human development. WUCWO was the first international Catholic organisation to receive UN recognition as an NGO. WUCWO was also a force in the creation and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In 2006, WUCWO was erected by the Holy See as a Public International Association of the Faithful. In October 2010, WUCWO is celebrated a century of service by women for the Church and society at their Centenary Assembly in Jerusalem.
WUCWO has consultative status with the United Nations and is represented at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York and Geneva; the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in Rome; the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva; the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva; and UNESCO in Paris. WUCWO is also present at the Council of Europe. WUCWO’s representatives, working at the highest level of international civic society, enunciate the tenets of the Catholic Church on all matters pertaining to ‘the common good.’
WUCWO’s theme for the next four years is “Love in Action”.
If you would like to know more about WUCWO, please go to https://www.wucwo.org