The participation of civil society organizations in main conferences that are organized and supported by the United Nations has increased in the last decades. Having a stronger representation, organizations such as the Legion of Good Will (LGW) have gained momentum and begun to take on an active role in the UN activities, especially regarding its consultative aspect and in discussing major themes, among which are the rights, role and value of women.

The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing which took place in September 1995 was a good example of the vigor and interest generated by this segment in debating the more urgent issues. During that meeting, it was estimated that the parallel forums had brought together some 30 thousand people from around the world to the capital city of China. The LGW took part not only in the tasks with heads of State as it was also represented in the other events with its message of valorization of women. To this effect, the Organization took advantage of its long and solid experience with programs and projects that benefit women and families who live under a situation of social risk.

With the World Conference on Women in China—a landmark in the acquisition of rights—the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that was created by the UN’s Economic and Social Council in 1946, began to review the goals defined in the action plan initially adopted, opening up spaces for an ever-increasing presence of women in the decision making process concerning human development. In the most recent meeting, at the CSW’s 53rd Session in March 2009 at the UN Headquarters in New York, participants received the special issue of the GOOD WILL Women magazine from the LGW (published in English, Portuguese and Spanish). Its content pays a fair homage to the female soul and its capacity to overcome difficulties and to contribute towards solving serious problems that afflict people everywhere. For the 2010 edition of the event at the UN, the LGW prepared a new edition of the magazine that was translated into several languages.

Martha Gallahue and Danilo Parmegiane.

This magazine is beautiful. I’m impressed with the diversity of its content. It not only honors the tradition of Eleanor Roosevelt, but of other admirable women as well, such as Asha-Rose Migiro and Wangari Maathai. It is therefore a wonderful description of old and new struggles, and it will have implications for the future. (...) There’s an incredible amount of progress in terms of a shift of power from one of domination to one of cooperation. And certainly, the magazine demonstrates that these notable women were indeed powerful and extremely cooperative at the same time.” Martha Gallahue.