(Mara Dodge in The Zonta Woman, p. 89, article from The Zontian 1983)

i.         Service

In 1920, Zonta clubs voted to take for their specific aim “educational and constructive work for girls and young women” (Clara H. Witt, Early History of Zonta, The Zontian, November 1929). Vocational Education for Girls was Zonta’s first US service program, adopted at the 1928 convention. The program, which was closely adhered to over the next decade, recommended: (1) that vocational guidance be considered in its broad interpretation, that is, to include adults as well as youth and (2) that Zonta clubs prepare accurate documentation about occupations open to women and furnish it to prospective workers.

During the Depression the cause of the mature older woman became a special concern. At the 1930 convention, delegates adopted a program for a national survey on age discrimination.

In 1939, the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Award was inaugurated, encouraging the entry of women into new fields.

ii.        Status of Women, Advocacy

Defending the right of women, especially married women, to work was a major focus throughout the 1930s. The issue of protective (read: discriminatory) legislation pertaining to women was heatedly debated at conventions in 1927, 1928 and 1929. The 1929 convention body adopted a resolution:

that women in the professions, in business and industry shall be free to work and be protected as workers, on the same terms as men, and that all legislation and regulations shall be based on the nature of the work and not upon the sex of the worker.

At the 1929 convention, attention was drawn to the issue of nationality rights for women. Clubs were encouraged to send letters to US President Herbert Hoover and their state legislators asking them to secure absolute equality in nationality rights with regard to women and children.

In 1935, a new object was adopted, and a Status of Women Committee was established and empowered to make all proper use of the resolutions in influencing legislation – to be done through the local clubs. At the 1936 convention, two Status of Women resolutions were adopted and in 1937, convention delegates resolved: “To oppose all legislation state and federal discriminating against women´s rights to gainful employment, married or single”.

It was the duty of the state chairman^[1] to mobilize all Zonta clubs in her state to act upon legislation which is harmful to women. The 1938 convention adopted a resolution on Equity of Men and Women in the Civil Service without regard to marital status as well as a resolution on the National Labor Relations Act.

During the decade, local Status of Women committees conducted studies of discrimination against women and arranged programs on issues such as the role of the older women in business, minimum wage legislation for women, married women´s right to work, the status of women in foreign countries, and women´s contributions to peace.

iii.       World Affairs

The 1930 program asked Zonta clubs to study the League of Nations and the Kellogg

Peace Pact “which tends toward the establishment of permanent peace”. In 1931, Zonta´s objects were amended to include work for peace, and the 1933 program asked clubs:

• How and what can women do to combat present economic conditions…and help women from losing out in times like this?
• Disarmament – in its various phases and its effect on the Depression
• Getting the membership interested in government affairs and active in helping to create a better type of leadership.

The last topic was reselected for the 1934 program.

In 1939, World War II became a reality, and Zonta clubs were asked to develop a public affairs program “on the neutrality laws of the non-warring countries” and a second program based on “an analysis of war news and rumors”.

The December 1939 issue of The Zontian asked “How Can Women´s Participation in Public Affairs Contribute to World Peace?”. The committee requested all answers to be based on “what your individual club has done this year, not in wishful thinking but in definite action”.

 [1] Author’s note: This is the only reference found to a “state chairman”.

(Mara Dodge in The Zonta Woman, p. 90, article from The Zontian Feb./Mar. 1983)

During the war years, the International Relations Committee undertook comprehensive studies of the “sound fundamentals of international trade”, the “international aspect of airways”, raw materials, and natural resources. Reports on these issues were presented at conventions.

In 1942, a “women´s peace resolution” was adopted, followed in 1944 by a resolution endorsing the proposal “that job opportunities in the postwar world must be open to men and women alike without discrimination in rate of pay because of sex”. 

Delegates to the 1946 convention voted to return Zonta´s service program to “the original broad plan of educational and constructive work for girls and young women” and, in 1947,

Zonta clubs voted to support the Western Pacific Area Teacher´s Scholarship initiated by the Zonta Club of Honolulu. In 1948, the first Z club was established.

However, there were many areas of concern on the Zonta agenda in this period: civil defense, registration and the vote, juvenile delinquency, the older woman, television, problems of the displaced persons, traffic and safety, career information and vocational guidance. Zontians recognized: “whether we like it or not, we are going to be forced into taking a stand on many problems of political significance”. Consequently, in 1948, a Resolutions Committee was established, empowered to investigate public issues and prepare position statements in the form of resolutions to be voted on at international conventions. Three major resolutions were adopted in the 1950s: 

• provisions for children and youth (1951)
• public safety (1954)
• equality for women (1954).

“The general problem of equality for women is closely related to the…level of living standards, the opportunities and the social welfare of a country” (1954 resolution).

Zonta cooperated closely with the United Nations from its founding in 1945, sending observers to conferences, spreading information and publicizing its activities in The Zontian. The 1950 convention adopted the UN Resolution and the 1956 convention delegates expressed their concern over nuclear developments: “Resolved. That Zonta clubs support the efforts of their governments toward peaceful uses of atomic energy, especially as these efforts may be made through the framework of the United Nations”.

During the 1950s, Zonta´s International Relations Committee continued to follow United

Nations activities while working to expand Zonta´s own international character. The Friendship Project began in 1952 and helped to promote international friendship and understanding among Zontians.

(Mara Dodge in The Zonta Woman, p. 91, article from The Zontian April/May 1983)

In recognition of Zonta´s international stature and international service projects, Zonta was granted consultative status with the United Nations through ECOSOC in 1963. Zonta´s UN observers attended meetings and reported regularly on international affairs in The Zontian.

During the 1960s, Zonta clubs became concerned with the great threat of war posed by the growing arsenal of nuclear weapons and their vast destructive power. Many resolutions and program guides focused on the issue of disarmament.

At conventions during this era, it was resolved that Zonta clubs:

• support a campaign of public education to understand the subject of disarmament (1962)
• strive to increase their understanding of the subject of disarmament (1964, 1966)
• study the relationship of disarmament to world peace (1968) support the promotion of the peaceful uses of outer space (1982).

During the 1970s, Zonta clubs actively promoted the United Nations. Zontians pressed for the inclusion of women, and the recognition of women´s economic contributions to society, in developmental planning and aid programs.

Because agricultural work is largely the task of women in most developing countries, a meeting of women´s NGOs (WINGO) in 1972, chaired by Zontian Leota Pekrul, sent a recommendation to ECOSOC asking that: (1) “women and girls be given equal access to education” and (2) “women be included in all technical cooperation programs in the field of agriculture”.

 Zonta was also concerned with human rights and the issues of racial discrimination and apartheid. Clubs were encouraged to monitor progress and human rights violations in their countries.

i.      Status of women

During the 1960s, Zonta worked to advance the status of women through close cooperation with the UN Commission on the Status of Women. In 1962, equality was defined as a basic human right for women and it was stated “that Zonta take an increasingly active role in furthering the advancement of women everywhere”.

Increased political participation for women was a special focus. Zonta conventions in 1964 and 1966 resolved: that Zonta clubs urge women to: (a) keep informed on public affairs; (b) accept their full responsibilities to participate in government at all levels; (c) serve in appointive and elective offices; and (d) endorse and support qualified women in elected positions.

Zontians recognized that “the work for equal rights, improvement of the status of women, and equal opportunities for education and employment steadily increase the need for adequate childcare facilities”. Zonta clubs were encouraged to work to establish nursery schools and daycare centers “in the interest of the wellbeing of children and the improvement of the status of women”.

Throughout the 1970s, Zontians repeatedly voiced their full commitment to equality between the sexes:

Resolved. That each Zontian recognize that her membership connoted her opposition to all forms of discrimination against women and commits her to work actively for the elimination of all discriminatory laws, practices, and attitudes in any part of the world (Conventions of 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976).

Zonta clubs were asked to:

• sponsor workshops to prepare women for more active participation in politics at all levels
• work with labor unions to promote equal participation of women in the labor union movement
• make available stipends or scholarships for mature women who want more schooling.

Access to family-planning services was also seen as central to improving the status of women. The Status of Women Committee stated: “Family planning is necessary in every Zonta country. Zonta clubs can make a study of family planning and evaluate the problem in their own communities. They can work with established programs or create their own” (Conventions of 1972, 1974 and 1976).

During the 1980s, Zonta International identified the issue of women and aging as “the most urgent and crucial women´s issue of this decade”. The world´s aging society is predominantly female. In a statement before the NGO Forum at the World Assembly on Aging (1982), Zonta argued that:

• public policy towards the aged can often be linked to biased cultural practices towards women throughout the lifespan,
• economic security for aging women begins with equitable treatment of women in the workforce, and
• resources of older women need to be identified and activated.

Zonta´s service efforts expanded dramatically during the 1960s and, during the 1970s and 1980s, service work became increasingly international in character. 

Zonta was actively engaged in the UN Conferences on Women in 1975, 1980 and 1985, and published Attitudes and background of European Career Women and The Zonta Woman.

Zonta International continued cooperation with the United Nations and service projects were in cooperation with UNIFEM and UNICEF.

In 1995, Zonta´s participation in the UN Conference on Women in Beijing encompassed:

• a panel discussion entitled: The UN/NGOs: Empowering Women for the 21^st Century, and
• workshops on six topics.

In the same year, Zonta International held a Summit on Violence against Women in

Washington D.C. and, since 1998, the Zonta International Strategies to End Violence Against Women (ZISVAW) program supports international service projects that promote and protect the human rights of all women and girls and work to end gender-based violence worldwide. 

Advocacy and service focused on ending female genital mutilation.

Zonta´s strategic plan encompassed service to youth and new educational programs were adopted:

• Young Women in Public Affairs Program (YWPA) in 1990
• Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarships in 1998
• Michael J. Freeman Scholarship for Irish Women (established in 1988 and restructured in 1996).

i.         Zonta and the UN

Zonta International, districts and clubs advocate at the international, national and local levels on issues related to human rights and gender equality. 

At the international level, Zonta International advocates on global issues primarily through the United Nations and the Council of Europe. 

At the national level, Zonta districts, areas and clubs take action in support of, or in opposition to, legislation on issues affecting women and girls. 

At the local level, Zonta clubs monitor laws and policies and their impact on women, participate in hearings and public meetings with local politicians and administrators, and host speakers and panels to raise awareness about issues affecting women in their local communities.

Zonta International UN Committee teams represent Zonta in New York at UN

Headquarters; in Geneva at the UN Office and ILO headquarters; in Vienna at the UN Office; and in Paris at UNESCO. The teams ensure that Zonta’s priorities are presented, and that Zonta’s voice is clear in mission-related meetings at their respective sites. They meet and work with decision-makers from UN agencies and countries where Zonta has funded projects and/or where Zonta clubs are located. 

The current priority area of focus is the Sustainable Development Goals, which set the UN agenda 2015–30, concentrating on Goal 5 and areas that relate to women’s empowerment. The teams also monitor and report on ongoing issues such as human trafficking, women’s employment, human rights, the gender pay gap, and much more. Team members work in coalition with other like-minded organizations on issues of mutual concern, such as early and child marriage.

ii.         Zonta and the Council of Europe

Zonta International is a member of the Conference of International Non-Governmental

Organizations (INGOs), a group of all INGOs with participatory status at the Council of

Europe. In 2015, the work of the Council of Europe team focused primarily on the Istanbul Convention, which is the strongest international agreement on ending violence against women. The team has encouraged Zonta districts and clubs both within and outside Europe to learn more about the Convention and to advocate for their governments to sign, ratify or accede to the Convention as appropriate.

iii.        Advocacy and Service

Zonta´s service and advocacy projects used to cover many issues, among them girls’ education and women´s rights and health. The trend in the 21^st century is to narrow the field to girls´ and women´s education and to focus on women´s rights as human rights, including the root causes, particularly from 2014. 

All Zonta clubs have been engaged in the Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign which started in 2012 and was extended to 2020:

Violence against women is a worldwide pandemic – it crosses every social and economic class, every region, race and ethnicity. At least one out of every three women worldwide has experienced violence during her lifetime. We in Zonta International cannot accept this – we need to use all our energy to eradicate violence against women locally and internationally through service and advocacy (Sonja Hönig Schough, Zonta International President 2016–18).

26 September 2018, in support of ending child marriage, Zonta International President, Susanne von Bassewitz, made a statement on eliminating child marriage in Africa at a high-level side-event at the United Nations General Assembly. The event, organized by the permanent missions of Canada and Zambia to the United Nations, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women, engaged African Heads of State and Governments in a dialogue on child, early and forced marriage with the goal of renewing commitments to implement national strategies to end child, early and forced marriage.

President Susanne addressed Zonta International’s latest work in ending child marriage through a new collaborative project with UNICEF and UNFPA, which builds upon Zonta’s efforts to end violence against women through its global Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

The decision to focus on ending child marriage comes from Zonta’s experience with UNFPA’s Ending Child Marriage project in Niger and the fact that UNICEF and UNFPA had joined forces in a long-term commitment to address the issue globally. In the 2018– 2020 biennium, Zonta allocated an additional USD$2 million to ending child marriage – the largest annual contribution Zonta has made to a project to date.

By joining this global partnership, Zonta aims to contribute a lot more than funding; it aims to raise the voice of opinion leaders in order to secure the human rights of millions of vulnerable girls throughout the world.

On 27 September 2018, Zonta International President Susanne von Bassewitz made a statement at the Private Sector and Philanthropic Leaders’ SDG5 Forum in New York about the need to reach beyond immediate humanitarian needs to empower displaced women living in refugee camps, as seen in the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. The forum, organized by UN Women, called upon all private sector and philanthropic leaders to renew their commitment to the ambitious 2030 Agenda which can only be achieved by engaging and empowering women.

Although Zonta International is not a humanitarian relief organization, the opportunity to empower Syrian women in and outside the camps through the Eid bi Eid project was a clear way for Zonta to positively affect the women impacted by the crisis. This project will build resilience and empower both Syrian and Jordanian women through livelihood opportunities, improved policies to support women’s economic empowerment, and strategies to address gender inequalities and gender-based violence for women living in refugee camps and in the surrounding communities.

In September 2017, Zonta International President, Sonja Hönig Schough, announced

Zonta International’s support for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign, a global movement

that aims to mobilize one billion men to accelerate the achievement of gender equality. Through innovative online, offline and mobile phone technology, HeForShe identifies and activates men and boys in every city, community and village around the world.

Gender equality is not a women’s issue – it is an issue for all human beings which can only be achieved by women and men working together as equal partners. Together we are stronger and by joining efforts with like-minded organizations, we can do even more.

In addition to influencing the making and implementation of laws and general attitudes, Zonta clubs and districts can now extend their advocacy efforts to the business sector. We can foster the adoption of Women´s Empowering Principles (WEPs) in the practices of our own network, in the practices of our employers, and in the practices of other employers in our communities and countries

iv.        Important position papers

• Statement on Women´s Rights and Non-state Terrorist Groups
• Position Paper on Migration
• 2016 Position Paper on Prostitution
• 2016 Position Paper on Trafficking in Persons.