ON-THE-GROUND ADVOCACY: OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE ACTIVISM

By Nancy Rodriguez, Pace University student sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to attend 60th Commission on the Status of Women: I had the chance to meet many incredible people and was immensely inspired. I will work to incorporate the important stories and lessons I gathered from this experience into my future activism, because I am truly passionate about women’s rights and social justice. I will continue to reach out and keep working with many of the people I connected with during these days. I hope to lend any possible help to organizations like yours and the wonderful people engaged in the fight for human rights.

By Pamela Stoner, SNDatUN delegate to 60th Commission on the Status of Women: The breadth and quality of the NGO Parallel Events held each day near the UN were quite impressive. I particularly enjoyed all the various events held not just to inform but to train participants for on-the-ground advocacy and activism. For the second year running, NGO/CSW held ‘Advocacy Training’ workshops for different global regions and in English and French, focusing on how the UN is structured, how it operates, and providing an outline/toolkit for advocating within that environment. KADEM in Turkey provided us with manual and roadmap on civil activism. Groups focused on using creative arts to help transform victims into survivors and narrative arts to carry stories forward to world-wide audiences – all tangible ideas for going forward to impact change.

Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, you can hear her breathing.
Arundhati Roy

UN CONFERENCE: INSPIRED BY AN EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN

By Priscilla Aliu SNDdeN: On my last day at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) I met Mme Matoti from Liberia. She did not go to school and can neither read nor write. She told me she came to CSW to be the voice for uneducated persons. She loves to speak for people who are like her because she feels she understands their plight in a way that only someone with that background can.

 

Without the ability to read or write or being in the four walls of a classroom, Matoti has done remarkable things in her country. She opened an orphanage for children whose mothers died during the 1990’s war in Liberia. She built a school and a church near the orphanage to meet the children’s education and spiritual needs. She is also a skilled farmer and co-chair of a farmers’ co-operative organization she founded. She has proudly won the farmer’s trophy for her country. Quite extraordinary! Isn’t it so true of the saying that we are either maimed or made by our life’s experiences? In line with Intentional Creativity teaching, Mme Matoti has indeed transformed her personal story into a position of empowerment and healing.

Commission on the Status of Women: Passionate women (and men!) working together

By Katie Blawie, SNDatUN intern and delegate to the 60^th Commission on the Status of Women: I had a wonderful time attending the 60th session on the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) at UN Headquarters in New York City in March 2106. While I attended other commissions/conferences during my time as an intern with SNDatUN these past six months, nothing could compare to or prepare me for my experience at CSW. Seeing thousands of passionate women (and men!) working together from around the world was incredibly inspiring, humbling, and eye-opening. And I got to experience all of this with both my mom and my godmother by my side, which was truly special and something I will cherish for years to come.

I attended a couple of the government sessions, but found the NGO parallel events to be the most interesting. Because there were over 400 events to choose from, I was able to tailor my CSW experience to focus on the issues that mattered most to me. I went to events that covered topics including mental health, technology and cybercrime, engaging the private sector, and even a panel of brave North Korean female defectors.

Graphic: Katie Blawie

To anyone interested in attending CSW in the future, my advice would be to try to not plan too much and to just go with the flow. With so many people and so many different events going on in various locations all at once, it can feel a little overwhelming at times. So I just took it one day at a time, and went to the events I was interested in until I ran out of energy for the day. The Commission spans two weeks, so don’t wear yourself out too early!

I hope to be able to attend future sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women, and am looking forward to seeing how both the Commission as well as the rights of women & girls evolve over time. All in all, I am very pleased with the outcome document of CSW60, and we must keep in mind that any progress is better than no progress at all.

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN: JOYOUS AND COLORFUL

By Pamela Stoner, SNDatUN delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women: The foremost annual global caucus on gender rights and empowerment, CSW60 brought thousands of women and hundreds of men together for two weeks to learn, collaborate, network and engage. It was wonderful to see so many strong, resilient women and girls come together from so many corners of the world!

Photos: Pamela Stoner and Katie Blawie

It was all so joyous and colorful. The session/event leaders and participants were determined to share best practices and ensure that we could all go back to our countries to share, teach, and work for change and improvement. Looking at these determined women and youth gave me hope that we can keep the focus on these vital issues so that concrete improvement will happen over time.

By Carolyn Phillips, Pace University student sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to attend the Commission on the Status of Women:  It was a really beneficial experience for me because I was able to learn how the United Nations actually works. This experience also enabled me to network with people in my field that I wouldn’t have been able to without attending this event. I even got an internship from the International Working Group on Women and Sport at a panel! I learned so much about the United Nations, international sport, disability rights, and myself during those two weeks.

 

 

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): Participants Share Their Hopes (cont.)

Jo-Ann Flora, SNDdeN: Each year during CSW, thousands of women come to New York from all corners of our world. They brighten our city with their colorful dress and personalities, and it is a treat to welcome them. But, more importantly, they bring with them all the experiences of the women they represent – struggles, achievements, aspirations – and they share with us their powerful determination to raise all women to their rightful place in society. As a participant in CSW, I hope to learn from these women, particularly in the areas of girls’ rights and human trafficking, and to catch a spark of their enthusiasm to energize my mission as a Sister of Notre Dame who strives to take a stand with poor people, especially women and children.

Pamela Stoner: I am so excited to be attending the 2016 Session of CSW and surrounding events. I hope to learn about women’s and girls’ issues in relation to the global goals on sustainable development, and to interact with others about how gender equality and empowerment in education are instrumental and central to progress on these goals. While I am disappointed that my friend Anu Puri, a college student in Nepal, is unable to attend and contribute to this session as we hoped, I am delighted that I will be attending with my daughter, Katie Blawie, and my sister, Jean Stoner. It makes this session all the more special.

Isabelle Izika, SNDdeN: I am interested in attending CSW because I learn by hearing about different experiences and women’s problems. I receive courage to teach women to address their issues, which is what I do where I work in a very rural area. Women are becoming aware. Everywhere they talk about education that empowers women. In rural areas that is not the case. Many families send boys as well as girls to school, even to higher education. But despite efforts to study, the majority of these women remains unemployed or in jobs that pay no decent salaries. Many women renounce education because they do not get the benefits. They go back to traditional practices and nothing changes. Girls do not care and in some cases get married very young. We have to keep in mind that not all women are empowered by education. It depends on where the woman is and what her conditions are.

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): Participants Share Their Hopes

Priscilla Aliu, SNDdeN: I’m looking forward to attending the 60th Commission on the Status of Women in New York. The work of this Commission interests me because of their agenda for gender equality and the empowerment of women all over the world. I was impressed by UN Women’s activity in helping Syrian women take active part in peace building at this critical time in their country. Executive Director Ms. Phumzile Mambo-Ngcuka made a visit within weeks to the school in Nigeria where the Chibok girls were kidnapped. She also issued statements on the one-year and 500th day anniversaries of the girls’ disappearance. Actions like these give hope to women and the girl-child globally. I will be focusing on the theme of this year’s conference, “Women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development”, especially how it will affect Africa. My hope is that the CSW activities will be brought to the grassroots for more impact.

Maura Browne, SNDdeN: My interest in CSW began during my first international experience at the 1985 UN Women’s Forum in Nairobi. My favorite memories are the Peace Tent where women from the USA and USSR were able to pierce the Iron Curtain and share common values; the resilience of women from newly independent Zimbabwe; and planting a Peace Tree at the end of the Forum. Each subsequent visit to the UN provides an opportunity for me to follow the development of the branches of the tree planted in 1985.

Cristina Igoa: I am excited to participate, share my experiences and listen to others speak about elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. I was raised in a culture in the Philippines where often girls were disempowered and not given voice or choice. But today, life is much better. “Girls stand up!” and we have. So women and girls are making a difference in the world.

 

    We stand behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life.
UN Women, the United Nations Entity
for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Spotlight on Global Issues: Participate in UN Meetings in 2016

Through the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur NGO Office, interested persons are able to participate in major UN meetings. There is no fee to attend these UN sessions, but participants are responsible for their housing, food, and transportation while attending the meeting. Funds are available to assist Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur from Latin America and Africa. If you are interested in attending a major UN meeting in New York in 2016, contact Jean Stoner as soon as possible at SNDatUN@sndden.org.   You can also follow UN meetings by webcast at http://webtv.un

• February 3 – 12, 2016: 54^th Commission on Social Development (New York)

Theme: Rethinking and strengthening social development in the contemporary world                                                                    undesadspd.org/CommissionforSocialDevelopment/Sessions/2016.aspx

• March 14 – 24, 2016: 60^th Commission on the Status of Women  (New York)

Theme: Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development.

unwomen.org/en/csw/csw60-2016

• May 9 – 20, 2016: 15^th Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues  (New York)

Theme: Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

15th-session-of-permanent-forum-on-indigenous-issues/

COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURE OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

Message from UN Women:

The Communications Procedure of the Commission on the Status of Women is a unique tool for individuals and organizations to use in order to raise awareness about injustice and discriminatory practices against women in any country in the world. Claims to the Commission on the Status of Women for consideration at its next session (14-24 March 2016) must be submitted by 1 August 2015.

To learn more click here: www.unwomen.org/csw/communications-procedure

 

PROSTITUTION: EMPLOYMENT CHOICE OR FORM OF SLAVERY?

By Jo-Ann Flora, SNDdeN, SNDatUN delegate to Commission on the Status of Women

When 8000 women from all over the globe arrive in New York City in March each year, we know it’s time for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations. This year I attended several parallel events during the first week of the commission. I concentrated on sessions that dealt with human trafficking and prostitution. It was encouraging to learn about what various countries are doing to bring an end to trafficking and to assist victims in rebuilding their lives. Examples are:

Ireland’s Turn Off the Red Light Campaign
www.turnofftheredlight.ie/

The Nordic Model
http://bit.ly/1axuUsU

Australian Plan to Reduce Violence against Women
http://bit.ly/1ydq52G

A particularly interesting event was presented by the Coalition against Trafficking in Women: Twenty Years after Beijing: Prostitution, Sex Trafficking, and the Quest for Equality. Panelists from several countries, including survivors, spoke from their area of expertise – medicine, psychology, social justice activism, human rights advocacy, etc. – on progress made and new models and solutions yet to be tried.

Throughout the week, an important distinction continued to be made regarding prostitution. On one side, representatives from countries where prostitution is legal spoke of how their governments regard it as a respectable employment choice for women. On the other side, speakers made clear that prostitution must be addressed as it exists, not as it is imagined. Prostitution is violence against women and a form of slavery. Legalization may be seen as a country’s effort to help the slave and make it nicer on the plantation, but legalization cannot eradicate slavery or close down the plantation. These laws sometimes result in harm reduction, but fail to change the system.”

ISSUES WOMEN FACE: IMPROVEMENTS ARE BEING MADE

By Robert Solomon, SNDatUN delegate to Commission on the Status of Women 

One take away for me [at the Commission on the Status of Women] was to see so many people (yes, mostly women, but there were men) from so many countries participating from so many points of view in the necessary improvement in the lives of girls and women. I must confess that even though this is the 20th year of this conference, I was not aware of it. But having been awakened, I was able to notice related articles in the paper about the conference. For example in an article about Hillary Clinton, it pointed out that she was at the original Beijing conference. A separate article highlighted issues facing women politically by noting that China had detained women advocates at the time of the conference. There were several sessions at the UN building, some even in the main halls. One that struck me was under the auspices of Equality Now. One of the things that made it memorable was that the first speaker was Jane Fonda. What made it more memorable was her long list of countries where improvement had been made for women and the areas in which there had been improvement. Of course, while there have been improvements in many countries this does highlight the fact that much more improvement is necessary.  www.equalitynow.org

Women have always been an equal part of the past.
They just haven’t been part of history.
Gloria Steinem