NCWC delegate Ellen Judd sat in on a session at the CSW with Mel Duncan (a co-founder) and Doris Moriani, the CEO of Nonviolent Peaceforce, and suggested this would be a good article to share. Also the link the Nonviolent Web site -
www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org
Many of you have been inquiring about the volatile
situation in South Sudan, where we presently have 125 unarmed civilian
peacekeepers on the ground.
I want to be clear that I am not writing to ask you for
money. As someone who has been interested in Nonviolent Peaceforce, you should
be informed about the work that is being done amid an escalating war.
Yesterday, our Country Director in South Sudan, Tiffany
Easthom, was interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Company: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2451150545/.
We have teams protecting civilians in ten locations
including Bentiu and Bor, communities that have experienced civilian massacres
in the past week. Tiffany is on her way to Bentiu as I write this.
The crisis is overwhelming. I am so proud of our
peackeepers who are courageously standing with and protecting as many civilians
as they can.
In Bor, two of our peacekeepers were in the United
Nations base when the attack started. They took shelter inside a tukul (mud hut)
along with five women and nine children.
On three seperate occassions men with guns approached
the peacekeepers and demanded they leave the women and children to be killed. By
refusing to leave them, the peacekeepers saved the lives of these women and
children.
We just completed the training of a new team of
peacekeepers yesterday and start training for another team next Monday. We have
a trauma counselor on the ground supporting our peacekeepers and providing
psychological first aid.
While this is a highly combustible situation, I want to
assure you we are following strict security protocols to protect our
peacekeepers.
Currently, I am on my way to Los Angeles to speak at the
Pacific
Council about unarmed civilian peacekeeping and protection work in South
Sudan.
Mel Duncan, Co-Founder and Director of Advocacy and
Outreach, is in New York advising UN officials about civilian protection in
South Sudan.
I will keep you informed as the crisis unfolds.
In Solidarity,
Doris
MarianiCEO Nonviolent
Peaceforce
This is a Blog on the 58th Meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women, prepared by the National Council of Women of Canada. Leave your e-mail below and you will receive new posts automatically.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
AWID - Association of Women and Developemtn issuea statement following the CSW Agreed Conclusions
CSW 58 AGREED CONCLUSIONS - REALITIES OF DEBATES, GOOD NEWS &
CHALLENGES - MISSED OPPORTUNITIES - AWID
March 28, 2014 - This year’s negotiations at the CSW were hotly contested, as usual, and very important because of the new development framework that is being put forward to replace the MDGs when they expire in 2015. As such, women’s rights advocates, organisations and movements worked extremely hard to retain existing language and tried to push forward language so that the Agreed Conclusions contained clear commitments for gender equality and women’s human rights.
March 28, 2014 - This year’s negotiations at the CSW were hotly contested, as usual, and very important because of the new development framework that is being put forward to replace the MDGs when they expire in 2015. As such, women’s rights advocates, organisations and movements worked extremely hard to retain existing language and tried to push forward language so that the Agreed Conclusions contained clear commitments for gender equality and women’s human rights.
The document importantly recognises that “almost 15 years after the MDGs were
launched, no country has achieved equality for women and girls, and significant
levels of inequality between women and men persist” also highlighting that
several critical issues were not adequately included in the MDGs, including
violence against women and girls; child, early and forced marriage; women’s and
girls’ disproportionate share of unpaid work, particularly unpaid care work;
women’s access to decent work, the gender wage gap, employment in the informal
sector, low paid and gender-stereotyped work such as domestic and care work;
women’s equal access to, control and ownership of assets and productive
resources including land, energy and fuel, and women’s inheritance rights;
women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights.
However, the geopolitics and conservative backlash that we spoke of in our recent FF, were palpable in the last days of negotiations last week, which resulted in a set of Agreed Conclusions that have largely been welcomed by women’s rights advocates, organisations and movements.
The good
Some of the important achievements in the ACs includes explicit reference to the need to learn lessons from the MDGs in shaping the post-2015 development, calling on States to “tackle critical remaining challenges through a transformative and comprehensive approach and calls for gender equality, the empowerment of women and human rights of women and girls to be reflected as a stand-alone goal and to be integrated through targets and indicators into all goals of any new development framework.”
There is strong language on violence against women and girls (VAWG), including explicit reference to eliminating all harmful customary practices, including – female genital mutilation (FGM), child, early and forced marriage, through enacting and enforcing laws. There are also important references to natural disasters and climate change, although no reference to common but differentiated responsibility; and the role of the media in elimination of gender stereotypes was included.
The document importantly recognises role of feminists, women’s and community-based organizations in placing the interests, needs and visions of women on national, regional and international agendas.
Women’s rights advocates fought hard to ensure that restrictive language on families, which does not recognise diverse forms of families was not included in the final text, along with reference to sovereignty which can be seen as a ‘get out jail free card’ for States to renege on their responsibilities.
Despite a lot of resistance from conservative opposition, there is some language on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights (SRHR), including access to abortion services where they are legal and some language on comprehensive sexual education (CSE).
The bad and ugly
But as has become the norm at CSW, there were tense negotiations on some of the more contested issues, with a small minority of conservative governments, including the Holy See, that hampered negotiations by objecting to concepts as fundamental as gender and the human rights of women. In the final days of negotiations the Holy See, which only holds special observer status at the UN, went as far as to question the legitimacy of the CSW process and the final outcome document.
The AC’s fail to recognise the landmark Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA) of the World Conference on Human Rights that took place in Vienna 20 years ago; and there was lack of recognition, throughout the two week negotiations, of the indivisibility of human rights. Specific language related to the violence and discrimination that people face because of their real of perceived sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) was excluded despite the principles of human rights, which embody non-discrimination as a core principle for human rights to be guaranteed.
The Commission also failed to make the link to between sustainable development -a multidimensional concept that has ecological, economic and social dimensions – and respect for sexual and reproductive rights and diverse sexualities and gender identities. The exclusion of reference to specific marginalised groups in the text also means that the rights of sex workers have been excluded.
Missed opportunities
While the Commission recognised the world financial and economic crises, it did not go far enough in highlighting the particular negative impacts they have had on development, nor the need for regulation and to hold those responsible accountable. It also missed the opportunity to recognise the need for a structural changes to the current economic model and to make link between economics and development. Strong language regarding increasing the effectiveness of financial resources across all sectors to achieve gender equality was watered down, calling for voluntary innovative financing mechanisms as appropriate rather than aligned with existing human rights obligations. Reference the accountability of state and non-state actors for the promotion of gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment was also excluded from the final ACs, as was language to ensure access to remedies, reparation and redress.
At least year’s CSW women’s rights advocates worked hard for new language on women human rights defenders (WHRDs) to be included in the ACs. While this year’s Commission acknowledges the public and legitimate role of WHRDS in promoting and protecting human rights, democracy, rule of the law and development, the Commission missed the opportunity to include language related to ending impunity harassment, criminalization and aggression that WHRDs experience both because of who they are and the work they do.
However, the geopolitics and conservative backlash that we spoke of in our recent FF, were palpable in the last days of negotiations last week, which resulted in a set of Agreed Conclusions that have largely been welcomed by women’s rights advocates, organisations and movements.
The good
Some of the important achievements in the ACs includes explicit reference to the need to learn lessons from the MDGs in shaping the post-2015 development, calling on States to “tackle critical remaining challenges through a transformative and comprehensive approach and calls for gender equality, the empowerment of women and human rights of women and girls to be reflected as a stand-alone goal and to be integrated through targets and indicators into all goals of any new development framework.”
There is strong language on violence against women and girls (VAWG), including explicit reference to eliminating all harmful customary practices, including – female genital mutilation (FGM), child, early and forced marriage, through enacting and enforcing laws. There are also important references to natural disasters and climate change, although no reference to common but differentiated responsibility; and the role of the media in elimination of gender stereotypes was included.
The document importantly recognises role of feminists, women’s and community-based organizations in placing the interests, needs and visions of women on national, regional and international agendas.
Women’s rights advocates fought hard to ensure that restrictive language on families, which does not recognise diverse forms of families was not included in the final text, along with reference to sovereignty which can be seen as a ‘get out jail free card’ for States to renege on their responsibilities.
Despite a lot of resistance from conservative opposition, there is some language on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights (SRHR), including access to abortion services where they are legal and some language on comprehensive sexual education (CSE).
The bad and ugly
But as has become the norm at CSW, there were tense negotiations on some of the more contested issues, with a small minority of conservative governments, including the Holy See, that hampered negotiations by objecting to concepts as fundamental as gender and the human rights of women. In the final days of negotiations the Holy See, which only holds special observer status at the UN, went as far as to question the legitimacy of the CSW process and the final outcome document.
The AC’s fail to recognise the landmark Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA) of the World Conference on Human Rights that took place in Vienna 20 years ago; and there was lack of recognition, throughout the two week negotiations, of the indivisibility of human rights. Specific language related to the violence and discrimination that people face because of their real of perceived sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) was excluded despite the principles of human rights, which embody non-discrimination as a core principle for human rights to be guaranteed.
The Commission also failed to make the link to between sustainable development -a multidimensional concept that has ecological, economic and social dimensions – and respect for sexual and reproductive rights and diverse sexualities and gender identities. The exclusion of reference to specific marginalised groups in the text also means that the rights of sex workers have been excluded.
Missed opportunities
While the Commission recognised the world financial and economic crises, it did not go far enough in highlighting the particular negative impacts they have had on development, nor the need for regulation and to hold those responsible accountable. It also missed the opportunity to recognise the need for a structural changes to the current economic model and to make link between economics and development. Strong language regarding increasing the effectiveness of financial resources across all sectors to achieve gender equality was watered down, calling for voluntary innovative financing mechanisms as appropriate rather than aligned with existing human rights obligations. Reference the accountability of state and non-state actors for the promotion of gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment was also excluded from the final ACs, as was language to ensure access to remedies, reparation and redress.
At least year’s CSW women’s rights advocates worked hard for new language on women human rights defenders (WHRDs) to be included in the ACs. While this year’s Commission acknowledges the public and legitimate role of WHRDS in promoting and protecting human rights, democracy, rule of the law and development, the Commission missed the opportunity to include language related to ending impunity harassment, criminalization and aggression that WHRDs experience both because of who they are and the work they do.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Link to the Agreed Conclusions
Here is the link to the Agreed Conclusions from the 58th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women -
http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/CSW/58/CSW58-agreedconclusions-advanceduneditedversion.pdf
http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/CSW/58/CSW58-agreedconclusions-advanceduneditedversion.pdf
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Report by Daniela Chivu - Women’s Political Participation and Representation Making Development Sustainable, Making Governments Responsive in Africa
Moderator: H.E. Mr. Charles Ntwaage, Ambassador and
Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations
Dr. Massimo Tommasoli, Permanent
Observer for the International IDEA to the United Nations
Ms. Rumbidzai Kanawasvika, Senior Program
Manager, Democracy & Gender, International Institute For Democracy And
Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
Magda, Maria del Carmen Alanis Figueroa, Magistrate ,
Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary of Mexico
Ms. Rumbidzai Kanawasvika, Senior Program
Manager, Democracy & Gender, International Institute For Democracy And
Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
Women’s political participation in Africa
The political leadership in Africa is rapidly
changing and the role of women’s participation in politics has become a
priority. The emergence of new a political approach and leadership in Africa it
is being looked at more and more through a Gender’s lens.
The leadership of a woman at the helm of the country
or in a ministerial position has become the new goal for most political
parties, for instance Liberia and Malawi have women presidents. Through the
years political parties have traditionally belonged to men, although
outnumbered by women, translated in numbers of votes. Nevertheless, when it
comes to political representation women lack leadership in numbers.
Consequently, African States are striving to have equal representation.
Nonetheless, it is very important to understand how political parties provide
input in their agendas during the electoral campaigns and gender equality.
Factors: Who influences progress?
As women`s leadership lacks in numbers and men
dominate the political arena progress is influenced by men, the leadership. The
willingness of the political party to promote women candidates within the
structure of their parties becomes crucial before and during the election
campaign.
As the political parties build their manifestos for
the election campaigns and as it gets closer to the elections momentum the idea
of gender equality evaporates; even when countries have committed quotas to be
met. The numbers do not match. Therefore, gender capacity building based on
given quotas among the candidates is not met.
Women being part of the decision making process and asserting political
leadership is being seen as `` taking the kitchen from home and bringing it
into the party`` meaning that the function of women in politics is not
relevant.
Furthermore, the commitments taken by African states
in respect to gender equality is 30% to 40%, for example, Rwanda has integrated
a constitutional provision which allows women to take a stand and become
candidates in their party of preference. Thus far, 85% of the political parties
in Africa have women in ministerial position, as a result of their
participation in politics and seeking leadership. Nevertheless, these women
hold particular files which pertain particular to women, the issues have been ghettoized.
The results, of encouraging women to
participate in politics while promoting the interest of a political party in
order to win any election campaign is women dealing only with women’s issues.
Magda, Maria del Carmen Alanis Figueroa, Magistrate ,
Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary of Mexico
The consequences for women candidates in Mexico
Unlike the African political parties Mexico
political parties approach to women candidates it quite different. After approximately ten years of struggle,
women in Mexico not only obtained a specific quota for women candidates, but
have achieved to amend the Mexican constitution re-assuring women’s
participation in politics. In spite, all efforts in the past five years the
quota was not attained as expected. Women’s national organizations found
themselves in court once again fighting for their rights.
This took another constitutional amendment ruled for
new criteria, based on which a political party will choose their candidates;
replace a candidate during an election campaign and after and most importantly
to ensure the place of a female candidate.
If a political party, while choosing the candidates prior to an election
campaign, cannot find a woman candidate the incumbent cannot a man. During an
election campaign if a woman candidate resigns, she can only be replaced by another
woman in an open and transparent process. Therefore, this practice will ensure
gender equality.
How the process is being undermined
by men within the parties?
Most women candidates are being threatened by their
male counterparts, the threats usually do not come from the candidates
directly, but from those who support them. They receive personal death threats,
sometimes their family members may even killed or their businesses sabotaged
which in most cases are their only sources of revenue. For the women who
already occupy a seat in the Mexican parliament the threats are a little more
different and more persistent if they choose to run for a second mandate.
The threats begin first on the leader of the party
discouraging him to allow women to run a second term, if the leader does not
take the threat seriously the woman who occupies the seat will be the one who
will have to take an immediate decision. Although, not all women give up their
seats there are some who stand and fight for the idea of women’s participation
in politics. Consequently, in some
countries achieving gender equality could be a life threatening goal.
Personal note,
How all of the above relates to us Canadian women? We are all women we all fight for equality of
rights. Canada in the last three years has become the 52nd country
in the world with respect to women’s participation into politics, women
Parliamentarians. None of the political parties in Canada has taken a firm
commitment to ensure a quota of women candidates. Although, in the above given
examples, quotas of women candidates have been established by political parties
but not respected. However, as stated above, in some cases, women fight with
their lives for this right; we must agree that those women have achieved
something great. Even for all the States that have female leadership, there is still
a lot of work to be done and much more to be improved, particularly to achieve
and maintain gender equality, the rule of law as well as human rights and
education.
The political awakening of these women is an
important momentum for all of us. Yes, we do have rights and we enjoy them, but
there is one right we do not really practice, that of being politically active
and supporting women candidates in all political parties in Canada. Perhaps, it is time for us to re-assess our
stands in this respect and perhaps it is also time for us to become more vocal, more demanding
and expecting more from our political parties.
Canada’s commitment with respect to gender equality in political parties
remains none existent. It is time we stop asking and we start demanding.
--Daniela Chivu
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Summary Report done by Bonnie Destounis
As a first experience, attendance to the CSW 58 Session was an eye opener for me. Although aware of the inequalities that women confront, I recognized the severity of female victimization. After the first two days, I realized that I was in culture shock, totally overwhelmed by what I heard!
Millennium Developmental Goals for women and girls were all new to me. I listened to many excellent presentation about the atrocities committed, the violence and inequity that women and girls experience in both unindustrialized countries and developing countries. I met and listened to presentations made by exceptional women. Some of the presenters were women who rose from poverty in stricken areas to higher education and now represented NGO's at the United Nations! They had the opportunity to share their experiences, influence NGO's and the world. Through these presentations, I recognized that although there are standards for developmental goals, women are habitually not included in the development or in the implementation strategies. Women from the grass roots must participate in community based programs to ensure success. One of the most successful governments was in Rwanda. Forty eight women are members of parliament due to the fact that so many men were killed in the genocide. The country is now thriving. The success is credited to the women running their country!
Exploitation of women and girls takes place primarily from poor countries and frequently from countries where they suffered an environmental disaster such as that in Haiti. Girls and women are left homeless and desperate. They are promised work. They are kidnapped, abused and forced into prostitution. This is a serious problem that affects all countries including Canada where they are brought to and forced into prostitution. The NGO's impelled that men should be prosecuted for using a service rather than criminalize women for prostitution. Major cities across Canada are places where kidnapped women are forced into prostitution. Several massage parlors offer more than a massage! This is a very lucrative business that is established in developed countries like Canada and the United States. These are usually operated by cartels who force women into prostitution (through false promises) .
Education plays a key role in reducing violence against women and girls. The educational program must be an integral part of early education programs in schools; young people must be given the tools for empowerment; boys and men play an equally important role in this education. Men must comprehend the magnitude of human rights as they pertain to women. Authorities, such as police, lawyers, judges all have to understand the significance that women have equal rights and participate as equal citizens. They must be educated as well.
I appreciated that many of the parallel presentations that I attended presented significant data that reported on the success or failure of the diverse projects implemented in various countries. The fact that data is being on the projects implemented, will hopefully contribute to solving some of the inequities women and girls continually confront.
Because of my first hand experience in living and working at the Baffin Regional Hospital, NWT Canada, when I listened to the many presentations that concentrated on the violence and assaults towards women and girls, my concern focused on Canada's Aboriginal population where women and girls do encounter comparable experiences and hardships. As Canadians, we must address issues in our own country as well, the Aboriginal population!
Although not part of the CSW the "equality effect of the 160 Girls", partially funded by the National Council of Women of Canada Development Organization, has made legal history in Kenya, indeed in Africa and beyond; it has set the high water mark for girls' rights internationally. The decision recognizes the obligation on the Kenyan police to conduct proper investigations in cases of sexual abuse, and could easily be extended to apply to other forms of gender-based violence. Equally of importance is the fact that the police asked for training to assist them in the execution with the High Court's "160 Girls" decision. The equality effect and its partners will also engage in a variety of public education strategies in foreign countries to raise awareness about the court decision, and to keep the State accountable. The success of this victory provides inspiration that progress is being made!
I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to attend the Commission of the Status of Women forum (CSW58). It was an overwhelming and exceptional experience that I recommend.
--Bonnie Destounis
Millennium Developmental Goals for women and girls were all new to me. I listened to many excellent presentation about the atrocities committed, the violence and inequity that women and girls experience in both unindustrialized countries and developing countries. I met and listened to presentations made by exceptional women. Some of the presenters were women who rose from poverty in stricken areas to higher education and now represented NGO's at the United Nations! They had the opportunity to share their experiences, influence NGO's and the world. Through these presentations, I recognized that although there are standards for developmental goals, women are habitually not included in the development or in the implementation strategies. Women from the grass roots must participate in community based programs to ensure success. One of the most successful governments was in Rwanda. Forty eight women are members of parliament due to the fact that so many men were killed in the genocide. The country is now thriving. The success is credited to the women running their country!
Exploitation of women and girls takes place primarily from poor countries and frequently from countries where they suffered an environmental disaster such as that in Haiti. Girls and women are left homeless and desperate. They are promised work. They are kidnapped, abused and forced into prostitution. This is a serious problem that affects all countries including Canada where they are brought to and forced into prostitution. The NGO's impelled that men should be prosecuted for using a service rather than criminalize women for prostitution. Major cities across Canada are places where kidnapped women are forced into prostitution. Several massage parlors offer more than a massage! This is a very lucrative business that is established in developed countries like Canada and the United States. These are usually operated by cartels who force women into prostitution (through false promises) .
Education plays a key role in reducing violence against women and girls. The educational program must be an integral part of early education programs in schools; young people must be given the tools for empowerment; boys and men play an equally important role in this education. Men must comprehend the magnitude of human rights as they pertain to women. Authorities, such as police, lawyers, judges all have to understand the significance that women have equal rights and participate as equal citizens. They must be educated as well.
I appreciated that many of the parallel presentations that I attended presented significant data that reported on the success or failure of the diverse projects implemented in various countries. The fact that data is being on the projects implemented, will hopefully contribute to solving some of the inequities women and girls continually confront.
Because of my first hand experience in living and working at the Baffin Regional Hospital, NWT Canada, when I listened to the many presentations that concentrated on the violence and assaults towards women and girls, my concern focused on Canada's Aboriginal population where women and girls do encounter comparable experiences and hardships. As Canadians, we must address issues in our own country as well, the Aboriginal population!
Although not part of the CSW the "equality effect of the 160 Girls", partially funded by the National Council of Women of Canada Development Organization, has made legal history in Kenya, indeed in Africa and beyond; it has set the high water mark for girls' rights internationally. The decision recognizes the obligation on the Kenyan police to conduct proper investigations in cases of sexual abuse, and could easily be extended to apply to other forms of gender-based violence. Equally of importance is the fact that the police asked for training to assist them in the execution with the High Court's "160 Girls" decision. The equality effect and its partners will also engage in a variety of public education strategies in foreign countries to raise awareness about the court decision, and to keep the State accountable. The success of this victory provides inspiration that progress is being made!
I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to attend the Commission of the Status of Women forum (CSW58). It was an overwhelming and exceptional experience that I recommend.
--Bonnie Destounis
Women Seek Stand-Alone Goal for Gender in Post-2015 Agenda
By Thalif Deen
Reprint
|
The heaviest round of applause came when the Commission specifically called for a “stand-alone goal” on gender equality – a longstanding demand by women’s groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – in the U.N.’s post-2015 development agenda.
Still, the primary inter-governmental policy-making body on gender empowerment did not weigh in on a key proposal being kicked around in the corridors of the world body: a proposal for a woman to be the next U.N. secretary-general (SG), come January 2017.
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, a former U.N. under-secretary-general who is credited with initiating the conceptual and political breakthrough resulting in the adoption of U.N. Security Council resolution 1325 on women and peace and security, told IPS the annual CSW session is the largest annual gathering with special focus on issues which impact on women, and thereby humanity as a whole.
"It attracts hundreds of government and civil society participants representing their nations and organisations. After the very late night consensus adoption, the agreed conclusions of its 58th session, which focused on the post-2015 development agenda, show a striking gap in firmly establishing the linkage between peace and development in the document," he said.
"The mainstream discussions in this context have always been highlighting the point that MDGs lacked the energy of women's equal participation at all decision making levels and the overall and essential link between peace and development. So, in UN's work on the new set of development goals need to overcome this inadequacy. Somehow this still remains in the outcome of CSW-58.
"Adoption of the landmark U.N. Security Council resolution 1325 boosted the essential value of women's participation. Its focus relates to each of the issues on every agenda of the U.N. There is a need for holistic thinking and not to compartmentalise development, peace, environment in the context of women's equality and empowerment," Ambassador Chowdhury said. "It is necessary that women's role in peace and security is considered as an essential element in post-2015 development agenda."
She said that in pre-CSW conversations, she heard the names of two possible candidates from Europe – whose turn it is to field candidates on the basis of geographical rotation – but both were men.
“The question is: Is the United Nations ready for a woman SG?” she asked.
Dr. Abigail E. Ruane, PeaceWomen Programme Manager at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), told IPS the biggest thing at the CSW session was support for a gender equality goal in the post-2015 development agenda and the integration of gender throughout the proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs).
She said the recognition of the link between conflict and development was also important because it is not one that is usually recognised.
Asked about the proposal for a woman SG, she said: “I didn’t hear any discussion of a woman SG in the sessions I participated in.”
Harriette Williams Bright, advocacy director of Femmes Africa Solidarite (FAS), also told IPS the various civil society and CSW sessions she attended did not bring up the discussion of a woman as the next SG.
Still, she said the commitment of the CSW to a stand-alone goal on gender equality is welcomed and “we are hopeful that member states will honour this commitment in the post-2015 development framework and allocate the resources and political will needed for concrete progress in the lives of women, particularly in situations of conflict.”
Antonia Kirkland, legal advisor at Equality Now, told IPS her organisation was heartened that U.N. member states were able to reach consensus endorsing the idea that gender equality, the empowerment of women and the human rights of women and girls must be addressed in any post-2015 development framework following the expiration of MDGs in 2015.
“Throughout the process there has been broad agreement that freedom from violence against women and girls and the elimination of child marriage and FGM must be achieved,” she said.
“Equality Now believes sex discriminatory laws, including those that actually promote violence against women and girls, should be repealed as soon as possible to really change harmful practices and social norms,” Kirkland added.
Cabrera-Balleza of GNWP said the call for a stand-alone goal on gender equality; women’s empowerment and human rights of women and girls; the elimination of FGM and honour crimes, child, early and forced marriages; protection of women and girls from violence; the protection of women human rights defenders; the integration of a gender perspective in environmental and climate change policies and humanitarian response to natural disasters; “are all reasons to celebrate.”
She regretted the CSW conclusions did not make a link between peace, development and the post-2015 agenda.
The earlier drafts of the Agreed Conclusions were much stronger in terms of defining this intersection, she noted.
“I hate to think delegates see peace and development and gender equality and women’s empowerment as disconnected issues or that peace is an easy bargaining chip. …that there is no text on the intersection of peace, security and development defies logic,” she said. “How can we have development without peace and how can we have peace without development?”
Cabrera-Balleza pointed out that “even as we hold governments accountable to respond to this gap, we need to have a serious dialogue among ourselves too as civil society actors – across issues, across different thematic agendas.”
In a statement released Monday, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) said that while the MDGs resulted in a reduction of poverty in some respects, the goals furthest from being achieved are those focused on women and girls – particularly on achieving gender equality and improving maternal health.
Executive Director of U.N. Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said the agreement represents a milestone toward a transformative global development agenda that puts the empowerment of women and girls at its centre.
She said member states have stressed that while the MDGs have advanced progress in many areas, they remain unfinished business as long as gender inequality persists.
As the Commission rightly points out, she said, funding in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment remains inadequate.
Investments in women and girls will have to be significantly stepped up. As member states underline, this will have a multiplier effect on sustained economic growth, she declared.
At the conclusion of the session, CSW Chair Ambassador Libran Cabactulan of the Philippines said “it is critical, important and urgent to appreciate every tree in the forest, and have an agreement on how big, how tall or how fat each tree.
“At the same time, we need to be mindful of the entire forest,” she added, pointing out that “the absence of peace and security in the discourse on post-2015 agenda does not make a whole forest.”
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Who was there!
More than 6000 representatives from 860 civil society
organizations have registered for CSW58. Nearly 135 events have been organized
by UN agencies at UN Headquarters in New York, alongside the official meetings
of the Commission, as well as more than 300 parallel events hosted by the NGO
community close to the UN premises.
Links to Official Documents
Link to the Official Statement of the International Council of Women
E/CN.6/2014/3 Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/4 Progress in mainstreaming a gender perspective in the development, implementation and evaluation of national policies and programmes, with a particular focus on the priority theme. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/5 Discussion guide for the high-level round table on the priority theme. Note by the Secretariat E/CN.6/2014/6 The situation of, and assistance to, Palestinian women. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/7 Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/8 * A/HRC/26/17 Report of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on the activities of the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women
E/CN.6/2014/9 Letter from the President of the Economic and Social Council to the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women
E/CN.6/2014/10 Input to the 2014 ECOSOC high-level segment. Note by the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/11 Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/12 Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS. Report of the Secretary-General E/CN.6/2014/13 Gender equality and the empowerment of women in natural disasters. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/14 Ways and means to further enhance the impact of the work of the Commission on the Status of Women. Report of the Secretary-General
- See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw58-2014/official-documents#sthash.z50TA7jO.dpuf
E/CN.6/2014/3 Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/4 Progress in mainstreaming a gender perspective in the development, implementation and evaluation of national policies and programmes, with a particular focus on the priority theme. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/5 Discussion guide for the high-level round table on the priority theme. Note by the Secretariat E/CN.6/2014/6 The situation of, and assistance to, Palestinian women. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/7 Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/8 * A/HRC/26/17 Report of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on the activities of the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women
E/CN.6/2014/9 Letter from the President of the Economic and Social Council to the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women
E/CN.6/2014/10 Input to the 2014 ECOSOC high-level segment. Note by the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/11 Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/12 Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS. Report of the Secretary-General E/CN.6/2014/13 Gender equality and the empowerment of women in natural disasters. Report of the Secretary-General
E/CN.6/2014/14 Ways and means to further enhance the impact of the work of the Commission on the Status of Women. Report of the Secretary-General
- See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw58-2014/official-documents#sthash.z50TA7jO.dpuf
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Statement by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the outcome of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women
Date: 22 March 2014
UN Women welcomes the outcome of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The agreement represents a milestone towards a transformative global development agenda that puts the empowerment of women and girls at its centre. Member States have stressed that while the Millennium Development Goals have advanced progress in many areas, they remain unfinished business as long as gender inequality persists. The clear analysis of Member States on the shortcomings in the design and implementation of the MDGs provides us with valuable guidance as the international community devises a comprehensive post-2015 agenda.
As the Commission points out, structural inequalities such as persistent gender pay gaps, women’s disproportionate share of unpaid care work, low levels of women in decision-making and the persistence of discriminatory attitudes, norms and legal frameworks impede progress. I commend the Commission for identifying critical issues that were not sufficiently addressed by the MDGs and calling for measures to address these. Notably, Member States highlight the pandemic of violence against women and girls that affects women and girls worldwide. The Commission also points to the urgent need to fully ensure women’s access to opportunities and resources, including quality education, control and ownership of land and other productive assets, as well as women’s sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and recommends taking steps, including temporary special measures, to achieve women’s full participation in public- and private-sector decision-making.
The safety, human rights and empowerment of women are pivotal in the post-2015 debate. UN Women is encouraged by the call of a large number of Member States for a stand-alone sustainable development goal that addresses these issues. This will require political will, backed up by commensurate resources. As the Commission rightly points out, funding in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment remains inadequate. Investments in women and girls will have to be significantly stepped up. As Member States underline, this will have a multiplier effect on sustained economic growth. We know that equality for women means progress for all. Through the development of a comprehensive roadmap for the future, we have the opportunity to realize this premise and promise. The 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women has given important impetus to making equality between men and women a reality. - See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/3/executive-director-statement-on-csw58-outcome#sthash.vnVMLup4.dpuf
UN Women welcomes the outcome of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The agreement represents a milestone towards a transformative global development agenda that puts the empowerment of women and girls at its centre. Member States have stressed that while the Millennium Development Goals have advanced progress in many areas, they remain unfinished business as long as gender inequality persists. The clear analysis of Member States on the shortcomings in the design and implementation of the MDGs provides us with valuable guidance as the international community devises a comprehensive post-2015 agenda.
As the Commission points out, structural inequalities such as persistent gender pay gaps, women’s disproportionate share of unpaid care work, low levels of women in decision-making and the persistence of discriminatory attitudes, norms and legal frameworks impede progress. I commend the Commission for identifying critical issues that were not sufficiently addressed by the MDGs and calling for measures to address these. Notably, Member States highlight the pandemic of violence against women and girls that affects women and girls worldwide. The Commission also points to the urgent need to fully ensure women’s access to opportunities and resources, including quality education, control and ownership of land and other productive assets, as well as women’s sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and recommends taking steps, including temporary special measures, to achieve women’s full participation in public- and private-sector decision-making.
The safety, human rights and empowerment of women are pivotal in the post-2015 debate. UN Women is encouraged by the call of a large number of Member States for a stand-alone sustainable development goal that addresses these issues. This will require political will, backed up by commensurate resources. As the Commission rightly points out, funding in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment remains inadequate. Investments in women and girls will have to be significantly stepped up. As Member States underline, this will have a multiplier effect on sustained economic growth. We know that equality for women means progress for all. Through the development of a comprehensive roadmap for the future, we have the opportunity to realize this premise and promise. The 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women has given important impetus to making equality between men and women a reality. - See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/3/executive-director-statement-on-csw58-outcome#sthash.vnVMLup4.dpuf
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Summary Report by Vi Andersen, NCWC Delegate
The
following report will summarize Vi Andersen's experiences at the Parallel and Side Events
at the UN CSW58:
Monday,
March 10, 2014 Opening
Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon of the United Nations addressed the Commission on the Status of Women. His
message encompassed gender equality, empowerment of women and leadership as
forefront measures of our work in the 21st century. Huge gaps remain
for marginalized groups throughout the world in inadequate sanitation, child
mortality and acts of violence against women and girls. Following the Beijing
Platform for Action, there is only now less than two years left to “champion
all rights of women and girls”.
Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under Secretary / Executive Director of UN Women, also
defined how “equality for women is progress for all”. Although progress remains
slow, we also see a lack of progress in our countries, especially in rural and
indigenous areas. She reminded us that “Today will be better than yesterday;
tomorrow will be better than today.”
NGO
Regional Caucuses: North America/Europe
The defining of
terminology on the key elements of the Draft Agreed Conclusions for the 58th
Session of the United Nations Commission for the recommitment of governments to
the Beijing Platform, other agreements and conventions ensued. Susan O’Malley,
International Federation of Business and Professional Women, and Jeanne
Sarson, International Federation of
University Women, and Pierette Pape lead the discussion and addressed concerns
raised by NGOs attending. The NA/EUR revisions were posted and ongoing
revisions made. Over the week, violence was added to the document as one of the
areas of high concern to further define the acts against women as violent aggression
against women to give law makers further clout in enacting laws against perpetrators
of these acts.
Side Event: Lessons
Learned in Country: How to End Child, Early and Forced Marriage hosted by Canada, Malawi, Zambia, PLAN International. Kelly Leitch,
Minister responsible for the Status of Women Canada, spoke on the negative
impact of the early and forced marriages of young women and heralded Canada’s
efforts to be a driving force in changes in countries like Malawi and Zambia concerning
these issues. Canada has given $5.5 million in aid to assist in the efforts to
overcome early and forced marriages in these countries. A young fifteen year old
speaker from Malawi described her friend’s termination of school at the age of
9 to be married to a twenty-one year old man. She stated it was a forced
disempowerment of all her rights, of her own body, education and future. Her friend was forced to
bear children before her body had matured well enough to do so. This practice
often leads to maternal or child mortality. It was fundamentally an issue of
children having children. Through education and group empowerment provided by
aid funds, families can realize alternative ways to overcome low income
disparities in their countries other than with dowries to combat poverty.
Canada and PLAN International are working on the ground in Malawi and Zambia to
affect change.
Thursday,
March 13, 2014
International
Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Briefing: Women and
Water and Female Genital Mutilation were key issues that IFBPW would carry
forward from this session.
Side
Event: Permanent Mission of Zambia to
the UN and Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health: Putting Women and
Girls at the Center of the Development Agenda: Sexual and Reproductive Health
and Rights and Achieving Sustainable Development
Rural and middle
income females on average are married by the age of eighteen but many pre-teen
girls are also married. All girls of reproductive & prereproductive age are
facing reproduction, abortion, high mortality rates and HIV and sexually
transmitted infections especially between ages of fifteen and nineteen.
Questions remains…”Why are these issues so difficult to articulate? At what age
do we provide education on reproduction and sexual rights?”
Zambian speaker,
Chibaula sounded hopeful with her statement, “every woman, every child road
map” will set the course for staff and training, access to family planning,
health plans and a campaign to end marriage before appropriate sexual age. Post
2015 roadmap plans are to be implemented within legal framework. “Women are a
valuable asset to Sustainable Development Goals and therefore, at the top of
the agenda…”gender equality is to be mainstreamed”.
Parallel
Event: Is Prostitution Sex Work? When Terminology and Legalization Collide with
Human Rights!
Executive
Director of the Coalition of Trafficking Intervention
“Little girls do not
daydream about being prostituted when they grow up!” A coalition of women who
had been engaged in prostitution shared their stories of the time when they
were introduced to it. Stories varied from getting income from stripping to go
to college, to being coerced as young children or being given by their families
to the johns as young adolescents.
Prostitution rings have increased in number since 1990 due to an ever
increasing male demand. It constitutes
the rise in human trafficking from eastern countries, indigenous communities
and cities globally. The terminology, both street and legal, used is
detrimental to the overall realization that it is not work….prostitution is not
sex “work”. This linguistic twist has everything to do with harm to women and
girls. These women deal with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sexually
transmitted diseases and illness similar to post war Afghanistan veteran cases.
Bottom line is that the linguistics is confusing and conveys prostitutes as
workers conveyed in laws which reflect that disparity. Therefore, the Nordic
Model and Minnesota Safe Harbour Law are viable approaches that provide exit
strategies for the women and girls, structure for the mechanisms in which law
can be tailored to assist women and girls caught in the rings of prostitution
and support to the women and girls as they transition. Language that shows that
prostitution is a “crime of victimization” is key to making changes in
mainstream thinking and laws.
Parallel
Event: Silent Survivors: Using Theatre to Break the Silence
Ping Chong + Company
Baha’is of the United States (Natural Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the
U.S.), Values Caucus
Ping Chong + Company
sponsored by Baha’is of US use the median of theatre to facilitate the process
of recovery from trauma as survivors of sexual abuse during childhood. In a film
survivors narrate their stories and play out a circle drama. The effectiveness
of using theatre and drama as the medians of this work is positive and provides
a venue for safety, trust and healing through therapy to happen.
Overall, the sessions
I attended were reinforcing the messages that I had already experienced in my
training through Women’s Studies, experience working in some of these areas
such as HIV, Women’s Shelters and work with youth at risk. Each session
provided a broader and more comprehensive view of the efforts that are needed
to move towards equality, and empowerment of women to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals and to move into having Sustainable Development Goals
worldwide. It would be a very powerful experience to be able to attend in 2015
twenty years after the Beijing Platform for Action.
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