Applaus voor NGO's

De middag sessie van dag één van de CSW bestond uit een high-level roundtable over 'financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women'. Gezien de overweldigende belangstelling, er zijn meer dan vijf duizend NGO deelnemers naast de officiële delegaties, werd de roundtable over twee grote zalen verdeeld, met elk plaats voor meer dan vijf honderd deelnemers. Zoals de rangorde van de VN vereist krijgen ministers als eerste het woord, vervolgens de nationale delegatie leiders, diplomaten bij de VN of binnengevlogen ambtenaren. Als uitsmijter mochten enkele van te voren geselecteerde VN instellingen en NGO's in drie minuter een statement uitbrengen. Hivos was één van de drie NGO's. De instructie voor interventies was helder. Geen statements van papier voor lezen, maar juist proactief, elkaar bevragen en becommentarieren. Het werd een uiterst saaie, slaapverwekkende sessie, met opsommingen over nationale inspanningen of intenties en over, financiële bestedingen voor emancipatie. Alleen de Zuidafrikaanse, Nieuw-Zeelandse, Canadese, Turkse en Britse delegaties waren concreet, to the point en ambitieus. Tijdens het laatste half uur kwamen de NGO's aan het woord, eerst Hivos en daarna Hivos partner DAWN. We kregen beiden een applaus voor onze interventies. Als enigen die middag! Door een gelukkige toeval zaten Peggy Antrobus van DAWN en ik achter de Zuidafrikaanse delegatie. Zanele Mbeki kwam ons na afloop bedanken en vroeg zich af waarom ze twee en een half uur had moeten wachte voor er eindelijk iets zinnigs werd gezegd. Of ik mijn speech maar naar haar wilde opsturen.

Ireen Dubel - Hivos

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