Skip to main content

Where my boys at? At the CSW!


At the CSW we talk a lot about emerging issues that affect women and men around the world. We also talk about the emerging themes that come up in our field of work. The role of men and boys in the fight for gender equality and empowerment of women has become increasingly popular topic. The importance of engaging men and boys is now officially recognized in the political declaration and several outcome document of CSW over the last years.

Although the masculinities movement is not new at all, its visibility and the amount of attention for the role of men and boys is bigger than ever at this CSW. The room where the Panel discussion ‘The responsibility of men andboys in achieving gender equality' was held on Monday was bursting out of its seams.


Yesterday, Joni van de Sand, co-coordinator and advocacy manager of the MenEngageAlliance, presented the oral statement of the MenEngage Alliance. The statement lay bare the damaging effects of patriarchal norms and powerstructures for women and girls, as well as men and boys. It made an urgent call to overcome gender injustices that are induced by patriarchal norms. In the statement, Joni further stressed how MenEngage Alliance builds on the heritage of the feminist and women’s movement and how they will continue to work in solidarity and though being informed by the women’s movement. There was also a moment of self-reflection on the work that is being done with men and boys, the growing attention, and how to proceed:

‘There has been a lot of attention for engaging men and boys at this CSW. We welcome that. We welcome that the Political Declaration includes a paragraph. Overall, we hear a lot of excitement. However, projects are often small-scale and short-term. It is time to implement and scale-up. We are calling for institutionalization of work with men and boys in policies and programs – in schools, the work-place, and in creating an enabling environment at home.’

During the Panel on ‘Changing social norms to achieve gender equality - expectations and opportunities’ on Monday, Joni made an oral intervention on behalf of the MenEngage Alliance that was the result of a brainstorm with members at MenEngage Caucus. It was for the first time at CSW that this Caucus was formed and has been working together. The full oral intervention can be found here.

=Sanne Holtslag on behalf of WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform=
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Women’s Rights Caucus Statement – Protect Women and Girls by upholding the Beijing Declaration

  The Women’s Rights Caucus, representing over 900 feminist advocates from around the world, urges you to oppose the proposed US draft resolution entitled  “Protection of women and girls through appropriate terminology.” Despite the title, we do not feel protected nor represented by this initiative. Download this statement as pdf.   Download this statement in Spanish.   On the heels of the first-ever recorded vote on the agreed conclusions of the annual meetings of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and in complete disregard of the significant opposition their proposal got in the negotiation room, the United States has circulated a new resolution proposal which attempts to falsely state that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action agreed that  “gender” was defined as “men and women”. It attributes to annex IV of the Report of the Fourth World Conference of Women a meaning that was never agreed by Member States, effectively rewriting th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Women in Politics: Choosing between Ambition and Safety?

At the CSW69 NGO Forum's session Accelerating Progress By Addressing Barriers To Leadership And Democratic Participation examples of barriers for participation and programs and policies that promote inclusion where shared by speakers from Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.   Evidence shows that barriers such as limited access to mentors and networks, lack of flexible work arrangements, and harassment and discrimination all limit women's participation and advancement in leadership roles. “In a democratic society, it is necessary to display a fair distribution of men and women at all levels of decision-making,” Jenny Gulamani-Abdulla, Co-Founder of the Canadian Federation For Citizenship (CFC), shared. CFC works to ensure that all residents of Canada are embraced, included and respected as all Canadians to participate in Canada’s progress. According to her “participation is what leads to opportunities to lead” . Furthermore, she shared success stories about mentorsh...
Post a Comment
Read more

ARTivism for Change: Creativity as Resistance at CSW69

Artwork "Who can I trust with my story?" from ArtVism in Uganda During the 69th CSW, the Our Voices Our Futures (OVOF) consortium organised a creative ARTivism for Change space where bold protest sign-making, intimate film screenings, and thought-provoking feminist dialogues blended together. Over two days, March 12 and 13, 2025, artists, activists, and allies transformed the space into dynamic real-life canvases of empowerment, solidarity, and cultural and political resistance.   In the main space of the Blue Gallery participants engaged with various stations, including Button Making , Journaling with Art , Drawing , and Protest Sign Making . Participants moved between activities, creating powerful messages of resistance and hope. The creativity extended beyond the activities themselves. Access Denied The ACCESS DENIED campaign , initiated by WO=MEN, was set up to be a photo installation. It highlights the deep gap between the inclusive vision set forth at the 1995 Beijing ...
Post a Comment
Read more