WO=MEN in New York

  "Women’s right are in the reverse. I call for a reform of the system." This was the strong opening statement of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, during the townhall meeting with civil society on March 13th, 2023. During this CSW67 event, the UN General Secretary engaged with civil society to listen to their concerns, demands, and hopes for the future.  This blog provides a brief overview of the key points raised during the session.  (Technology Facilitated) Gender Based Violence (TFGBV) (TF)GBV was a reoccurring theme all throughout CSW67. It was also extensively discussed during the townhall meeting. There was an overall agreement among civil society that (TF)GBV is a serious problem and a core issue of gender inequality. (TF)GBV is carried out in both online and offline setting. Because of the severity of the problem, civil society wholeheartedly agreed that (TF)GBV needs to be a constant agenda point in future CSW sessions.        ...

A reflection of Rutgers Advocate Karin van der Velde on the 67th Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Looking back on a jam-packed Commission on the Status of Women, I am really pleased to see that digital tools have been recognised as a way to provide sexual and reproductive health information and education. Because whether we like it or not, all young people will at some point encounter potentially harmful (mis)information and images online. Preparing and supporting them to navigate these spaces safely and ensuring that they get the right information is paramount. Member States committed to take legal and criminal action to combat the use of tools such as social media and online platforms for the purpose of a.o. hate speech, harassment and any non-consensual sharing and manipulation of personal, sexually explicit content.  The pressure is now on for civil society to continue to lobby for the inclusion of digital learning in sexuality education curricula and methods in s...

On the last day of CSW67, the Women's Rights Caucus (WRC) held a virtual press conference. While the negotiations were still ongoing , in her opening remarks,   Katherine Olivera ( Fòs Feminista ) expressed hope for an outcome, Agreed Conclusions, to be adopted at the end of the day. We now know she was right, although it took until 4 am the next morning.         The press conference aimed to con vey clear messages from feminist organizations from all over the world to the UN and its M ember S tates . And t o emphasize there will be nothing about us without us .   Accessibility , accountability and transparency proved to be a pressing matter for all the speakers at the press conference.     Speeches     Joms Salvador - Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)   Joms Salvador is a Programme Organising Committee member of the APWLD and Vice Chairperson of GABRIELA , the biggest grassroots organisation o...