CSW67: She Leads UN Youth Cohort

As part of the She Leads partnership, composed of Plan International, Terre des Hommes, The African Women's Development and Communications Network (FEMNET), DCI and ECPAT, a UN Youth Advocacy Cohort was established. Fifteen girls and young women from 9 countries* in Africa and the MENA region were selected to participate in it and advocate for girls’ rights and gender equality.

Between July 2022 and July 2023 the girls and young women from the She Leads UN Youth Cohort are working on capacity strengthening and sharing, identifying and accessing advocacy opportunities, as well as collecting evidence to underscore their lobby asks.

The members of the Youth Cohort have been convening bi-weekly in preparation for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67). Additionally, the girls and young women have had meetings with missions in Geneva and New York, UN special mandate holders, their national governments and with youth advocates from other countries.

Based on their learnings and stories collected from their network and their own experiences, the girls formulated 11 recommendations for which they demand member states to be accountable during and after CSW67 in New York between 6 and 17 March 2023.

Photo: Sebnem Kenis of Plan International presents recommendations to the Dutch delegation

Through a peer selection process, three girls were selected to participate at CSW67 in-person, representing the full youth cohort. After the CSW, they will work on Geneva based Human Rights Council (HRC) opportunities.

The recommendations made by the UN Youth Cohort acknowledge the benefits and opportunities of digital technologies and spaces. However, governments have to be aware of and act on the fact that technology is not gender neutral. Therefore, the recommendations emphasize the gendered impact of digital technologies and spaces on women and girls in all their diversity and how it affects their digital access, digital literacy, (digital) education and occupations. Besides, when they do have access, but without proper measurements, laws and regulations, the risk of online and offline gender based violence increases.

Read the recommendations here.

By Sanne Nagelhout, Plan Nederland

*The 15 girls and young women are coming from 9 countries: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, Ghana, Lebanon and Jordan

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