WO=MEN in New York

  Photo: Facilitation team (Liliane Nkunzimana, Lopa Banerjee, Nadia van der Linde, Ivy Koek) What do you think about when you hear countries are committed to 'revitalize' the UN Commission on the  Status of Women (CSW)? "Oh, is it dying?" is one of the responses I've gotten, as if the CSW is holding on to its last straws at the moment, in desparate need of resuscitation. The challenges ahead for the current multilateral system, as well as for many of our national governments, are huge. In order to give gender equality and the rights of all women and girls a bit more of a boost, UN Women has been encouraging countries to commit to a process to 'revitalize' the CSW. And now that this has indeed been taken on board by governments from around the world in the recent Pact for the Future, the conversation is moving to: So what does that mean? During the NGO Forum in Geneva that took place just prior to the UNECE Beijing+30 Regional Review in October 2024 I co-f...

Gespreksleider Philippo laat Dubel's Beijingpas uit 1995 zien In een sfeervolle bijeenkomst in de Atria bibliotheek in hartje Amsterdam brachten we vier bijzondere vrouwen met elkaar in gesprek over de blijvende relevantie (of niet?) van de Beijing conferentie, nu 30 jaar geleden. Terwijl een divers publiek hen verwachtingsvol aankeek, stelde gespreksleider Lisa Philippo van jongerenorganisatie CHOICE for Youth & Sexuality hen de vraag: Waarom is de boodschap van Beijing ook nu nog steeds zo relevant?   Het gesprek was onderdeel van de kick-off bijeenkomst georganiseerd door WO=MEN en Atria om aandacht te vragen en gezamenlijk voor te bereiden op aankomende internationale processen gericht op gendergelijkheid en rechten van vrouwen en meisjes. De vier sprekers waren allemaal bij de Vierde Wereldvrouwenconferentie geweest in China in 1995, tegenwoordige vooral aangeduid met de naam van de stad waar het plaats vond: Beijing. Althans, de meesten deden alleen mee aan he...

Non-violent movements are effective agents of political and social change. The greater participation of women and their leadership in such movements results in the maintenance of non-violent discipline, greater success and the achievement of more gender inclusive results . It is therefore crucial to support women’s involvement and leadership in non-violent movements as part of supporting women’s political and social participation in peace building and processes. On the 19th of March, Berghof , SIHA , UPP , and PAX organized an official virtual parallel event as part of the 68th session of the Commission of the Status of Women . Three leading feminist peace activists and distinguished researchers from Syria, Sudan, and Iraq offered their insights on women’s inclusion in non-violent movements, the role of external actors in supporting women’s leadership and insider mediation in these settings. Women’s impact on non-violent movements Zahra Hayder, a leading Sudanese activist, opened the f...

Artemis with the Nelson Mandela statue at the UN "This was the 3rd year for me to actually be AT the CSW in New York. Every year, I wonder, before I go, but also when I am there, whether it is useful that I am at the CSW in person. But then I get to work, as a lobbyist and poser of hard questions (a good Jewish tradition I share with the queen of Sheba) and I find that yes, it actually does make a difference that I am present. Come to think of it, every Dutch representative of any of the NGOs that travel to the CSW, or are at any of the other meetings in the Netherlands (UN NAP1325, to name just one) knows that it makes a difference I am there. They also know that I will manage to grab the microphone and ask my thought provoking questions, make government officials and cabinet members of the Netherlands, the Nordic Council, Mexico, or any other government side event that I walk into, THINK. Think whether their idea of Women’s Work, Women’s Place in the World, Women’s Contribution ...

Photo: Hadija Suleiman The biggest gathering of the United Nations on gender equality and women’s rights, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), took place from March 11 to 22. Over 7,000 people from all over the world gathered in New York to discuss the 2024 priority theme: “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” This years’ negotiations were a nail biter. Towards the end, everyone was on the edge of their seats not knowing whether there would even be a resolution document. After a week of painstaking negotiations to reach consensus on how to achieve the theme, Nigeria almost blocked the adoption of the resolution document for reasons that weren’t made known. But Mexico and Cuba made a strong case for adopting the text, and the Dutch government, a strong proponent of feminist foreign policy, played a central role in this complex pro...

Op 15 maart 2024 presenteerde de Nederlandse Vrouwen Raad het online parallel event ‘Stop gender gerelateerd geweld: adresseer vrouwenarmoede en afhankelijkheid’ tijdens de Commission on the Status of Women 2024. Lewi Vogelpoel, strategisch adviseur van de Nederlandse Vrouwen Raad, vertegenwoordiger van VNVA (lidorganisatie van de Nederlandse Vrouwen Raad) en medeorganisator van het event, schreef een korte terugblik: Single Supermom had een waardevolle bijdrage met drie sprekers. Floris Brussaard deelde zijn persoonlijke kijk op hoe het is voor een kind om in armoede te leven. We hebben geleerd dat het helpen van ouders bij het opbouwen van een economisch onafhankelijk bestaan effectiever is dan alleen het geven van geschenken aan de kinderen. Isra Lee, oprichter en directeur van Single SuperMom, legde uit hoe en waarom zij het grootste netwerk voor alleenstaande ouders heeft opgebouwd en het belang ervan. En Bram Hodes, beleidsadviseur van Single SuperMom, besprak de mondiale status ...

Anila Noor at the CSW68 On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, amidst escalating global crises, the United Nations hosted a pivotal discussion on advancing gender equality and women's empowerment within the context of poverty and migration. Organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and co-sponsored by esteemed partners including the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations, and UN Women, the event brought together key stakeholders to address pressing issues facing migrant women worldwide. Critical Question At the heart of the dialogue was a critical question: What systemic inequalities contribute most to migrant women's poverty, and how can organizations collaborate effectively to address them? With a focus on promoting gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches to poverty reduction and migration, participants aimed to chart a course towards greater equity and justice...

Lo oking back on two  busy weeks at the 68th Commi ssion on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, I’m happy to see that sexual and reproductive health and rights was recognised as key to combat poverty, especially for women and girls. During difficult negotiations against a ticking clock, Member States worked towards commitments to accelerate gender equality. This year, the CSW focused on addressing poverty and strengthening financial institutions. Working towards commitments Almost 200 Member States gathered to discuss these topics, working towards global commitments that all states could agree on. A tough task, considering the many opposing views on – amongst others – human rights, discrimination and sexual and reproductive health and rights. To make things even more complicated, discussions had to take place in a limited time due to the new restricted working hours at the United Nations. Where in previous years negotiations could go on until ...

  On Tuesday March 19 2024, the alliance Politica, a collaboration between four organisations with the aim to expand political representation of women in all their diversity in the Netherlands, organised an online session in the NGO CSW68 Forum called:  ‘Making Political Participation Work Worldwide!’  In the session we discussed the representation of women in the political systems of the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Mexico. During a lively session we learned about best practices and brilliant failures in these countries, such as a gender quota. The Netherlands needs more attention for women role models “ If you don't have a seat at the table, there's someone sitting in your chair,” according to Devika Partiman, founder and director of Stem op een Vrouw (Vote for a Woman). Women are still underrepresented in Dutch politics. This applies to all political levels, from municipal councils to the national parliament. But why? Devika introduced the results of Politica’s ...

Photo: Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality Fiji The Women’s Rights Caucus (WRC)—a global intersectional feminist coalition of more than 400 organizations, networks, and individuals that advocates for gender equality at the United Nations—welcomes the adoption of the CSW agreed conclusions around the theme, “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”. The outcome of the conference marks the renewal of a global commitment to achieving inclusive gender equality and continued multilateral support to advance the human rights of women and girls in all their diversity. In a press conference held before the adoption of the agreed conclusions on Friday, members of the WRC laid out their CSW68 priorities, which include economic justice, specifically concerning tax, debt and trade, climate justice, and gender justice, including sexual...

  Left to right: Sascha Gabizon (WECF Executive Director), Hira Amjad (Founder and Executive Director DASTAK Foundation), Rebecca Heuvelmans (WECF Advocacy and Campaigning Officer/Moderator) It is often said that everybody has the same number of hours in a day, but is that really the case? Time is one of our most precious resources.  But in our patriarchal societies, the time of women and girls – in all their diversity – is not valued equally, as they are disproportionately tasked with time consuming care responsibilities. . This includes, for example, gendered tasks such as collecting firewood or water, which for the large majority is done by women and girls, preventing them from enjoying education or pursuing paid employment. These hours of unpaid work often remain hidden, yet we know they will further increase given the exacerbating effects of climate change. Between 10 and 22 March, the world’s governments met at the United Nations for the largest gathering on women’s empo...