We’ve had a full second week of CSW and again want to share some impressions with you. A more in-depth analysis will follow in our newsletter in April.
It was a privilege to attend CSW70 in person. In these times of uncertainty, I appreciate such amazing access, with the added bonus of meeting ICUUW members who I had only chatted with online before. Here we are gathering after a session at the UN.
The two NGOCSW|NY co-chairs provided informative summary briefings, and they hosted a reception where we enjoyed fun and camaraderie, a wonderful banquet, a DJ for intergenerational dancing, good conversations and laughs.
After arriving home, I was still able to attend via UN Web TV and participate in Zoom sessions. The ICUUW sessions were extremely informative and thought-provoking, plus well attended. If you’ve missed them, make sure you catch recordings of these sessions. Both Carmen and Beth (and all the behind-the-scenes organizers) deserve a big round of applause for their professionalism in highlighting these issues and providing visibility to ICUUW. -- Gail
During my four days in New York this year, attending my fifth CSW, I learned more about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and how to pursue adoption in my hometown (Cities for CEDAW), the Crimes Against Humanity Treaty and how it encompasses so much more than genocide, especially relating to women. I participated in our hybrid event Women Defenders and Environmental Justice, brilliantly organized by Carmen and Maureen. The synergy amongst the presenters and attendees from 19 countries was energizing and inspiring.
When not in New York, it was gratifying to be able to zoom in to our event Love Your Neighbor: Helping Refugees in Morally Challenging Times moderated by Beth (powerful!) as well as three other sessions.
One personal bonus: Discovery of the Drew Room in the Church Center! Students from Drew University meet here, just as we did when I participated in Drew University’s Semester at the United Nations in 1966 (we met across the street in what is now the UN Visitor Center). Sixty Years Ago! That experience formed the basis for why I now come for CSW every year with ICUUW. -- Julie
I sought out keys to success this week. My top three takeaways are:
- Knowledge is power, literally - getting women into positions of power (government, boards, starting NGOs, etc.) starts with educating girls, building confidence, and mentoring at every age.
- Small, grassroots organizations are extremely effective, often more so than larger ones, because their proximity to issues brings clarity and speed without bureaucratic weight - but coalition building (with other small or larger organizations) can fill gaps.
- Draw on your experience - perhaps the most effective programs come out of personal understanding rather than the desire to help. -- Allison (attending virtually from Greece)
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Many faith traditions call on us to welcome the stranger, especially those fleeing conflict and abuse. Our parallel event explored how communities of faith are supporting refugees and immigrants. The panelists from Romania, Canada and the US discussed three situations: war creating a sudden influx of refugees into a neighboring country (from Ukraine to Romania), the process and challenge of formally sponsoring an immigrant (from Rwanda to Canada), and when a safe country launches an aggressive deportation campaign (happening in the United States right now).
Our parallel event Love Your Neighbor: Helping Refugees and Immigrants in Morally Challenging Times is now available on our YouTube Channel. – Beth
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After four days in New York, I shifted to virtual sessions for the second week. In some ways the online events were even better than the in-person ones. You get a good look at the speaker, you can look them up on LinkedIn or find other information easily, as you watch. For the most part they are amazingly accomplished and interesting people, and most of the presentations are powerful.
The ICUUW event Love Your Neighbor: Helping Refugees in Morally Challenging Times was well attended and extremely good. I was riveted for the entire ninety minutes, and the session was technically flawless. Bravo! -- Gabor
A group of us attended an inspiring panel comprised of young women which focused on the theme Girls’ Voices: Without Us No Justice. The event sponsored by The Grail, an international NGO, brought together high school & college student speakers from Mexico, Mozambique, Paraguay, Portugal and the United States. They shared their experiences, explored systemic barriers faced by girls and proposed pathways in achieving justice within their communities. -- Barbara
Fearless Barbara hailing us a taxi so we could attend the Grail event – picture by Cindy
During my time at CSW I reflected on the many challenges to progress that we are facing. I heard several activists comment that they were feeling increasingly cynical about some of the processes at CSW, and I think it is good to look at things with a critical eye. Hearing terms like "the NGO industrial complex" that controls the narrative and ends up maintaining the status quo resonated with me. I hope that as we grow as an organization, we can keep those thoughts in mind and never get complacent. -- Karen
Shortly before CSW, ICUUW had signed on to a declaration advancing gender justice in the Crimes Against Humanity Convention. At CSW I attended a workshop that convinced me that ICUUW needs to get involved in the deliberations that will happen during the next three years until the work on the convention concludes with a legally binding instrument in 2029. Together with other organizations from civil society, we can work on strengthening the language against gender-based violence. -- Tina
The high point of this CSW for me was watching the hours-long exchange on our WhatsApp chat: there was on-going conversation among attendees in four US states, the island of Antigua, Greece, and Romania. They were helping each other with sign-on and other problems, exchanging information about various parallel events, and discussing the CSW closing plenary. This is what a global organization looks like! -- Rev Carol
Best greetings from the ICUUW UN Advocacy Committee!
