By: Justine Gitanjali Senapati, CSJ.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is one of the major UN conferences. It was established in 1946 as a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is one of the principal global intergovernmental bodies exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women, promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender issues.
This Commission takes place every year for two full weeks. The UN Member States, Civil Society Organizations and the private sectors are the key players for its continuity. It takes a leading role in monitoring and reviewing progress and problems in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and in mainstreaming a gender perspective in UN activities. Now after 2015, it is committed to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Member States agree on further actions to accelerate progress and promote women’s enjoyment of their rights in political, economic and social fields. The outcomes and recommendations of each session are forwarded to ECOSOC for follow-up. UN Women supports all aspects of the Commission’s work. The entity also facilitates the participation of civil society representatives. The Commission adopts work program of multi-year to appraise progress. These recommendations take the form of negotiated agreed conclusions on a priority theme. So for 2017, the priority theme was “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work”.
Great number of registrations (mostly women) takes place for this commission every year. This year it had 8000 registrations and nearly 4000 participated. During the session, New York City and the UN premises remains colorful as the women appear with their traditional attire representing the different parts of the world. The hotels, restaurants, subways, pedestrian and UN become packed during this period and broadens one’s horizon in understanding the local issues in a global arena.
The Sisters of St. Joseph (Canada & US) are closely associated with UN initiatives since 1970’s. The Congregations of St. Joseph enjoys a General Consultative Status at UN with relation to the Economic and Social Council since 1999. This allows us to have our place at UN’s table for most of the important international discussions and negotiations for a policy change initiatives. As women religious, our members remain committed worldwide to promote gender equality and rights of women and girls in every sphere of life and ministry.
The 16 young women from US St. Joseph Workers Program (SJW) have participated the CSW 61 along with five sisters and justice coordinators (Canada & US) from 13-17 March 2017. This year there were more that 400 side events or parallel events organized by the UN members States and the Civil Society Organizations. These events are separate from the main agenda for the UN CSW and the meetings go on at the same time inside and outside of the UN building. The CSJ UN NGO was happy to organize a half day educative program, particularly for the young women. Eva Richter, one of the experienced NGO colleagues in the field of CSW and Migration briefed the group about the history, goal, objectives of CSW and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Sr. Marianne Sennick CSJ explained the group the importance of this Commission and our presence at UN as NGO with her proficiency on the UN and gender issues. The young women have benefited greatly during their stay here for a week long. Here are their few comments and reflections as described below.
Kiki Sykes described, “My time at the UN was nothing short of empowering. Walking through the hallowed halls of the UN building and surrounding myself for an entire week with brave women and men committed to the flourishing of all human beings, humbled and strengthened my spirit. I heard leaders grapple with how to shift social norms to promote the equality of all; I witnessed a 17-year old declare boldly to a crowd of hundreds that young women deserve more than an “and girls” clause in UN policy; I listened to a sex-trafficking survivor share her testimony; and I grappled with my housemates about how the family unit is the key place to promote a social consciousness that affirms the humanity of all. I left the UN CSW feeling emboldened by all the pink-hat-wearing heroes of the world and reinvigorated about my passion for social justice activism as a way of life. I left feeling ready and energized to return to my home in Minneapolis and fulfill Mother Teresa’s wise mission: “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”
Lil Morff wrote, “The UN Commission on the Status of Women was an experience. My time in New York gave me perspective on my home, and the status of women at the UN itself. An indigenous woman was denied access and that spoke volumes to my mind and heart. The intricate levels of oppression and denial can live anywhere. On the other hand, solidarity and hope are fostered in women here, too. There is much room for improvement at the UN, but all the work on place is still creating steady progress. This trip to the UN helped me see the broader picture of issues, both at home and globally. The UN taught me about myself, too. My pursuit of social justice has only deepened”.
This reflection came in from Mariana Arriaza, “I am honored to have been invited to represent the larger St. Joseph community at the United Nations. It was a great opportunity to have been witness to the extensive work of NGO’s, national and international. I have learned of the treaties and policies that would further achievements in economic empowerment, gender equality, and beyond. I’m ecstatic to have assembled with so many exceptional minds and plan to contribute what I’ve learned to my own communities. Thank you for this opportunity of a lifetime!”
Jessica Perham from Philadelphia wrote, “Today I realized the true importance of taking what should be a universal right and stepping into multiple viewpoints from outside my norm. Someone in the US fighting for human equality may take a much different route than someone in another country who desires the same outcome but may have more at risk when implementing the steps to get there. These are the viewpoints most decision makers choose to ignore, we do not all start at the same place therefore the same goal may look differently from the outside. If the real problem isn’t placed right in front of you it becomes a back burner issue. The conversations held at the UN are pertinent to the discussion revolving around these issues all over the world and this education needs to continue for the generations to come”.
I as CSJ UN NGO representative was very happy personally to have 16 young women from US St. Joseph Workers Program (SJW) during the commission. I am hopeful for our future presence at UN with our legacy as Sisters of St. Joseph. I was encouraged to see the passion and enthusiasm of our young women. Every minute was so precious to them. I recalled the concerns and recommendations of the CSJ’s Justice Peace Integrity of Creation (JPIC) gathering at Florida in 2016 on perspective of gender. Our ideas are already falling to place through these young women (SJW) who are committed to promote and protect the dignity and rights of women and girls through their ministry. And we in our part as members bring this consciousness in our ministry of justice as way of life and systemic change in the place where we live and minister.