Summary
With 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 UN Women hosted the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 68 at the UN Headquarters in New York from March 11–22. CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The principal output of the CSW is the agreed conclusions on priority themes set for each year. While representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited NGOs worldwide are invited to side events at UN CSW, many activists and organizations participate in gatherings that run parallel to the UN CSW via the NGO CSW68 Forum.
As a representative of ESJF, an ECOSOC-accredited NGO, Sung participated in the CSW68 in person during its first week. In addition to many side and parallel events, Sung attended the CSW68 Town Hall Meeting with Secretary-General António Guterres and Civil Society, where Guterres said that gender equality is a question of power and that a woman’s worker voice is a woman’s power. Noting the ineffectiveness of the Security Council, he emphasized the important role of civil society that offers valuable on-the-ground perspectives to a multi-lateral system. Sung was invited to the US Mission to the UN, where all panelists emphasized the importance of financing care structure as an effective mechanism to bring gender equality.
Among the many moving side events, those that relate closer to ESJF’s focus areas were given by activists from Palestine and Afghanistan. Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan journalist and women’s rights activist, who reported catastrophic poverty impacting Afghan women and girls said, “We’re losing Afghanistan. What do your countries want Afghanistan to be? Beggars?” She added that two years after the U.S. hastily withdrew from her country, sons and grandsons in Afghanistan today ignore and disrespect girls and women, including their mothers and grandmothers. Even elderly female figures in the family have become objects of disdain and discrimination. She ended her speech with a comment: “What’s happening in Afghanistan is worse than apartheid; it’s a complete erasure of women and girls.”
Addressing social and environmental protection for women and girls against poverty, Minister of Women Affairs of the State of Palestine, H.E. Dr. Amal Hamad, reported that out of more than 30,000 people killed in the past 5 months, 37 mothers are killed a day, adding to the collective killing of children that continues daily in Gaza. She said, “Words don’t save us. Be on the right side of history!”
Speaking on the important role of civil society and collaboration between the U.S. government and civil society, the US Women’s Caucus (USWC) hosted an in-person parallel event, “Strengthening Ties Between the US and the UN CSW” on March 15. After an introduction of USWC’s work by Susan Lee and Pam Perraud, president and vice president, respectively, Leslie Wright, former chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in NY, discussed the relationship of the U.S. to the CSW process of Agreed Conclusions and offered her invaluable experiences and insights. Then on March 19, USWC hosted an online event, “Who’s Minding the Kids? U.S. Childcare as Vital Infrastructure.” On March 14, Pam Perraud gave a great statement at the Civil Society Briefing at the UN Headquarters in NY. She gave the Caucus priorities for this CSW and stated that we know what advances gender equality, and now it's time for action and accountability. At USWC, Sung serves as the feminist foreign policy director.
Another empowering parallel event Sung attended was hosted by Equality Now. With the theme “US Economic Inequality: The Equal Rights Amendment—Catalyst for Change,” panelists discussed reasons why the U.S. needs the Equal Rights Amendment in the context of economic security. At the end of the day, everyone would benefit from ERA, especially those who have been disadvantaged historically and systematically. For CSW68 Agreed Conclusions or those in the past, click here.
As a representative of ESJF, an ECOSOC-accredited NGO, Sung participated in the CSW68 in person during its first week. In addition to many side and parallel events, Sung attended the CSW68 Town Hall Meeting with Secretary-General António Guterres and Civil Society, where Guterres said that gender equality is a question of power and that a woman’s worker voice is a woman’s power. Noting the ineffectiveness of the Security Council, he emphasized the important role of civil society that offers valuable on-the-ground perspectives to a multi-lateral system. Sung was invited to the US Mission to the UN, where all panelists emphasized the importance of financing care structure as an effective mechanism to bring gender equality.
Among the many moving side events, those that relate closer to ESJF’s focus areas were given by activists from Palestine and Afghanistan. Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan journalist and women’s rights activist, who reported catastrophic poverty impacting Afghan women and girls said, “We’re losing Afghanistan. What do your countries want Afghanistan to be? Beggars?” She added that two years after the U.S. hastily withdrew from her country, sons and grandsons in Afghanistan today ignore and disrespect girls and women, including their mothers and grandmothers. Even elderly female figures in the family have become objects of disdain and discrimination. She ended her speech with a comment: “What’s happening in Afghanistan is worse than apartheid; it’s a complete erasure of women and girls.”
Addressing social and environmental protection for women and girls against poverty, Minister of Women Affairs of the State of Palestine, H.E. Dr. Amal Hamad, reported that out of more than 30,000 people killed in the past 5 months, 37 mothers are killed a day, adding to the collective killing of children that continues daily in Gaza. She said, “Words don’t save us. Be on the right side of history!”
Speaking on the important role of civil society and collaboration between the U.S. government and civil society, the US Women’s Caucus (USWC) hosted an in-person parallel event, “Strengthening Ties Between the US and the UN CSW” on March 15. After an introduction of USWC’s work by Susan Lee and Pam Perraud, president and vice president, respectively, Leslie Wright, former chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in NY, discussed the relationship of the U.S. to the CSW process of Agreed Conclusions and offered her invaluable experiences and insights. Then on March 19, USWC hosted an online event, “Who’s Minding the Kids? U.S. Childcare as Vital Infrastructure.” On March 14, Pam Perraud gave a great statement at the Civil Society Briefing at the UN Headquarters in NY. She gave the Caucus priorities for this CSW and stated that we know what advances gender equality, and now it's time for action and accountability. At USWC, Sung serves as the feminist foreign policy director.
Another empowering parallel event Sung attended was hosted by Equality Now. With the theme “US Economic Inequality: The Equal Rights Amendment—Catalyst for Change,” panelists discussed reasons why the U.S. needs the Equal Rights Amendment in the context of economic security. At the end of the day, everyone would benefit from ERA, especially those who have been disadvantaged historically and systematically. For CSW68 Agreed Conclusions or those in the past, click here.