Countries around the world are marking the first International Day to End Obstetric Fistula today, 23 May 2013, in an effort to raise support and awareness of a devastating injury that can occur during childbirth. For more information check out the Campaign to End Fistula and watch a short video from UN TV here.
As the CSW58 priority theme is “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women and girls,” Ecumenical Women is focusing over the next few months on educating our online community about the MDGs and the ongoing “post-2015 dialogue” on what will follow their completion.
While you can find more basic information on the MDGs here and a summary of the post-2015 dialogue here, we did want to provide two specific updates on what is happening within the UN system this week:
“Who Will Be Accountable?: Human Rights and the Post-2015 Development Agenda“
Earlier today the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released a new publication discussing accountability toward ensuring human rights in the post-2015 development agenda. As stated in the publication’s foreword:
“…some of the most celebrated Millennium Development Goals success stories since 2000 are now sites of mass protest decrying widespread deprivation, repression and inequalities masked by the narrow models of economic analysis that have characterized development approaches in the pre-2015 period. The message is clear: economic growth is not an adequate measure of development. Rather, equality matters, the environment matters and human rights matter. So do good governance and anti-corruption. The real test, to a growing global population demanding a life of dignity, is the degree to which they are able to enjoy freedom from fear and want, without discrimination.
If you’re interested in learning more about the proposed “human rights approach” to global development instead of the primarily economic approach of the MDGs, be sure to check out the publication here.
Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals
The third session of the Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals opened today at UN headquarters in New York and will continue until this Friday, 24 May. This afternoon’s subject is “Food Security & Nutrition, Sustainable Agriculture, Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought,” and the importance of educating women farmers on sustainable agriculture practice was just mentioned, for example. You can watch a live webcast of the proceedings here. The Open Working Group on the SDGs is a main aspect of the post-2015 dialogue.
As the CSW58 priority theme is “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women and girls,” Ecumenical Women is focusing over the next few months on educating our online community about the MDGs and ongoing dialogue about what will follow their completion.
While our previous post summarized the many different facets and timelines of post-2015, a discussion of how the dialogue has progressed thus far is also important. In that regard, we hope you find the following three resources from diverse perspectives helpful:
Finally, this extremely helpful resource publish by UNDP on 20 March provides preliminary analysis on learning from the dialogue: ”The Global Conversation Begins.”
We hope you found this post helpful, and be sure to check back at Ecumenical Women frequently for resources on how each of the eight Millennium Development Goals relate to women and girls.
As the CSW58 priority theme is “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women and girls,” Ecumenical Women is focusing over the next few months on educating our online community about the MDGs and ongoing dialogue about what will follow their completion.
If you don’t know much about the MDGs or even what they are, that’s okay! To read a recent EW post on the basics, click here. While we’ll be going into each of the eight MDGs (and specifically how they relate to women and girls) soon, a dialogue on figuring out what will replace the MDGs in 2015, currently termed “the post-2015 development agenda,” is already well underway, and you can participate in it! Thus, we thought some information about how the dialogue has unfolded so far, and how you can get involved, might be helpful.
There are currently a number of separate processes providing input into the post-2015 dialogue, and luckily the UN Foundation and Dalberg Analysis have mapped it out in the infographic below (click to enlarge):
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Open Working Group was set-up this past January in response to recommendations from Rio+20, a United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012. While the working group is due to present its final recommendations to the UN General Assembly in September 2014, a draft report was released and opened for comments on 7 May, 2013. To read the draft report, click here. It remains to be seen however, if the SDGs will end up representing an entirely separate set of goals or will directly feed into the post-2015 development agenda.
The UN-led Process has a number of different moving parts. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced the creation of a High Level Panel to advise on post-2015 development agenda. The panel is co-chaired by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia; President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom. After holding meetings in each of co-chairs’ respective countries (as well as brief meeting at the 2012 General Assembly), the panel is scheduled to release its report at the end of May.
The UN, in conjunction with civil-society and other international organizations, is additionally leading 88 consultations in specific countries and 11 consultations on the following themes:
And here’s where we as Ecumenical Women can lend our voice. All the links above will send you to specific consultation areas on the World We Want 2015, a web-platform created by the UN and civil-society to gather the priorities of people from every corner of the world.
If you’d prefer to provide more general input, you can create a profile and then answer questions like “World leaders are creating new development goals. What needs to be included?” on the World We Want 2015.
If you’d prefer to begin contributing through a basic survey, you can vote on your top priorities for development in the MY World survey.
There are also a number of non-UN activities feeding into the post-2015 dialogue. Beyond 2015, for instance, is a global civil society campaign that brings together more than 620 organizations.
So wow- that’s a lot of information, but we hope you found it helpful. Be sure to participate in the World We Want, the MY World survey and please leave us a comment if you have any questions or concerns.
Finally, if you’re interested in a more detailed timeline of the post-2015 dialogue, the Guardian has created a great resource that you can find here.
CSW58′s priority theme will be “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women and girls,” and with that priority theme in mind, Ecumenical Women will focus over the next few months on educating our online community about the MDGs and current conversations around what will follow their completion in a post-2015 development agenda.
As April 5th marked the 1,000-day milestone until the 2015 target date to achieve the MDGs, faith leaders from around the world (including some representing EW member organizations), released the following statement urging Heads of Government to fulfill existing commitments to spend 0.7% of national income on aid (related to MDG 8), among other actions. For news coverage and a full list of signatories, click here.
Dear Sir,
Today marks the start of the 1000 day countdown to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 deadline. It is an appropriate moment to pause and to reflect on progress to date. Development is working. But challenges remain. The number of people living in extreme poverty has been halved ahead of time and 14,000 fewer children die each day than in 1990. Yet 1 in 8 people still go to bed hungry every night and over 2 million die of malnutrition each year. Even as conversations accelerate as to what ought to replace the MDGs, we should not slacken our efforts towards realising existing goals. Meeting the remaining targets, while challenging, is possible – but only if governments do not waiver from the moral and political commitments made over a decade ago.
Thirteen years on from the start of the Millennium the values and principles that drive these goals are as imperative as ever. The financial crisis may be a reason but is not an excuse for hesitation or deferral. The MDGs remind us that in addition to providing for the well being of our own societies, we have a collective responsibility to uphold human dignity and the common good at the global level. Each individual has a value that can never be lost and must never be ignored.
With a focus on tax, trade and transparency, the UK Presidency of the G8 this year has the potential to advance the MDG agenda in ways that strike at the underlying causes of poverty, in particular by ensuring the wealth created by developing countries is not lost through unfair tax practices, a lack of transparency or a failure to secure the benefits of trade for developing countries.
As religious leaders from across the G8 we recommend that our Heads of Government take the following actions when they meet in June. First, fulfill existing commitments to spend 0.7% of national income on aid. Secondly, launch a G8 Convention on Tax Transparency committing signatory countries to prevent individuals and companies from hiding wealth so that it’s untraceable. Thirdly, press for greater financial transparency from governments of developing countries so that the citizens of these countries can hold their governments to account for the money they spend. Reaching a purposeful consensus on these areas won’t be easy. But, if the political will and moral leadership is forthcoming, this year’s G8 could help to create an environment that encourages the conditions for inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic growth – conditions that are desperately needed if we are to realise the MDGs and even greater things beyond.
With this year’s Commission on the Status of Women over and its Agreed Conclusions (in English) now finalized, Ecumenical Women is beginning to prepare for next year’s commission, CSW58. Although it is only in its initial planning stages, we do know that CSW58′s priority theme will be “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women and girls.” With that priority theme in mind, Ecumenical Women will focus over the next few months on educating our online community about the MDGs and current conversations around what will follow their completion in a post-2015 development agenda.
While there is a lot out there on the MDGs and the post-2015 development agenda, the following resources should provide you with a basic entry point for learning more about the topic. Be sure to check back here on our site frequently for videos, graphics, reports and other resources that discuss the MDGs and the post-2015 development agenda in more detail, particularly how they relate to women and girls.
An introductory video on the MDGs and how they were formed:
As April 5th, 2013 marked the 1,000-day milestone until the 2015 target date to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the UN has launched the #MDGmomentum campaign. For more info, click on the following infographic (and then share it with others on social media):
And finally, here are a few additional links to great resources on the MDGs and the post-2015 development agenda. Some of these will be explored further in future posts:
Want to learn more about how Faith-Based Organizations interact with the United Nations? On Monday, 29 April, 2013 at 6:00p EDT, please tune in to “Our Sacred Journey, ” hosted by Audrey E. Kitagawa for her interview with Dr. Azza Karam, Senior Cultural Advisor to the United Nations Population Fund. Dr. Karam (see right) has worked with many Ecumenical Women member organizations in the past, and is always an extremely insightful and compelling speaker. For a link to the online broadcast, click here. An abstract on the programme follows:
Communities of faith have long played an important role in the implementation of development programs administered by the United Nations and its respective agencies in developing countries. The majority of the world’s peoples are adherents to a faith tradition, so faith-based organizations are important potential partners. Within the past several years, the United Nations has made major shifts in acknowledging partnerships with faith communities which include the creation of the International Recognition of Day of Vesak, the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, Alliance of Civilizations, and the World Interfaith Harmony Week. Dr. Azza Karam, Senior Cultural Advisor to the United Nations Population Fund, discusses her assessment of the role of faith with the United Nations, and its strengths, as well as challenges.
In honour of International Women’s Day, The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, in collaboration with Washington Post On Faith, released a blog series entitled Is religion good for women? A fine example of the work from this series is the embedded video below from Grace Lee Baughan of the Faith and Global Engagement Initiative at Hong Kong University. If you find Grace’s video helpful, you can check out the entire series from experts around the world here.
The diverse opinions expressed in the Is religion good for women? series do not necessarily represent the views of Ecumenical Women, but rather are provided simply as a resource for our readers.
24 April is World YWCA Day! To learn more about the World YWCA, an Ecumenical Women member organization, check out the video below:
Dear Ecumenical Women,
How wonderful it was to be with you all in New York City earlier this spring. Especially wonderful was the outcome of the Commission: reaching Agreed Conclusions! You can read the Agreed Conclusions (available in all six UN languages) here. Our advocacy team has also prepared a document about the outcomes directly related to the Ecumenical Women advocacy talking points we spent so much energy promoting—language relating to all three of our priority themes was included! You can find that document here.
This is a great success, and it is just the beginning. If you haven’t already, take some time to read through the Agreed Conclusions and identify the areas where your government needs to take action. Share the story of your participation at the UN CSW and use the Agreed Conclusions as the basis for advocacy work at home.
How are you using what you learned at the CSW in your home country, region, or neighborhood? We’d love to hear about it! Send an email with your follow-up story to ecumenicalwomen@gmail.com and we will post it on the Ecumenical Women blog: www.ecumenicalwomen.org. The stories, reflections and videos posted on our blog during CSW are good resources too; think about how you might be able to use them in your own context to tell about the CSW.
As we continue to lift up the priorities of the 57th CSW, we are also preparing for the 58th. Soon, we will be asking for your input on specific themes related to the topic of CSW58, “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls.” Visit http://www.worldwewant2015.org/ to learn more and share your point of view!
Although we are scattered around the world, we remain connected by our prayers and actions to bring about a world in which women and men, girls and boys, can live into the full expression of God’s creation.
With you in hope,
Rev. Meagan Manas
Chair, Ecumenical Women at the United Nations
An interview with Keti Zazanashvili, a young adult delegates to the 57th Commission on the Status of Women. Keti discusses her experience at CSW57 and the role of dance in her work to eliminate violence against women and girls.
The “advanced unedited” version of agreed conclusions on the 57th Commission on the Status of Women have been posted on the CSW57 website and can be found here. Agreed conclusions were adopted on the CSW57 priority theme, “the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls” on 15 March 2013.
Raimy Ramirez comes from the Student Christian Movement of Venezuela and is a part of the World Student Christian Federation delegation to the UNCSW57.
If we are in a crowd and hear a voice that rises above the others, we can think that probably this stronger voice, is a woman´s voice and a Latin American woman´s voice. Our stories, our experiences have made us loud people. We can not afford to speak quietly, because our lives need to be told loudly, because although we do a lot of noise, they are not always heard.
Parallel events of the 57th Commission on the Status of Women at the UN, have helped screams emerge not only from South, but also from East, West, North and Center to be heard. We have gathered women around the world in a place where the voice finds an ear to be heard. However, are those voices shouting stories and demanding justice, getting to where they should be heard? Do these voices have relevance in the discussions that take place within the “solemn” United Nations compound?
Many… have not.
The challenge is to empower those spaces where decisions are made, where over the needs of women laws are legislated, where few speak and many suffer. For this reason because even the ears of the people who choose not to be open, we have to keep screaming loud and keep in mind the need to keep walking, because although “the pace is slow, is still underway.”
For this, Nelly del Sid, Honduran women shouts loudly for defending their right to build a country without foreign military. Here is why Magda Lopez , colombian, speaks loudly when she speaks in favor of the right of women to participate in the peace process in Colombia. Here is why Cuban women, speak loudly when sharing with the world that their contribution was essential for the eradication of illiteracy in Cuba. Here is why in El Salvador, young women raise their voices in defense of an environmentally just world. This is why women in Venezuela scream in defense of a process that is sustained and will continue because of the hands of fighter women. Here is why a small delegation of young women around the world, identified themselves with a label that says “WSCF” are making so much noise!
Rosina Scott-Fyfe is a graduate from Otago University in New Zealand, and part of the Student Christian Movement Aotearoa. She is part of the World Student Christian Federation delegation to the UNCSW57. Written March 11, 2013.
“When we are aware of our inner resources and use them, they help us to be resilient and assertive. It’s when we disconnect from ourselves and react to the world around us that we can become violent. By involving both men and women in this process real sustainable change can occur” –Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:14-17 (NIV)
I begin with these two quotes because they articulate why I am here: to use my faith to take real action; to use my faith to bring about real transformation in the communities I am a part of; to see the connections between myself and others, globally and locally, and to use my own personal voice to advocate for those who have less. To be part of the transformation of attitudes.
Today I attended three parallel events which moved me and connected to my work in different ways. The first, entitled “Both Men and Women using their inner resources to bring change: relearning peace” and run by Brahma Kumaris, reflected on how we need to draw on our own “inner resources”- what some of us might label God, the Spirit- before we can make meaningful change. We had the honour of hearing from four inspirational panelists- Carl Murrel, Denise Scotto, Luis Mora and Gayatri Naraine, who shared with us through story and experience a richness of ideas. What resonated with me was the idea that we need to go beyond engagement and aim for transformation and elevated conciousness of our communities. And as Gayatri expressed, women we have a pivotal role of healing and transformation; although at our core, our soul does not have a gender, we were born into this body and onto this planet and it is up to every one of us to use our power for justice and peace. The most important tool is ourselves.
So what does this look like? What is the physical manifestation of this inspiration? It’s all very well talking about peace but we need to put it into action. What the actions look like will be different and will depend on our cultural context but they need aspects of innovation and creativity. The second event I attended looked at Primary Prevention tools- stopping violence before it happens, and was presented by Australian Women Against Violence Alliance (AWAVA). A 15 page toolkit created by AWAVA is available free online here. http://www.nrwn.org.au/toolkits/
I like the idea of primary prevention because it is all about changing attitudes, and addresses the underlying causes of violence. It ties in to our desire to belong. If our assumptions are that humans are innately violent, and if this is the way things roll in our communities, this idea is perpetuated through action. And the inverse is true: if we believe that humans are innately peaceful, and this is the belief of our community, this belief will be lived out.
Nothing could be more important in the eliminations and prevention of violence against women and girls than the involvement of men and boys. The third workshop I went to today was so inspirational, and the room was packed. We heard stories from men working with men and boys on attitudinal change to hold the conversations about violence against women. Part of this is just planting the idea. It is about providing a new lens through which to look at these issues, because they are not just women’s issues: they are men’s issues too because while most men are not the perpetrators, most of the perpetrators against women are men, and, as the panelists shared, we cannot tell by looking at a man what his attitude will be. Men are also victims and survivors of this same violence, perpetuated by assumptions about gender. Some of the key messages from this powerful event were that we do not need a society that “protects” women, we need a society that respects women; and that men can be strong without the use of violence. Fathers and positive male rolemodels have a key role through the messages they give their sons. And a quote I found particularly inspiring, from Q Cochlin from Brooklyn’s Connect programme: “In doing this work, I become a human being”.
Within the midst of this presentation, a conflict arose where a member of the audience spoke out about wanting time to ask questions, felt he was being lectured to, and was quite derogatory to the moderators of the event. I greatly admired the way in which the moderators handled the situation- not reacting, which would be the easiest thing to do, but treating the man who offered the comment with respect but also respecting the time and knowledge of the panelist who were there. It was a ‘wow’ moment for me, seeing this man really practice what he was preaching, using non-violence to proactively negotiate a conflict. I think that this is something all of us can learn from.
So in reflection, our attitudes are how we live out our lives. To live our lives truthfully, we need to put into action the values we are promoting: faith and action is inextricably linked. These ideas are not new to any of us, but I think it is worth taking some time to reflect on.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” – Romans 12:2 (KJV)
The World Council of Churches (a member organization of Ecumenical Women) delivered an oral statement at the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women on 13 March 2013. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, WCC Associate General Secretary, spoke on behalf of the Council. Check out a transcript of the statement below:
Transcript:
The World Council of Churches, a global fellowship of churches with a total membership of 580 million wrote in March 1992 to the Secretary General of the United Nations, “In various international fora, women are urging the United Nations to recognize that violence against women constitutes the violation of the basic human rights of half the world’s population. As Christians we support these initiatives, guided by the firm conviction that all human beings are made in the image of God and deserve protection and care.”
In a statement prepared for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, the World Council of Churches said:
“It has been painful for us to acknowledge that institutions which should stand in solidarity with women, including governments and the churches, have not often responded with resolute action. We encounter, through our contact with women at the periphery of all our societies, the struggle for dignity and livelihood that women engage in every day. We believe that empowerment is not possible as long as women live in contexts of violence, often exacerbated by cultural and religious tradition.”
It was also said:
“We draw the attention to the liberating power of religions and we affirm the positive and supportive role that the churches and other religious institutions can play in standing in solidarity with those women who have to make ethical choices and decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive rights. But of equal concern to the World Council of Churches is the increasing religious extremism in all faiths and the deleterious consequences this has on women’s legal, political and social rights.”
These statements were made two decades ago, but they are still valid and highly relevant in relation to the work of the Commission on the Status of Women today. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to reiterate that women’s rights are human rights, and that human rights are universal. Traditional values or religious beliefs cannot justify the acceptance of violence against women, nor can they be accepted as limitations on women’s rights and freedom. Women as well as men are created in the image of God and deserve to be respected, protected, and cared for. It is necessary for member states to agree upon and protect strong international frameworks. Civil society, including the faith based community, has an important role to challenge attitudes and traditions that contribute to undermining women’s rights and dignity. We the peoples of the United Nations have a shared responsibility to protect, defend, and expand women’s rights and freedom.
UN Gender Equality Newsfeed
