Author Archive

Registration is now open for Ecumenical Women Orientation day, Saturday Feb. 25 from 830am-530pm, as well as for two Ecumenical Women dinners, Thursday March 1 6-745pm and Tuesday March 6, 6-745pm. Join us for one or all of these great events! Sign up here or send out this link to your delegates: https://ww2.eventrebels.com/er/Registration/StepRegInfo.jsp?ActivityID=7411&StepNumber=1

All of these events take place at the Church Center for the United Nations, 777 UN Plaza (1st Ave.) at 44th Street.

There have been some major changes in the UN since the Ecumenical Women Advocacy Guide was first created (UN Women, anyone?).  Because of that, and other things we’ve learned over the past few years, we wanted to update the EW Advocacy Guide.  So, here it is.  Download it, forward it, read it, and get ready to meet together in advocacy soon!

UN Women is ready to receive written statements for CSW 56. Please share message below:

What are written statements and what do they do?

Written statements relevant to the work of United Nations Economic and Social Council may be submitted by organizations in General and Special consultative status, on subjects which the organization has a special competence. Such statements shall be circulated by the Secretary General of the United Nations to the members of the Council.

Written statements have to be submitted in due time for appropriate consultation to take place between the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the organization before circulation.

Certain events may have different procedures for submitting statements, so please make sure to read information regarding specific events carefully. There is a limit on the number of words for submission from each organization, depending on whether you have general or special consultative status.

Written statements by NGOs withgeneral or special consultative status can also be submitted to ECOSOC commissions and subsidiary bodies [the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) holds special consultative status], on subjects that they have specialized knowledge in. The word count for statements is limited to the following: 500-1,500 words, depending on the event.

For example, 90 NGOs submitted written statements during 2010 ECOSOC High Level Segment that took place in New York from 28 June– 2 July 2010. The statements were distributed among all participants and available online as the official ECOSOC documentation.

By Alvaina Daniels, Communications Intern

Last Friday, I attended a playreading at my alma mater, not only because my former professor was facilitating the discussion, but also because I was in search of some inspiration.  I am an aspiring screenwriter, moreover a screenwriter of color.  The playwright who was visiting was an alumnus and an artist of color.  He is currently a Pulitzer Prize finalist and one subject we kept running into were the politics of production, most notably funding with regards to minority artists.  He stated that there are multiple theaters within NYC that possess a mission statement somewhere declaring “We are dedicated to promoting the diversity of NYC to the public theater community…”  I feel that diversity no longer holds the meaning or idea it was created to induce.  You can have an entire group of entirely white males and still have a completely diverse environment.  I believe that the word we are all looking for is multiculturalism.  At Gallatin, we’re taught how to find a common thread between multiple subjects that may appear to have nothing to do with each other.  This playwright has been able to do that even in his plays with such brilliance that either you get it or you don’t.  But he stated it was difficult to have his plays produced or funded, especially as a Latino playwright.  He said that although most theaters in NYC make that very same mission statement that don’t hold true to it.  He called it a “defraudment of the public trust.”  You are lying to the public and the government if you are not promoting “diversity” and receiving public and federal funds.

Someone told me something a long time ago that has always stuck with me.  “God is a god of His Word.  He is bound by it.  Once God speaks something into existence, He cannot take it back.”  That is why we can hold on to God’s promises because He always holds true to His Word.  As children of God, we are to be held accountable to our words, our mission, and most importantly the will of God.  1 Tim. 4:12 call us to be examples “to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”  How then can we as Ecumenical Women speak of gender equality if we can invite men into the heart of our work?  Is God not revealed to us as both male and female in His Love for us as our mother and father?  God demonstrates perfectly how both the male and female work together to make manifest a most perfect work.  You cannot have one without the other.  How can there be gender equality for women without equal partnership with our male counterparts?  There is none without them.

The mission of Ecumenical Women clearly states:  “Grounded in our faith and commitment to global justice, Ecumenical Women trains and empowers our expanding network to advocate for gender equality at the United Nations.  The vision of Ecumenical Women states:  “We envision a human community where the participation of each and every one is valued, where no one is excluded on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, age, religion or cultural practice, and where diversity is celebrated as God’s gift to the world.” One thing I completely recognize with Ecumenical Women is that diversity truly implies this idea of pluralism.  The vision that Ecumenical Women has put forth exists now within this coalition.  Men are a vital part of what makes Ecumenical Women.  Men must be invited to share in this vision building if we are to truly to achieve gender equality.  If we cannot invite them, then we perform our part in a defraudment of the public trust.  We may be different in sex, but the common thread that we binds us extends beyond our dedication gender equality to most importantly of love for Christ.

Obviously, the public space is not equal.  Women must be given more opportunities to lead in the public sphere, but we cannot do that without the support of our male counterparts.  If God is to be held accountable for His Word, are not his children, female or male, to be held accountable as well?  We have seen the injustice of elevating one gender over another has done to not only humanity, but also our faith as Christians.  Let us not be doomed to repeat history.  We must welcome our brothers to table of equality to stand in solidarity with us until we are all one in Christ where there is neither female, nor male.

By Maria Murerwa, LWF Young Adults CSW 55 Delegates

It is important to be in school to attain a formal education; however, I also believe that one can attain education in different institutional settings, events and organizations. That is why I think it is important for students whether they are home schooled or not, to be exposed to real world issues that they would not be exposed to in a classroom setting or homes.  There is a range of issues discussed at the CSW that I was not sure how I felt about them but because they were told by people who have those experiences or work closely with people with those experiences, I am drawn closer to the issues and it motivates me to be part of that positive change that is longed for.

Even though the workshops were different, they always came back to the theme of the conference, Access to education in science and technology.  I got inspiration from many amazing speakers from around the world. This year, I was so moved by so many people among whom was Charllotte Bunch, Founding Director & Senior Scholar, Center for Women’s Global Leadership. Ms. Bunch was also very involved in a campaign that led to the creation of UN women which was launched during commission on the status of women 55. The other person that fascinated me was Facia Harris, a member of World Student Christian Federation, a young adult from Liberia who I first meet two years ago; Facia had less confidence at the time when I first met her, now she is not only an inspiration to me  but also a  role model for many lives in her country. She hosts a radio show in her country where she addresses women’s issues. I was able to attend her presentation on how to improve maternal health in Liberia. She talked about the Fistula Project which was established in 2007 through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Liberia. This project working closely with local nonprofit Organizations provide Fistula prevention programs to help improve maternal.

After the amazing worship at the church center for the UN on March 2, I had the privilege to attend a parallel event on grassroots women form Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, New Guinea, Cameroon, Peru, India and other countries were speaking out to UN women about their work and their suggestions to this UN Body. In this case the women were speaking directly to Michelle Bachelet, the first former female president of Chile and now the first Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of UN Women. These women had suggestions to make to UN women. Some of their suggestions included: their voices to be heard and work to be recognized by this new agency, to start a fund to support grassroots women to travel to important conferences, they wanted an advisory board for grassroots women within the UN Women. Some women presented in a convincing tone, which Mr. Bachelet  told the crowd that she did not need to be convinced of their suggestions because she knew how important they were. She reminded the women that she was there to listen and to take their suggestions to the other UN entities.

This is just a few of the events I attended. However, that is what conferences like these can do to young people. They challenge you to bring out the best of you that you may not have thought you had, they give you a reason to shine a light for those who are in darkness and they give you a reason to be that hand that can lift others when they fall.

Attending CSW is essential for me because it updates me to current and old issues that women are dealing with in different parts of the world. As a student who is looking for ways to be innovative and getting ready for employment, it helps me make contacts with potential employers, mentors and professional partners. Conferences like these empower young people through giving them a chance to think big. It gives them a voice and a career direction.

Other than meeting new people and making connections, I got to meet and talk with people who are passionate about women’s development and wellbeing.  I was exposed to what is happening in other parts of the world and what measures are being taken to ensure that positive change can be attained by both women and men.  Coming to CSW empowers me makes me feel like I can be part of change; change that is need by so many women, men and children around the globe.

At the end of the CSW, I feel educated and empowered and I would not trade this experience for anything else in the world.  Attending the CSW gives me a reason to believe that I can be part of change; change that I want to see and be part of in the world.

I would like to thank Emily Davila and Christine Mangale of LWF/LOWC for giving me this opportunity to chase my passion for gender issues.

Interviewed by Alvaina Daniels, Ecumenical Women Intern-Communications

EW:  Good Afternoon.  How are you today?

IV:  I’m doing fine.

EW:  Thank you for taking you the time to talk with me.  I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about your experience at CSW.

IV:  Okay.

EW:  What organization are you here representing

IV:  I am here with the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF).

EW:  What issues brought you here to CSW?  What issues interest you?

IV:  The theme of this CSW, which has to do with decent work, access to education for the girl-child, training and development, science and technology, which were all prior interests before coming here.

EW:  Tell me about your experience this past week.

IV:  My experiences have been very good.  My coming here to CSW was like an eye-opener for me.  I’ve now come to understand how policies are made, and the extent to which they affect mankind the world over.  This space has also afforded me the opportunity to know how documents are made.

EW:  So you’ve been over to the UN.

IV:  No.  Unfortunately, I was not able to register on time.  Only two from my group had the opportunity to gain access to the UN.  So, I was not able to attend all the functions.

EW:  Next year. Make that happen!  You’ll love it there.

IV:  Yes, I already hope see because one of my desires is to really go there and see what happens, how issues are debated, because now what I am into now in is strictly on the level of NGOs, of civil society organizations, which I have already been involved with back home.

EW:  So how do you feel about the creation of UN Women?

IV:  I feel good because even when I read some of the document, I was thinking it would overshadow some of the work that has already been done by other groups within the UN, like UNICEF and UNIFEM.  But this document afforded me to understand that this will enhance the work.  That there should be a separate bureau solely focused on women’s issues, which will give it more weight for full implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

EW:  So you’re a younger delegate.  What would you like to say to the older generation?

IV:  To those at CSW:  “It’s about time we move away from the traditional.  We have been pushing issues that have been carrying us backward.”   To those in the African continent:  I’m one person with an opinion.  One of the reasons we’re not making progress in Africa is because of those traditions of culture, practices that we have.  Policies are curved they are less effective in most parts of Africa because they tend to measure the application of power in line with our cultural practices.  So if they are not conforming to our culture practices, then we ten to overlook them.  So I think that we must move away from them and be sincere and work together.  The older generation needs to work with the young people.  We want them to allow the young people to bring in new ideas.

EW:  To give them space to make that progress.

IV:  Exactly because at the end of the day we are the ones that will be left to carry on these things, these developments, these progresses.

EW:  What would you say to your peers right now?

IV:  Its time that we take education, seriously.  One of the key things is that we need to make the kind of change we want to see in the world.  If we are not educated then it is going to be difficult to make any impacts because we already know the issues and we do not know how to push them and to solve them.  We need to pay attention and be very attentive to these type of conferences where we come.  Its not for fun.  Its about learning how we can be able to honestly understand what is happening and what changes we can make to pay for our own world.

EW:  Is there anything final you would like to say?

IV:  We need to be very serious and focus on what we want.  We must allow others to be involved in advocacy.  People always coming here, but not many changes are made.  More doors must be opened for others to bring in new perspectives and we need to take this seriously.

EW:  Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us.

Interviewed by Alvaina Daniels, Ecumenical Women Intern-Communications

EW:  ¡Hola!

MB:  ¡Hola!

EW:  So, what organization (s) do you work with?

MB:  I work with various organizations in the U.S. and globally. In my country, we have a movement called the 21^st century movement, which works for a culture of peace, durable peace, sustainable peace, and conditions that will allow people to have peace in their country.  In the US, I have participated with groups that are ecumenical and related to the National Council of Churches.  Also, I’m with movements in the U.S., such as the Year Campaign, which is a campaign of the women’s movement that supports the new unit of UN Women.  And I have been a part of other government processes at the UN such as financing for development, Global Coalition against Poverty and Hunger, rural endeavors and refugee endeavors. I am an older adult, but I do a lot of work with younger people.  And the purpose is to support young people who have possibility to create a different world.  Right now because situations are very difficult for the young people to carry out programs and create a world that they need, in terms of their needs.  Because there are no jobs, education is getting expensive; there is high cost of living.  It is really important that young people really start understanding the world that they’re inheriting and deciding how they are going to transform it for their needs and for future generations.  And I think that they should be a lot of people from my generation, the older generation to accompany them.

EW:  What issues brought you to CSW this year?

MB:  In reality, it is because all those issues are creating injustice in the world and there is never going to be peace.  Many of these issues:  the impoverishment of people, the degradation of the environment, all the crises, the energy crisis, financial economic crisis, climate change, all that is at the base of people not having quality of life.  They are very much the source of war in the world.  To me, the UN is an instrument to prevent war and to work for peace.  And so different processes are about that.

EW:  Can you tell me about your experience this past week?

MB:  Its always good when I come to the UN because I am already involved in various processes.  And I have been working with them right before I came here, but this one in particular was very important because I was able to do some accompaniment to the Ecumenical Women and especially to the work of World Student Christian Federation (WSCF).  I think that WSCF is a very important instrument for young people to be able to work on the world that they want.  But young people have to be prepared for that.

EW:  How do you feel about the creation of UN Women?

MB:  We have been pushing very hard to do it.  But we realized and that…if we don’t do the work, it can be hijacked.  It could go in a direction that we don’t need.  It has to do with how strong our movement is and how clear it is, and how much we are able to press even our own governments and other organizations to make sure that the purpose of the unit is fulfilled.  And the purpose of the unit is to correct the imbalances that have been created in terms of women’s participation and their rights in the world. And it seems that we are more, the majority of the world.  If we don’t work on this, the world is going to be facing all these inequities and all the other inequities have grown mostly from that inequity [imbalances in terms of women’s rights].

EW:  What is something you would like to say to the younger generation?

MB:  They better seek what is going on in and be clear about the world they are inheriting and the state of the planet that they have to live in.  If they don’t wake up and continue to be lost in all kinds of gadgets; they will know who took them for a ride, but they will have a very bad ride. And I think if they don’t get together, they won’t have the moral authority nor the ways to demand of all the other generations to make the qualitative difference and that has to happen now.  They have to learn to read the signs of the times and work to create the conditions for something different.  If young people don’t participate in working the crisis, things are going to get work and they are not going to get better.  With all the crises …the world will never be the same. It will never, never, never be the same.  They have to know that and they have to know what world they want.  Because otherwise they will just have to submit to the world that is being created for them. That will create more inequalities in the world.

EW:  Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us.

By Maria Murerwa and Kristi Van Sickle, LWF Young adults CSW 55 delegates

These first few days of the Commission on the Status of Women 55 have been inspiring. We have attended many wonderful side NGO events that have been eye opening, hopeful, and emphasized the great progress that has been made for empowering women worldwide, as well as how far we still need to move forward. A few points that we would like to highlight are on a documentary we saw called Tapestries of Hope, and an Innovative Strategies for supporting girls’ Education in West Africa’s side event co-sponsored by WIPSEN, TY Danjuma Foundation and LWF. The main speaker was Ms. Leymah Gbowee of the movie Pray the Devil Back to Hell and featured panelists like our very own ecumenical woman, Ms. Facia Harris of WSCF, among others.

We went to see a documentary that considered the healing of girls who had been raped in Zimbabwe. There is a myth that many men still believe that if they rape a virgin they will be cured from AIDS. The woman that created the documentary had suffered from incest as a child and made her first documentary on the sexual abuse of children in the United States. These girls had suffered from great trauma both physically and mentally as a result of their horrifying experiences; however, this documentary was a story of hope. It shared the resilience of these girls and their will to move forward as they heal.

Betty Makoni, the founder of the program has a unique healing process that the girls go through. The girls are immediately given their voices back. When the “rescue man” removes girls from their dangerous situations, the first thing they ask is what they can do to help them? This immediately gives them voices in their healing process. These girls are encouraged to speak out about their experiences, build a support network of women, girls, and male allies and are not given a time limit to stay at the village. One of the main priorities includes getting these girls back into school.

This documentary shared a story that is unfortunately not uncommon. This story was a microcosm of violence against women that is occurring all over the world. After the documentary, the Zimbabwe minister stood up and spoke up in anger about the inaccuracy of the movie as well as all of the wonderful things Zimbabwe has done for women.

This in our opinion was very sad, also not uncommon, and led us to believe that the message of the movie was completely lost. We felt as though politicians from many countries get so caught up in the image of their country to the world that they hide issues that their country is facing. This can only hurt that country’s citizens and those who are marginalized. No one was trying to claim that Zimbabwe was unique in the abuse to girls, their suffering or that they were not making huge strides in women’s rights. Rather this documentary was trying to shed some light and inform people of one very specific issue. Regardless of whether the number of rapes have dropped in Zimbabwe this remains the same – the girls that live in the rescue center were raped and even if those were the only people that suffered such acts of violence that is one girl too many.

We need to legitimize these girls, empower them, and let them know they are worthy, and valued. By hiding this issue we are hiding them. This will continue to perpetrate them rather than the perpetrator.

We were also privileged to attend a West African side event on Innovative Strategies for supporting girls’ education in West Africa by a group of activists in Liberia and Nigeria. Both groups discussed ways they have used to encourage girls to get education and ways to keep them motivated to get higher education. Like other panels that we attended, there were questions at the end of the presentation. We were honored to be introduced to the minister of gender in Liberia who was part of the audience. Unlike the minister of gender in Zimbabwe, who we felt did not want to acknowledge the fact that there is violence against women in her country, the minister of gender in Liberia was pleased by the work women are doing in her country. However, she also highlighted that even though a lot had been done, there is still a lot more work to do in her country.

We think that government officials must look beyond protecting their image to protect the interests of the people, so that issues like violence against women might be addressed and not ignored.