Way back at the beginning of March, I had the privilege to attend the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
I took awhile to share this post because I was nervous to share my thoughts and opinions. Things were changing so fast that I figured a reflective post might be better than a reactionary one.
The intention of this post is to share my experience, and I don't welcome any pushback about the topics discussed at the Commission on the Status of Women (women's rights, DEI, 2SLGBTQI+ rights, intersectionality) in the comments here or elsewhere. I genuinely don't have the time, energy, or desire to debate about any of these topics. There are plenty of other people who do!
I stand with and support the rights, protection, and livelihood of people of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, minorities, women, and anyone else who has historically been silenced or pushed to society's margins.
I DO welcome, however, advice on how I can improve my allyship and advocacy as well as resource sharing. We can all benefit from constructive conversation, but only when we center love and care for everyone.
Another note that this article contains a lotttt of acronyms.... which is annoying but I will try my best to explain them all :)
With that, lets get into my exciting week in the big apple.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is an annual event that brings together people from all corners of the globe to "address the widespread inequalities, violence and discrimination women continue to face around the world" (UN News). UN Women provides a great summary of how and why CSW came to be, so I won't reinvent the wheel and explain it all here.
I had the privilege to attend as a delegate with Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW), which is an organization I volunteer with here in Saskatoon.
CFUW is a national, non-partisan, self-funded organization with 90 clubs across Canada that raises over $1 million annually to financially support women's post-secondary education nationally. The organization is also concerned with "human rights, public education, social justice, and peace." (cfuw.org)
I have been a part of Saskatoon's chapter since the summer of 2024. After I graduated university, I was searching for something to be involved in in the community. I stumbled upon a fundraiser for CFUW while checking out local garage sales in the summer, and have been involved since. I've been welcomed with open arms and it has given me a real sense of purpose and community. This year, I have been involved in:
- the club's annual book sale which provides a majority of the money for the post-secondary scholarships we distribute
- monthly group meetings
- an International Women's Day panel
- and an Advocacy sub-group which is focusing on a governmental letter-writing campaign for unhoused individuals in Saskatoon
I cannot thank CFUW Saskatoon enough for how I've been welcomed, and in their support on my journey to NYC.
CFUW's national office organizes a delegation of Canadian women to attend CSW every year. They are allowed to do so because they have consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council. I had to apply, but they found space for all the women who wanted to go either through our group or through The Mexican Federation of University Women (FEMU) which CFUW works with closely. All in all, there were 20 of us delegates from CFUW and it was great to meet women from all over the country.
Exploring NYC
I was lucky enough to be joined by my mom on this trip, which made it all the more special. I don't know that we have ever travelled anywhere just the two of us, and it was a blast. We got to New York on Friday evening and the conference didn't start until Monday, so we had a bit of time to explore together.
On Saturday morning, we headed to the Statue of Liberty as our first tourist attraction. We arrived at Battery Park and had to go through airport style security (spoiler alert: there is a lot of that in New York City). We then got on the ferry to take us to Liberty Island. We were both taken aback by the sheer size of Lady Liberty, I knew it was big, but seeing it in person put it into perspective. There was also a museum on the island so we got to learn a bit about the history. Some fast facts I remember: Lady Liberty was a gift from France to the United States, the island "Liberty Island" has been renamed a few times depending on who has owned it, and Lady Liberty holds a tablet in her hand that is the size of a football field.
The second part of the tour was to Ellis Island, which was a port that thousands of immigrants were processed through that came to the United States. I thought they had a well done museum that honoured the different people that came through.
We then headed for a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Lots of people were jogging and it was funny watching them weave through tourists (we were no exception of course). We explored Brooklyn and Dumbo a bit then headed back to Manhattan, where we were staying.
I had to pick up my UN badge at an office next to the UN grounds, which is where I encountered my first smiling face since getting to the city... it was a super quick process since we were all pre-screened online.
That evening, we got to see the Broadway show Hamilton! Shout out to Adelle for introducing me to this, and it's my dream to watch it live with you some day :)
On Sunday, we explored the Museum of Modern Art. Mom and I both enjoyed it, but knew we couldn't spend too much time in there if we were going to make the most of the free time I had. We went to the New York Public Library which I was obsessed with. There was an exhibit about the New Yorker magazine which I like to read from time to time. The architecture was amazing in there as well.
Mom's favourite part of the sight-seeing was a restaurant called Ellen's Stardust Diner, where the waitstaff are all trying to make it on Broadway, and all sing when they aren't serving food. It was super entertaining, but we left wondering how the staff can withstand the amount of noise for an 8-hour shift.
That evening it was time to meet the other delegates. It was nice to meet everyone in person as we had many Zoom calls together since the start of the year to prepare. We got lots of pictures and talked about how to make the most of the conference.
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| All CFUW delegates |
It's Go Time
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| Kenzie Zimmer (left) was, at the time of the conference, CFUW's policy analyst, Serena Habib (middle) is a member of CFUW Hamilton, but is taking her master's of public health and social work at Columbia University in NYC. |
Monday morning was the first official day of the conference. Some of the delegates that had been to CSW previously offered to show the new people like myself around early in the morning. We again had to go through security and have our badge on us at all times. I'm so glad I got shown around because the UN Headquarters are super big and confusing.
The general structure of the conference was that delegates like myself could attend
side events (generally hosted by governments, large non-governmental organizations i.e.
PLAN International, or branches of the UN i.e.
UNICEF) and
parallel events (generally put on by civil society organizations like CFUW). The tough part was that not all the events were in the main building. Many were across the street at a church and some were at embassies around Manhattan. This made getting to all the sessions I wanted to attend difficult and required some strategy.
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| At the opening ceremony. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was written in 1995 and was a watershed moment for women's rights. |
To give you an idea of how big this conference was, the list of events was 45 pages long! There was something like 6000 civil society representatives attending. This was a record number of attendees at CSW.
I attended a lot of different sessions, both parallel and side events, and I'll spare everyone a super long detailed explanation of each one. I got to hear from women and girls of many different ages, from various levels of influence, and from all over the world.
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| At Canada's Permanent Mission to the UN, listening to a session from different parliamentarians around the world and their perspective on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration |
I felt extremely proud to be Canadian at this conference. The Government of Canada (and other Canadian NGOs) were the only groups I personally heard acknowledging the land we were gathered on, which originally belongs to the
Lenape people. The best session I attended was facilitated by the Government of Canada and had a panel of Indigenous women from Canada and New Zealand.
Other notable sessions were:
- women's political participation report from the Government of Spain
- girls who wrote stories imagining the future, one free from gender-based violence and discrimination from Plan International
- a report on sexual violence from the Government of Uganda
- town hall for civil society groups with the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, where groups like CFUW where able to ask questions and have their concerns heard
Key Takeaways
1. We are in a moment where are holding the line for women's rights
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| The United Nations General Assembly |
When the conference began, I was super amped up by all the positive energy around me. So many women (and some men too, although the ratio was probably 10 to 1) who were in agreement that women's rights are human rights.
I was a tad confused why this conference was occurring for now a 69th time. There is still a long way to go to ensure equality of women worldwide, but if we all agree on that, why is it still necessary?
I have a very expensive piece of paper (I keep meaning to frame it but for now it's under my bed) that taught me about the dance that the United Nations, governments, and common folk like myself do. It goes like this. Enter stage left extremely complex societal issue that most can agree should be solved. People like me hold up signs and raise money. The UN makes a bunch of goals and wags its finger at governments. Governments have about 1 million other things to do in a day including fight each other. The societal issue stacks on top of 1000 others that are already on stage. The dance goes on forever and forever etc.
I knew that going in. What I realized from this conference is that if us common folk rest for even a second, we will be pushed off stage. This was echoed many times by many different people at CSW, including the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He said it so plainly. "Misogyny is on the rise, and we are in a moment where we are holding the line for women's rights."
It was a reminder that letting up is not an option.
2. CFUW's agenda is rather advanced, comparatively speaking
I was looking forward to connecting with other organizations around that world that were concerned with women's post-secondary education. I quickly discovered that aside from FEMU (Mexico equivalent of my group) and the United States equivalent, many of the other organizations there were fighting for very basic human rights for women.
Some examples of issues advocated for that I encountered were: ending child marriage, stopping domestic violence, and improving rates of girls in primary schools to name a few. I felt rather silly telling these people that our organization sends women to university.
Of course, I know the importance of their work doesn't undermine ours, but it was still striking. I don't really have any other further reflection on that other than it felt weird and I didn't expect it.
3. The United States... what in the 1950s is going on
The kicker of this all was that the United States didn't participate in CSW. In fact, the United States didn't and still hasn't signed off on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, written in 1995, that CSW is based around.
You can read the United States Government's statement
here on why they did not participate. I can both absolutely believe their words and can't at the same time.
This horrific session also occurred, spilling complete misinformation about 2SLGBTQI+ individuals. I didn't realize that there would be an "opposition" to CSW, but I guess there is.
What I don't understand is that the United Nations is nothing but a normative institution. This means that it makes suggestions for how governments should act, but it has no power to enforce anything (which warrants another discussion but I can't go there or I'll write a million more words). What would be the harm in signing off on the Beijing Declaration? Why not save face and participate in CSW, even if you don't mean it?
Again, I'm not sure what else to say about this, but the documents above speak for themselves.
4. Global collaboration is extremely important
I've known since I went to the Dominican Republic in Grade 10 with my school that learning about other countries and cultures is my passion and what I love to do the most. Shout out Rotary Club/Interact Club, Kathy and Bob Friesen and Mrs. Coles for helping me find that passion.
Being at this conference reminded me that listening and learning are equally as important as doing. I could have essentially been around the world and back in an afternoon at this conference just by asking people where they were from and what their country is like.
But all in all, the fact that what connected us all was our firm belief in women's rights was more powerful than anything I've ever experienced. So many people fighting for change was affirming and inspiring.
How do we practically become global citizens and move toward a more just world? I'll leave you with two homework assignments.
First of all, vote whenever you get the chance. I will shout from the rooftops forever that Canadians take their democratic freedom for granted. Use it!
Second, we are lucky enough in Canada that we don't even need to travel to experience the world. What a gift it is to have the opportunity to know so many different cultures in your own city or town. Share your culture, be curious about another, and you will be surprised by the far-reaching effects of a simple conversation.
The End
If you made it this long, I applaud you, but if you skipped to the end I don't blame you either cause this was crazy long.
All in all, this was an amazing experience and I'm very glad I went. Representing Saskatchewan, Canada, and CFUW was truly an honour, and I can't thank everyone who encouraged me enough for their support.
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| Outside the UN Headquarters. The flags of all 193 UN Member States go up when the UN is open, and are lowered when it is closed. |
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