CSW69 Reflection: Pam Snyder
EW Orientation with Lopa Banargee:
This is always one of my most rewarding sessions, as Lopa brings so much information to us. It is exciting to remember that this was the 25th anniversary of Ecumenical Women and the 30th of the Beijing Platform. Lopa reminded us that 1 in 4 countries experience backlash on women’s rights and protection of women and girls rights. 3/4 of the world population is living under autocratic rulers. Yikes! This is so disturbing at the milestone anniversaries for women’s rights advocacy organizations. I appreciated her review of the 6 critical areas for Beijing 30+ actions for women and girls. Lopa reminded us, “that this is not the time to hold back. WE need to speak up and speak out loudly!” I am doing just that!
However, many women don’t speak out due to fear. Reminder, that the UN Women gives guidance and practical ways to do this.
Church of the Master in Harlem
While I was unable to worship with our PC(USA) and PW delegates at Church of the Covenant, I was honored to be invited to speak at Church of the Master in Harlem for their Women’s Day/Month worship service. It gave me an opportunity to share the Sustainable Goals, the Beijing Platform, and the work delegates from the PC(USA) and PW are doing to make a difference by advocating for the rights of women and girls. It was especially confirming to have several men come to me over lunch, supporting our efforts to attain and sustain gender equality.
Opening of CSW 69 at the UN:
I heard a young Saudi woman, who works in STEM, share “every step you take builds a bridge for young women and girls.” This statement keeps me motivated to work on behalf of women and girls’ futures!
Secretary General Guttierez reminded us of the immense gaps that exist in the progress on Beijing. We were again reminded to stand up and speak out. He also reinforced the need to boost finances for women’s equality and invest in programs for women and girls. It is also important to collect gender bias data and promote participation in STEM programs. He continues to encourage women’s full participation in leadership at all levels of government, business, etc. He confirmed that the UN leads by example as they have gained and maintained parity and hire for competences at the UN.
The Executive Director of UN Women shared that 159 countries reconfirmed Beijing in their annual reports. Regretfully, every 10 minutes a woman is killed by someone in her family. We were reminded that Beijing means little without action. We need acceleration and to recognize that what has been done is not enough. We need a modern lens of action! “Human rights for women and girls are not negotiable!”
As usual, I came home overloaded with information and concerns. However, I have filtered through all notes and am including “realizations and hard facts” of my CSW 69 experience as I travel throughout the US in my PW leadership role.
