Blog - Soroptimist International

The Eleventh Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development

Blog of Theresa Devasahayam, SI UN Representative at Bangkok. In the aftermath of World Earth Day, SI UN Representative Theresa Devasahayam reflects on the Eleventh Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development in Bangkok, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable practices in achieving the 2030 Agenda while addressing poverty and climate

Feminist Climate Justice: A Framework for Action

Blog of Linda Witong, SI Advocacy Advisor. In this blog on Earth Day 2024, Soroptimist International Advocacy Advisor Linda Witong delves into the intersections of climate crises and gender inequality, drawing from a recent and significant report by UN Women. The report, titled ‘Feminist Climate Justice: A Framework for Action’,

Water as a Driving Force for Peace and Stability

Blog of Janet Hall Schempf, from SI Anchorage, Alaska. The second World Water Day 2024 event held in New York, Water as a Driving Force for Peace and Stability focused on “how water can serve as a vehicle for peace and cooperation.” The presentations and comments were brief, and we

Celebrating World Water Day 2024

Blog of Janet Hall Schempf, from SI Anchorage, Alaska. In 1993, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared 22 March of each year World Day for Water. This day is set apart to raise awareness and appreciation of “the supply and quality of fresh water” and to promote water conservation

Creating a coalition of international and grassroots NGOs

Blog of SI Representative at UNESCO, Marie-Christine Gries. Creating a coalition of international and grassroots NGOs In November 2023, our representative at UNESCO, Marie-Christine Gries, had the honour of leading one of the three special sessions during the General Conference of Member States, to present the success stories of the

Monitoring progress towards Global Education

Blog of Evelyne PARA, SI UN Representative at UNESCO. On 7 – 9 February 2024, a Conference was organised at UNESCO Paris on Education Data and Statistics, by UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) with support of UNESCO Education Sector. Since 2015, countries have been invited to set national targets as

YOUth Centered Future: Reflections from the 2024 CSW Youth Forum

Author: Sofia Calicchio During the 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), Soroptimist International youth participated in and engaged with the CSW Youth Forum on 15 to 17 March 2024. Effective and significant participation of youth, the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in policy discussions, and the use of technology

Closing the Gender Gap in Education: Long Term Barriers and Emerging Challenges

The Office of the President of the General Assembly and UN Women presented an in-person event at CSW68 titled ‘Closing the Gender Gap in Education: How to Address Long-term Barriers and Emerging Challenges in a World of Complex Crises? How can we make sure we are intersectional in closing the

Access to finances locally for Women through Gender Budgeting

On 14 March, Soroptimist International (SI) hosted an online parallel event during the Commission on the Status of Women in partnership with Women for Water Partnerships. The session featured key speakers Mariet Verhoef-Cohen, Lesha Witmer, and Maria Fornella, who delved into the critical relationship between gender equality and access to

Socio-economic empowerment policies for HIV prevention

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organisation headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. SADC hosted a side event at CSW68 on 15 March 2024 to discuss socio-economic empowerment policies for HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women. During the event, Nazneen Damji from UN Women stated that it