Soroptimist International’s UN Representative in Geneva, Sabine Kinzer, who is part
of the Non Governmental Organisation Group for the Commission on the Status of Women (NGO CSW) in Geneva, recently met with UN Women Executive Director Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka. Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka shared with Sabine and the NGO CSW group what her current
priority areas are in her role at UN Women. These she outlined as followed: 

• Ending Violence against Women & Girls
• Women to have Peace & Security
• Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Women’s Leadership & Political Participation
• The Post 2015 Development Agenda
• HIV/AIDS 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka expressed the need that UN Women have, to
collaborate with women’s rights NGO’s in the field, in order to support their goals within the above priority areas. She said that her personal objective
is to lift women’s economic empowerment because she believes women’s voices
become stronger once they are empowered from the bottom up. 

As Soroptimist Interational look towards this year’s Commission of the Status
of Women 58  (CSW58) Phumzile told Sabine
that we must really build on the progress made last year at he CSW57 and give Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) the
highest priority.  

UN
Representatives in Geneva Sabine Kinzer, Wilfrida Hendrickx and Sina Stiffler have also attended a NGO CSW task force meeting on the Beijing + 20. The task force is currently working together, to discuss relevant issues, in view of the
UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regional Review in November 2014. Sabine, Wilfrida and Sina will work within the task force group to advance SI’s goals:      

1. Increase access to formal and non-formal
learning opportunities.

2. Improve access to economic empowerment and sustainable opportunities for the
employment of women.

3. Eliminate violence against women and girls and ensure women’s participation in
conflict resolution.

4.
Ensure women and girls have food security and access to the highest attainable
standard of health care. 

5. Address the specific needs of women and girls by improving environmental
sustainability, and mitigating effects of climate change and disasters. 

The NGO CSW Geneva group and its partner organizations will host an NGO Forum as part of the UNECE Regional Review of Beijing+20 this November. This NGO Forum will examine the 12 critical areas of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, review progress made, and look at remaining gaps and existing challenges. The Forum will also identify emerging women’s issues brought on by a changing world and seek government accountability for their commitments made to women’s rights, equality and empowerment initiatives. The outcome of the NGO Forum will feed into the ECE Regional Review Process and contribute to the Global Beijing+20 Report, as well as, the Post 2015 Development Agenda.

Photographs – 

Top – Sabine Kinzer (top row 2nd from left) with the NGO CSW Group Geneva, and
Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (centre) 

Bottom – CSW General Assembly and Task Force Group. From left to right, SI’s UN Reps in Geneva Wilfrida Hendrickx, Sabine Kinzer and Sina Stiffler.