"Keeping up with the pace of life at UN related events is
never easy. There are constant meetings taking place not just in the UN
precinct but all around New York. There is the necessity of adjusting to
temperatures inside rooms which are lower than the humid heat of the streets.
Add to this the continued battle with the standstill traffic, police car sirens
continuously blaring to announce yet another VIP being whisked through the
city to speak at the UN. (I just learned today that many of these are decoys
set up as part of the security system so whilst I thought I was being held up by
a President or a Prime Minister it may just have been an empty car!)

Today we
started with a meeting with the new Director of The Centre for Women’s Global
Leadership, based at Rutger University. The Centre is responsible for the UN 16
Days campaign in November each year which Soroptimists have been supporting.

We explored ways in which we could mutually support each
other in raising awareness of issues around violence against women. Krishanti
explained her background as a human rights advocate and her achievements in
gaining recognition for gender equality in San Francisco. I was interested in
her grassroots approach to counter the US Government’s refusal to ratify the
CEDAW Convention. She identified the changes which could be made by local
governments and set out to demonstrate through local hearings how gender
discrimination was taking place at a very basic level. One of the examples she
cited was street lighting – mainly designed and placed by men who did not
always have the same fears about walking dark streets as women did. Following a
gender analysis of the department responsible the City re-aligned their street
lighting to take account of the safety of women.

She in turn was impressed by the active work in local
communities of Soroptimists.

Our next session was with the SI UN representatives who
work voluntarily on our behalf to ensure Soroptimists are able to contribute to
the development of agendas at the various committees.

They have been instrumental in working with other NGOs in
forums such as the Women’s Major Group and the Post2015 Coalition to ensure that
gender equality became a stand alone Goal #5. They have also been reporting
back regularly as all the consultations with Government and High Level Groups
have taken place.

They are volunteers just like all of us, but over the last
few months whilst work has been intensive they have given many hours over what
would normally be expected of them. That for me sums up a committed
Soroptimist!

 

            Photo: International President Yvonne Simpson speaking Sunday 28 at the Civil Society Watch event (on Beijing +20).

We started to look at the planning for CSW60 which takes
place next March and will be addressing how the SDG s will be monitored, and
especially looking at how gender equality is not just dealt with through #5 but
is embedded throughout every one of the other 17 goals.  As Soroptimists we need to start educating
ourselves about how are own country Governments are going to approach this.
Civil Society will play a major part in holding Governments to account over the
next 15 years, so who will your partners be in your country to do this?

If anyone would live advice and guidance on this then
please don’t hesitate to get in touch. For now I am heading back to UK, so this
Wednesday morning New York has decided to prepare me and it is raining!!!