1st United Nations Environment Assembly

SI’s UN Reps in Nairobi, Alice Odingo and Rose Mwangi, are making SI’s presence felt at the world’s first UN Environment Assembly. Alice is chairing the thematic group on “Financing the Green Economy”, and our reps will be drafting the statement on that subject. “Be sure issues to do with women’s rights will not be forgotten”, Alice assures. The statement will be presented to those participating in the UNEA, including global leaders, government officials and other NGOs.

 

SI’s expertise and voice has been recognised with Alice being nominated to facilitate the Major Groups and Stakeholders meeting. Alice and Rose’s hard work has ensured that the needs of women are being listened to, as part of the creation of the post-2015 development agenda which is major point of discussion at the UNEA.

The UNEA will close on the 27th of June. More news of Alice’s and Rose’s prolific activities to come!

 

First Impressions as a UN Rep at the FAO: The Role of Women in Eliminating Malnutrition

Christina Hoefferer, SI’s new UN Rep for the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome,
Has thrown herself into the role, “The main aim is to keep nutrition high on the international agenda” says Christina, reporting back from an ‘informal’ meeting on planning the International Conference on Nutrition, “gender discrimination is one of the main contributing factors of malnutrition”. ‘ICN2’, as the conference is known, will be happening in November this year.

“Civil Society Organisations must focus on small scale food producers, above all women. It is crucial that women are accorded full and equal land rights” explains Christina. Meeting representatives from other NGOs and the private sector, she finds that many agree with her. In order to achieve good health and levels of nutrition across the world women must be involved, as Christina reports, it is all about “the unique and multiple roles of women as food producers”.

 

The Director General of the FAO, speaking to the NGO Representatives said that he wanted “increased participation of non-state actors” and to “find the best ways” to involve them. This is good news to Christina, “after 22 years the International Conference on Nutrition is only the 2nd of its kind”. SI is an ideal NGO to be involved in these issues, due to its expertise in, and significant amounts of project work with, rural women.

 

UN Women and the Launch of its Beijing+20 Campaign

Bette Levy, one of our UN Representatives in New York, is a key player in organising the launch event for UN Women’s Beijing+20 campaign, “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity, Picture It!”. Two of SI’s invited panellists from our side-event at CSW58, which gave a male perspective on breaking down gender stereotypes, will speak at the Launchevent on 26 June, along with UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and activist Gloria Steinem.

 

The involvement of Carlos Gómez and Jimmy Briggs at the event shows the emphasis that UN Women is placing on involving men and boys in tackling gender inequality, also a key SI theme in recent months. The launch event will be filmed and made available on the internet shortly afterwards. More about Beijing+20