The Commission on the Status of Women 58 is now in its fourth day.  Its aim, to
deliver a set of agreed conclusions on the priority theme for the year, ‘Challenges and Achievements in the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for Women and Girls‘. The agreed conclusions will feed into an outcome document which consists of concrete
recommendations for action by Governments, intergovernmental bodies and others. In order to reach these conclusions Member States meet everyday for two weeks to discuss each a number of key areas thoroughly.

During Day 3 some key areas of contention were highlighted between Member States. These include the following:

Sexual and Reproductive Rights: This is still an area that makes members of the international community more nervous than discussions about sexual and reproductive health,
particularly when it involves young people and especially when it
concerns adolescent girls. There are big discussions around this with strong opinions on both sides. 

Gender Identity: The MDGs failed to mention discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, or experienced by sex workers.
At last years CSW
explicit mention of sex workers and sexual orientation was removed from
the outcome document. These points continue to be a subject of fierce debate.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Arguments prevail around this topic. Some NGOs and Member States believe that educating children about their sexuality will harm children rather than help them, others, including women representing NGOs who have been victims of sexual abuse believe that if they had been educated about their sexuality at a young age they would have felt empowered to say no and report it.

Sovereignty: A lot has to be done
before this can be agreed on. Like last year there is still
a sovereignty clause in the text. This clause states that culture and
tradition are leading over international accepted and legally binding
treaties therefore making way for the use of culture or religion as an
excuse not to follow up on these treaties and its obligations.
Furthermore this clause is in direct conflict with one of the outcomes
of the 1995 Beijing Conference where is states that countries have to refrain from invoking any
custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid obligations to
eliminate violence against women and girls. Last year at the CSW57 this clause was dropped right at the
end of negotiations and did not appear in the final agreed conclusions.

 

Successful Side Events! 

Soroptimist International held and co-hosted 2 Side Events yesterday:

Blue is the New Pink:
Gender Equality through Men and Boys. This all-male panel featured the male perspective on breaking down gender stereotypes and
working to achieve gender equality for both women and men. The event was a huge success and was packed to the rafters! 

 

 

 

Also ‘Half the Sky is Not Enough, Propelling Women
and Girls Upward from MDGs to SDGs’ along with the Armenian Relief Society and the International Council of Jewish Women . This event discussed three
global initiatives that were created during the MDGs which promise to catapult
women and girls upward through the Post-2015 development period. Read more in President Ann Garvie’s blog about this event. 

More to follow on both of these events tomorrow!

 

 

 

Photo Credits to Bette Levy, NY UN Representative New York