An initial reflection on the first days of the Sixty-Sixth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) – by Wanda Price, SIA Representative member of the SI Global Impact Committee
“The NGO CSW66 Forum kicked off with a great deal of anticipation and enthusiasm. Even though we are not able to be in New York City, the opportunity to connect virtually through access to more than 700 parallel and side events, as well as conversation circles was made available to all registered participants. Consultation Day was nothing short of inspirational, providing the background for what we could look forward to in the coming two weeks. The focus on the Priority Theme was expressed in all panel discussions and videos that were shared. I was most impressed with the presentations by the young climate activists leaving us with much to think about regarding the impact on the planet, and our duty to protect it. One of the most important statements from this Consultation Day is that we should not just think about the CSW Forum ending after two weeks. Our work should be ongoing. We are to take what we have learned back to our communities and governments to initiate action when and where we can.
One Parallel Event from the second day entitled ‘Back to Normal is Not Enough’ provided insights and reflections on the collection and reporting of data based on gender, from the Equal Measures 2030 report SDG – Equal Measures 2030. Additionally revealed in this Session were personal reflections on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate catastrophes that disproportionately affect women. The report raised questions about the importance of who is collecting data, and helped to identify who is receiving the services referenced in the data collected. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Gender Index is a tool (referred to in the Equal Measures 2030 report), that gender advocates can use to frame their influencing on the gender equality elements of the SDGs. The index is useful in informing girls’ and women’s groups on the movement and the measure of progress on the gender equality aspects of many of the SDGs. The panel reported that progress is slow with very little movement between 2015 and 2020, citing only a movement of two points since 2015. At this rate, it is estimated that the global achievement of SDG goals might only reach approximately 71% versus 100% by the year 2030.
The index aims to drive action on gender equality by highlighting where we are seeing some progress and where we are not.
The report leaves us with Recommendations for accelerating actions toward success in achieving the full 2030 agenda.
- Reform and apply inequality laws (inclusions of intersectionality to inform laws)
2. Invest in public services and social (including care) infrastructure
3. Promote the leadership, participation and voice of girls and women
4. Close the gaps in gender data
5. Invest in, create space for, and listen to feminist organisations and movements
6. Work with and empower girls and young women, and girl – and youth-led organisations
Take-aways from this session:
- Data producers and data users should work together to ensure the inclusion of appropriate groups that will be impacted by the findings and services yet to be developed (the under-represented continue to be ignored)
- Presence does not mean power – Just having a seat at the table is not enough. There is action required such as ‘motivating the moveable middle’
- We need to engage multiple entities in the conversations to help push the gender agenda – Need to gain new allies and work to improve public opinion
Looking forward to gaining more knowledge in the days to come.”
Watch the Consultation Day recording HERE