"On Monday 14 March, I started the day
by joining the Icelandic delegation for breakfast at the office of the
Permanent Mission of Iceland, and then I set off to meet the core delegation of SI for a
morning briefing. There the discussion was about yesterday‘s Consultation Day
and the common admiration for Bette‘s part in making that day such a success. We
were also informed about the events that SI is participating in during the week.
Very informative.

Then off to the UN
building to start the week of being educated and inspired. To find ones way
around the UN building is often a challenge so one better be there well ahead
of time to make sure to be in time for the chosen event.

The first event I
attended was ‘Sharing the Care: How to recognize, reduce, and redistribute’
co-hosted by MenEngage Alliance, UN Women and the Permanent Mission of Iceland
to the UN. Recognizing and valuing unpaid care work has been broadly recognized
as a strategy to advance gender equality as well as economic development.
Although this aim has been outlined in declarations and global goals –
solutions have fallen short. More women are taking on a paid work but they are
still responsible for the unpaid care work at home, we need a policy on how we
can redistribute the work between family members.

The Minister for
Social Affairs in Iceland and the Minister for Gender Equality from Sweden both
spoke about how parental leave was positively affecting equal opportunities. In
2000 a change was being made in Iceland; to secure the infants the presence of
both parents, and to make it possible for both the parents to spend time with
their babies. A better quality of life. Parents divide their care for the
children more effectively after 2000. Although the domestic work is more equal
than before it is still not equal. When young men are asked what is important
they include in their answer that to be a good father is very important. Men
have to lean in but we have to also lean out. Although you will get a pink
sweater from the washing machine when your husband is doing the washing, you
will have to accept that.

The minister of Sweden
said that highly educated, high income men were more likely to use parental
leave but that women take 75% of the days and that needs to change further and
have men take at least 33% or even split the parental leave in half.

The MenCare
representative asked an interesting question: What drives men into doing the
paid work?  He quoted three factors: 1) they
have to as they are the only ones to do it. 2) They do it as it is the expected
thing to do. 3) We structure the workplace for men to work.

We teach our sons what
is expected of them, we have to start when they are young. Look at what their
mother is doing in the home, and what the father is doing, this is what you are
teaching them. Culture is not a defence against not doing the care work.

Women in Water Diplomacy

Right after the
“Sharing the care” session I headed to a high level side-event on “Women in
Water Diplomacy” where influential women in the water sector and in water
management shared experiences and offered recommendations on how to increase
the professional participation of women in water diplomacy. This event was very
good. In the room there were 5 women ministers from 5 different countries, not
bad!

Image: Mariet Verhoef-Cohen and Jet Bussemaker the Minister of Education, Culture
and Science in the Netherlands.

Mariet Verhoef-Cohen,
SI President Elect, spoke on behalf of Women for Water Partnership of
which she is the President. Her presentation was informative and motivating, as
always. She said that only 6% of the UN diplomats are women. Although the
political empowerment has improved for the past 10 years the gap is still 67%.

 

In terms of enrolment
in academic education the gap has decreased to just 5%, but men dominate in
engineering, computing and physics. Slowly girls are entering more technical
domains when it comes to education, but due to working conditions and cultural
constraints they usually resign again after 3 to 5 years.

Existing data reveals
that women are significantly underrepresented at every level and that they are
notably absent at the level of international water policy decision-making or
diplomacy.

We need to remove
social and cultural barriers to enable women to have a career and become
influential in water and diplomacy.

Yvonne Simpson our SI President spoke about 1 in 5 men graduate in engineering while only 1 in 20
women do. Education alone is not enough, access to men’s network and equal pay
is also lacking.

Image: Soroptimist International President Yvonne Simpson speaking at the high level side-event on “Women in
Water Diplomacy.

The Deputy Minister of
Water and Sanitation of the Republic of South Africa said that South Africa is
taking the lead in having the year of 2018 to be claimed as the year of water
and women. They also want to have a water fund established to bring women into
the water sector and are running a program called “Adopt a river”

The Mayor of Hoboken,
which is in New Jersey just across the river from Manhattan, showed us how
“Sandy” the storm in 2013 affected her city and what they were doing to prevent
future damages.

Climate change is the
number one issue, we need more women in water diplomacy, and we need more women
in politics. 90% of the effect of the climate change affects water. Work
together men and women, this is a matter that affects all of us in all
countries.

Partying!

After this meeting the
walking boots were put on and the direction was for the residency of the
Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Iceland to the UN. There I met the
Minister of Social Affairs in Iceland, the former Foreign Minister of Iceland,
few Ambassadors, staff and the representatives of different NGO’s that were
part of the Icelandic Delegation at CSW. It is very important to work closely
together with the delegation of your country, to communicate what you want to
have in the conclusion and to network.

 

Image: Reception at the Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Iceland to the UN,
showing left to right; Minister of Social Affairs Iceland, Hanna and Hafdis,
Soroptimists from Iceland and Ingibjörg Solrun Gisladottir, former Foreign
Minister of Iceland and now the an UN Director stationed in Istanbul.

As SI was also having
a reception at the same time it was a good thing I had my running-shoes on to
make it in time to meet all the wonderful Soroptimists that have come to CSW to
be educated and inspired and to join hands to make a difference in the life of
women and girls. When attending Soroptimist gatherings it is just like coming
to a family gathering, you meet your friends whom you have been meeting through
the years and whom you share your vision with – it is just wonderful!"