The United Nations Office in Geneva is a focal point for multilateral diplomacy in human rights, with the UN’s Human Rights Council and its review mechanisms, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Committee of the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), all based in Geneva. For SI’s UN Representatives in Geneva, these human rights mechanisms offer a critical opportunity to provide recommendations to governments to ensure that actions are taken to promote gender equality and women’s and girls’ access to their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

This edition of Our Voice at the UN is an overview of Soroptimist International’s advocacy efforts at the United Nations office in Geneva over the past four months, with first-hand accounts of major events from our UN Representatives, Berthe De Vos-Neven (Centre Contact), Stacy Ciulik and Donatella Benjamin.

---

Human Right’s Council 50^th Session (HRC50), 13 June -8 July

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, opened HRC50 by presenting her annual report on the global state of human rights, providing a strong foundation for the interactive dialogue that followed. Key themes of the discussion included alarm at the increasing levels of inequality and rising poverty, the need to integrate human rights into national budgets and debt relief, and the importance of defending and increasing civic space. Throughout the 50^th session, three draft Council resolutions concerning mandates relative to violence against women and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity were discussed. You can read more about this in Donatella’s Report.

On the 27 June, as part of HRC50, the annual full-day discussion on the human rights of women was held. Donatella attended the panel discussion ‘Exploring the Nexus Between Climate Change and Violence Against Women and Girls’. The panel consisted of experts and advocates from diverse backgrounds and discussions reiterated the need for the full and equal involvement of women and girls in climate change mitigation and disaster response efforts. Click HERE to read Donatella’s blog from this event.

---

82^nd Session of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

The 82^nd Session of CEDAW presented the first opportunity in almost 2 years for Civil Society to be present in person at the UN office of Geneva. Civil society seized the opportunity to hold governments to account as they presented very strong reports about the lived realities of women and girls in the countries under review. The event stood as a reminder of the importance of civil societies ability to independently monitor progress and hold countries to account where necessary. You can read Berthe’s report from the event HERE.

---

Committee on the Rights of the Child

The UN office in Geneva is home to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and this year, Berthe Represented SI at the 90^th Session, held 3 May – 3 June. The session reviewed reports on the status of children’s rights from selected Member States and touched on many areas of concern, including children’s experience in the justice system, protection of children under labour laws, and the continuation of harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage. Click HERE to read Berthe’s report from the event.

---

Observing Key International Days

In their role as representatives for SI, Berthe, Stacy and Donatella often attend events dedicated to UN special days, particularly on themes that relate to the work of SI.

12 June was International Day Against Child Labour. The elimination of Child Labour is one of the original goals set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) back in 1919. As SI’s Representative to the ILO, Berthe De Vos-Neven blogged from the 20^th anniversary of International Day Against Child Labour. Berthe’s BLOG describes the current mechanisms in place to prevent child labour, and explains why the ILO, together with its partners, is calling for increased input in social protection systems to protect children from child labour.

In addition to the ILO, Geneva is also home to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and this year, in keeping with SI’s goal to see more girls in education, Stacy Ciulik attended the ITU’s international celebration for girls in information and communications technology (ICT). Click HERE to read Stacy’s blog as she explains the importance of empowering girls in ICT.

Finally, on 19 August, Berthe represented Soroptimist International at the UN Geneva World Humanitarian Day event, paying respect to humanitarian workers who have lost their lives in helping others. Click HERE to read Berthe’s blog from this special day of remembrance.