Commission on the Status of Women 2010
Women's Rights Worlwide
The Commission on the Stastus of Women
The International Alliance of Women sponsored several side events. On climate change, CEDAW, and mental health. There were IAW Statements, resolutions etc. On 11 March a side event was organised on:
CSW54 – the end of an era? Do we have a future with the UN?'
"The response was overwhelming", writes IAW president Rosy Weiss (see picture).
For a well documented overview of the many IAW activities click here.
IAW side event on Mental Health
* The NGO Committee on Mental Health affiliated with the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CoNGO) in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations
* Invitation to the 54th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women parallel Event organized by the CMH Working Group on Gender Perspectives and Mental Health
* co-sponsored by International Alliance of Women; International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies; International Association of Applied Psychology; International Council of Women; International Federation of Women Lawyers; Korea Institute of Brain Science; World Federation for Mental Health; Zonta International.
* Keys to Women's Empowerment: Mental Health and Human Rights
An interactive experience exploring the crucial role of psychosocial well-being in human development and the empowerment of women in the context of the 2010 CSW and its priority theme Beijing+15. All people need to be treated with respect and dignity which includes the right to health. We hold that there is no health without mental health and mental health for all requires the implementation of vital UN conventions and resolutions. Ongoing concerns and best practices will be presented, generating proposals for advocacy actions with focus on BPFA15 and CEDAW.
Date / Time - Thursday, 11 March, 2010 - 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Location - The Church Center- 777 United Nations Plaza- (44th Street bet 1st & 2nd Avenue) - 11th Floor – Hardin Room
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Elizabeth Carll - Chair, NGO Committee on Mental Health; United Nations Representative, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies; Licensed Psychologist & Ed. Trauma Psychology: Issues in Violence, Disaster, Health, and Illness, Two Volumes, Praeger.
MODERATOR
Dr. Karen Siegel - Convener, Gender Perspectives and Mental Health Working Group, NGO CMH; United Nations Representative, Zonta Internatonal; Clinical & Consulting Psychologist, Private Practice, Long Island, New York.
OPENING REMARKS
Rosy Weiss - President, International Alliance of Women; Vice-Chair, NGO CSW, Vienna
* Makiko Tagashira - Social Affairs Officer, Division for Social Policy and Development, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
“Issues of Social Inclusion/Exclusion/Integration in the Recent Commission on Social Development”.
* Iryna Kurowyckyj - United Nations Representative, International Council of Women; Co-Chair, NGO Committee on Sustainable Development.
“Disabled Women, Girls and Their Human Rights”
* Naisola Likimani – Femnet, Advocacy Office, Kenya. “African Experiences Advocating for Women’s Human Rights”
DISCUSSANT
Dr. Judith Bograd Gordon - Member at Large, NGO Committee on Mental Health; United Nations Representative, International Alliance for Women; Lecturer, Yale Univ. Dept. Psychiatry; Co-Convener, CMH Working Group on Racism, Related Intolerances, and Mental Health (see picture).
Q&A’s and GROUP INTERACTIONS
NGO Committee on Mental Health, Email: mentalhealthngo@optonline.net
For more information, visit our Website: http://www.mentalhealthngo.org
The declaration
On the second day of CSW a weak document was adopted, the Declaration. Many women activists were very disappointed. There were no steps forward, just confirmation of the documents of the BfA of Beijing, CSW 2000 and the Millennium Development Goals.
On March 12 the CSW adopted seven resolutions:
* Women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS (after a lot of discussion)
* Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts
* The situation of and assistance to Palestinian women
* Women’s economic empowerment
* Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women
* Strengthening institutional arrangement of the UN for support of gender equality and the empowerment of women by consolidating the four existing offices into a composite entity
* Ending female genital mutilation.
An inspiring speech
On the same day, March 12, Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State addressed the CSW with an inspiring speech.
Clinton recalled her ‘maiden’ speech at the NGO Forum in Huairou at the occasion of the Fourth World Conference in Beijing in 1995.
She
acknowledged that: women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.
Fifteen years later, Clinton is not satisfied with the progress made. She called for recommitment as individuals, as nations and as United Nations to the principle of equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls on the globe.
Four commitments on behalf of the OBAMA administration
* First of all US ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This was met with applause from the floor, above all from US civil society representatives.
* Second support to the establishment of a single, vibrant UN agency dedicated to women’s issues with strong leadership who will sit at the table of the Secretary General.
* Thirdly, support to strategies to promote more women in positions of leadership.
* And fourthly, the promise that the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action not only hold a promise to women in developing countries but hold a promise to women in all countries, including the US.
She concluded: “In every country talent is universal, but opportunity is not. Let’s go forward and be reenergized in this work.”
Young People Advocating for Sexual and R
eproductive Rights at Beijing +15 Review Friday 5th March 2010 New York.
Fifteen young men and women, wearing T-shirts with statements such as ‘Dead healthy women’, ‘unplanned pregnancies’ and ‘misinformed’, took a strong stand for achieving the goals that were set in Beijing fifteen years ago.
“We demand access to comprehensive sexuality information, services and supplies for all young people. We need it today - and today needed to be yesterday.” (Blog: WO=MEN)
Gender and Climate Change: The Untold Story
of Copenhagen
Mary Scott from Canada writes in her blog of this IAW side event:
A panel spoke about the the process leading up to Copenhagen and the actual meetings in Copenhagen as well. Although there were no limits put on NGOs to attend Copenhagen, the NGOs with money to send many delegates, were from business.
The session started with a presentation by Cate Owen, from WEDO, who gave a good history of the women's network in preparation to Copenhagen. She also talked about the real work that went on, where women were engaged in the process, and worked constructively to come up with the best document.
(Picture: Soon Young-Yoon, moderator of the IAW side event)
Dr. Pelu Olukoya, from WHO was also on the panel, and Govind Kelkar, from UNIFEM. The panel ended with Monique Essed-Fernandes, interim ex. director of WEDO speaking about what must happen at COP 16 - in Mexico.
All panelists emphasized that this issue of climate change is going to require a major paradigm shift. Everyone has to be engaged.
The stats show that women will die in more numbers in these disasters. It is a complex issue - but women will need to advocate at the national level. We will need Green Economic Development plans. We can integrate CEDAW into the climate change process. Some countries are stating to do away with the Copenhagen accord. Do away with work already done. But if there is agreement to conduct bi lateral agreements, that will exclude civil society.
(Thank you, Mary Scott from Canada, to mention our IAW workshop in your blog!).
GEAR
There is a good chance that a resolution will be accepted for implementing a new women entity called Gender Equality Architecture Reform or GEAR, by the 
General Assembly of the UN this year. GEAR is supported strongly by the European Union. Norway also put up a resolution on GEAR.
Germany (with IAW member Marion Boeker) has sent in a resolution on: Reducing Maternal Mortality and Morbidity through the Empowerment of Women. With discussion in an impressive panel.
CSW Declaration 210
On 3 March a short Declaration was adopted by the Commission on the Status of Women. It is more or less a confirmation of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform of Action in 1995, of Women 2000 and of the Review of the Millennium Declaration of September 2005.
There will be no document after CSW 2010.
Reason: strong oppostion is expected against agreements on some paragraphs of Beijing, with the risk of no consensus afterwards. Then CSW 2010 will have no document at all. Now there will be at least this (weak) Declaration.
Immediately there were protests, among others of Amnesty and the ILO, but to no avail. Of course networking will be very valuable and also the information of 188 side events with their good practices, but political negotiations in CSW have been dimmed for the moment.
IAW at CSW 
IAW has been preparing CSW very well, with three IAW Side Events, two on climate change and one on CEDAW with memories of Beate Schopf-Schilling (see picture).
For particulars on the climate change side events, see below.
IAW has two oral statements, on 'Decision-making by Women in Conflict' and 'Of Hunger, Climate Change and the Empowerment of Women'.
IAW members will be participating in several panels. And of course, there will also be a lot of networking between the many IAW members participating at CSW and others. With a IAW Friendship Dinner as a festive ocassion at the end.
European Union - the CSW document
Months of preparing CSW
Women's rights - strategic goals of Beijing Platform not yet achieved
The delegation of the European Union has to be acting as one unanimous block in voting for amendments of the CSW document at CSW. All EU countries and many NGOs have been consulted during the last months. The strategic goals of Beijing Platform are not yet achieved, the EU Parliament said in a resolution adopted on Thursday, October the 25th, drafted by Eva-Britt Svensson, Sweden (see picture).
The resolution on Beijing +15 – UN Platform for Action for Gender Equality was adopted by a show of hands.
To achieve quicker de facto gender equality, Commission and Member States should adopt and implement specific gender equality policies.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women also belongs to the women's right agenda, including enabling fathers to share family responsibilities by taking paternity leave, MEPs said.
Efforts must be made to strengthen sexual and reproductive health and rights in Europe and globally, as an integral part of the women’s rights agenda, according to the resolution.
MEPs stress that abortion should not be promoted as a method of family planning and that women who have had recourse to abortion should receive humane treatment and counselling.
Paternity leave
It is crucial to involve men and boys actively in programmes to promote gender equality, believes Parliament. Men should be offered realistic opportunities to share family responsibilities with women on an equal footing, especially with paternity leave.
MEPs stress that inequality and gender stereotypes persist, with women remaining in a position subordinate to men.
Gender equality chapter to be included in EU2020 strategy
A strong gender equality priority or chapter should be included in the revision of the Lisbon Strategy, accompanied by new targets, and links with the Beijing Platform for Action should be strengthened, according to the resolution.
European Institute for Gender Equality
Parliament urges the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) to develop strategies and tools for gender mainstreaming, particularly in the areas of gender impact assessment and gender budgeting. MEPs also urge EIGE to promote exchanges of knowledge between Member States in all fields addressed in the Beijing Platform. 
IAW side events at CSW
Gender Equality and Climate Change
Opportunities and Challenges for the MDGs ”
UN Side event at the 54th session of the UN CSW
Tuesday, March 2, 11:30 am to 1:00pm
UN Conference room C
(46th Street and First Avenue).
Moderated by Soon-Young Yoon, International Alliance of Women (see Picture)
Speakers
* “Continuing the commitment”
Minister Stefan Wallin, Minister of Culture and Sport (invited)
* “An update on the status of the climate change negotiations related to gender issues”
Monique Essed-Fernandes, Interim Executive Director,
Women’s Environment and Development Organization
* “Not to forget: integrating gender into climate change finance mechanisms”
Winnie Byanyima, Director, Gender Team, UNDP
* “The final deal—a US perspective”
Ambassador Melanne Verveer, US Ambassador for Global Women’s Affairs
* “Looking forward to Conference of the Parties 16 in Mexico”
(representative from the government of Mexico – invited)
Sponsored by the International Alliance of Women, the Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA), UNDP, UNIFEM and Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) and the Government of Finland, the Government of Mexico (invited), the Government of the United States (invited).
Gender and Climate Change — the Untold Story of Copenhagen
Thursday, March 4, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
NGO Side event at the 54th session of the UN CSW
(Salvation Army auditorium at 221 52nd Street, NY, NY 10022)
Moderated by Soon-Young Yoon, International Alliance of Women
Speakers
* The good news from Copenhagen: a history-making year for gender and climate change
Cate Owren, Sustainable Development Program Coordinator, WEDO
* Climate change and health – what’s missing?
Dr Peju Olukoya , Department of Gender, Women and Health, WHO
* Climate change knowledge development: indigenous women in Asia
Govind Kelkar, Regional Programme Coordinator, Economic Security and Rights, UNIFEM
* What must happen at COP 16
Monique Essed-Fernandes, Interim Executive Director, WEDO
Discussant: Rosy Weiss, President, International Alliance of Women
Co-sponsors: International Alliance of Women, Global Gender Climate Alliance, NGO/CSW/NY subcommittee on women and climate change, Women’s Climate Initiative, Women’s Environment and Development
IAW and the Commission on the Status of Women - CSW
A list of IAW members who have registered for CSW 2010 has been mailed around by IAW secretary Lene Pind.
Picture: Lene Pind, in red, at the IAW side event on climate change in CSW 2009.
IAW members at CSW
Austria: Rosy Weiss; Daniella Reiter
Denmark: Lene Pind
France: Hélène Sackstein; Renée Gerard, Monique Bouaziz, Danielle Levy, Danielle Safarti
Greece: Joanna Manganara
India: Manorama Bawa
Netherlands: Lyda Verstegen, Anje Wiersinga
Norway: Torild Skard
South Africa: Mmabatho Ramagoshi, Rita Marque Mbatho, Tebogo Ramagoshi; Ibiduni Jones;
Matlakala Makhubela
Sweden: Birgitta Wistrand
USA: Susanne Riveles, Judith Gordon, Kay Fraleigh, Irene Sarlis, Alicia Kershaw.
What happenend at CSW in 2009
Commission on the Status of Women 2009
Agreement
On Friday night the 14th of March agreement was reached on a (weak) document, after several countries could persuade Iran, Syria and Quatar to agree. The CSW secretariat had revised the complete document at the last moment. Several important statements had been deleted, also the paragraph of the EU on reproduction rights.
All in all, irritations increased as the UN was being taken hostage by two or three of the 27 countries. Would it not been better to use resolutions, where decisions are taken by majority?
Last days of CSW
In the last week of CSW the negotiations were getting more and more difficult. They went on and on, till deep into the night, like two and six o'clock in the morning on Wednesday and Thursday!
European Union
The EU had to water down their amendment on sexual and reproductive rights of women, because the small state of Malta refused to compromise. One EU state against, no consensus, caused irritations among the other EU states. In the waterdowned version sexual and reproductive rights will not be named as such, but reproductive rights will been strictly bonded with 'prevention of HIV/AIDS'. Even this watered down paragraph did not made it in the document.
Syria and Iran
Syria, supported by Iran, has been negative on including paragraphs on human rights and violence against women. They wanted exceptions in the document, on culture, tradition etc.
Another bottleneck was the attitude of Iran, threatening to put a stake in the wheel of obtaining consensus for the whole of the CSW agreed conclusions, if there would not be included a sentence on 'women under occupation'. This is UN language for 'women in the Palestina territories', and unacceptable for other states. The Netherlands voted against a resolution on Palestina. Their argument was: do not discuss resolutions on country level.
The Netherlands
After the compromise with Malta, which even had to be negotiated on the level of EU ambassadors, the Dutch delegation did not bring in their own paragraph on sexual and reproductive rights. Our argument for bringing it in was: it is important that progressive messages like this will be part of the negotiations.
Equal Pay Campaign.
During CSW Business & Professional Women International (BPW I) announced a worldwide “Equal Pay “campaign. It will start an awareness and lobbying campaign to close the still existing pay gap between men and women.
The announcement was made during an event on Equal Pay convened by BPW Germany and the Netherlands on behalf of BPW International and hosted by the permanent Mission of Germany to the UN.
Blogs worldwide
There were lots of Blogs by NGOs on the internet to follow this year, some with reports of interesting side-events too.
Girls Go Green at CSW
An evaluation of last year’s CSW revealed young women did not feel they had sufficient space to network, deliberate and strategise during the two-week long session, thus limiting their participation. As such, the World YWCA and WAGGGS are hosting a Youth Organisation Caucus at this year’s CSW.
Young women participating at CSW are being urged to wear something green as they explore the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV and AIDS.
Blog : YoungVoicesCSW.wordpress.com
Facebook Group: Young Voices at CSW
Twitter: Follow:YoungVoicesCSW
Opening of CSW
2 March 2009 – Too many women shoulder the heaviest burden in caring for people living with HIV and AIDS, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today, calling for greater balance in responsibilities between men and women.
This inequality “is unjust and a serious form of discrimination, even a form of violence” against women, she said in remarks in New York at the opening of the 53rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Women are restricted in employment, education and public life, while men are held back from taking part in their families’ lives, she said. “Families, communities and society as a whole suffer the consequences.”
The HIV and AIDS pandemic has highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach, involving all members of society, to address this imbalance, Ms. Migiro emphasized.
Beijing + 15
01-03-09 - The NGO Planning Committee have been busy for days looking after the organisation of CSW 53. One of the things they are preparing too is CSW 54 in 2010, or Beijing + 15.
The overall opinion is: we don’t want to re-open the discussion but discuss what has been done to implement the Beijing platform. Whatever is decided, it needs funding ...
During CSW 53- there will be 4 more Brainstorming Beijing + 15 meetings.
The blog is open to all comments and ideas; the parallel event schedule is up on the website.
The subject of CSW 2009 is: “ The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS ” .
Netherlands
The Dutch CSW-delegation and the Dutch NGOs have been preparing statements and side events. They also prepared paragraphs to include in the final document.
A briefing was heldoOn the 19th of February for NGOs by the Dutch delegation.
The NGOs asked their delegation in particular to negotiate, together with the EU, to be able to attend the CSW Meeting venue. In this way NGOs can follow better the discussion on the Agreed Conclusions.
Several Dutch particpants will be taking their laptops and notebooks to CSW. They gave us the latest news on their Blogs! More information will follow.
European Union
The republic of
Tsjechië is presiding the European Union and so Tsjechië will be chairing the EU-delegation. The position as chair will not be easy, because some EU-countries, like Polen and Malta, are having problems with paragraphs on sexual rights and sexual health for women. It will mean loss of power if the EU cannot speak as one block, in particular in reaching consensus internally on: caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS. Issues like specific information, prevention, familyplanning, the use of contraceptives etc. are all connected.
Recommendation DUTCH NGO’S CSW 53
in ten paragraphs
1. Unequal sharing in caretaking is merely a symptom of gender inequality in general and of the obstacles that women face in making their own choices and decisions. Equal sharing between women and men in caretaking can only be realized if gender inequality in general is combated at all levels and in all areas.
2. Strengthen and expand health systems, organizationally and financially, at in order to increase the availability and accessibility of public health care and lower the disproportional burden of women in home based caretaking.
3. Ensure that before policy and budgetary decisions are made, with regards to public and private health systems, and in particular in the area of home based or informal care, an independent analysis of their impact on women and men is carried out (ref: PfA 204a)
4. Evaluate international, national and local health and care policies from a gender perspective concerning their economical, social and cultural impacts on women. Adjust and implement policies and programmes at national and local level to achieve equal responsibilities between women and men (ref: OutcomeDoc, para 60)
5. Explore the effects of privatization of health and care institutions from a gender perspective, in particular the effects on the workload of unpaid caretaking by women.
6. Promote conditions and a way of organizing work that would enable women and men to reconcile their family and professional life, particularly through the introduction of flexi-time for women and men (AC CSW40, para 12d)
7. Take all necessary measures to ensure all relevant policies and services, like education and information, promote Hiv/Aids prevention. Encourage men to participate with women in programmes designed to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (ref AC CSW48, para 6o, 6p)
8. To release women’s burden in the area of home based caretaking, take necessary measures to provide access for all women to family planning methods and ensure their freedom to decide about the number and spacing of their children (ref CEDAW, art 12.1)
9. In order to achieve gender equality in the area of caretaking, promote educational programmes for men to change stereotypes in the area of gender roles and their understanding of women’s human rights.
10. Strengthen, by educational programmes and financial support, the professional and economic position of home based care takers.
Vrouwenbelangen - International Alliance of Women
Vrouwenbelangen will be represented by her President Lyda Verstegen, who is also Vice-President of the International Alliance of Women, and by Anje Wiersinga, representative of the Alliance of Women at the Human Rights Council at Geneva.
The International Alliance of Women has organised two side-vents at CSW:
* THE CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS
* WHAT DOES EQUAL SHARING OF RESPONSIBILITIES MEAN FOR THE RURAL WOMAN
Both will take place on the afternoon of March the 3rd.
COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN -
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN 2008
Statement of Dutch NGO's on the Agreed Conclusions of CSW 52, March 2008
Financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women was chosen as the prime focus of the 52nd session of the CSW.
Women’s rights organizations in the Netherlands and Europe, having been present at the CSW, remain deeply concerned that there are no meaningful commitments in the Agreed Conclusions related to financing for gender equality, with no concrete targets and timetables and no strong mechanisms for effective tracking and monitoring of financial resource
s spent on gender equality.
It is widely recognised, by governments and civil society, that the allocation of financial resources has been insufficient at all levels for real progress in all twelve critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action (1995).
In addition progress toward meeting Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 on gender equality and MDG 5 on maternal mortality has been lagging behind progress made with respect to the other MDGs.
Instead of scaling up resources to support the work of crucial gender equality stakeholders, the Agreed Conclusions of this year’s CSW have been distracted by the renegotiations around the language of earlier agreed commitments and in some aspects even weakening those earlier agreed commitments, amongst others by the addition of "bearing in mind national priorities" with respect to the recommended following actions.
Moreover, the Agreed Conclusions fail to address the need for adequate resources and a diversity of funding mechanisms to support the indispensable role of women’s organizations as the driving force of the agenda of gender equality and empowerment of women at all levels.
Since almost half the world population world-wide is under the age of 25, gender equality mechanisms should also address youth and encourage involvement of youth organizations. Therefore it is a missed opportunity that the Agreed Conclusions do not pay any attention to diminishing the specific problems youth organizations face in accessing funds for their activities working towards gender equality.
When an international, multi-stakeholder, gathering of gender experts can not make real progress with investing in women and girls, what can be expected from this year’s key events around the Monterrey Consensus and the Paris Declaration?
Signed by: CHOICE for youth and sexuality, E-quality, Hivos, International Information Centre and Archives for the Women’s Movement, International Network of Liberal Women, Liberaal Vrouwen Netwerk, NVSN USA, WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform, World Population Foundation/MYBODY, Nederlandse Vrouwen Raad, IFUW.
Vrouwenbelangen, that has folllowed the negotiations at CSW with great interest, agrees with this statement.
European Union - Comments on CSW
The Priority Theme of 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women "Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women" has, in the view of the European Union, not been aptly addressed.
A balance between national and international efforts has not been adequately reflected in the text of the Agreed Conclusions of the 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women. This would also adequately reflect the 
Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development.
The EU therefore regrets that the priority theme was frequently narrowed down to a call for more development assistance, and that the Commission did not take a more holistic and balanced approach to Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Furthermore, the European Union attaches great importance to the work of civil society and women's organizations around the world. We regret that their important contributions to gender equality have not been rightly recognized and that adequate supporting of their future work toward gender equality and the empowerment of women has not been appropriately addressed in the text.
Finally, the EU believe that a reference to national priorities, as now contained in the chapeau of paragraph 21 of the Agreed Conclusions, unnecessarily weakens the text. The EU would like to stress that the paragraph 21 should not create a precedent for future agreed conclusions.
News from CSW
Oh, and yes, it is all happening behind closed doors, this second week of CSW 52. Accredited NGOs are not permitted in the room.
Its just the next hurdle in the obstacle race NGO participants in CSW 52 are running.
We first of all had to get into the country - quite a number of African NGOs didn’t make it into the United States.
Then we had to queue for up to four hours in the corridor to get our security passes, but when the desk closed for the evening we were told to come back the next day and try our luck again.
And just when we thought we had vaulted all the obstacles, we were told by the chair of the CSW that the sessions in the second week will be held behind closed doors.
How do we follow what is going on? The Chair said we could talk with our delegates. “But they are inside, and we are outside,” we said. “Well, catch them when they come out,” he said.
In other words, we can participate in UN dialog by standing all day waiting for our delegates to materialise. And if they are in a hurry… wait some more. After all, if we came all the way to New York we have nothing better to do than stand around in basement corridors.
With two days of this CSW to go, civil society is asking itself: where is the money for women’s equality and women’s empowerment? Will CSW 52 make a contribution?
Going Dutch at CSW
Going Dutch: Tracing the Links between Governmental and Civil Society Funding Strategies for Financing Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations.
Co-sponsored by: HIVOS / AWID / Mama Cash.
Panel Delegate's Dining Room, 27 Februari 2008.
International Allliance of Women
Equal Rights - Equal Opportunities - Website http://www.womenalliance.org
“Gender Budgeting: good and bad practices
Gender Justice of public expenditure”
25 February 2008
With IAW President Rosy Weiss chairing and Marion Boker as moderator.
Picture by IAW General Secretary Lene Pind.
Going Dutch on MDG3
(from the Blog of Leontine Bijleveld)
Content and exchange were the key words to describe today's lunch, with the intriguing title "Going Dutch", sponsored by the Dutch Permanent Representation. In a build-up to the Dutch Announcement of the MDG3 fund, which will allocate €50 million over the next three and a half years, several excellent speakers took the floor.
Lydia Alpizar, Executive Director of AWID, eloquently addressed the distinction between funding and resourcing. Models of funding that have been used in the past have not worked because they were not based on resourcing the organizations. Civil society comes in many sizes and the different kinds of organizations can have a differently important impact on women's rights and women's equality. Funding mechanisms need to address these differences.
Ireen Dubel, speaking on behalf of Hivos, added that women's civil society organizations in all their diversity are the driving force for the agenda of women's rights and gender equality. They play a crucial role in social transformation processes. 
She explained that it is important that funders understand that these organizations are an important resource, next to governments. She applauded the Dutch government's approach to financing dissident voices, as innovation comes from having many different approaches and knowledge at the table.
When Robert Dijksterhuis of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs took the mike, a hush descended on the room. Influenced by powerful reports produced by the Dutch women's movement, and a strong lobby, the Minister has made funds available to support women's organizations for the coming 3,5 years.
Will organizations be able to use this fund for the sustainable development of organizations, rather than simply for projects? Most definitely: in fact, it is the fervent hope of the ministry that organizations that submit plans to the fund ensure that they include adequate support for organizational development.
And will it support networks? Most certainly: in fact, the fund has been developed to promote organizations working together.
The chair, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi of the African Women's Development Fund, wrapped up the meeting with a toast to the Dutch governemnt, commending them on their leadership in this important matter, the money matter.
She expressed the hope that in four years, the fund will be topped up with a further €250,000 for the next three and a half year period.
And by the way, the hosts did not ask the guests to pay the bill for the lunch. "Going Dutch" may well become known as an expression of hearty hosting.
Lin McDevitt-Pugh - IIAV
Geplaatst, met dank, door WO=MEN in New York op Blog van Leontien Bijleveld
CSW - three chapters of gender equality
During the 52nd session the Commission will consider a priority theme and an emerging issue. In addition, the Commission will review implementation of the agreed conclusions (recommendations) on a theme considered at an earlier session.
Priority theme - Financing for gender equality and empowerment of women
(Monday 25 February 2008 – 3 to 6 pm and Tuesday 26 February 2008 – all day) - Expert Group Meeting on "Financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women"
Related On-line Discussion (Final report of the on-line discussion)
Picture on the flyer of ”Growth, power and fun”
Icelandic ways of empowering women
Date: 27-February-2008 - Time: 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM - Room: Dag Hammerskjold Library Auditorium. With IAW member Margrét Steinarsdóttir
Emerging issue - Gender perspectives on climate change
(Thursday 28 February – 3-6pm)
Further details on the interactive event – experts, discussion guide, and following the event, presentations by the experts and the moderator’s summary, will be posted on the CSW site.
Review theme - Women’s equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peacebuilding
(Friday 29 February – 10am – 1pm)
The agreed conclusions were adopted by the Commission at its 48th session in 2004, will take the form of an interactive dialogue.
All on: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/52sess.htm
IAW organised three s
ide-events at CSW 2007
Missing Girls
Manorama Bawa, President of All India Women's Conference and Vice President of IAW (see picture), gave an impressive introduction on: "Missing Girls".
Also with Zhang Caixia from the All-China Women's Federatio, on such painful subjects like prenatal sex selection, sex selective abortion and female infanticide.
The second workshop was on: ' violence against the girl child in work situations', and included speakers of the ILO, ICW and IFWL.
The third side-event was organised by the International Federation of Women in Legal Careers and sponsored by IAW.
More and more women mi
nisters are coming to CSW
Picture CSW 2007: United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro (front, centre) and General Assembly President Haya Rashed Al Khalifa (third from front left), in a group photo with women ministers attending the informal thematic debate of the General Assembly on the Promotion of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, prior to their luncheon sponsored by the General Assembly President Haya Rashed Al Khalifa.
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The ministers came from: Pakistan, Belarus, Benin, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Belgium, USA, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Paraguay, Denmark, Namibia, United Arab Republics, Nigeria, Denmark, Slovakia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Indonesia, Haiti, etc.