Strong Pacific NGO Contingent at UN Commission on the Status of Women
[Suva – 2 March] The 53rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) opens today (Monday 2 March) in New York and runs until Friday 13 March 2009 with the theme “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS.”
In attendance will be a strong NGO contingent from the Pacific, eight of whom were chosen for support from the UNDP Pacific Centre following an open merit based process.
Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Veena Singh Bryar (both of femLINKPACIFIC), Angeline Chand (Pacific Disability Forum), Edward Yamai (Anglicare STOPAIDS PNG), Peone Fuimaono (Samoa AIDS Foundation), Kairangi Samuela (Cook Islands Women’s Counseling Centre), Ofa ki-Levuka-Guttenbeil-Likiliki (Tonga National Centre for Women and Children) and Imelda Nakamura (VOICES Palau) have already begun working in New York to raise the profile of Pacific diversities and complexities, highlighting issues relating to the status of women in the 3 sub regions of the Pacific, and addressing the issue of care giving between women and men in the context of HIV and AIDS, keeping with the priority theme for CSW 53.
The eight Pacific NGOs are guided by key regional, sub-regional and national priorities identified at the Pacific Regional NGO/CSO training and Strategy Session for CSW 53, convened by the UNDP Pacific Centre in September 2008, and attended by more than 35 participants representing NGOs/CSO from 12 Pacific island Countries (Cook Islands, Fiji, FSM, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu ), as well as by local and national level preparations to ensure input and participation by all stakeholders, especially from rural communities and minority groups.
"It has already been an intense three days of preparation and collaboration for our input to the Pacific Forum statement and I am excited and looking forward to participating in the sessions during the next two weeks,” said Imelda Nakamura of VOICES in Palau.
For VOICES which focuses on the human rights and empowerment of women in Palau, Nakamura is looking forward to bringing back the experiences and lessons learnt from the regional and global level to assist in making change at the local and national level.
For VOICES which focuses on the human rights and empowerment of women in Palau, Nakamura is looking forward to bringing back the experiences and lessons learnt from the regional and global level to assist in making change at the local and national level.
"This is an opportunity for VOICES to be part of an international policy event such as CSW and to network with Pacific sisters and expand our horizons with international counterparts,” she added.
Angie Chand of the Pacific Disability Forum says that coming to the UN for the first time and in particular to the CSW is an opportunity to be able to highlight the issues faced by women and girls with disabilities.
Angie Chand of the Pacific Disability Forum says that coming to the UN for the first time and in particular to the CSW is an opportunity to be able to highlight the issues faced by women and girls with disabilities.
“It is also an opportunity to establish networks with other organizations and seek support for the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities especially by Pacific Governments, following the lead of Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand,” she added.
For femLINKPACIFIC this is an opportunity to make the Pacific more visible in the international agenda.
For femLINKPACIFIC this is an opportunity to make the Pacific more visible in the international agenda.
"This is a valuable opportunity to work alongside our government counterparts in the Pacific missions and create greater visibility of Pacific women's ongoing efforts to implement policy commitments such as the Beijing Platform for Action, as well as UN Security Council resolution 1325, which is critical for the women we work with in Fiji, Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Tonga," says Coordinator, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls.
Suki Beavers, Human Rights Specialist with the UNDP Pacific Centre who is coordinating training and mentoring for the Pacific NGOs throughout CSW 53, noted that the NGOs have already begum making courtesy calls to their respective Missions to outline priority issues and perspectives for Pacific NGOs, and to offer their individual and collective support to Pacific Missions and delegations participating at CSW 53.
Background
The Commission on the Status of Women (hereafter referred to as “CSW” or “the Commission”) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.
CSW 53 will focus on three themes. The priority theme is; ‘The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including care giving in the context of HIV/AIDS.’ The review theme for this year is; ‘Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels,’ and the emerging issue is; ‘The gender perspectives of the financial crisis.’
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For more information please contact:
Snehal Morris, Communications Officer on (679) 3227507 Email : snehal.morris@undp.org
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