YWCA Aust at UN Commission on the Status of Women

YWCA Australia at UN Commission on the Status of Women

Every day, rural women and girls face issues that are caused by institutionalised discrimination and lack of empowerment. Next week, a delegation of YWCA Australia representatives will be heading to New York to participate in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which runs from 27 February to 9 March 2012. This year CSW, the principal global policy-making body on gender equality, will focus on the empowerment of rural women and their role in developing communities as well as eradicating poverty and hunger around the world.

The YWCA Australia delegation will join a World YWCA team of women from countries around the world, led by the World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda. The World YWCA will focusing on the critical areas of education, sexual and reproductive health and rights, violence against women and the impact of conflict and war on women in rural areas. The World YWCA has submitted a joint statement to the CSW about these issues.

YWCA Australia will also host a parallel workshop at CSW which will focus on reconciliation, particularly the use of Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPS) to advance reconciliation. We will be partnering with colleagues in the YWCA movement to deliver this workshop. We are also preparing a presentation for a YWCA of Canada workshop on advocacy.

The Australian participants attending are: Rebecca Vassarotti, Executive Director of YWCA of Canberra, Alison Laird, Policy Coordinator of YWCA Australia, Jessica Hamilton, Board Member of YWCA Australia, Michelle Deshong, Member of YWCA Queensland, Marnie Grogan, Member of YWCA NSW and recipient of the Una Porter scholarship to support young women’s participation at the CSW.  Our thoughts go out to Genevieve Marchiori of YWCA NSW, a valued member of our delegation who had to withdraw because of injury.

Look out for daily blogs from our Australian participants, which will be featured here on our homepage.

» Read the World YWCA Statement to CSW