A Report for SI UN Representative to Geneva, Sina Stiffler: Inclusion, Participation and Equality.

SI UN Representative to Geneva, Sina Stiffler, recently reported back from a Civil Society Development Forum at the International Labour Organisation (ILO). She attended a session on Women’s Rights and Development: Inclusion, Participation and Equality (30 Sep – 1 Oct).

The Forum reviewed the outcome document of CSDF 2010, the New York Component, in conjunction with the conclusions and recommendations of ECOSOC’s Annual Review. It focused on the implementation of the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to gender equality and empowering women.

The core claim by various panellists was that although the “gender” concept is accepted worldwide and various laws have been created to protect and to further women’s rights, practice lags dramatically behind. Implementation and enforcement are often missing. However it is difficult to give overall explanations that are true for all countries.

Here are some problems that were identified:

• Distribution of wealth is not balanced between men and women;
• Women often don’t claim their rights;
• Governments don’t always implement laws;
• Women often don’t claim their rights due to fear of being stigmatized.

The action points as drafted in New York were discussed in light of these discussions. No significant changes were made.

I am happy to highlight that Suba Parthiban, Programme Officer of Soroptimist International of Europe and part of the Programme Team of Soroptimist International, was given the floor to speak about women and sustainable development on the final day. She clearly pointed out that the Soroptimist ‘grassroots’ approach to women’s development and using  women as critical agents of change was a successful way to move forward. Soroptimists empower women, especially local women, to design their own projects, making use of local knowledge and resources for community development. Suba provided examples of Soroptimist projects in Africa and Eastern Europe as well as a water and sanitation project in India which was implemented in partnership with the SIGBI Federation. She concluded by saying “empowerment is the key! Women are capable of unbelievable courage. With just a little help, women will turn obstacles into opportunities!”