CSW 54- Second Time Attendee-Carol Anne Parrish- Her Views
10,000 Steps
I am in a workplace fitness program where participants commit to walking 10,000 steps a day. It is harder than one would think it is. Getting started on any new thing is rough. Here I am at the UN in New York (where major renovations are underway) and things are “messy”. The sound systems don’t work well, women are loud and passionate, the weather has been fierce……and it is all worth it! The beautiful cacophony of thousands of women in rainbow colors with Tower of Babel voices makes me so glad to be in the Sisterhood of women.
The key to this Commission on the Status of Women is this statement: We are not invitees to this planet. We are participants.” Our job is to participate. What issues involving gender equity are you passionate about? Can you change it, fix it, or advocate for it?
I have heard “grassroots” here enough to understand that it is up to me to do something. The cost of gender equality is far less than the cost of gender inequality.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Day 2 of Global Forum- A little view of what happened
Day 2 of the Global Forum – for Women – Beijing + 15 February 28
Dawn Marie Lemonds, International Programme Director SI
More articles will feature the work that went on at the Forum- this article will mainly bring you a bit about the schedule and the types of activities we engaged in at this forum. These Blog stories will hopefully bring you little snapshots of the “elephant” we are all seeing from different lens and bringing our own experiences.
The morning opened with another remarkable performance- the intersection of culture and art as integral to our society- Today’s voices were children…..children as young as 4 and as old as 18- each quoting famous quotes from Rumi, to Mohammed, the Bible, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Buddhism teachings, Martin Luther King, Susan B Anthony, Shakespeare and so many many, more. Each performed- a provocative thought about women, change agents, peace, love and humanity from so many sides. Contemporary American music was then featured starting with songs from past decades until today- steadily showing the advancement or changing “face” of women from being insipid “airheads” in the song “I enjoy being a girl”- from South Pacific- to a rousing rendition of Aretha Franklin’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T sung by a 15 year old girl! The theatre group was called The Children’s Theatre Workshop and the rousing 45 minute performance ending with the most beautiful song- ONE WORLD which captivated all of our hearts!
Following this inspiration we listened to a riveting presentation by all 6 Regions of the World- representing the critical issues for women in each of the six regions- Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Arab Region, North America, Africa, and Latin America/Caribbean. Each of the presentations showed that we are “alike and different”- inspite of all being women- our journeys do not all have the same issues of urgency. For example- the issues of urgency in the Middle East are so fundamental- Women want to be recognized as HUMAN. In Africa- Women are viewed as Human- and advances have been made in primary education and empowerment of women- but the extreme issues of poverty, violence against women, extreme lack of health resources are issues of monumental import. Now it was time for us to do the work. Everyone met with their Regional Teams and identified the critical issues of their region, and strategies to meet these challenges. These issues will be brought by NGOs to the Caucuses and meetings with their missions and countries delegations. Governments start working on March 1, 2010 at the Commission.
The Afternoon Panel was titled “Fulfilling the Promise of Gender Equality, Peace, and Development: Women, Peace and Security, Strengthening Institutional Mechanisms, World Economic Crisis, Building Women’s Leadership and Millenium Development Goals”- the title was daunting and the information was extremely interesting and thought provoking.
A highlight of the afternoon included an amazing reading by Lynn Nottage from her Pulitzer Prize winning play “Ruined”. The story about a woman from the Congo whose baby was stomped by soldiers followed by 5 months of continuous rape. She went back to her village when she escaped from these villains and was a pariah for “allowing herself to be raped.” This will haunt me forever.
Finally– a Call to Action were presented by the CSW NGO Committee to H.E. Mr. Garen Nazarian, Chair of the Bureau of CSW 54, Thoraya Obaid- Executive Director of UNFPA, and Rachel Mayanja, UN Assistant Secretary General, Special Advisor on Gender Issues and the advancement of Women. The audience ended the afternoon with a rousing new version of We Shall Overcome. For up to date reporting go to www.ngocsw.org
Dawn Marie Lemonds, International Programme Director SI
More articles will feature the work that went on at the Forum- this article will mainly bring you a bit about the schedule and the types of activities we engaged in at this forum. These Blog stories will hopefully bring you little snapshots of the “elephant” we are all seeing from different lens and bringing our own experiences.
The morning opened with another remarkable performance- the intersection of culture and art as integral to our society- Today’s voices were children…..children as young as 4 and as old as 18- each quoting famous quotes from Rumi, to Mohammed, the Bible, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Buddhism teachings, Martin Luther King, Susan B Anthony, Shakespeare and so many many, more. Each performed- a provocative thought about women, change agents, peace, love and humanity from so many sides. Contemporary American music was then featured starting with songs from past decades until today- steadily showing the advancement or changing “face” of women from being insipid “airheads” in the song “I enjoy being a girl”- from South Pacific- to a rousing rendition of Aretha Franklin’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T sung by a 15 year old girl! The theatre group was called The Children’s Theatre Workshop and the rousing 45 minute performance ending with the most beautiful song- ONE WORLD which captivated all of our hearts!
Following this inspiration we listened to a riveting presentation by all 6 Regions of the World- representing the critical issues for women in each of the six regions- Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Arab Region, North America, Africa, and Latin America/Caribbean. Each of the presentations showed that we are “alike and different”- inspite of all being women- our journeys do not all have the same issues of urgency. For example- the issues of urgency in the Middle East are so fundamental- Women want to be recognized as HUMAN. In Africa- Women are viewed as Human- and advances have been made in primary education and empowerment of women- but the extreme issues of poverty, violence against women, extreme lack of health resources are issues of monumental import. Now it was time for us to do the work. Everyone met with their Regional Teams and identified the critical issues of their region, and strategies to meet these challenges. These issues will be brought by NGOs to the Caucuses and meetings with their missions and countries delegations. Governments start working on March 1, 2010 at the Commission.
The Afternoon Panel was titled “Fulfilling the Promise of Gender Equality, Peace, and Development: Women, Peace and Security, Strengthening Institutional Mechanisms, World Economic Crisis, Building Women’s Leadership and Millenium Development Goals”- the title was daunting and the information was extremely interesting and thought provoking.
A highlight of the afternoon included an amazing reading by Lynn Nottage from her Pulitzer Prize winning play “Ruined”. The story about a woman from the Congo whose baby was stomped by soldiers followed by 5 months of continuous rape. She went back to her village when she escaped from these villains and was a pariah for “allowing herself to be raped.” This will haunt me forever.
Finally– a Call to Action were presented by the CSW NGO Committee to H.E. Mr. Garen Nazarian, Chair of the Bureau of CSW 54, Thoraya Obaid- Executive Director of UNFPA, and Rachel Mayanja, UN Assistant Secretary General, Special Advisor on Gender Issues and the advancement of Women. The audience ended the afternoon with a rousing new version of We Shall Overcome. For up to date reporting go to www.ngocsw.org
CSW- Views from an attendee- She Loves Queues (lines)
funny thing happened on my way to Forum….
Was it Mel Brooks who said that? Those ones of you who are old enough to remember this musical, set up in a Roman environment, might also remember the expression. According to my line of thinking it is also a way of saying that everything comes to the ones who are waiting patiently enough!
And waiting patiently is what it is all about. I might never have been to a UN Meeting before, BUT I have been to several international meetings, in Soroptimist International as well as in Rotary International, and I know for sure that it is the queues that everything happens. You find a long lost friend, you get new friends even if you are 60 plus and you get to exchange ideas just because you are there - for several hours!
Take me, for an example! In 2001 I and my husband were standing in a queue in Buenos Aires, Argentina, waiting to register for the Rotary Convention there. Nothing happened in the queue; we started talking to the people behind us, this led to that, and the next year we met privately…and the next year too…and now we are friends forever. All four of us sixty plusses! Whoever said that you do not make new friends when you are “reaching a more advanced age?”
Take today, for an example. There we were, my room-mate and I, queuing for access passes to the UN building. There was a Japanese student in front of us, saying that she was studying the situation of elderly people, and they had been making a study tour to Linköping, which happens to be my home town in Sweden. Then there was this funny lady from a German speaking country making jokes about this and that. Then there was this well dressed gentleman who came into the passport office, evidently waiting to sail through the process like a leaf in the wind. Well, he took a look at the throng (of ladies) and sighed, loudly enough to be heard all through the room: Oh, my, I think that I’ll come back later!
I Just love queues!
Ann-Christine (Stina) Söderlund, Sweden
Was it Mel Brooks who said that? Those ones of you who are old enough to remember this musical, set up in a Roman environment, might also remember the expression. According to my line of thinking it is also a way of saying that everything comes to the ones who are waiting patiently enough!
And waiting patiently is what it is all about. I might never have been to a UN Meeting before, BUT I have been to several international meetings, in Soroptimist International as well as in Rotary International, and I know for sure that it is the queues that everything happens. You find a long lost friend, you get new friends even if you are 60 plus and you get to exchange ideas just because you are there - for several hours!
Take me, for an example! In 2001 I and my husband were standing in a queue in Buenos Aires, Argentina, waiting to register for the Rotary Convention there. Nothing happened in the queue; we started talking to the people behind us, this led to that, and the next year we met privately…and the next year too…and now we are friends forever. All four of us sixty plusses! Whoever said that you do not make new friends when you are “reaching a more advanced age?”
Take today, for an example. There we were, my room-mate and I, queuing for access passes to the UN building. There was a Japanese student in front of us, saying that she was studying the situation of elderly people, and they had been making a study tour to Linköping, which happens to be my home town in Sweden. Then there was this funny lady from a German speaking country making jokes about this and that. Then there was this well dressed gentleman who came into the passport office, evidently waiting to sail through the process like a leaf in the wind. Well, he took a look at the throng (of ladies) and sighed, loudly enough to be heard all through the room: Oh, my, I think that I’ll come back later!
I Just love queues!
Ann-Christine (Stina) Söderlund, Sweden
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