Every year, 16 Girl Scouts from across the country are accepted to become Girl Scout delegates for the CSW (Commission on the Status of Women). This year, the 65th Annual Meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women is no different. Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont (GSCP2P) has one staff member and two girl members attending the meeting this year, which is being held virtually. Valerie King, Troop Experience Manager, is the staff liaison for Hope Williams, a Girl Scout Ambassador from Rockingham County and Kathryn Thomas, a young alum, from Henderson County.
The team from GSCP2P has been working diligently for four months to educate themselves in everything around gender-based equality. Topics during the CSW range from Violence Against Women in Politics and the Power of Mentorship for Girls Achieving Gender Equality to Improving Girls’ Self Esteem to Inspire a New Generation of Leaders. Hope and Kathryn also hosted an event, which discussed women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life.
“During a session entitled, Mind the Gender Gap: Supporting Women in Political Parties, I was reminded of the statistic that on average only 1 in 4 parliamentarians around the world are women,” said Kathryn. One of the speakers at this event said, ‘working for gender equality is working for democracy.’ As a young women fighting for both girls rights and voters rights, this session was very impactful and inspiring.”
The virtual conference kicked off Friday, March 12 and runs through this Tuesday, March 23.
Want to hear more about the CSW and what these young women learned during the session? Join Valerie, Hope and Kathryn on Friday, March 26 at 7 p.m. on Facebook as they host a live Q&A.
Additional information on the CSW:
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of June 21, 1946.
The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women. In 1996, ECOSOC in resolution 1996/6 (see p. 20) expanded the Commission’s mandate and decided that it should take a leading role in monitoring and reviewing progress and problems in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and in mainstreaming a gender perspective in UN activities.
During the Commission’s annual two-week session, representatives of UN Member States, civil society organizations and UN entities gather at UN headquarters in New York. They discuss progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality and the 23rd special session of the General Assembly held in 2000 (Beijing+5), as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women. Member States agree on further actions to accelerate progress and promote women’s enjoyment of their rights in political, economic and social fields. The outcomes and recommendations of each session are forwarded to ECOSOC for follow-up. UN Women supports all aspects of the Commission’s work and facilitate the participation of civil society representatives.
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