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Reflections from the 2010 Commission on the Status of Women
3 March 2010
2010 seems the year of milestones. It marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPA), and ten years since the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were drawn up. It is a time to reflect, consider achievements and work on failings.
At the 2010 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), government and UN delegations combined with a large NGO constituency are meeting to review the link between the MDGs and the BPA. It also provides the stage for talks about the shape of the new UN Women's Agency that has been approved by the UN and is due to be created by June of this year. The outcome of this meeting will contribute to the General Assembly meeting on MDGs in September 2010.
The Commision on the Status of Women's (CSW) significance is evident and there is lots happening. Harriet Harman is leading the UK delegation which is focusing on the establishment on the new UN body. This organisation will have a larger budget and greater political influence than any of the existing gender UN entities such as UNIFEM. It will be fascinating to see, at close quarters, what progress is made given the short timescale for setting this up.
IDS and the Commission
IDS's BRIDGE and Pathways of Women's Empowerment are also participating in a number of exciting events. Pathways of Women's Empowerment (Pathways) Director, Andrea Cornwall, will be speaking at the One World Action Panel on Saturday 6 March. The session will explore what women's rights advocates want to see from a post-MDGs framework, reflecting on the criticisms of the current framework but with a focus on forging pathways forwards. Andrea will also speak at a panel in the UN organised by the journal Development on 3 March.
Alyson Brody of BRIDGE will be helping at a session on the MDGs on Saturday 6 March. For more details see the Commission on the Status of Women blog on Eldis.
On 2 March Tessa Lewin of Pathways attended a UNIFEM meeting which examined gender equality in the world's media. Pathways are also planning to launch their Real World DVD at the Commission, a set of documentary films that look at everyday lives of ordinary women doing extraordinary things in very different contexts.
Let us know what you think
The IDS team attending the Commission are regularly blogging from the event on the Eldis Community website - see their Commision on the Status of Women blog. They intend to report back some of the findings and conclusions of CSW, how they feed into the MDGs meeting in September and find out more about the new UN gender entity.
The team is keen to meet members of the Eldis Community Site that are attending the Commision, hear about the activities your organisations are undertaking, and maybe explore options for collaboration.
Please feel free to use thier blog to reflect your experiences at the CSW and ideas or debates.
This is an exciting opportunity to meet with others who are equally passionate about gender equality, where we can mark our milestones and drive our work forward to seek opportunities to find powerful solutions.
The IDS Team attending the Commission includes: Alyson Brody, Georgina Aboud, Tessa Lewin, Jenny Edwards, and Andrea Cornwall.
Photo: Panos / Thomas Havisham
Related Projects
- Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme Consortium - International research and communications programme finding out what works to enhance women’s empowerment (Ongoing)
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