As members of CFUW St. John’s (Canadian Federation of University Women), and the National CFUW Education and International Relations Committees, educators, Dr. Linda Coles and past national president Ms. Grace Hollett will join policymakers, government officials, and activists from around the world for the annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW68), in New York City, March 11-22. The UNCSW is the main intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls around the world.
Since the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW) was established in 1946, civil society organizations like CFUW have taken a leading role in strengthening political commitments to gender equality and advancing the dialogue on the empowerment of women and girls around the world. CFUW’s Consultative Status with the UN through the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) permits it to send a 20-member delegation to join other accredited civil society organizations, UN Member States and UN agencies. Coles and Hollett are members of CFUW’s delegation, for the UNCSW68, all of whom are self-funded. This year’s 11-day conference will culminate with “Agreed Conclusions” and a set of commitments for achieving gender equality, for government implementation, at the international, national, regional, and local levels.
The priority theme for the 2024 UNCSW68 is “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” The session will also review the agreed conclusions of the sixty-third session, “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.”
Coles and Hollett have been involved in many aspects of education throughout their careers. As CFUW delegates for UNCSW68, they will have an opportunity to learn from representatives of other countries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) about what they are doing, in their areas, “to accelerate the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” They are involved in organizing two public sessions, one Canadian and another a collaboration with Canadian, US, and Mexican panelists. They look forward to sharing their UNCSW68 experiences with community leaders and members of CFUW St. John’s. They can be reached at: lcoles@nl.rogers.com and graceh@nl.rogers.com.
To learn more about gender equality in Canada and joining CFUW, visit https://cfuw.org/.
