Delegation to the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women

of the UN ECOSOC

27th February – 9th March 2012, New York, USA

The views and opinions expressed in this Report are the sole responsibility of the authors.

The Report is not intended to reflect views of ELSA.

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... 2

I. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 4

“Where women are educated and empowered, economies are more productive and strong.

Where women are fully represented, socities are more peaceful and stable” .................................. 4

II. The Delegates ....................................................................................................................................... 5

III. Introduction to CSW56 .................................................................................................................. 8

IV. Important legal documents ............................................................................................................. 9

1. The Beijing Platform for Action .................................................................................................... 9

2. Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and

domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) ........................................................................................... 10

3. Security Council Resolution 1325 ................................................................................................ 10

4. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

and the Optional Protocol .................................................................................................................... 11

V. Relationship between CSW, UN Women & CEDAW ................................................................ 13

VI. CSW56: Empowerment of Rural Women ................................................................................. 14

1. General discussion ......................................................................................................................... 14

2. Panel 1 to 5 ..................................................................................................................................... 15

VII. International Women’s Day 2012 ................................................................................................ 17

Ban Ki-moon’s message on international women’s day ................................................................... 17

“Invest in rural women. Eliminate discrimination against them in law and in practice. Ensure

that policies respond to their needs. Give them equal access to resources. Provide rural women

with a role in decision-making.”........................................................................................................... 18

VIII. Side Events ..................................................................................................................................... 18

1. Empowering Women through the Transformation of Discriminatory Social Institutions 18

2. Engaging young women and men, girls and boys, to advance gender equality .................... 19

3. Making Change Happen through Women’s Collective Action............................................... 19

4. Tech wave ....................................................................................................................................... 20

5. Armenia/ South Africa ................................................................................................................. 20

6. Panel Discussion hosted by the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations and the

Socialist International Women ............................................................................................................. 21

7. South Africa: working to combat the gender based violence .................................................. 21

8. The Impact of Domestic Violence against Rural Women ....................................................... 22

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9. The commitment of political parties to gender equality .......................................................... 22

10. CSW56 Learning Circle: Gender and Climate Change ........................................................ 23

11. Equality between Women and Men – The Nordic Way ...................................................... 23

IX. Contacts: meeting with country representatives ........................................................................ 24

Meeting with Nicole Herzog, Representative of Federal Ministry of Family, Senior Citizens,

Women and Youth of Germany .......................................................................................................... 24

X. Organizational Matters ...................................................................................................................... 25

1. Preparation ...................................................................................................................................... 25

2. At the UN ....................................................................................................................................... 26

3. Further recommendations ............................................................................................................ 27

Appendix 1: Further side events attended by ELSA delegates ....................................................... 29

Appendix 2: Check-list for ELSA delegations to NYC .................................................................... 30

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I. Introduction

“Where women are educated and empowered, economies are more

productive and strong. Where women are fully represented, socities are

more peaceful and stable” UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

Dear ELSA members, dear future delegates,

We were given the incredible chance to attend the 56th session of the Commission on the Status

of Women that took place in New York City from 27th February to 9th March 2012. Not only

were we attending sessions and side events right at the center of international politics, global

diplomacy and law-making, the United Nations Headquarters, but also were we living in the city

that never sleeps for about two weeks.

We would like to express our great gratitude to the International Board for giving us this

opportunity to make theses valuable personal and academic experiences and also would like to

thank especially Oleksandr Bulayenko, the Director for Delegations, and Burcu Filiz, the

Academic Coordinator for Delegations at UN ECOSOC, of ELSA International for assisting and

supporting us in the preparation of the delegation.

We hope this report shows the importance of ELSA’s international involvement, serves as a

valuable document for future delegates and encourages many to participate in an ELSA

Delegation. Enjoy Reading!

ELSAfully yours,

Christina, Sara, Elisabeth, Xenia & Luisa

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II. The Delegates

Christina Engeßer –Head of Delegation - Germany christina-engesser@gmx.de

Having completed my final exams on International and European Public law just two weeks before leaving for CSW56, it was great to use my new knowledge in practice and see how legal theory and political reality comply (or do not). I was thrilled to be a delegate to CSW56 after having been a member of the delegations to COP15 in 2009 and HRC17 in 2011. Participating in an ELSA delegation is always a great honor and a great opportunity to get an insight view of international policy and law making. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in international law and international relations. For me it was not only a great source of personal and academic motivation but it was also nice to get to know my fellow delegates and to make new ELSA friends. Women’s rights are human rights and need to be in focus!

Sara Tamim Abawi – Denmark sara_abawi@hotmail.com Having had some delegation experience prior to CSW56 during high school I was honored and excited to attend the conferences. Currently being a bachelor student/undergraduate in University of Copenhagen, I would like to pursue a master’s degree in human rights law.

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Elisabeth Kath – Germany kathelisabeth@googlemail.com - elisabethkath@web.de

I am specializing in International Law with focus on Human Rights, so going to the CSW was a perfect opportunity to see how an international organization works and to get impressions what is done to save and broaden women’s rights as a part of Human Rights. Seeing so many committed people fighting for women’s rights, sensitization of the public for this topic and change in politics was a great experience. Also seeing all the different people with diverse social and cultural backgrounds working together to reach the aim they all share was exciting. The debates showed that they all want to change the situation of rural women to empower them and so it is really disappointing that the members of the CSW could not find ways to do that to which all would agree.

Xenia Kellner – Germany xeniakellner@gmx.net

As a feminist and women’s rights activist I am already very involved in advocacy work for the empowerment of women. During my voluntary work for Terre des Femmes, my internship with the Women’s Rights organization CLADEM in Mexico and a Summer School on Women, Peace and Security I gathered sound knowledge of different women’s rights issues so as the existing international legal framework for the promotion and improvement of women’s rights. Visiting the CSW56 was therefore a huge opportunity for me to observe how a UN human rights conference works. The different actors, the discussions, the collision of interests and how difficult it is to find compromises. I was very inspired by all the passionate, actively engaged and committed women and men of the different NGOs and country representatives, but very disappointed by the outcome of the CSW56. For the first time there weren’t any agreed conclusions for the simple reason, that some countries found, that women’s rights oppose their cultural and traditional values. The UN bears great opportunities for intergovernmental communication and is a platform for the exchange of ideas and values but is, unfortunately, a rather rigid and ineffective mechanism.

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Luisa Zappalá – Italy luisa_zappala@msn.com

My name is Luisa Zappalà, I am 24 years old. I am focusing on International law in Cattolica University, Milano. Two years ago, I participated in NMUN (National Model United Nation) in New York. I am the director for Seminar&Conferences in ELSA Milano. I recommend the participation in ELSA delegations for personal enrichment and for the opportunity to meet and to compare with NGO representatives, ministers, ambassadors from all over the world that have the same interests and worries.

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III. Introduction to CSW56 By Sara Tamim Abawi

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is an international policy-making body that

falls under the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) advocating the

promotion of gender equality and the advancement of women, including women’s rights in the

political, social, economic, educational and civil areas. Member States, permanent observers,

NGOs, IGOs, regional groups, UN entities, etc. gather annually participating in the conferences

in United Nations Headquarters in New York City to evaluate the progress on gender equality

and the implementation of the agreed conclusions on the priority theme from the previous

session.

Every year a new focus area is emphasized; the priority theme of the fifty-sixth session being

“empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current

challenges”. The interactive high-level round table therefore focused on sharing national

experiences, lessons learned and good practices on this topic and the five expert panels convened

on discussions with five different themes, respectively, as a part of CSWs consideration of the

priority theme.

CSW also serves as an observant at United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and

Gender Equality’s International Women’s Day event organized on 8th March every year where

CSW’s regular plenary session is adjourned to two hours later than scheduled in order for all to

participate on this day’s special event.

In addition to the plenaries there were many side events daily organized by various countries,

NGOs, regional groups, UN entities, etc. on the topic of the priority theme that the delegates and

participants of CSW could attend. The side events usually consist of panel discussions,

workshops, presentations etc. The side events are not compulsory to attend, however, due to the

interesting discussions there are many who partake in these.1

1 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/56sess.htm

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IV. Important legal documents By Xenia Kellner

1. The Beijing Platform for Action The Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) was adopted at the Fourth United Nations World

Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995. This common agenda for women’s

empowerment stands as a milestone for the advancement of women’s rights in the 21st century.

It is an internationally agreed plan for achieving equality for women across 12 critical areas –

poverty, education and training, health, the economy, power and decision-making, human rights,

armed conflict, institutional mechanisms, the environment, violence against women and the girl

child.

Implementing the Beijing Platform for Action is mainly a responsibility of governments, but also

of institutions in the public, private and non-governmental sectors at the community, national,

sub regional, regional and international levels. The Platform acknowledges that significant

progress will depend on building strategic partnerships and involving all stakeholders in the

efforts towards change.

If implemented, the Platform for Action will enhance the social, economic and political

empowerment of women, improve their health and their access to relevant education and

promote their reproductive rights. The action plan sets time-specific targets, committing nations

to carry out concrete actions in such areas as health, education, decision-making and legal

reforms with the ultimate goal of eliminating all forms of discrimination against women in both

public and private life.

Following the 1995 Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women, the United Nations

General Assembly mandated the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to

integrate into its program a follow-up process to the Conference, regularly reviewing the critical

areas of concern in the BPFA and to develop its role in mainstreaming a gender perspective in

United Nations activities.

In 1996, the Commission adopted a multi-year program of work based on the twelf critical areas

of concern identified in the BPFA for the period of 1997-2000. Subsequent work programs were

adopted in 2001 and most recently in 2006 based on the BPFA and the Beijing +5 Outcome

Document.

The BPFA has been reviewed on two previous occasions:

- The 23rd Special Session of the UN General Assembly, in 2000: Women 2000: gender equality,

development and peace for the twenty-first century (Beijing +5) during which Beijing Plus Five Political

Declaration and the Outcome Documents were adopted.

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- The 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (Beijing +10) during which

commitment to the Beijing Platform for Actionand the Beijing Plus Five Outcome Document was

reaffirmed and the Beijing Plus Ten and Beyond report was prepared.2

2. Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence

against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) Opened for signature in May 2011, the Istanbul Convention is the first legally binding instrument

in Europe to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence and in terms of

scope it is the most far-reaching international treaty to tackle this serious violation of human

rights. It aims at zero tolerance for violence against women and domestic violence and is a major

step forward in making Europe and beyond a safer place. Preventing violence, protecting its

victims and prosecuting the perpetrators are the cornerstones of the Convention, as is the

requirement to co-ordinate any such measures through comprehensive policies. In essence, it is a

renewed call for greater equality between women and men, because violence against women is

deeply rooted in women's inequality in society and is perpetuated by a culture of tolerance and

denial.

The Convention covers victims from any background, regardless of their age, race, religion, social

origin, migrant status or sexual orientation and calls for the criminalisation of psychological

violence, stalking, sexual harassment, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, forced abortion

and forced sterilization.

To date, the Convention has been signed by the following 18 member states of the Council of

Europe: Albania, Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Montenegro,

Norway, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,

the Republic of Turkey and Ukraine. On 24 November 2011, the Turkish Parliament became the

first to ratify it.

Any Council of Europe member or observer state, any other state or the European Union may

sign and ratify the Convention. It will enter into force following the ratification by 10 countries,

including 8 Council of Europe member states. An independent group of experts (GREVIO) will

be set up to monitor implementation of the Convention by State parties.3

3. Security Council Resolution 1325 The first resolution on women, peace and security, Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR1325),

was unanimously adopted by United Nations Security Council on 31 October 2000. SCR1325

marked the first time the Security Council addressed the disproportionate and unique impact of

armed conflict on women; recognized the under-valued and under-utilized contributions women

make to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peace-building. It also stressed

the importance of women’s equal and full participation as active agents in peace and security.

2 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/pdf/BDPfA%20E.pdf 3 http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/210.htm; http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Reports/Html/210.htm

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SCR1325 is binding upon all UN Member States and the adoption of the Resolution marked an

important international political recognition that women and gender are relevant to international

peace and security.

While SCR 1325 is recognized as a historic and unprecedented document, it does not exist in a

vacuum; many resolutions, treaties, conventions, statements and reports preceded it, and thus,

form its foundation and an integral part of the women, peace and security policy framework.

Key Provisions of SCR 1325:

Increased participation and representation of women at all levels of decision-making; attention to

specific protection needs of women and girls in conflict; gender perspective in post-conflict

processes; gender perspective in UN programming, reporting and in SC Missions; gender

perspective & training in UN peace support operations.

Key Actors addressed in SCR 1325:

The Security Council; Member States; All Actors (including parties to armed conflict); and the

Secretary General.

4. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against

Women (CEDAW) and the Optional Protocol

CEDAW was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and is often described as an

international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what

constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end

such discrimination.

By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to

end discrimination against women in all forms, including:

to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system,

abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination

against women;

to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of

women against discrimination; and

to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons,

organizations or enterprises.

The Convention provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men through

ensuring women's equal access to, and equal opportunities in, political and public life -- including

the right to vote and to stand for election -- as well as education, health and employment. States

parties agree to take all appropriate measures, including legislation and temporary special

measures, so that women can enjoy all their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

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The Convention is the only human rights treaty which affirms the reproductive rights of women

and targets culture and tradition as influential forces shaping gender roles and family relations. It

affirms women's rights to acquire, change or retain their nationality and the nationality of their

children. States parties also agree to take appropriate measures against all forms of traffic in

women and exploitation of women.

Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions

into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on

measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.

The optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination

against Women includes:

The Communications Procedure

Gives individuals and groups of women the right to complain to the Committee on the

Elimination of Discrimination against Women about violations of the Convention. this

procedure is known as "the communications procedure". United Nations

communications procedures provide the right to petition or the right to complain about

violations of rights. Under all procedures, the complaint must be in writing.

The Inquiry Procedure

It enables the Committee to conduct inquiries into grave or systematic abu06-Nov-2006 e

party to the Optional Protocol. Known as an inquiry procedure, this capacity is found in

article 8 of the Optional Protocol.

The optional protocol includes an inquiry procedure, as well as a complaints procedure. An

inquiry procedure enables the Committee to conduct inquiries into serious and systematic abuses

of women's human rights in countries that become States parties to the Optional Protocol. It is

modelled on an existing human rights inquiry procedure, article 20 of the International

Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The inquiry procedure:

Allows investigation of substantial abuses of women's human rights by an international

body of experts;

Is useful where individual communications fail to reflect the systemic nature of

widespread violations of women's rights;

Allows widespread violations to be investigated where individuals or groups may be

unable to make communications (for practical reasons or because of fear of reprisals);

Gives the Committee an opportunity to make recommendations regarding the structural

causes of violations;

Allows the Committee to address a broad range of issues in a particular country.4

4 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm; http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N99/774/73/PDF/N9977473.pdf?OpenElement

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V. Relationship between CSW, UN Women &

CEDAW

By Christina Engeßer

Within the complex UN system, different bodies are dedicated to the promotion of Women’s

Rights. This short introduction provides a brief overview of the interaction and functioning of

the three most important institutions, the newly established UN Women, the CSW itself and the

treaty-based CEDAW committee.

UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender

Equality and the Empowerment of Women was

created only in July 2010 by the United Nations

General Assembly in order to address challenges such as the UN’s efforts to promote gender

equality globally, including inadequate funding and no single recognized driver to direct UN

activities on gender equality issues. One of the main purposes of UN Women is to support inter-

governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of

policies, global standards and norms.5 UN Women is headquartered in New York and headed by

Ms. Michelle Bachelet, the former President of Chile, as the Executive Director and Under-

Secretary-General.6 Michelle Bachelet has played

a key role in building up UN Women and is

highly respected and admired for her strong

dedication among member states and NGOs

likewise, as the ELSA members could witness at

CSW56.

The Commission on the Status of Women is a

distinct body. It was established by ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946 with the aim to

prepare recommendations and reports to the Council on promoting women's rights in political,

economic, civil, social and educational fields. The CSW also makes recommendations to the

Council on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women's rights. It is a

functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and

works as the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and

advancement of women. Representatives of Member States gather annually at United Nations

Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global

standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and women's

empowerment worldwide.7

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW,

as explained above) is the main UN Convention on Women’s Rights. This Convention was

5 http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/about-un-women/ 6 http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/faq/#leader 7 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/index.html#about

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initiated, drafted and developed by the CSW (and special CSW committees) over the course of

more than 15 years. 8

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

(CEDAW), however, is an expert body established in 1982 as a treaty-based organ (as provided

by the Convention) composed of 23 experts on women's issues from around the world.

The Committee watches over the progress for women made in those countries that are the States

parties to the 1979 Convention. A country becomes a State party by ratifying or acceding to the

Convention and thereby accepting a legal obligation to counteract discrimination against women.

The implementation of national measures to fulfill this obligation is monitored by the

Committee.9

In short, the CSW was the first institution dealing with women’s rights, followed by the CEDAW

committee, which is dedicated to monitoring the compliance of State parties to the CEDAW

Convention, which is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Last, but not

least, the newly established Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of

Women (UN Women) came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources

and mandates for greater impact as it merges and builds on the important work of four

previously distinct parts of the UN system.

VI. CSW56: Empowerment of Rural Women

1. General discussion By Elisabeth Kath

The main topic of the 56th session of the CSW, the so called priority theme, was “the

empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and

current challenges”. Under this priority theme the General Discussion of this year’s CSW meeting

was about the “Review of the implementation of: the BPfA [Beijing Platform of Action] and the

outcome of the 23rd special session of the GA ["Women 2000: gender equality, development and

peace for the twenty-first century"] - sharing of experiences and good practices on

implementation of the Platform for Action, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and

new challenges”.

Ms. Marjon V. Kamara (Liberia) of the African States Group was the chair of the 56th CSW. In

her speech in the opening session Michelle Bachelet mentioned a few facts that any participant in

the CSW would agree with: “[l]istening to and supporting rural women is fundamental to ending

poverty and hunger and achieving peace that is sustainable”, “[...] empowering women is not just

good for women – it is good for all of us: for peace, the growth of our economies, for food

security, for human security in sure, for the well-being of future generations.”

8 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/history.htm 9 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/committee.htm

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During the general discussion, all participants (Regional Groups, Member States, Permanent

observers, UN entities, Intergovernmental organizations, other entities, non-governmental

organizations) made statements to the priority theme.

Many states informed about their current situation and what measures were or are taken to

empower (rural) women. Another important topic, though it will be the priority theme of the

57th session of the CSW next year, was violence against women, but also health issues and

gender equal political possibilities were important issues.

The big number of CSW-participants makes it difficult to give deep impressions of every

statement. Therefore here are given three examples of the wide range of statement made on the

56th session of the CSW.

The statement of the Republic of Nicaragua (made by Ms. Amanda Lorio Arana, Deputy

Minister of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) shows that rural women

who got the possibility to own land are able to become “protagonists of the transformation of a

history of hunger, desolation and marginalization.”

Norway especially mentions the necessity of the involvement of men and boys to reach gender

equality.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union states that: [r]ural women are not a homogenous group: they have

diverse experiences and different needs.” Though no Member State or any other participant to

the CSW made a statement as clear as this there is a understanding between all participants that

there are different kinds of rural women, especially if comparing the situation in industrialized

and developing countries.

The outcome of the work of the CSW are normally considerations in form of agreed conclusions

at the end of the two weeks of the session of the CSW. The consultations in which these agreed

conclusions are taken are informal and not opened to general public.

As you can find on the homepage of the 56th session of the CSW 10 there were no agreed

conclusions adopted on the priority theme of 2012.

Michelle Bachelet expresses her disappointment about the failure of adopting agreed conclusions

in a statement that can be found under the following link.11

2. Panel 1 to 5 By Sara Tamim Abawi

The five interactive expert panels have different themes as a part of CSW’s consideration of the

priority theme.

The theme of panel 1 was “Key policy initiatives and capacity-building on gender mainstreaming:

focus on economic empowerment of rural women” and the expert panel consisted of Ms. Malika

10 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/56sess.htm 11 http://www.unwomen.org/2012/03/impasse-at-commission-on-status-of-women-deeply-regrettable/

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Abdelali-Martini, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (Algeria),

amongst other panelists, who held a presentation of the report of the Expert Group Meeting on

enabling rural women’s economic empowerment. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Ana

Marie Hernando, Vice-Chair of the Commission (Philippines).

Panel 2 focused on “The role of gender-responsive governance and institutions for the

empowerment of rural women” and consisted amongst other of panelist Mr. Victor Lutenco,

Office of the Prime Minister (Moldovo), whom presented one-window model of service

provision for rural women and the discussion was moderated by Mr. Filippo Cinti, Vice Chair of

the Commission (Italy).

The theme of panel 3 was “National experiences in implementing the agreed conclusions on

financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women” and the moderator of the

discussion was H.E Carlos Garcia Gonzalez, Vice Chair of the Commission (El Salvador). One

of the panelists, Ms. Maria Almeida, Ministry of Finance (Ecuador) presented “Ecuador’s gender-

sensitive budget tracking methodology”.

“Progress in financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women from the perspective

of international organizations and multilateral development partners” was the theme of panel 4

and the discussion was moderated by Ms. Irina Velichko, Vice Chair of the Commission

(Belarus).

Panel 5 focused on “Engaging young

women and men, girls and boys, to

advance gender equality”, where

some of the issues for consideration

in the discussion were “what are

examples of good practices for

tackling stereotypes about the roles of

young women and men?” and “How

can the Commission on the Status of

Women integrate good practices on

this issue in its overall work, and be a

catalyst for increasing attention to the

engagement of young women and

men in intergovernmental

processes?”. The discussion was

moderated by Mr. Filippo Cinti, Vice

Chair of the Commission (Italy).

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VII. International Women’s Day 2012

By Luisa Zappalá

The ELSA delegates Christina Engeßer, Elisabeth Kellner, Luisa Zappalá and Sara Tamim Abawi

attending the International Women’s Day 2012 discussion at UN Headquarters

Ban Ki-moon’s message on international women’s day

Rural women and girls make up one quarter of the global population, yet routinely figure at the

bottom of every economic, social and political indicator, from income and education to health to

participation in decision-making.

Rural women are a major part of the agricultural labor force. They perform most of the unpaid

care work in rural areas. Yet rural women continue to be held back in fulfilling their potential.

If rural women had equal access to productive resources, agricultural yields would rise by 4 per

cent, strengthening food and nutrition security and relieving as many as 150 million people from

hunger. It is estimated that 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls.

Investing in rural women is a smart investment in a nation’s development.

Ban Ki-moon urges Governments, civil society and the private sector to commit to gender

equality and the empowerment of women – as a fundamental human right and a force for the

benefit of all. The energy, talent and strength of women and girls represent humankind’s most

valuable untapped natural resource.

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaking at the International Women`s Day 2012

“Invest in rural women. Eliminate discrimination against them in law and in

practice. Ensure that policies respond to their needs. Give them equal

access to resources. Provide rural women with a role in decision-making.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

VIII. Side Events Since the UN building is currently under construction, numbers of participants and numbers of

seats were limited. Our delegation (like all the other NGO delegations) obtained only one

secondary pass to attend the plenary sessions. Thus, we attended a great number of side events of

which we would like to present some here.

1. Empowering Women through the Transformation of Discriminatory

Social Institutions By Xenia Kellner

In this panel organized by Finland, Kenya, Organization for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD), it was explored how discriminatory social institutions influence the life of

women and girls, with a particular focus on rural women. The OECD Development Centre

presented their new, innovative Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI), a cross-country

assessment of discriminatory laws, social norms and practices that restrict women and girls’ social

and economic opportunities. The presentation included new findings on the links between

women’s land rights and food security and the outcomes of an online discussion on rural

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women’s empowerment from the innovative Wikigender platform. The panel discussion

showcased effective policy interventions for transforming discriminatory social institutions with a

particular focus on rural women.

Elisa Scalise stressed the importance of legal empowerment. She pointed out four key factors for

the improvement of legal frameworks and the legal empowerment of women: 1) rights

enhancement, 2) rights enablement, 3) rights awareness,4) right enforcement. Women need

access to justice!12

2. Engaging young women and men, girls and boys, to advance gender

equality By Xenia Kellner

In this panel organized by the Delegation of the European Union in conjunction with Denmark,

Ireland and Portugal, the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth was

presented. Priority areas for actions were set, in order to improve national school systems, such

as teacher education, key competences, language learning, literacy, ICT, mathematics, science and

technology, active citizenship and entrepreneurship education.

The side event looked at policies and innovative measures in the European Union to make sure

that girls and boys, young women and young men can fully

contribute to the promotion of gender equality, overcoming

gender stereotypes and traditional roles, which hinder their full

contribution to construction of an equal, democratic and efficient

society.

Unfortunately the importance and crucial role of youth

participation outside the formal education system was completely

neglected in the discussion.13

3. Making Change Happen through Women’s

Collective Action By Xenia Kellner

In this panel organized by Pathways of Women’s Empowerment and UN Women findings from

a five-year, multi-country research program were presented to which UN Women had been a key

partner.

In 2006, Pathways of Women’s Empowerment started with a research on what is important to

improve the life of women. The program comprised 55 research projects in 15 countries. A key

12 http://www.wikigender.org/index.php/New_Home http://www.oecd.org/document/39/0,3746,en_2649_33935_42274663_1_1_1_1,00.html http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,3746,en_2649_33935_39323280_1_1_1_1,00.html 13 http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm

20

finding is that, for sustainable and transformative change, women’s collective action, common

organizing and networking is absolutely vital.

The panel shared their findings from collaborative and comparative research projects that have

included, among others studies of women’s collective action in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, Egypt,

Nigeria, Palestine, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Sudan.

4. Tech wave By Sara Tamim Abawi

As job opportunities in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) grow, so does

demands on math, science, engineering and computing skills. Many companies are looking to

increase the number of women in this field. However, women rarely choose an education and

career in the ICT sector.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organized the side event on the question

“How to encourage girls to ride the tech wave to a brighter future” and consisted amongst others

of panelists H.E. Ms. Jasma Matic, State Secretary

for Digital Agenda, Republic of Serbia, Ms.

Susan Schorr, Head, Special Initiatives Division

ITU, Girls in ICT Portal and Ms. Ann Mei

Chang, Senior Advisor for Women and

Tecnology, U.S Department of State.

The discussion was moderated by Mr. Gary

Fowlie, Head, ITU Liaison Office to the United

Nations and the panelists both presented their

studies on this topic and shared their

experiences and lessons learned of the events

they organised to give young girls insight into the

educations and jobs in the ICT. Ms. Susan Schorr presented the Girls in ICT Portal, where

everyone interested in helping motivating girls in careers in ICT can find more information

before organising events.14

5. Armenia/ South Africa By Sara Tamim Abawi

The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) and the Armenian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

organised a high-level panel on the topic “From empowerment to Sustainability: Financing,

Health and Participation for Rural Women” and the panelists were Ambassador Garen Nazarian

along with Mrs. Mary Ellen Iskenderian, CEO of Women’s World Banking, and Mrs. Meryl

Frank, President and CEO of Makeda Global, International Leadership Development

Consultant and former Ambassador/US Representative for UN CSW. Mrs.Stephanie Killian

represented the ARS and presented the organization’s decades-long efforts in advancing rural

14

www.girlsinict.org

21

women in Armenia and the Diaspora. Mrs. Meryl Frank shared her experiences from working

with women in Armenia, Afghanistan and Middle East and found to her dismay and surprise that

Armenian women do not have more liberation and rights than women from some of the

abovementioned countries.

6. Panel Discussion hosted by the Permanent Mission of Italy to the

United Nations and the Socialist International Women By Luisa Zappalá

The Socialist International Women call on governments:

To implement specific measures and policies to eradicate the feminisation of poverty, and

the exclusion and social marginalisation of rural women;

To find and implement solutions to reduce migration of rural women in search of better

opportunities

To formulate and implement specific legislation aimed at rural women

To implement specific programmes to guarantee full access to education and especially

bilingual education for ethnic populations, according to their linguistic and cultural

characteristics, whilst making sure that this cultural diversity respects human rights;

To undertake and pledge full access to health services for rural women, including

reproductive health services, and to look into their primary causes of death;

To guarantee unlimited access for rural women to the benefits of land usufruct and

ownership, credit, training and technology

To generate measures for rural women to take part in decision-making at all economic,

political, social and cultural levels, and this way achieve gender equality in public policies.

Also, SIW calls on the IMF and the World Bank to extend their micro-credit programmes that

benefit rural women.

7. South Africa: working to combat the gender based violence By Luisa Zappalá

Gender-based violence includes acts of violence in the form of physical, psychological, or sexual

violence against a person, specifically because of his or her gender. Men and boys are sometimes

also subject to gender based violence; the majority of victims are women and girls. Gender-based

violence constitutes a violation of the individual’s rights and fundamental freedoms. In particular,

the victim’s right to dignity, mental and physical integrity, liberty and security of the person, as

well as his or her right to be free of inhuman or degrading treatment and torture, are breached.

22

Gender-based violence also violates the individual’s right to health and, in some cases, life. In

addition, gender-based violence constitutes “discrimination” as defined in art. 1 of the

Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Constitution

of South Africa provides that “everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity

respected and protected.”

Policy recommendations:

1) Continue to highlight gender based violence in international fora as a fundamental human

rights violation and as a priority issue to promote sustainable development and reduce poverty.

2) Promote clear leadership and continued action by the international community and UN

member states to resource responses to gender based violence, implement and monitor

international obligations, respect and enforce international law and promote a culture of zero

tolerance of all forms of violence especially against women and girls.

8. The Impact of Domestic Violence against Rural Women By Elisabeth Kath

This side event was organized by Australia. Tone of the problems regarding this topic is that it is

really difficult for rural women to tell someone they experience violence because there is no one.

There are no (close) neighbors. They are alone with their problem and no one could help.

Another problem Catherine Smith and her children have experienced

during many years of violence by her husband is that “domestic

violence is the most ignored crime in Australia” and that police just

starts to take it seriously “when someone else [is] involved” and not

only family.

In Solomon Islands UN Ambassador Collin Beck informed are some

measures taken to take action against domestic violence, e.g. oblige

hospital personnel to report to police if women/children seem to be

victims of domestic violence or ensure access to justice for women.

All members of the panel agreed that there are a lot of difficulties for

rural women to escape domestic violence.

9. The commitment of political parties to gender equality

By Elisabeth Kath

During the side event, organized by Inter-Parliamentary Union, the current situation in Nigeria,

Morocco and India was analyzed.

In Nigeria the 1999 constitution prohibits discrimination. Therefore written rules and provisions

are not in themselves discriminatory “but their application”. Also in Morocco the Constitution

forbids discrimination. The problem in India is that “political parties do not provide an

environment that would lead to more female participation”. This shows the present situation:

though there is a new and better Constitution there is just one woman in government and before

it were 3. In India, 4 important parties are led by women. But this does not mean that there really

23

exists gender equality. Few parties have gender equality in their preamble mentioned but not in

their constitution/manifesto.

In conclusion it can be said there are o lot of approaches and changes in written law to ensure

gender equality in politics but the implementation has to keep abreast with that too.

10. CSW56 Learning Circle: Gender and Climate Change By Christina Engeßer

Several side events were dedicated to the important issue of Women and Climate Change. One of

them was CSW56 Learning Circle: Gender and Climate Change, co-sponsored by the Global

Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA) and the NGO CSW Forum 2012. The special guests

included Mary Robinson, the President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice and

the South African Minister for Women, Lulu Xingwana , as well as many representatives of UN

Organizations and NGOs. All participants were asked to choose a table each of which was

assigned to a certain topic. Circle topics included Mitigation, Adaptation, Advocacy, Finance,

Risk Reduction, Grassroots community strategies and Health. The intense discussions showed

the importance of these issues. Women are traditionally affected more by the negative impact of

Climate Change as their vulnerability is higher. For example, in traditional societies in Africa,

women have the task of fetching water. Due to worsening water scarcity, women have to walk

longer distances but on the other hand lack access to proper health care or basic medical services.

Rachel Harris of Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO), who facilitated

the Advocacy circle, explained how women’s rights were brought into the climate change

negotiations. She also highlighted the gap between and international implementation, the role of

multination companies and global social responsibility. Overall, the participants called for women

to take matters into their own hands and to take action, especially in the light of the upcoming

Rio+20 summit, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which will be held

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012. It became clear that the expectations are high but that the

time to act is really now for women’s right and to stop climate change.

11. Equality between Women

and Men – The Nordic Way By Christina Engeßer

A very interesting and memorable side event was

“Equality between women and men – the Nordic

way” organized by Norway. The panel was

composed of top representatives of Scandinavian

countries as well as Michelle Bachelet, the

Executive Director of UN Women. In her

opening statement Ms. Bachelet stressed the

necessity of empowering women. She repeatedly

said “Empowering women is the right thing to do and a smart thing to do” and explained the

many economic advantages that could be achieved this way. She acknowledged the Nordic

24

countries successes to provide functioning social systems and the great importance of these basic

services for the advancement of women. Ms. Bachelet also called for an “inclusive approach” of

gender equality by including boys and men in the process and seeing both men and women as

equal members of family and society. The representatives of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

and Iceland then provided concrete examples of policies in their respective countries. Mr Manu

Sareen, Minister for Gender Equality of Denmark served as male role model himself, while Arni

Hole, the Director General for the Department of Family and Equality in the Royal Ministry of

Children, Equality and Social Inclusion of Norway stressed the point of redistributing power and

the role of parliaments within this development. In her conclusions, Michelle Bachelet summed

up the discussion and recognized the positive developments in the Nordic countries which may

serve as role models in gender equality in many aspects. She repeated her call for more female

role models in high level positions to develop female self-esteem.

IX. Contacts: meeting with country

representatives

Meeting with Nicole Herzog, Representative of Federal Ministry of Family,

Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany

By Christina Engeßer

Having had requested a personal meeting

with German Representatives in advance,

the German members of our delegation

were lucky to get a personal appointment

with Nicole Herzog, who represented the

Federal Ministry of Family, Senior

Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany

at the CSW56 along with her colleagues

from the German diplomatic service.

The meeting took place in the German

mission right across the UN Building and

allowed us to get a very personal report by Ms. Herzog. She explained to us in detail the

procedure of how an official statement, such as Germany’s statement during the General

discussion at the CSW56, is elaborated. In general, preparation for an international session like

the CSW56 starts basically right after the last one has closed. Many different ministries and

departments are involved in order to determine the German position on an issue. Once an

internal agreement has been reached, it is very important to take into consideration the ongoing

discussions and the positions on the level of the European Union. On many issues and topics,

the EU member states work closely together to develop a common position which is then

represented by the country that holds the current presidency of the Council of the EU. This year

25

it was Denmark’s turn, which then spoke on behalf of the European Union at the CSW56, even

though, the singular member states also still used their speaking rights, of course.

The policy making within the EU requires intensive negotiations and collaborations. Ms. Herzog

also described the daily routine during the CSW56 session, which includes meetings with the

European partners every day, as well as constant contact with the respective German institutions

at home. Ms. Herzog was very interested to hear our experiences of how women’s rights could be

included in Law school schedules and we told her about our personal academic experiences in

this field, which were not very broad since women’s rights are not specifically on the agenda of

German law schools. However, we recommended her to contact the German national ELSA

board for possible cooperation in this field in Germany. After forty minutes of highly interesting

information in a very open and friendly atmosphere Ms. Herzog had to run to her next meeting.

We were very grateful to have had the chance of this personal meeting with Ms. Herzog and

would highly recommend to all future delegates to contact the respective national and EU

representatives in advance in order to get the opportunity of first-hand diplomatic experience.

X. Organizational Matters By Christina Engeßer

1. Preparation A solid preparation is the basis for a successful

delegation. It is very important to start with

preparations right away.

a) Travelling to NYC

It is advisable to book flights as soon as possible. At

all three NYC airports (JFK, La Guardia, Newark)

transportation to the City is available. It is not

necessary to take a cab, as there are also buses etc. that

are a lot cheaper and work well.

It is helpful to get to USA at least one or two days

before the delegation starts, to overcome a possible

jetlag, to have time to familiarize with the public

transportation system etc. and to meet up with fellow

delegates beforehand.

b) Accomodation

It has proven to be helpful for coordination of the delegates when everyone

stays at the same place. Hostels in NYC are quite expensive and often not very luxurious,

however, still one of the cheapest options. It is also possible to rent an apartment, which may not

26

necessarily cost more than staying at the hostel. In any case, try to find something as soon as

possible!

In our case, we rented an apartment around 30th street east & park ave right in the center of

Manhattan, which meant relatively short ways to the UN and all other city highlights. We would

recommend our apartment and the owners offer several apartments that accommodate up to 6

people in best location. With 5 people, the apartment will be pretty crowded, but you will still

have more space than in regular hostels and a private bathroom. We paid approx. EUR 360 each

for 13 nights.

The host’s name is Anna Ullsten and you may contact her directly for renting one of her

apartments (annaullsten@yahoo.com). We booked it over a website called Airbnb

(www.airbnb.com) and thus had to pay fees. The website, however, seems reliable and it would

be a good place to compare prices. For booking you need a credit card with a limit that

comprises the whole booking amount.

c) Academic preparation

For the academic preparation the UN and CSW webpages provide tons of information.

Familiarize yourself with the most important legal documents, the structure, procedure and read

former reports.

It is very important to check whether it is necessary to sign up for side events in advance!

Check the CSW56 website for new information regarding NGO participation!

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/index.html

http://www.unwomen.org/

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/ngo/index.html

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/NGO.html

2. At the UN Be prepared for the security check every morning. Check out the time for on-site registration and

try to register before the session officially starts (on Saturday before the delegation started it took

us only 20 minutes, on Monday (first day of session) it took 3 hours). Bring all the necessary

documents printed!

It is very important to check whether it is necessary to sign up for side events in advance!

If so, RSVP for the whole delegation per Email and make sure you know where and when to pick

up the passes.

Since the UN building is currently under construction, seats are limited. Our delegation received

only one general secondary pass which allowed access to the North Lawn Building (NLB) where

27

the CSW56 sessions took place and to attend the plenary. It was thus necessary for the other

delegates to obtain events passes every day that also allow you to enter the building where the

side events take place. Since only one could attend the plenary session at each time we took turns,

of course. The others will have to attend side events, which is not a bad thing considering the

great variety of interesting topics and discussions. Sometimes the side events might be even more

interesting than the plenary. Once you are in the North Lawn Building you will normally not be

checked again. So you could just stay there the whole day if you do not leave. It is better to have

too many options than none! Try to sign up for as many events as possible. Try to get to all

events early to get seats. Most events are crowded. Some events (mostly during lunch break) offer

a buffet (“light lunch”), a great option to save some money. There are also side events outside of

the UN building with receptions for example at hotels or country’s missions, which usually

include free food and might be nice to attend as well.

3. Further recommendations a) Work diary

During our delegation we realized that it was hard to keep track of all the different events

everyone has attended, so we recommend writing a “delegation diary” every evening. This may

sound funny, but the time just flies by and you will be simply overwhelmed by the number of

events attended and people you have met etc. If you just write down together who attended

which event every day, you will save a lot of work in the end, when you try to remember what

everyone did every day.

Try to make a schedule for the next day every evening to make sure you can cover many different

interesting events and make sure everyone knows what to do and where to go.

b) Recommendation for IB

We were informed about our participation in the delegation roughly one month before the

delegation started. The relatively short notice made preparations and organization more difficult,

especially since it coincided with everyone’s exam phase in January and February. At that time, it

was already too late to organize a side event (as described in the CSW55 report) since the

registration date had passed. It would be helpful for the delegates and also the success of the

whole delegation if the announcement of delegates could be made earlier (if possible).

c) Discovering NYC

This city has a lot to offer! Take advantage of it! Make a list of things you would like to do or see

in your free time and on the weekends. Consult a guide book before coming to the US.

NYC is expensive, of course, but there are also nice free things to do. Get a weekly metro card

for public transportation for about USD 29 and explore the city.

Here is a list of touristic and other highlights:

28

MOMA (you get in for free with your UN badge!)

Staten Island Ferry (it is free for everyone and

you get to see the Statue of Liberty from the

boat)

Empire State Building (expensive but the view

is worth the money)

Brooklyn Bridge (walk towards Manhattan for

the perfect skyline picture)

Central Park

Fifth Avenue

Take walks through the different areas (Chelsea,

SOHO, Little Italy, Chinatown, Financial

district, etc.)

Go to the free Vodka Open Bar @ Empire

Hotel Rooftop to meet UN interns every

Wednesday

(http://www.overtimenyc.com/events/wednes

day-empire-hotel-rooftop/)

Times Square by night

Ground Zero

Rockefeller Center

….

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Appendix 1: Further side events attended by ELSA delegates

Turkey: stop violence against women by implementing international standards

United States of America, China: joint US-China panel on rural women and sustainable

development

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Huairou Commission: Women and

corruption: unique experiences and strategies

Austria: gender budgeting as effective strategy for gender equality

United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) and Climate Wise Women:

Climate change as catalyst for access: how grassroots women obtain tools for

sustainability

Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations: engaging young women and men in

advancing gender equality

Germany, Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW): fair (income-) perspectives in the

life course - fair chances in rural and urban areas

UN Women, Pathways of Women’s Empowerment: making change happen through women's

collective action

Norway: opportunities and challenges in improving rural women’s access to clean water

and renewable energy

Germany: NGO Briefing and Breakfast

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN

Women: lessons learned from joint programmes on gender equality

Commission on the Status of Women: preparatory panel for 2013: elimination and prevention

of all forms of violence against women and girls

30

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): rural women:

education for empowerment

UN Women, Michelle Bachelet/Launch of the 2012 Fund for Gender Equality Call for Proposals:

rural development & leadership: grantees leading the way

United States of America: Busan joint action plan for gender equality follow up

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), ILC: land rights of rural women

Finland, Kenya, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): empowering

women by transforming social institutions

Italy and Socialist International Women: the role of rural women in the process of global

development

Arab Club: Interfaith Dialogue

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations Children's Fund

(UNICEF), Plan International, Women in Cities International: rural girls and urban migration:

the role of communications for development in bridging the divide

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): gender-sensitive parliaments

Armenia: from empowerment to sustainability

Australia, Solomon Islands: the impact of domestic violence against rural women (flyer)

Norway: Women, War and Peace (film screening series)

Sri Lanka: rural women think green and act green

UN Women: from commitment to action - bridging the implementation gap

Climate Wise Women: Rio +20 Sustainable Development & Climate Change

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance: the commitment of political

parties to gender equality

International Telecommunication Union (ITU): encourage girls to ride the tech wave to a

brighter future

UN Women: International Women's Day 2012: empower rural women – end hunger and

poverty

UN Women: change makers and peacekeepers: journey towards equal representation of

women

Appendix 2: Check-list for ELSA delegations to NYC Prepare yourself academically, read as much as possible

Communicate with your fellow delegates

Get a NYC guidebook

Make sure you have some US dollars with you when you arrive, change money in

advance

Get informed about how to withdraw money in the US with your bank card, credit

card….

Bring copies of all important documents (passport, ID, bank numbers, emergency

numbers, insurance…); advice: scan all your important documents and save them as

draft email on your private email account, so you can access this information (in case

31

your documents get stolen and you do not remember your passport number etc…)

from any internet connected computer

Make sure you register on ESTA for being able to get into the US

(http://www.esta.us/)

Bring a converter for US plugs

Check out whether your cell phone is working in the US (only Tri- and Quadband cell

phones) and how much it costs to make calls…

Bring your laptop (the smaller the better to carry to the UN, you need to bring at least

1 or 2 every day, so you can work in groups and communicate)

Bring formal clothes (you cannot be dressed too formal at the UN, a classic pantsuit or

suit with blouse/nice shirt is perfect), check out the delegation handbook for more

information)

Bring comfortable formal shoes; you will be walking a lot at the UN!

For the girls: bring a cocktail dress, bring a party dress and bring also comfortable

clothes for sightseeing

Leave space in your suitcase for flying back

Give your NYC address to your parents/friends who might need to contact you in

case of emergency

Print out all documents you need for travelling/delegation/information in advance

Print business cards (http://www.elsaportugal.org/marketing/en/businesscard/)

Add your delegations colleagues on facebook and get in touch