Bullet Point Brevity

Dear all,

Today was a day filled with much writing and, in the interests of clarity, I've decided to post some of my thoughts in bullet-point form:

• Through a connection I made with a Brazilian NGO, I linked WomenNC up to the broader political negotiation process that is ongoing at CSW--whereby member states are working on a draft document that will serve as the outcome. To this end, I have been helping to draft proposed amendments to the working document to submit daily in conjunction with over 70 other NGOs. Through joining this coalition (that includes heavy-weights like AWID), WomenNC can greater exercise its voice to lobby on behalf of ensuring things like sexual rights and reproductive health remain on the agenda, much to the chagrin of the opposition. 
• Today was also a day full of Canada-related activities! A panel we all went to was hosted by the Canadian Minister of Labour and was well attended by Canadian MPs. Following the discussion, I was put in touch directly with the Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations through a contact I had made while working at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the Organization of American States in D.C. and we are looking to see if we can schedule a sit-down to talk about youth involvement and the standalone gender goal. 
• Sarah and I attended a Cities for CEDAW event that, to me, was one of the best-planned events I have attended thus far. For one, Cities for CEDAW was very resolute in ensuring the event was grounded in practical applications of San Francisco's experience as the first municipal entity to ratify CEDAW. Beth and I have been speaking at length about looking at the implementation of a similar process in Chapel Hill/Carrborro... 
• Earlier in the day, I attended the High Level Panel and took notes on the expert testimonies. One expert in particular (Virginia Gomes of Portugal) had wonderful suggestions for ensuring the Post-2015 Agenda remains as equitable as possible. Specifically, she emphasized the need for gender-disaggregated data in development work--the idea that monitoring and evaluation should be sensitive to the needs of individual vulnerable groups like women and children. I took notes and sent them to a professor of mine who has been actively working with Ms. Gomes on an upcoming publication. 
• Alongside two new friends from Brazil and an alumna of UNC-Chapel Hill, I attended the Latin America Caucus, where countries in LatAm and the Caribbean came together to discuss MDG implementation and future opportunities. It was great to hear some Portuguese and I was particularly pleased by the large participation from LGBTQ groups from the Caribbean such as United & Strong from St. Lucia. 
• In addition to all of these events, I managed to squeeze in meeting with a professor at Grand Central for coffee, grabbing a milkshake with a friend I made in London last year and calling my parents (Hi Mom!) who are currently in Egypt on holiday. 

Excited, exhausted and ready to sleep!

Your support remains greatly appreciated--

Max