WomenNC Blog

Reflection of March 12th, 2018 

Finally, it’s the first official day of CSW! The culturally rich experience is not only at the United Nations; it’s everywhere we go. I am staying at a hotel relatively close to the United Nations, and even in the hotel lobby at breakfast, I can discuss women’s advocacy issues at a global level.  

Breakfast with an NGO leader from Liberia and attorney from Nigera

My first event of Monday was the CSW Orientation. The event gave a brief overview of the week, the history of CEDAW, the “Zero Draft” document (the outcome document of CSW that discusses agreed conclusions and solutions), and the sustainable goals of the United Nations. Before the start of orientation, I was able to speak with other groups from Australia and Romanian, who were also experiencing their first CSW adventure!

My second event was “Celebrating and Advancing Women's Political Participation,” which was hosted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I was excited for this event, especially with my work in politics and the engagement and empowerment of women leaders. The panel represented leaders from Canada, Malawi, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. I learned more about different party systems, the oppression of women leaders (from past and current issues) and the influx that constitutional law to even social media has on of promoting women leaders. A common theme was to prioritize education in our homelands to encourage women leadership. Education may seem like an obvious solution towards the barrier of women in politics, but with efforts not harmonized in educating the power of women leaders, then, once again, we are left with obstacles. 

After the event, I had a conversation with the panelist from Malawi, Dr. Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula, who is an academic, feminist, educator and activist; her scholarship focuses on African feminism. I told Dr. Kabwila-Kapasula about the conditions of North Carolina, and the lack of women in political office. She was very insightful and compassionate with her support, and she stressed the importance of community engagement and education. Fun fact: Dr. Kabwila-Kapasula said North Carolina was on her list of places to visit! 

 Dr. Kabwila-Kapasula

Later, I attended “What Strategies for Rural Women’s and Girls’ empowerment?” which prioritized African women’s land rights. The panel applied the UN’s Sustainable Goals of advocacy/outreach, methodological guidelines, reporting processes, technical support, and quality control and global reporting. The panelist emphasized how these tactics will help measure changes in the legal framework for African women. Problems occurring for African women regarding legal issues (and these problems are also prevalent in North Carolina) are how they are consulted during an abstract stage or when it’s too late to engage in the legal process of their rights. It was impactful learning legal issues that are obstructing women’s access to knowledge, especially when the system is designed to engage and protect an educated democracy.

The last event I attended was “Intersecting Grassroots Radio to Reach Rural Women and Refugee Women” hosted by Women Graduates USA. This event parallels with my undergraduate focus on the interconnectivity of politics and communication, and the impact the two sectors play on social and policy change.  Half the panel focused on utilizing the power of smartphone “apps,” with providing additional services to refugee women. The other half focused on more straightforward means of mass communication. They highlighted the power of radio with giving a simplistic approach to educating refugee women.

Overall, each event gave me a deeper understanding of the problems occurring for women around the world, as well as the solutions to implementing change and encouraging women. There was no better way to start this CSW week.