Monday began with a hectic but helpful kickoff to my first experience as an official delegate to CSW69 (or the 69th Commission on the Status of Women) at United Nations Headquarters in NYC. Beginning bright and early, I joined a virtual session over breakfast with the Girls First Initiative (GFI), a member of the Transform Education Coalition. “Resources for a Girl Child Education” was a great conversation led by Bahati Magagwe, Robert Chiwamba, Dr Joyce Kahembe, and Happy Malunde. All the speakers were joining us from abroad. (I admittedly had not had coffee during introductions and didn’t write down who was from what country. I do know we had Tanzania and Kenya covered, though!)
Key Takeaways:
Girls need inspiration and motivation.
Parents and community leaders need exposure to the economic benefits and reasons for education of girls.
Research is still desperately needed in gender responsive pedagogy, so that we can create safe learning environments for girls (particularly in Tanzania).
We need to focus on both getting girls in school and keeping girls in school through the highest levels.
EDUCATION IS THE GREAT EQUALIZER. It gives all children a common language with which they can communicate.
US supporters can help by providing scholarships, internships, and other financial support.
Girls need role models from within their own culture — women who have transcended female genital mutilation and/or early childhood marriage culture, who have broken the cycle of poverty in their own families.
My Question:
How can we use the arts, storytelling, etc. to encourage young girls to stay in school and become change makers? To educate communities and families?
So THIS happened today. Yep, that’s Millie Bobby Brown! I just thought I was popping in for the exciting new announcement of UNICEF’s new Power4Girls program. But how fun is it that their official ambassador is Enola Holmes?
I ended up watching the beginning of this session on my phone — even though I had registered, it was so full there wasn’t even standing room! I did get to catch a great deal of it, though, and I was especially moved by the lovely seating arrangements which alternated official ambassadors and dignitaries from Canada, Germany, Nepal and the UK with young women. It really sent a lovely message… “listen to girls”.
Key Takeaways:
My favorite quote of the session from Canada’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN: “This is not something that should divide us. It should unite us. The cause of every girl is the cause of every old man, too.”
Maureen Greenwood-Basken from Wellspring (philanthropic fund) said for every $1 invested in adolescent girls, we have 30 years of date to prove that it multiplies tenfold economically.
HOW DO WE DO IT? Systems-level change + grassroots intervention. Systems include things like social protection programs (girls clubs, positive parenting, etc.). And grassroots intervention looks like new ways of thinking about investing in girls.
Where are the girls in your financial portfolio? If you invest in the world around them why not in THEM?
Girls are gathering and organizing. They are calling us loudly to support them. Step into the brave new world girls are building for us.
My Question:
Do I need to start a movement to educate our sons about equality and invest in girls that way?
After a long adventure that involved escalators, elevators, a couple security guards, and an accidental shopping trip in the UN bookstore, I popped outside for a quick selfie by the sculpture. Fortunately, I bumped into one of the other UNA delegates, Tiffany. It turns out she not only went to Penn State but taught there, too! Hoping to grab coffee with her this week. Our delegation has been trickling in and I don’t know any of them, so it’s been a challenge to arrange meetups!
Next, it was over to the non-governmental organization event or NGO CSW, the parallel event that happens during CSW each year.
Little did I know how many attendees would be eager to hear what this panel had to say about “The Equal Rights Amendment, Driving US Action on the Beijing Declaration”.
Perhaps I should quickly explain. The Beijing Declaration is the primary focus of this year’s event. It was the agreement made thirty years ago when leaders met in Beijing to agree on the goal of global equality for women. So this year is a big year — 30 years of progress, data, program testing, regime changes, etc.
Key Takeaways:
President Biden declared the ERA as the 28th amendment to the US Constitution in January 2023, marking a historic milestone for gender equality.
The ERA met all constitutional requirements for ratification, with 38 states having approved it, but faces challenges in full implementation.
The American Bar Association unanimously passed a resolution affirming the ERA as a constitutional amendment.
Globally, 85% of constitutions address gender equality. The US has lagged behind in constitutional protections for women and gender equality provisions, particularly in areas like paid parental leave, child marriage laws, and reproductive rights.
State-level ERAs are becoming more innovative, offering broader protections that include intersectional approaches to discrimination.
There is no reason to move backwards or to lose hope. The ERA is constitutionally sound. But there is reason to work at public acceptance of it as the rule of law!
Intersectionality: The ERA needs to be understood through an intersectional lens, addressing the needs of the most marginalized groups in society.
Political Action: Continued pressure on elected officials and building grassroots support remains crucial for the ERA's full implementation.
As a side note, this panel of women was the single most brilliant collection of legal minds I have ever heard. I felt like they were the utmost experts in their field, and that made me relax a bit.
My Question:
How long will we be able to keep legal cases involving the 28th amendment out of the Supreme Court? Can we make it long enough?
And finally, I joined the Soroptomist International Tea Party after dinner this evening. While there wasn’t much tea involved, I can say they had a great presentation about the importance of mentoring.
Key Takeaways:
Mentorship isn't about perfection, it's about genuine connection.
Great mentors listen, share honestly, and empower through questions.
Mentoring bridges dreams and reality for women and girls.
My Question:
How can I find my own mentors, having mentored so many women and girls all my adult life? What qualities would they need to have?
And with that, sweet dreams — I’ll be back tomorrow!
What an incredible day one. I can’t imagine all of the sessions you’ll attend and report back on. The takeaways and personal questions are going to be so valuable. Thank you so much for sharing this! I hope you get good rest throughout your time there.