|
IWTC WOMEN’S GLOBALNET
#348 ACTIVITIES & INITIATIVES OF
WOMEN WORLDWIDE NAVIGATING THE 53RD
COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN: A QUICK GUIDE FOR NGOS February
19, 2009 Joeyta
Bose |
9.
NGO ARTISAN FAIR: MARCH
5 |
|
The 53rd Commission
on the Status of Women (CSW), scheduled to kick off for two weeks on March 2,
2009, is expected to bring together 5,225 representatives from 460
organizations worldwide. While the commission presents NGOs with a unique
policy space where they can parley and advocate with governments, their
robust participation is critical to the commission’s success as well as to
follow-up action on its outcomes. In addition to official CSW meetings, this
year’s commission offers participants 297 parallel events that will be
organized by NGOs and UN country missions and agencies. This edition of
GlobalNet provides an overview of the NGO package of events and
opportunities, and presents highlights that could make navigating the CSW a
little easier. 1.
GETTING A UN GROUNDS PASS In order to access the UN
Secretariat Building to attend official CSW meetings and parallel events, you
will need a UN grounds pass. On-site registration will be held at the NGO
registration desk, located in the lobby of the General Assembly Building,
which can be accessed through the visitor’s entrance at 46th
street and 1st avenue. You
must bring a copy of your registration letter and a valid photo ID (such as a
passport or a driver’s license) to complete the process. Hours for the NGO
desk: Friday,
Feb 27: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm; 2 pm to 4 pm Saturday,
Feb 28: 10 am to 4 pm
only Monday,
March 2: 8 am to 12.30
pm.; 2 pm to 4 pm Tuesday,
March 3 to Thursday, March 5:
9 am to 12.30 pm; 2 pm to 4 pm Friday,
March 6: 9 am to 12.30
pm Monday,
March 9: 8 am to 12.30
pm; 2 to 4 pm Tuesday,
March 10 to Thursday March 12:
9 am to 12.30 pm; 2 to 4 pm Friday,
March 13: 9 am to
12.30 pm 2.
CALENDAR OF CSW EVENTS The NGO CSW Committee is responsible
for scheduling the 237 NGO-organized parallel events and has released a
calendar that can be accessed at: http://www.ngocsw.org/en/events/csw53/parallel-events Most events mentioned on
this calendar take place at the Church Centre building (777 UN Plaza, on the
corner of 44th street and 1st avenue) which is a hub
for NGO activity during the CSW. This calendar will also be available on the
Division for the Advancement of Women’s website along with a separate
calendar of 60 events sponsored by UN missions and agencies. A week before the CSW, the calendars will
be found at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/csw53/NGO.html#parallel Any changes to these
calendars will be made available on these websites as well through a daily
schedule of events which may be picked up at the Church Centre, the morning
briefings (see below – pt. 6) and at the DAW information desk in the Neck
Area of the Conference Building (between the Vienna café and conference room
2) 3.
PARTICIPATION & ADVOCACY AT OFFICIAL CSW MEETINGS Official CSW meetings,
i.e. those where UN member states debate and discuss the issues at hand as
well as negotiate on the commission’s outcomes, are usually open to NGO
representatives. These take place in Conference Room 2 from 10 am to 1 pm and
then from 3 pm to 6 pm, Monday to Friday, for the duration of the CSW. There are two opportunities for NGO
interventions through oral statements during these proceedings – (1) at the
general discussion and (2) at the interactive panel. Given that time for
these interventions are limited, preference is given to those who wish to
make a statement on behalf of coalitions or caucuses. Requests for these
speaking slots must be made no later than
February 27 via e-mail to csw53@un.org. - Requesting a slot during the
general discussion Those who wish to speak during
the general discussion must put the name of their organization/coalition or
caucus in the subject line of the e-mail; and clearly indicate in the e-mail,
the topic(s) covered by the statement (in summary form), the organization(s),
the name of the speaker, the speaker's e-mail contact address, and a local
telephone or cell number where he or she can be reached. Once DAW has
received all requests, it will contact those who are chosen with more
information about other requirements. Further, oral statements during the
general debate should not exceed three minutes (i.e., about two pages
double-spaced using font 12). In addition, 22 copies of the statement must be
delivered to the DAW information desk (in the Neck Area) the day before the
general debate begins. - Requesting a slot during the
interactive panel Oral statements during
the interactive panel are usually made in the form of comments and questions
to the experts on the panel rather than in the form of prepared statements.
DAW will communicate via e-mail to those who are approved for these
three-minute slots. 4.
NGO CONSULTATION DAY: MARCH 1 On the Sunday (March 1)
before the official start of the CSW, the NGO Committee on the Status of
Women has organized an NGO Consultation Day to welcome NGOs and provide them
with background on the themes that will be covered and the processes that
will take place during the two-week-long commission. This year’s Consultation
Day, which begins at 8 am and concludes at 5:15 pm, will include
presentations by experts on the priority theme as well as a plenary on the
opportunities and challenges for NGO advocacy and participation. Following a box lunch
that will be provided as part of the registration fee, participants must
choose to attend one of eight breakout sessions: - Women, care-giving and
HIV/AIDS - Women, Education and
Training - Violence Against Women - Older Women - Women and Climate
Change - Review Theme: Equal
participation of women and men in decision-making at all levels - Emerging Theme: Women
and the Global Financial Crisis - Women and Poverty While the morning
sessions offer some space for questions and answers, it is the breakout
groups that offer real opportunities for dialogue and alliance building
around issues. NGO Consultation Day is the first
opportunity to see who is attending the CSW (there will be no list of
participants). In addition, each
registered participant will receive a resource packet which includes a
summary of the preparatory roundtable discussions, a copy of the
secretary-general’s report on the priority theme, a map of the UN and
surrounding neighborhood as well as a CSW handbook that contains the
essential schedule of events. Those who are not attending Consultation Day
can pick up a copy of the handbook, while supplies last, at the Church
Centre, during the Craft Fair or at the CSW office at 708 3rd Avenue. This event will take
place at the New York University Medical School, Farkas
Auditorium, located at 550 1st Avenue (between 31st and 32nd). There is a $65
registration fee to attend which can be paid online via credit card or by
sending the committee a check in the mail, accompanied by a form that can be
downloaded from the committee’s website. Successful registrants will receive
an e-mail containing a printable badge that should be brought to Consultation
Day as proof of payment. More information about registration options can be
found at: http://www.ngocsw.org/en/events/csw53
5.
BRIEFINGS FOR CSW BEGINNERS: MARCH 2 For CSW first-timers as
well as NGOs interested in a refresher course, the NGO Committee on the
Status of Women will hold an orientation session at noon on March 2 on the 2nd
floor of the Church Centre. The program will cover how to get around the UN
and the CSW, how to make sense of UN jargon, special procedures and protocols
that NGOs must follow and the agencies involved in the CSW and the
advancement of women. In addition, UNIFEM Australia will be organizing
session entitled “A Beginner’s Guide to CSW” on March 2 at 6 pm on the 10th
floor of the Church Centre. 6.
DAILY MORNING BRIEFINGS One of the best ways to
keep informed of what’s on the agenda each day for government delegates as
they work their way through the Agreed Conclusions is to attend the morning
briefings from 9 am to 9:45 am in Conference Room 2 at UN headquarters. These
briefings take place every day of the commission, except on Monday, March 2
and Thursday, March 5. They are intended to
provide information to NGO participants on various issues of interest and
will include an overview of the previous day’s activities and updates on the
activities to come. 7.
CAUCUSES 2009 As advocacy and coalition
building are the primary activities of most NGOs attending the CSW, the
caucus space is extremely important.
Caucuses provide an opportunity for NGOs to come together and discuss
issues, formulate collective positions and develop strategies and language to
influence the Agreed Conclusions. This
year the NGO Committee will provide space in Conference Room B for the
following caucuses: (A)
Regional Caucuses:
Regional Caucuses offer an opportunity for NGOs from a particular region to
come together and formulate a regional perspective (if possible) and a
lobbying strategy on pertinent issues.
They are open only to individuals from countries in the specific
region and are led and sponsored by several organizations from the
region. There are five regional
caucuses: African, Asia Pacific,
Western Asian, Latin American/Caribbean and European. The dates and times of these caucuses are
as follows: - African Caucus: Tuesday, March 3, 10 am; Wednesday, March 4,
11.30 am; Monday, March 9, 10 am; Wednesday, March 11, 11.30 am In addition to the
regular caucus meetings, the African Women's Development and Communication
Network (FEMNET) will hold an orientation about the caucus and the CSW on
Saturday, February 28, at 2 pm on the 2nd floor of the Church
Centre. - Asia Pacific Caucus: Monday, March 2, 1 pm; Wednesday, March 4,
10 am; Monday, March 9, 11:30 am; Wednesday, March 11, 1 pm - Western Asia Caucus: Tuesday, March 3, 2:30 pm; Thursday, March 5, 10 am; Tuesday, March 10, 10 am; Thursday, March 12, 11:30 am - Latin America and Caribbean Caucus: Tuesday, March 3, 1 pm; Thursday, March 5,
2:30 pm; Monday, March 9, 2:30 pm; Wednesday, March 11, 10 am - European Caucus: Monday, March 2, 11:30 am; Thursday, March
5, 11:30 am; Tuesday, March 10, 11.30
am; Thursday, March 12, 10 am (B) Beijing +15 Caucus: In preparation for the 2010 CSW, which
will mark 15 years of the Beijing Platform for Action, the NGO CSW committees
in New York, Vienna and Geneva have started to brainstorm and plan for the
events, advocacy and celebrations that will be held to mark this occasion
next year. All NGOs attending the CSW are encouraged to attend the Beijing
+15 Caucus, which will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays (March 2, 4, 9 and 11)
from 4 pm to 5 pm, to share input and ideas for next year’s commission. (C)
Coordination Caucus: This
caucus will meet every day of the CSW from 5 pm to 6 pm and will act as an
important connecting space for NGOs who can share information and advocacy
strategies around the CSW themes, as well as devise advocacy strategies that
can be implemented to influence the CSW’s outcome document, the Agreed
Conclusions. (D)
Miscellaneous Caucuses: There are three other
caucuses on the calendar: - A youth caucus will
take place on Tuesday, March 3 at 11.30 am and Wednesday, March 4 at 1 pm for
those who work on and are interested in working with youth. - A girl’s caucus, which
is meant to be a space where girls who are registered as CSW participants can
connect and discuss their issues, will meet on Monday, March 2 at 2.30 pm - Those interested in
mental health issues can attend a caucus on Wednesday, March 4 at 2 pm. 7.
NGO ROOM AT THE UN Conference Room B at the
UN will be the NGO room for this year’s CSW. The room is equipped with a
photocopy machine – those who wish to use it must bring their own A4 (8.5
inches by 11 inches) paper. The room
will be used for NGO caucuses and meetings, as well as a repository for
official documents and NGO flyers. NGOs are welcome to place their materials
on the tables for others to pick up or use the bulletin board outside to pin
up notices. 8.
NGO RECEPTION: MARCH 3 NGO representatives,
government delegates and UN Secretariat staff are invited to attend the NGO
Reception on Tuesday, March 3 from 6 pm- 8 pm at the Turkish Centre, 2nd
Floor (located on the corner of 46th street and 1st Avenue). The reception is hosted by the NGO
Committee on the Status of Women and will include the presentation of their
annual Woman of Distinction Award to Rachel Mayanja,
Assistant Secretary-General Special Advisor on Gender Issues and the
Advancement of Women. There is a $35
fee to attend the reception and you can register at: https://www.ngocsw.org/en/register/csw53-ngo-consultation 9.
NGO ARTISAN FAIR: MARCH 5 Anyone bringing crafts or
other artisan goods to the CSW may showcase and sell these at the one day
Artisan Craft Fair held on the second floor at the Church Centre on Thursday,
March 5 from 10 am to 4.30 pm. There is no charge to get a table at the fair,
but one must register in advance at https://www.ngocsw.org/en/register/csw53-artisan-fair Alternatively,
registration forms can be downloaded from
http://www.ngocsw.org/files/2009-artisan-fair-registration.pdf
and e-mailed to suzanneeharvey@earthlink.net |
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IWTC
Women's GlobalNet is a production of: PLEASE
NOTE: WOMEN,
INK. Contact Women, Ink. at
777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: 1.212.687.8633 ext. 204. Fax: 1. 212.661-2704.
E-mail: wink@iwtc.org. To subscribe
to the Women, Ink. monthly bulletin "BookLink", which features new titles constantly
being added to the Women, Ink. collection, write to: wink@iwtc.org WOMEN, INK. IS
A SERVICE OF IWTC |