By Mimi Gilmore, AWA Aberdeen
The COVID 19 pandemic has proven disruptive and tragic to so many around the world. What the UN CSW65 brought into sharp relief this year was that not only does the pandemic disproportionately affect women and girls all over the globe in terms of curtailment of rights, cuts to health budgets, increased risk of infection based on gender, class and race and gender based violence (GBV) just to name a few, it even aggravates the injustice and violence that too many experienced already. Yet, this event also showed me the resilience, strength, and sheer ingenuity of women of all backgrounds, in all walks of life, young and old, to tackle these issues, including entrepreneurial ways to make life better for each other. I went into the two-week event incredibly excited to even be part of it, as it usually requires travel to New York. In some ways the very difficult situation that a global pandemic has put us in has also allowed so many more of us in the FAWCO family to attend virtually, sharing ideas, venting anger but most importantly stoking the fire of hope, determination and knowledge!
There was a definite sense of strength in numbers, as one person alone cannot even begin to try and attend the huge volume of main events, side events and 700+ parallel events. My initial focus was on energy and climate change issues affecting women and girls around the world, but I was immediately reminded of how interlinked all the issues are. Without rights to land, women cannot meaningfully contribute towards climate change solutions. Without fair and equal participation in public life, women cannot contribute towards widening access to energy and promoting peace in conflicts that are often caused by climate change and dwindling access to resources. Most importantly, my eyes were opened further to the fact that even positive movements that I believe in can perpetuate discrimination and inequity if they do not become more representative and inclusive. Race and gender are insufficiently recognised and integrated into international energy and environmental policy, yet play a critical role in renewable energy, climate change and just transition policies.
After the Joyful Disruption Rally concluded the event (I am still dancing to the music), I am filled with the determination of women coming together to fight for CSW65’s theme: “women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. Real highlights included hearing Kamala Harris speak and the strengthened call for a global feminist foreign policy. Yet, the reality of the threat to women’s place at the table continues in light of the renewed attack we have seen on laws that protect women from domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention), for example. Being a part of UN CSW65 for the first time has shown me the sheer strength of civil society, of thousands of ordinary women fighting tirelessly for rights that some of us may take for granted, in constantly pushing for a more just society – that we are so much stronger and more effective when we come together in organisations like FAWCO. Whilst we fight one pandemic, let’s hope that instead equal rights for all does go viral and becomes a permanent, inalienable feature of our private and public lives.
I was reminded of a sporting analogy after watching the recent Six Nations Rugby Championship (and of on-going discrimination against women in sport) - fighting for fair and equal treatment is an on-going battle, like a never-ending scrum. You would certainly want your fellow women in civil society there shoulder-to-shoulder to keep the side up!