By Ayuska Motha, UN Rep, AIWC Cologne
What is it called when fifty FAWCO feminists join hands across time zones to virtually and collectively inform ourselves on the status of women and their rights?
CSW65 (the UN Commission on the Status of Women)!
This was my first time attending this 2 week conference that I had been wanting to attend for the past few years. It is usually held in NYC but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire conference was virtual. I have been fortunate enough to attend the UN Conference of the Parties (the climate change negotiations) in person in the past, so I did have a little idea of what was to come. I know first-hand the power and energy that accompanies such meetings. I also know the feeling when so many super-interesting, relevant and must-attend events all happen at the same time.
What I was not anticipating was being a part of such a broad, supportive and exhilarated team of FAWCO feminists all attending individually from their homes or workplaces simultaneously. It was the feeling of being part of a much larger force that was gaining momentum…..heading for major action and change. It was with pride too that I watched FAWCO’s side events and was so happy to see so many FAWCO members involved in so many of the parallel and side-events. A huge thank you goes out to Laurie Richardson and My-Linh for the preparatory briefings, slides, links and constant support throughout the 2 weeks.
Thank you also to all of the FAWCO members who were part of the very active WhatsApp group. It was a memorable experience that will become one of the silver linings of this horrible pandemic.