Nuggets from CSW65

By Erica Higbie, UN Rep, FAUSA

• Advocate for financing – no meaning to any promises without a budget.
• Opportunity to influence to Outcome Document during negotiations is very limited.  
• We need to have access to government caucuses if we are to have any influence during negotiations.
• Need to better understand CSW Methods of Work, which are scheduled to be discussed CSW66.
• Caucuses used to be theme-based, but the Working Methods changed. Now Caucuses are geographical. There is probably a need for both.
• Structural subordination exists which is why the implementation of gender equality is so challenging. 
• Human Rights transcends law which is why it is the language of the oppressed.
• When you create Interest Convergence, progress happens.
• An excellent reference is the Council of Europe recommendation CM/Rec(2019)1 "Preventing and Combating sexism"
• International Center for Research on Women (ICRW.org) promotes feminist foreign policy, working to “disrupt colonial, racist, patriarchal and male-dominated policies”
• Foreign policy actors should reflect the makeup of our country.
• Women do 3 times the amount of work at home that men do in many countries.
• Digital Divide: Connectivity is an issue for Africa.
• Turkey withdraws from Istanbul Convention :-/
• Using sovereignty to diminish the rights of women – possibly our greatest challenge.
• We are back to discussing issues that we solved many years ago (Mabel Bianco).
• Trying to understand where the ‘other’ is coming from is a core responsibility and opportunity.
• It’s not a battle between sexes – it is a battle against a patriarchal mindset.
• Mary Robinson's book is called: Climate Justice: A man-made problem with a feminist solution.
• A coalition of governments at the UN are responsible for the ‘push back’ – this is happening by design. CSW has been stymied by this group and this design. (Dean Susanna Malcorra.) 
• This is where we are - "I am a 17 year old living in Turkey, who was on the front side of protests and get arrested for two times. There were 7 police buses and police barriers around 20 women. Police stopped a friend of mine walking on the street in silent just because he was carrying a LGBTQ flag. Things are going really bad here. Nearly 24 women murdered last 3 days. As a young woman I am so scared of what's going to happen next. I am not feeling safe outside. Turkey is only safe for heterosexual men. We have to talk, even more." – Sevval Suzer in Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security event.
• Inclusive is what we need. Not only women but also men.
• The Private Sector should be part of the solution. Men should be part of the solution.
• The Private Sector hosts platforms where VAWG is happening. Their algorithms are actually exacerbating the problem. 
• Make data more accessible to larger audiences – not lost in reports.