FAWCO UN Reps Erica Higbie and Pam Perraud and UN Liaison Laurie Richardson attended a virtual briefing on CSW66 by representatives of the US Mission, the White House Gender Policy Council, State Department Office of Global Women’s Affairs, and Department of Health and Human Services on March 10, 2022.
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield began her remarks acknowledging what is on all of our minds – the ongoing war in Ukraine. Russia is attacking civilians, including women and girls, most recently and despicably attacking a maternity hospital. Russia has unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe which has horrific impacts on women and girls. CSW remains critically important, while intersecting forms of discrimination are faced in conflict zones elsewhere in the world, including Afghanistan and Ethiopia.
The Ambassador added that the climate crisis and gender equality are “inextricably linked” and connected to gender based violence, food insecurity and poverty. She called women and girls key to the solutions; and said that women in leadership roles bring their skills, talents and tools to tackle our most pressing challenges. Women’s equal and meaningful participation is essential to growing economies and achieving the SDGs. The US is determined to see a strong CSW66 outcome document: “We can’t compromise our values and goals. The US Mission and civil society must overcome the barriers by working together.”
Jennifer Klein, Head of the White House Gender Policy Council (GPC), pointed out that two million Ukrainians have left the country. The US is especially concerned about women, girls and other vulnerable groups. The GPC advances gender equity and equality in both domestic and foreign policy development and implementation. They are developing strategies to address discrimination against LGBTQI+, age, gender, etc. They support investments to improve women’s economic security, and restored funding to the UN Fund for comprehensive global reproductive health care and services. The National Gender Strategy includes mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change on women and girls. Another priority is combatting gender based violence, funding programs, services and support, working to pass the VAW Act and reform the military justice system for perpetrators of sexual assault. At a CSW side event on March 16, the US will launch the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse with Denmark, Sweden and Australia.
Mark Pannell, US State Department Office of Global Women’s Issues, welcomes the CSW priority theme. State Department Bureaus and other offices work together to integrate climate actions with gender equity and equality, addressing climate by harnessing the energy of women and addressing the disproportional impact of the climate crisis on women and girls. The US strategy to prevent and respond to gender based violence globally will include linkages to the climate crisis. They are working on Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security, looking at the gender-conflict nexus, which is exacerbated by climate change.
The US Mission used this occasion to announce the five public (NGO) delegates on the US delegation to CSW:
- Eleanor Blomstrom, Senior Manager for Policy and Advocacy at Women Deliver
- Dr. Padmini Murthy, Professor and Global Health Director at New York Medical College School of Health Sciences and Practice
- Jacqueline Patterson, Founder and Executive Director of the Chisholm Legacy Project: A Resource Hub for Black Frontline Climate Justice Leadership
- Marcie Roth, Executive Director and CEO of the World Institute on Disability
- Alexandria Villaseñor, a 16-year-old climate justice activist and the founder and executive director of EarthUprising.org
This is excellent NGO participation! Ambassador Lisa Carty, Representative of the United States to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, and a new member of the US Mission to the UN, said that keeping civil society involved and getting a strong outcome document are the US priorities for CSW66.
During the Q&A, there was discussion of the US pledges to the GBV Action Coalition at the Generation Equality Forum in 2021, and integrating adolescent girls in many efforts. Stephanie Psaki, Senior Advisor, Human Rights and Gender Equity, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), spoke about their work with WHO to strengthen health systems and support health care workers (70% are women) post-Covid. HHS is involved in programs for older women and widows around issues of violence, economic security, nutrition, health, literacy: cross-cutting issues across UN bodies. An interesting website with tools and resources on the linkage between GBV and the environment was developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Jamille Bigio, Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at USAID, talked about a project to develop evidence on the linkage between child marriage and climate change. She noted that freedom from violence is a precondition to women participating fully in society, and the basis for women’s health, education and many other goals. Responding to a question about government supply chains, quotas and women’s economic empowerment, Ms. Bigio said that USAID prioritizes women-owned and locally-led businesses in their procurement.
Sofija Korac, Senior Human Rights and Health Adviser at the US Mission, says they are pushing for strong language in the outcome document and the Methods of Work review – which is always challenging. She appreciates the language being proposed and shared by civil society, a great support for the negotiators. This was good to hear, having worked hard on this effort with the NGO CSW Advocacy Research Group!
At the conclusion of this comprehensive and wide-ranging Briefing, the speakers emphasized that all of these issues are inter-linked. We have to look at the intersections. We need to have women and girls at the table to solve the problems we are facing. Lisa Carty said they would look into the possibility of holding a debriefing session with civil society after CSW.