Take the HOT SEAT

 The CSW63 side event High Level Intergenerational Dialogue "Take the Hot Seat" was a well organized, easy flowing, intellectual event. The young moderators were well prepared and enthusiastic. The questions, both from moderators and general population, were well thought out. The panelist had very thoughtful and relevant answers. 

Here was a nice news story that highlights several key points made at the event.
At CSW 63, youth ask for increased investment, accountability and seat at decision-making tables

One question asked was; "How can the Common Minimum Standards now be shared with everyone? Even those who were not in attendance at the CSW." 
No one from the panel truly answered this question. Geraldine Byrne, Chairman of the CSW was urging all UN members to look over them and commit to sharing and taking action.  So please take a minute to read over them and contact your UN and government representatives and they will have "no choice to ignore it." 
Youth Common Minimum Standards

There were a few other websites and organizations mentioned that can help spread the word about both youth and women's voice being heard. The links below provide opportunities for you to share your voice, get involved, take action, promote, and support the youth movement. 

https://www.heforshe.org/

http://www.nottooyoungtorun.org

https://www.sheshouldrun.org/

Gender Equality: Not just a Fairy Tale

 CSW63 side event, Nurturing future human capital through equality between girls and boys, is proving that gender equality is not just a fairy tale.  A joint project between Georgia, Sweden, and UN Women is out to change the world; one story and one child at a time. Once There Was a Girl is a collection of fairy tales written by Georgian authors. The stories highlight famous Georgian heroines throughout Georgian history. The book has been sent to libraries, passed out to school teachers all over the country of Georgia and is available online for free.

http://www2.unwomen.org/-/media/field%20office%20georgia/images/news/2018/06/mg323.jpg?la=en&vs=4625

The goal of this project is to change gender stereotypes through early childhood education. Fairy tales have always played an important role in the nurturing and moral education of children. The speakers of at this event shared that 31 percent of literary characters are female and of those females, most were either princesses in distress or evil old women. From these stories young girls are being exposed to stereotypical gender norms. The Georgian UN Women felt there was more to be told and narrative to change.
The fairy tales in this book present a new look at what women have done and can do. Tales of helicopter pilots and mountaineers provide both girls and boys a new narrative about what girls can be and do.
This book and event has opened the door for youth to be part of the conversation of gender equality. The UN invited students, both girls and boys,  to read their favorite excerpts from the book. Sharing in such a large event as the CSW and being a true part of the conversation can teach them that they too can make a different is gender equality, and that it isn't just a fairy tale.

Empowering adolescents through social protection

Social protection is a set of tools and policies to help people during life's challenges - was the definition formulated by the moderator Femi Oke at the CSW63 side event Empowering adolescents through social protection. Hosted by DFID, GAGE, UNICEF and ODI, this panel discussion included representatives from Jordan, Ethiopia and Bangladesh on the topic of social protection. 

The discussion opened with two keynote speakers, Henrietta E Fore Executive Director, UNICEF, and Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations at the Foreign and Commonwealth office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Both expressed  examples of how social protection work was both failing and aiding women and adolescent girls around the world.
 Lord Ahmad expressed that every tool and power available to governments and organizations be put into social protection services. Fore spoke of how research on social protection services gives a voice to women who may not have one. She spoke of 5 key areas in which UNICEF has recognized a need "to scale up social protections" in order to better help women and young girls. Birth registration, educational grants and scholarships for girls to enroll in and remain in school, enhancing economic participation through skills training, strengthening research and data collection, and calling on a redesign of the workplace are all ways in which people can be more responsive to social protection around the world. 
A presentation by the GAGE consortium shared data taken from a 9 year study on social protection. The evidence provided many positives and negatives but shared an overall message of a "promising role of social protections in reducing gender inequality."
Though the event was about empowering adolescent girls much of the discussion had focused on social protection. Each speaker appeared to have an agenda that the event did not seem to have time to hear. The moderator moved them quickly along in order to provide opportunities for questions from the several members of the audience. An adolescent girl representative from WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) posed a question about how government was integrating  adolescent girls' needs into policy. Each country was able to give a brief example of ways in which the government had social protection in place for adolescents or how it is being worked into policies.  Other questions asked about not just protection programs but also those that empowered women and girls, and another about child brides. Overall, the questions help direct the event back to its original topic of empowering adolescents through social protection services. 

Secure Land Rights: Enhancing Women's and Girl's Social Protection

The discussion was hosted by LANDESA * Rural Development Institute, 

International Land Coalition.

The panel consisted of:

Beth Roberts – Program Manager, Center for Women’s Land Rights, Landesa, USA

Josephine Mong’are – Chairperson, Federation of Women Lawyers Kenya (FIDA, Kenya)

Monica Mhoja – Tanzania Program Director, Landesa, USA

Nzira de Deus – Director, Forum Mulher, Mozambique

Ana Paul Tuacale – President, National Union of Peasants (UNAC, Mozambique)

Katia Araujo - Director of Advocacy, Landesa, USA, Moderator

The panel debate evolved around the following question: what innovative approaches have civil society organizations implemented to increase women’s access to resources, and how are these approaches contributing to the social protection of women and girls who experience the most deprivation and vulnerability?

A short summary of the panelist’s answers:

-       Josephine Mong’are: land is very important. It is important to understand how the patriarchal traditional system with tribes and elder counsels work in order to achieve change. To work with them, rather than fight them. Kenya now has laws that say that women can inherit land.

-       Monica Mhoja: In Tanzania the land rights are the same for men and women; they have equal rights to control, use and access land. However, they are underrepresented in matters that concern them, and affirmative action calls for a minimum of women in the local land counsels in the villages. The challenge is that the women might be elected, but still stay silent. They are working to push the women’s confidence and teach them that their voices can be heard. They encourage women to acquire their own land through Village Community Banks (VICOBA) and increase women participation in land governing.  

-       Nzira de Deus and Ana Paul Tuacale: In Mozambique 80% of those who produce food are rural women. Many of these are illiterate. It is important to inform women of their rights to own land, and the organization disseminates information in local languages in the communities. Mozambique has a good land policy, but it’s not well implemented. They demand a 50/50 participation of men and women in the commission on natural resources in local areas.

-       Beth Roberts: Land gives power and identity. Women’s right to own land is a fundamental right, it will empower and enable them and create more equality as they will have a voice and participation in the economy. The voices of rural women are crucial in decision making but the women are not called to the table. Landesa is trying to bridge the gap by creating forums where these conversations can happen. https://www.landesa.org/

Civil Society Contribution to the Integration of Refugee Women

The session was funded by Set Them Free and Journalist and Writers Foundation (www.jwf.org)

The panel consisted of:

Ann Graham – Attorney, Texas

Youstina Youssef – Gardner Public Services Fellow, International Refugee Assistant Project, USA

Esra Aydin – NY Representative Communication Director, Set Them Free

Yalda Atif – Employment Specialist, HIAS, New York

Cemre Ulker – UN representative Journalist and Writers Foundation, moderator

(The talk started with a moment of silence due to last night’s horrible terrorist attack on the mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand…).

Yalda Atif informed about HIAS which provides legal services and assistance in social and economic integration in local communities. The main challenges for displaced women refugees are language barriers, lack of former work experience, and lack of child care services in the new community. She underlined that economic empowerment is important for social integration.

Esra Aydin informed about Set Them Free and their work on rising awareness of violations of women’s rights in prison and how they lack access to health and legal services. Set Them Free works with the organization Sisters Without Borders in Greece, where they assist displaced Turkish women and children with language classes, psychological support and basic social skills which are required for a successful integration in their new country.

Youstina Youssef informed about International Refugee Assistant Project’s work with women refugees. They work with law students and law firms and offer legal advice to refugees all over the world. Although they don’t work directly with reintegration, they cooperate with other reintegration agencies like HIAS.

Ann Graham highlighted her work with women refugees on the Texas/ Mexico border. Defining who the women refugees are is a complex question due to the US laws.

She strongly urged us to make refugee women feel welcome, and that this is something everyone can do. In Texas both Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities have come together in order to help the refugees. She ended her talk with the words:

“See the people, see their need, choose humanity”.

Girls Learn International: Girls' Political Empowerment

Girls Learn International (GLI) is a part of the Feminist Majority Foundation.

The GLI panel consisted of 11 young women between the ages of 15 and 20, each telling their own story of how they became political activists and what kind of challenges they had encountered in doing so. It was a diverse group spread across several US states and different countries. Despite their young ages they had all contributed with remarkable things in their communities and schools that have led to various forms of social change.

The panelists were: 

Zoey Brewer

Aishwarya Rajesh

Siman Shresta

Sara Blau

Samantha Bastien

May Li

Sagoon Bhetwal

Magdalena Tesha

Julia Bintz

Irina Sandoval

Jamila Pitre 

Some of their achievements: 

One girl founded Game Changers in New York which helps all children participate in sports by collecting and redistributing sports equipment to children in need. Two of the participants were part of Women LEAD Nepal which encourages and empowers women to participate in politics in order to create social change. Some girls had formed discussion panels and networks in their schools which created spaces for youth to be heard in matters that affect them, and others had spoken up about the lack of infrastructure in their country, formed protest marches against gun violence and founded “Art to Action” which is now painting anti-gun violence murals on the school campus. Another girl was an advocate for women leadership and STEM participation, and last but not least: they were all working hard to make politics more accessible to young people and create arenas where their voices can be heard. 

I was impressed by how driven and compassionate they were about their activism. They advised the public to always push forward, to motivate others and to be passionate about your cause. I am confident they will contribute to great social change in the future.