Empowering and Educating Rural Women

As I attended briefings in New York yesterday at the Church Center, I was struck by a theme that seemed to come up during every briefing.  While the empowerment and education of rural women is key, many of the discussions came back to how we are living in a patriarchical world, where men are the ones in power and charged with making the decisions. 
If women are to be empowered and educated, men need to see the dire need to change the cultural norms and customs that locate women behind men.  Men need to realize that more progress can be made if women are given an equal voice in every discussion.  Treating women as second-class citizens or pieces of property can no longer be tolerated anywhere in the world.  Everyone is in the battle to make the world safer, more sustainable, and better suited for our future.
But how do we make men see this issue?  How do we take the power from men and redistribute it equally?  Many cultures, histories, and religions designated men to be the leaders.  How do we refocus the lense so that internationally, men can see where they have been wrong and see where they have disrupted progress by denigrating women?

Panel 2 : The Role of Gender-Responsive Governance and Institutions for the Empowerment of Rural Women

Among the most pressing issues in rural areas is the presence and effectiveness of institutions and governance. Coming from Mali, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, and Moldova, the panelists spoke about the problems they face in each of their countries and the solutions that they are working towards. The presentation by the representative from Moldova, Victor Lutecno, an adviser to the Prime Minister, resonated the most with me. He described his country's efforts to put together the Joint Information and Services Bureau (JISB) to serve rural women and vulnerable groups. This office brings together 10 service providers (chamber of commerce, rural extension services, etc.) into one physical building situated next to the weekly market. This creative strategy saves rural women and villagers the time and resources spent on traveling back and forth between distant administrative offices by making everything easily accessible in one conveniently located place. The project was initially launched as a pilot in a few districts, but because of its success, it is now being rolled out to a large area of the country.

Rural development challenges require new and unique ideas. Moldova's JISB certainly fits that criteria and it struck me as being the most concrete solution discussed during the panel. Another panelist, Lilly Be'Soer from Papua New Guinea, similarly spoke about her organization's efforts to collaborate with national and local service providers to increase access and networking with rural communities. However, while I think her work is desperately needed and well-valued, it seemed to me that her approach requires external monitoring and could collapse in her absence. The JISB, on the other hand, is institutionalized, physically situated, and is positioned to sustain itself independently in the future with the appropriate support and funding. Other institutional solutions that were presented that could have a big impact include Mali's National Gender Policy which was enacted as an implementation tool in the fight against poverty and South Africa's Commission on Gender Equality that is charged with ensuring that other governmental departments adhere to gender provisions and is empowered with the authority to investigate issues of inequality.

The Women's Consortium of Nigeria, a representative of the NGO table, made an important point about the need for transparency. She said that poverty and gender programs are often terribly underfunded, they lack adequate monitoring, and many beneficiaries are not even aware of them. From my experience, not only is this true, but it seems that implementing parties are often looking for a success that they can show to their funders and as a result do not share formative evaluation reports with necessary stakeholders and only highlight the positive aspects of the programs. Another NGO representative made an inspiring comment about building bridges between the government and civil society, public and private sectors, family and work, and men and women. She noted that this is not a competition and in fact, collaboration is needed. I think that creating a stakeholder map of governmental and non-governmental organizations and the work they are doing at the district level could help foster transparency and communication. It seems to me that there are too many cooks in the kitchen who do not have the faintest idea of what the others are doing. For that reason, institutionalizing a system of cooperation could be the best best way to bring about efficiency and long-term sustainable results.

Empowering Rural Girls

Today, Thursday March 1, UNICEF House was the meeting place for several hundred participants and a panal entitled-  Rural Women: From Invisibility to Agency, including Dr. Michelle Bachelet. Her words, "No work done concerning women without women. No work done with girls without girls" were passionate.
3 Panelists were young rural girls: Theresa (Sierra Leon), Elizabeth (Malawi), Marian (Pakistan). Each one were young "ambassadors" for the cause of equal access to education, free from violence and discrimination.
What a joy for me to meet 3 different French-speaking African women today. Aissa from Cameroon, Christiane from Cote d' Ivoire, and Faye Marie from Senegal. I am curious to become a member of an organization FEMNET which is an NGO that organizes effort of women in English and French West Africa, my home for many years.
When I inquired by email to RSVP this side event to the UNCSW they responded with a first come first serve invitation. I was so pleased that I went and surprised that even lunch was served at no charge.

I left feeling like a real stakeholder invited to be an "actor" in the process. We all do what we can...but we cannot do anything without inviting rural girls and women to the process of their own empowerment.

Շրջանային քննրակումներու բացման օր, 56-րդ հանրային քննարկում

56-րդ տարեկան Հասարակական կազմակերպութիւններու «CSW» հանրային քննարկումը սկսաւ հետաքրքրական բացման արարողութեամբ մը Փետրուար 26, 2012-ին։ Ձեռնարկին ներկայ էին ՄԱԿ-ի ներկայացուցիչներ, միջազգային հասարակական կազմակերպութիւններ, եւ քաղքացիական հասարակութեան զանազան անդամներ։ Տեղական նիւթերուն նուիրուած քնարկումի մը ժամանակ, աշխարհի տարբեր կողմերէն եկած ներկայացուցիչները բարձրացուցին կանանց դիմագրուած բազմազան հարցերը, որոնցմէ է կանանց մասնակցութիւնը ւաղաղութեան կերտման մէջ, կանանց եւ փոքրերուն հանդէպ բռնութեան կանխարգիլումը, եւ կառավարական պաշտոններուն մէջ կանանց թուաքանակի աւելացումը: Այս քննրակման ընթացքին ՄԱԿ թիւ 132 որոշման մասին զանազան ակնարկութիւններ տեղի ունեցան: Խորքին մէջ, այս որոշումը տարբեր շրջաններէ եկած կանանց ընդհանուր մտահոգութիւնները կ'արտաձոլէ: Այս որոշումը, որ ՄԱԿ-ի Ապահովութեան Խորհուրդի կողմէ ընդունուած է Հոկտեմբեր 31, 2000-ին, ՄԱԿ-ի անդամ երկիրներուն կոչ կ'ուղղէ որ ՄԱԿ-ի Կանանց Օրուան առթիւ զանազան մակարդաներու վրայ կանանց իրաւունքներու
պաշտպանութեան: Ատենախոսներէն մէկը նշեց թէ ցարդ միայն երկու երկիրներ (Ֆիլիբբին եւ Նէբալ) ՄԱԿ-ի թիւ 1325 որոշման սատարման համար երկրի մակարդակին գործնական ծրագիրներ ընդունած են: Մինչ զանազան այլ երկիրներ,
ինչպէս Ավստրալիա եւ Ինտոնէսիա, արդէն իսկ օրինագիծները սկսած են մշակելու: Ատենախոսները նաեւ նշեցին թէ շարք մը երկիրներ այս ծրագիրները սատարելու համար տարբերակներ կը փնտրեն արդէն: Քննարկումը արձանագրեց թէ մասնակցող շրջանները բաւական հեռու են իրենց նպատակներուն հասնելէն, ինչպէս նաեւ «վերջին 12 տարուայ ընթացքին կանայք այս (ՄԱԿ-ի) որոշումը կրցան ողջ պահել:»

The 56th Annual NGO CSW Forum kicked off this year’s program with an exciting opening ceremony on 26 February 2012. The event was attended by UN officials, international NGOs, among many other members of civil society. During a panel discussion focused on regional issues, representatives from the different regions throughout the world brought up many challenges women face in the regions including the need to increase women’s participation in the peace process, preventing violence against women and children, to increasing the number of women in government positions. During this panel on several occasions there was reference made to the UN Resolution 1325. In essence, this resolution captures the general concerns of the women from all regions. Adopted on 31 October 2000 by the Security Council, this resolution calls upon member states in light of UN’s Day for Women to take action on protecting women’s rights across a number of levels. One speaker noted that only two countries (Phillipines and Nepal) have adopted national action plans to support UN Res. 1325 while many other countries have drafted their national action plans like Australia and Indonesia. Speakers also noted that many other countries are looking at alternatives of implementing laws to support the initiatives. The panel noted that their regions are far from reaching these goals and that “Women have kept the resolution alive for the last 12 years." panel noted that their regions are far from reaching these goals and that “Women have kept the resolution alive for the last 12 years.”

The Gender Gap and Education Development in Rural China and Kenya

Going to this Parellel event at Lehigh which focused on the educational development and the status of Kenya and China was a very informational as well as inspiring session to listen in on!  Being an undergraduate Gender Studies major,  there are many different thoughts and ideas I have which stem from this parallel session which I will most likely split up into separate posts.

 It is great to hear that education for girls in these rural areas are now being taken more and more seriously over time and have improved so much from just ten years ago!  In the past,  education for girls has been seen as being a luxury instead of a priority, not just in the rural areas discussed  but all over the world.  It is great to know that the steps and work implemented to improve this problem are finally starting to be seen!  It is amazing to think that in an area such as rural China where once illiteracy was a growing problem, there is now free education being offered for all children (kindegarten to 6th grade)!

  In addition to this growing educational development and access to young women in these parts,  I was also very happy to hear that gender equality is growing as well!  With more and more young girls  enrolling in schools,  there is a greater chance for more young women to then be able to attend and graduate college.  Sometime I feel as though I take my own education for granted,  either complaining about the papers I have to write or studying.  It is good to be reminded of how lucky I am to have the education I have gotten, knowing that many other young women throughout the world are just fighting for their rights to attend middle or high school.  Going to this session definitely reminded me of how lucky I am to have graduated college and hopefully this access will just keep improving for all women around the globe!

Panel 1 – Economic Empowerment of Rural Women

I am more accustomed to reading news and post-conference reports than actually watching political events live. So watching the CSW panels has been a learning experience for me. It was interesting to see the format that the event took. The panelists from Algeria, Pakistan, Finland, Kenya, and IFAD (an international organization) each presented on the projects and efforts that their governments or organizations have undertaken and raised many of the concerns and issues of economic disparity for rural women.

Ms. Malika Abdelali-Martini, from Algeria and representing the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, had one of the most informative presentations, raising the main points and findings from the Expert Group Meeting on enabling women's economic empowerment. She pointed out the contrasting results of microfinance systems which, on one hand, give women access to credit and increase their decision-making abilities, but on the other hand, can lead to debt problems, conflict between spouses, and increases in domestic violence. She also discussed the importance of land, not only as an economic and productive resource, but as a source of access, security, status and recognition. She brought up a number of recommendations including investing in off-farm care services for children, elderly, and person's with disabilities to free up family dependencies on male incomes or female caretaking in those circumstances, establishing awareness education programs so women know their rights, and creating quota's for women's participation in work and government.

The panelist from Pakistan, Ms. Shanaz Wazir Ali from the Office of the Prime Minister also had some interesting comments to make. She spoke about the land program her government has put in place which grants cultivatable land to women who have not previously had access to credit or owned land. She also mentioned that Pakistan offers microfinancing loans at interest rates that are lower than traditional ones and stressed the importance of access to financial education, agricultural services, and crop and health insurance that should come along with these credit opportunities.

Country and NGO representatives had the opportunity to make comments and raise questions after all the panelists spoke at which point a women from an NGO in Trinidad and Tobago talked about her organization's work to establish a regular mango festival. This got communities working on producing and selling products and foods related to mangoes in an effort to boost the local economy. The representative from Swaziland also made a memorable comment when he brought up his government's effort to create a women-only bank. Many other informative and productive thoughts and recommendations were offered throughout the session, setting a positive tone and direction for the many panels to follow!

Ethopian NGO Director: "Give Us Opportunity and We Will Prosper"

Today at a parallel event for the 2012 CSW Conference, three panelists offered their perspectives on the role of western countries in aiding East African NGOs. The talk, entitled "Empowering Women for a Better Life in Ethiopia," was held at the Church Center for the United Nations.

Two Norwegian NGO directors spoke about their experiencing in forming a strong base within their home country before branching out to developing countries. However, it was the third talk, by a director from an Ethiopian NGO, that offered the most unique perspective in my opinion. While it was interesting to see the issues from each side of this North-South relationship, I was most touched by the dignity and hope conveyed by the Ethiopian panelist, Ms. Birikit Terefe.

In a nation that ranks among the lowest in the world in mean income and among the highest in maternal death, it might be easy to despair or to turn entirely to the outside world for support. However, Ms. Terefe explained that her organization, the Women's Health Association of Ethiopia, is not giving up so easily. Her words were truly inspiring: "We want opportunity, not charity. Give us opportunity and we will prosper." The best way to this opportunity, the panelists believe, is to form long-term partnerships with international organizations. In this way, they can share not only their expertise on fundraising, but also their knowledge and a vital network of people in the international community. The hope certainly felt contagious - under the leadership of inspired leaders such as Ms. Terefe, the women of Ethiopia may certainly find prosperity in the years to come.

General Discussion on the “Empowerment of Rural Women and Their Role in Poverty and Hunger Eradication, Development, and Current Challenges”

                The general discussion on the empowerment of rural women in economic, political, and social life across the world was informative and encouraging. Over the past few years, I have spent time working in West Africa and was particularly inspired by the addresses given by representatives from Mozambique and Cameroon. They highlighted a number of key issues and challenges facing rural women in their countries: food security, health care, education, and economic opportunity. I was hopeful and excited about government policies focusing on the active participation of women. In order to create sustainable development, it is imperative that women are fully-engaged agents in this process. 

                The speakers highlighted several initiatives aimed at empowering rural women, moving toward gender equality, and reducing the “gap” between policy and practice. For example, providing equitable access to primary school (including non-formal opportunities and incentive programs for women in rural communities), providing healthcare facilities and pre-natal assistance, training centers for nurses, improved agricultural techniques, sustainable use of natural resources, policies to protect women against violence, and placing women at the center of decision-making.  According to the speakers, promoting the social and political participation of women in rural areas will strengthen civil society. This discussion prompted me to reflect on my experiences in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where women have become actively engaged in advocacy campaigns illustrating the challenges facing local villages.

                Another speaker from Bangladesh identified the need to guarantee equal rights and opportunities for rural women, as well as mainstream the issue of gender into government policies. By doing so, development programs will create scenarios in which women can take the lead in transformative change. I was also captivated by the discussion of food security as a human right. A theme throughout the discussion, food security and nutrition is critical to the plight of rural women and their families. By establishing strategies to address food security, local, national, and international actors will enhance the lives of so many people. The focus on food security as a human right reminded me of similar comments made by President Carter at an event I attended in Seattle a month ago.  Reflecting on this powerful discussion, I feel encouraged and inspired by the progress being made in several contexts, while realizing there are still many hurdles to overcome.

2012 NGO CSW Woman of Distinction

Dr. Mirna Cunningham is an Indigenous Miskita from Nicaragua and is knowledgeable in many fields; she worked first as a primary education teacher and then studied medicine and surgery, becoming the first female Miskita doctor. She currently serves as the Chair of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues. For her dedication to indigenous and rural women’s rights, Dr. Cunningham was presented with the 2012 NGO CSW Woman of Distinction Award. 

I’m often frustrated when challenges are discussed but no practical solutions are offered. I really appreciated how clearly and directly Dr. Cunningham expressed the needs of the indigenous and rural women of Nicaragua. Some of these included the need for sustainable management systems, equal access to land through land titles, banking services and microcredit/entrepreneurial opportunities, natural resources training, and education in indigenous languages. 

Of course not all issues have easy solutions—“Indigenous women have suffered as a result of capitalism and Western-centric development.” Dr. Cunningham also spoke of the economic and social marginalization, structural discrimination, and institutional violence that rural women face. 

Гендерный дисбаланс и развитие образования в сельской местности: взгляд из Кении и Китая

        27 февраля, в рамках 56го съезда НКО при Комиссии ООН по положению женщин Лихай имел честь пригласить трех блистательных спикеров: Пегги Конг, Юпинг Цанг и Терри Кирагу, которые поделились нынешней ситуацией в сфере развития образования и гендерного подхода к нему в сельской и городской местностях.

        Пегги Конг и Юпинг Цанг сосредоточили наше внимание на успехах Китая в достижении Целей развития тысячелетия, а именно в обеспечении всех детей начальным образованием и достижением гендерного равенства. За двадцать лет Китай смог преодолеть множество проблем и в итоге практически сравнять возможности в сфере образования для мальчиков и девочек, что конечно порадовало.

       Терри Кирагу рассказала, что за последние двадцать лет Кения движется очень медленно к прогрессу, так как на пути стоит очень много проблем и барьеров. Среди них- высокий уровень бедности, множество этнических групп с различными культурными и традиционными взглядами, где роль женщины все еще ограничивается домашним хозяйством, высокий уровень коррупции в стране. По словам Терри еще пять лет назад Министерство образования было самым коррумпированным органом в государстве. Не смотря на это, Кении удалось увеличить число детей посещающих школу, в частности повысить уровень вовлечения девочек в сферу образования. Но Кении еще предстоит предпринять множество усилий, чтобы добиться образования для всех и гендорного равенства.

Acronym for Women as presented by Hilda Chitsanzara Rozaria from Zimbawe (age 46, no secondary education, married at age 15, “war and poverty affected my education”)

W-workers

O-organizers

M-managers

A-accountants

N-narrators

NGO/CSW Forum Began
CSW 56- Sunday NYC
(Ou sont les femmes Africaines francophones?)
As a first time participant I was forever marked by the
representation of women of the entire globe. My strongest reflection of the day
was the idea of being a voice for the voiceless. In the opening keynote,
Michelle Bachelet, UN Women Executive Director (former president of Chili),
invited all of us to give our support. She reminded us that the issues are
addressed in local advisory groups, regionally, countrywide and globally. The
civil society addresses issues that are then shadowed in the UN.
Through our program at Lehigh, Dr. Alex Wiseman, has often
encouraged us to not only look at what is present but also, and maybe more
importantly, what is absent. After working myself in French Speaking West
Africa for more than 20 years, I found myself looking for the French- speaking
African participants. With strong delegations from the English-speaking African
countries I began to wonder why the countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire,
Guinea, Niger, Benin, Togo and Senegal were not more visible.
With translation available in French, I believe all would
have felt welcomed.
The issues addressed: illiteracy, violence against women and
children, sustainable agriculture, assess to landowning by women and so many
other human rights are all concerns shared by the sisters of the French-speaking
African community. They deserve a place at our table.
Their voice also needs to be heard.

第56届妇女地位委员会(56th UN-CSW)

 周日，我们同学一行人参加在纽约举办的一年一度的联合国妇女地位委员会年度大会。今年的主题是农村女性在消除贫困和饥饿、农村和发展与当前挑战中的角色。来自五大洲七大洋的女性都不远万里前来参加这次盛会，上至柱拐杖的耄耋老人下至中学生，各种肤色国籍济济一堂。会上我见到了很多传奇的女性包括前智利女总统和去年的诺贝尔和平奖得主。作为杰出女性的代表，她们即坚强但也很风趣。但是为女性权利抗争道路并不平坦，特别是在民主制度不完善的国度，比如以及也门记者兼“阿拉伯之春”推手Tawakkol Karman作为诺贝尔和平奖的第一位阿拉伯女性曾7次被捕入狱，但任然坚持为争取妇女权益和也门民主与和平努力不懈。
中午我作为志愿者负责引导午餐路线，我在纽约寒风中禁不住瑟瑟发抖哈哈，因为大多数与会者是女性的缘故，很多人都表示感谢还担心我太冷了，还有人给我大大的拥抱，感觉很温暖，是女性特有的以柔克刚的力量。

大会很圆满，但是也有一些不太和谐的小插曲就是会议结束后，虽然只是举手之劳但是很多人都把矿泉水瓶还有纸张等随地扔在了地上。女性在争取自身权利的同时我认为也应该提高环保意识和尊重别人的劳动为努力创造给美好的世界。

Panel de discusión en Lehigh University

El día de ayer 27 de febrero pudimos presenciar un panel de discusión en Lehigh University, sobre “La brecha entre géneros y el desarrollo de la educación en las regiones rurales de China y Kenia”. Me refiero a esta conferencia porque me pareció muy interesante la información que presentaron los panelistas y sobre todo porque nos dieron un panorama sobre la situación que están viviendo en esos países en cuanto a la equidad de género, así como el acceso que las mujeres tienen a la educación en las zonas rurales.  Algunos de los datos que nos pudieron compartir la Dr. Peggy Kong y Dr. Yuping Zhang es que en 10 años China ha tenido un gran avance en cuanto al acceso de las mujeres en la educación tanto en las zonas rurales como en las zonas urbanas.  China está haciendo bien en cuanto a que las mujeres tengo más acceso a la educación. Ya que como mencionaron las panelistas es muy importante que las mujeres puedan seguir con sus estudios, porque son un factor importante para el desarrollo del país.

En cuanto a la situación que se vive en Kenia, Terry Kiragu mencionó que uno de los obstáculos para acceder a la educación es la pobreza ya que la gente que vive en estas condiciones tiene menos acceso a la educación, sin embargo el gobierno está proporcionando incentivos  a las mujeres para que puedan estudiar en las universidades.  También unas de las situaciones que se mencionaron es que hay un aumento considerable de acceso a la educación, sin embargo la calidad no es buena porque hay una diferencia entre las escuelas privadas y las escuelas públicas, ya que las escuelas privadas tienen mejor calidad que las escuelas públicas, sin embargo no todas las personas puedan acceder por su situación económica. Pero como dijo Terry Kiragu se tiene que ser persistente y comprometido para seguir trabajando en esto y así poder ver los avances y mejoras en cuanto a la educación de las zonas rurales.

56 съезд НКО при Комиссии ООН по положению женщин. Советское в Нью-Йорке.

         Вчера я побывала на 56ом съезде некоммерческих организаций, организованным Комиссией ООН по положению женщин (CSW). Какие впечатления? Различные. Первое, что меня поразило так это то, что съезд проходил в Нью Йорке в высотном здании "Армии спасения", которое изнутри было пропитано атмосферой столь схожей с Советским домом культуры: серый мрамор, небольшой холл, столы регистрации накрытые красными и синими простенькими скатерками, большое помещение со сценой, с красными занавесями и роялем, деревянные сиденья, обитые красным бархатом. Не было никакого фарса и пафоса, какого ожидаешь от мероприятий уровня ООН. Все было по семейному добро и просто. Всего было около 800 участников со всех уголков мира, 99% из которых были леди. Средний возраст участников - 40-50 лет. В организации мероприятия чувствовалось некая небрежность, хаотичность и размеренность. Но все что происходило во время сессий невозможно описать словами- это нужно было чувствовать. В зале собралось столько уникальных, сильных, ярких, талантливых, неравнодушных, энергичных и влюбленных в свое дело людей, что остаться равнодушным было просто невозможно. И у каждого была своя история, свой опыт, свои знания. Энергетику зала подогрели такие выдающиеся спикеры как г-жа Мишель Башле, Нобелевский лауреат премии мира Леймах Гбови, и множество других отважных и целеустремленных женщин.

Я покидала форум уставшая от долгого дня, но вдохновленная новым опытом и знаниями!   

С Нобелевским лауреатом премии мира Леймах Гбови (по центру).

56th NGO CSW opening in New York!

Yesterday I attended 56th NGO CSW Forum.  My impressions are quite rich. The very first thing that struck me was the fact that venue was in a New York skyscraper--in the Salvation Army building which from inside was so similar to the atmosphere of the old Soviet Culture Center ("Dom kultury"): gray marble, small halls, registration tables covered with simple red and blue tablecloths , a large room with a stage, with red curtains and a piano, with wooden seats colored in red. There were no place for farce and pathos that people might expect from the events organized on the UN level. Everything was simple and family like. There were about 800 participants from all over the world, 99% were ladies. The average age of participants - 40-50 years. From organizational view point, I could feel a sense of chaos, and spontaneity. However, the energy of the event was so powerful that can not be described by any words- it should be once experienced. The Forum gathered so many unique, powerful, bright, talented, caring, energetic and passionate people that it was impossible to remain indifferent to what was going on and on. Each and every individual had their own history, story, experience, and knowledge to share. Moreover, the energy of the room was warmed up by such outstanding speakers as Ms. Michelle Bachelet, by the Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbovi, and by many other brave and dedicated women.

I left the forum tired, but inspired by such a great experience and a nice day!

Lehigh Panel Discusses Gender Gap in Education in China and Kenya

To celebrate the 56th annual forum for the Commission on the Status of Women, Lehigh University welcomed three distinguished panelists to their campus today in a parallel event. Their talk, entitled "Gender Gap and Education Development in Rural Areas: Perspectives from China and Kenya," offered different viewpoints from two countries working to achieve gender equality in education.

While the two nations represented in the panel are vastly different, they face some similar challenges. In each country, gender equality has shown vast improvement in urban areas, but has been a greater challenge in rural areas. Both nations are also battling against strong gender norms and societal beliefs that tend to favor males in education and employment.

Our panelists representing the Chinese perspective, Dr. Peggy Kong and Dr. Yuping Zhang, also presented the results of a research project which indicated some of the specific challenges
being faced in that country. Specifically, they noted the trend for women who start families tend to have lower levels of employment and lower overall income. This “marriage and motherhood penalty,” is an unjust societal pressure that encourages women to choose between a family and a career.

Keep checking back on our blog throughout the week as Lehigh students will be reporting live from the CSW!

Snapshot of the 56th NGO CSW Forum

As I flip through my notes from today's NGO CSW Forum my handwriting becomes increasingly less legible page after page. The afternoon sessions are unbearable to try and decipher; I attribute this to a major lack of caffeine. I will try again tomorrow but for now I hope this picture can communicate some of what the forum entailed. The Salvation Army, both the auditorium and balcony, was filled with women (and some men!) from all around the world! There were so many amazing women who spoke eloquently about their dedication and investment to the international women's movement, specifically the empowerment of rural women. It was a long day and there is much to say. Keep checking back!

Thursday UN Briefing: Nations in Transition

The focus of this year’s blog will be on the 56th annual conference for the Non-governmental Organization Commission on the Status of Women (NGO/CSW) which will take place in New York City from February 26 until March 9, 2012. However, this year’s festivities at the UN actually began informally on Thursday, February 23 with a Department of Public Information (DPI) briefing addressing “The Role of Civil Society in Building Democracy.” While not officially a part of the CSW conference, this program contained many ideas that directly apply to this year’s CSW theme of empowering rural women.

One of the speakers at the DPI briefing was Ms. Harriette Williams, a development strategist for Femmes Africa Solidarite (FAS), an international women's NGO. Ms. Williams rightly emphasized womens’ roles in the protests and uprisings occurring throughout the world over the past several months. Conflict, she argued, is a setting that continues to be dominated by men. Women suffer equally from conflict but are often shut out from peace mediation and the negotiation of societal change. As it applies to the recent uprisings and nations that are adopting new governments, Ms. Williams communicated the importance of women’s participation in elections. Women must be encouraged to participate as candidates, organizers, and voters, in order to ensure accountability and equal rights in government.

A second panelist, Mr. Nejmeddine Lakhal of Algeria, offered an expert perspective on the recent uprising in Tunisia. He expressed the hope of this nation in the aftermath of their political transition, where “hundreds of new social justice programs” have been formed. The focus of these programs, he shared, must be to benefit “men and women of all generations, especially youth.” The key point is that the recent protests and uprisings are not merely political in nature. People are demanding social change, providing an opportunity for victims of discrimination to demand change for themselves as well as their nations. Through a renewed emphasis on activism, new programs and organizations can be formed to achieve equality for women. This is certainly a positive message as we look to incite much-needed action on the issue of women's equality in the coming weeks.

Welcome to the 56th NGO CSW Forum

Greetings from NYC! We came in from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania earlier this morning and are happy to be hearing the opening remarks to the 56th Annual Commissionon the Status of Women NGO Forum! This year we will continue to keep the readers up-to-date on both the parallel and side events! Follow us in our journeys documented in English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, French, and Armenian! Please feel free to comment on our posts as we try to share with you all everything we are experiencing here in this unique environment! Approximately 4,000 NGO's from around the world are present for the next two weeks to discuss issues ranging from women in conflict to climate change to sustainable development!