The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations invites Presbyterians to consider attending the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on February 22 through March 4, 2011. There will be orientations on February 20 and 21.
Download CSW Information Sheet
What is the Commission on the Status of Women?
Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.
Who else attends?
Every year, women and men from around the world from non-governmental organizations and civil society take part in the meeting. They come to advocate in relation to the outcome document and to learn ways to work more effectively for gender equality.
Recognizing that "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:2), many of the participants come from faith-based communities. For the past five years, Presbyterian Women had coordinated a presence and witness at the Commission on the Status of Women. Members of Racial Ethnic Young Women Together and the National Network of Presbyterian College Women have attended as have other Presbyterians.
What will happen?
This year's CSW will focus on the priority theme "Access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women's equal access to full employment and decent work".
The Commission will also evaluate progress in the implementation of the agreed conclusions from its fifty-first session on "The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child".
I'm a Presbyterian and I want to attend. What do I do next?
Download CSW Information Sheet
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations is working with Presbyterian Women, the National Network of Presbyterian College Women, Racial Ethnic Young Women Together, the Advocacy Committee for Women's Concerns, and Racial Ethnic & Women's Ministries/Presbyterian Women to coordinate the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) presence at the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.