Dear Friends,
I have just returned from attending the first week of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York. The International Federation of University Women (IFUW) had 29 accredited delegates who worked in various ways to make progress on the wording of the Outcome Document on the  main theme,  the review theme and the emerging theme. Go to http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm#themes

IFUW presented three parallel events, supported a fourth and our affiliate in Finland, with others from the Finnish NGO scene, was involved in a fifth event.

Two Board members, Vice Presidents Phyllis Scott and Shirley Randell, participated in the events as did IFUW Past President Mary Purcell and past SWC Convenor Leena-Maija Lauren.  Conchita Poncini, one of the IFUW Representatives in Geneva was instrumental in organizing a parallel event.

In general, it was felt that the draft Outcome Document prepared by the CSW was lacking in specifics [i.e. not pinpointing women and girls, girls, older women, disabled women. migrant women, etc] and seemed to be lacking in details re: implementation. The document did not convey urgency of action regarding the HIV/AIDs situation. The issue of access to work for women was not adequately expressed. This was important to note as lack of opportunities in the work place leads to women bearing most of the responsibility for domestic and care giving roles.  This in turn reduces women’s and girls’ ability to engage in educational opportunities. The need for measurement of women’s unpaid work was noted, but specific language [ie disaggregation] was missing.

Reference to the lack of women in decision-making positions was also of great interest and although there were some fine examples of progress in this area, many of the countries of the world need to advance this position. During the IFUW session on this subject it was mentioned many times that when men and women work from positions of equality the outcome is superior to one or the other making decisions alone. Also research has shown that companies and countries benefit and make greater progress when both men and women reached decisions together.

Running through all of this is of course, the current financial crisis. Attendees were warned repeatedly that we must not allow gains to be downgraded. IFUW in its written statement to the CSW last December, emphasized a gender aspect must be noted in all debate.

The final Agreed Conclusions are to be completed by Friday March 13.

IFUW Operating Methods at CSW
At daily IFUW meetings, our delegates had discussion on issues heard or discussed at other venues such as parallel events, caucuses or at the CSW business sessions, and shared prevailing opinions on amendments to wording of the draft Outcome Document. Those whose governments held daily meetings with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) passed suggestions from IFUW delegates to their own government leaders, who could in turn, if they agreed, use the ideas in official government debates at business sessions. Opinions could be shared as well at daily Coordinating Caucuses of NGOs, and suggestions for change could reach various groupings of states such as the Group of 77, the largest intergovernmental organization of developing states in the United Nations.

Best wishes Phyllis Scott
IFUW Vice President
Leader IFUW delegation to CSW 2009