On March 10th an Anglican delegation attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) in New York. They spoke out about the importance of the Church's role in preventing domestic abuse, promoting the role of young women in society and ensuring justice for indigenous women suffering the impact of climate change.
This event brought together world leaders and representatives from different groups to discuss the challenges that affect women and consider ways in which social and governmental structures can support women-led and women-centred initiatives.
Anglican News share the thoughts and reflections from the Anglican Communion’s delegation of youth advocates who experienced this event first-hand.
More about the UNCSW
Lulama Ntuta, of the Anglican Communion Youth Network (Anglican Church of Southern Africa) and part of the Anglican Communion delegation for CSW69, explained, “The UN Commission on the Status of Women is the global intergovernmental body aimed at the promotion of Gender Equality, the rights and the empowerment of women. This is the biggest event that the UN in New York hosts as it gathers around 12,000 representatives of civil society groups (mostly women) and 1,000 representatives of the world’s governments.
“The delegates come together for two weeks to address the inequalities and injustices experienced by women around the world. This forum is instrumental in promoting women’s and girls' rights, documenting the reality of their lives throughout the world, shaping the global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.”
How did Anglicans participate in events at UNCSW?
Larissa Minniecon, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anglican Council (Diocese of Sydney) spoke in the “Women of Faith Leading Change” event, organised with the Missions of Ireland, UK, Sierra Leone to the UN, the UN Environment Programme and the Anglican Communion acting through the Women Faith Climate network.
Lulama Ntuta and Larissa Minniecon spoke alongside three young activists from Lutheran Churches (Colombia, Malaysia and the US) at a side event titled: “What do young people of faith want?”.
Members of the delegation met with Kenya’s Principal Secretary, Anne Wang’ombe and Lady Justice Murgor to discuss opportunities for collaboration between church and government on preventing gender-based violence and providing survivor care services. A meeting with the Holy See’s lead security diplomat and counsellor was also facilitated in which the topics of motherhood, cooperation between nations and positive masculinities were discussed.
The delegation met with Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh regarding her activities, including meeting with women activists in areas of conflict and raising awareness of impaired vision, which disproportionately affects women.
Discussions were also held with the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, a humanitarian charity which works to relieve suffering in the world’s most impoverished communities, about skill development, education and menstrual hygiene in relation to their projects in Nepal and India.
The delegates also met with the Right Reverend Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and other representatives from the Episcopal Church.
In addition to the meetings and side events mentioned, the members of the Anglican Communion delegation attended several services held during the eleven-day event. These services included worship organised by Ecumenical Women, an international, ecumenical coalition which advocates for women, and thought-provoking reflections on the theme of “Women and Climate Justice”.
What did the Anglican delegates learn from attending?
Lulama Ntuta, former youth leader for the Church of Southern Africa, reflected, “I had the honour of being a panellist with diverse youth speakers from the Lutheran and Anglican Churches. This session was about youth leadership in faith communities and the advocacy work being done by the young people and leaders in our own contexts. A huge amount of work is being done by faith organisations in many areas like climate justice, gender justice, including work in gender-based violence, educating and training of church leaders and promoting women’s health.
“I learned a lot about how young women are using their resilience and intelligence to make the world a better place for them and future generations. This also highlighted how connected we are even in our struggles; though we are in different contexts, we share similar social ills. The beauty of partnership was also evident with the two denominations coming together to share stories and inspire each other and the world. Our faith has been so instrumental in shaping us and grounding us as God’s very own people. It is also through this strong faith that we are compelled to do His work, knowing very well that we are empowered and sent out. Our voices matter and we continue to raise them!”
Martha Jarvis, the Anglican Communion’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, also attended the CSW69 with the youth advocates and noted several positive themes of discussion.
“The CSW’s 69th session was a meeting place – even a lightning rod - for many governments and civil society groups passionate about transforming the experiences of injustice faced by so many women and girls around our world – experiences that are far from the treatment they should receive according to the message of love Jesus taught.
“Conversations also dwelled on the importance of integrity when translating the aspirational works of the UN CSW back to our nations, governments and organisations to practice what we preach. We discussed whether there is room for improvement in how we teach on the topics of gender justice, domestic violence and the value of all women – thinking particularly of youth and indigenous peoples in this context. If we’re to avoid becoming desensitised to the ongoing issues of gender injustice and gender-based violence, we need to keep having honest conversations both locally and globally.”
Mandy Marshall, the Director for Gender Justice at the Anglican Communion Office, observed, “This year's CSW was a stark reminder of the work still to be done to reach equality between women and men. With a regression on women's rights in several countries and an increase in misogyny and violence against women online, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, rightly said that 'the poison of patriarchy is back, and back with a vengeance' and that the 'masters of misogyny' were finding new ways to abuse women. In the midst of this, the Anglican church worldwide can be a beacon of light and hope, providing safe spaces and working to prevent and end violence against women. We are grateful for those who work tirelessly to make this so and encourage others to join in.