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By Kaylee Neil, Menzies Foundation CSW Fellow 2023
Nobody who has ever set foot inside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City will ever forget it. I can still recall my first tour. The date was 2 January 2020. I was eighteen years old. I had just graduated from high school, full of hope and optimism about the future.
Four years and a global pandemic later, New York City is rejuvenated. Thousands of people from across the world have descended upon the city to attend the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Each day, a line stretches around the block to enter the United Nations Headquarters. There are endless events to attend on every topic pertaining to gender equality. Conference rooms are packed with delegates vying for a seat in coveted side events hosted by Permanent Missions, intergovernmental organisations and United Nations entities. Some events are so popular that delegates have no choice but to sit on the floor. Other rooms have already reached capacity and security must restrain a mounting crowd from entering. Parallel events hosted by non-governmental organisations spill out into surrounding neighbourhoods.
Over the course of the week, I hear many stories – including testimonies from survivors of female genital mutilation, Indigenous Canadians on the issue of missing and murdered women, Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody on the role of men in preventing gender-based violence and activists working on the ground in places of unimaginable famine and conflict. It is an honour to be in the presence of Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, who notes that: “the world continues to be a dangerous place for women and girls, whether at home, at school, work or play, in times of peace and times of conflict, or when disasters strike.”
There is palpable tension brewing beneath the surface. There are growing whispers on the war in Gaza impacting discussions on the Agreed Conclusions – the key outcome document negotiated during the annual sessions of the CSW. When we exit the United Nations Headquarters in the evenings, there are large delegations outside protesting the war. On 14 March 2024, I attend an event hosted by Palestine on women’s rights and civil protection. The conference room has a capacity of approximately 52 people. The demand for this event is astronomical. There is a large crowd outside who are unable to enter the room. For those present, it is an opportunity to hear directly from Palestinian activists who graphically describe the immense suffering of women and girls in Gaza. As with many armed conflicts, women and girls in Gaza are disproportionately affected by displacement, food insecurity, gender-based violence and access to reproductive health care services. We are urged to remember that it is our responsibility to help end the suffering and spread the message of freedom and peace around the world. The panel receives a standing ovation.
The United Nations is often a place of contradictions. On 13 March 2024, I attend an event hosted by the Islamic Republic of Iran under the premise of “family enhancement and social development.” For Iran, who was expelled from the UN Commission on the Status of Women in December 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, it is a chance to fabricate their human rights record and voice harmful rhetoric about gender roles on the world stage. There is no mention of discriminatory policies that limit women’s agency. The Economic and Social Council Chamber (ECOSOC) is eerily quiet during the presentation. At the conclusion of the event, several attendees call out to panellist Ensieh Khazali (Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs) criticising the government’s hypocrisy and repression of women and girls. In this moment, it is not lost on me that political dissidents and journalists in Iran regularly face persecution for publicly voicing their opposition to the regime.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed. Each day, as the Australian delegation meets in the East Lounge to debrief, I peer across the idyllic East River and think about the hopes and aspirations of women and girls from around the world who are unable to be here. My heart is filled with deep sadness in the knowledge that, according to UN Women, global gender equality will take several more centuries to achieve.
There is no one on the face of the planet who is untouched by gender inequality. There are 129 million girls around the world missing out on school. Over 380 million women and girls live in extreme poverty. Approximately 1.2 billion women and girls live in places where safe access to abortion is restricted. There are 12 million girls under 18 who are married each year (28 girls every minute). Back home in Australia, one woman is murdered every 11 days by a current or former intimate partner.
So, when an official asked whether I had lost faith in the ability of intergovernmental organisations to prevent conflict and suffering, my answer was, unsurprisingly, complex.
Around the world, the situation is dire. But in reflecting on my time at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, I am reminded that international diplomacy provides an important basis for advocacy and action. For a young feminist such as myself, it was both humbling and inspiring to spend time in the presence of activists and policy experts who are fighting every day to improve outcomes for girls and women across the world.
The road ahead is fraught with challenges. But there is a human cost of inaction. For all the women and girls who face inequality and discrimination, we must fight for a world where their potential is realised and celebrated.
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The views and opinions expressed by Global Voices Fellows do not necessarily reflect those of the organisation or its staff.