The 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women is in the history books and a group of Presbyterian participants have returned home. The commission, which is the principal global intergovernmental body working toward gender equality and the empowerment of women, concluded its annual meeting in New York on Friday.
The men were taken first, then the women and children were brutalized. Witnesses saw the Euphrates run with blood, and women plunged into the river to escape the terrors of the desert march. Armenian villages throughout the Ottoman territories of 1915 were emptied out in a systematic campaign to demean and destroy innocent victims. Although modern-day Turkey denies this genocide, historians have gathered undisputable evidence of at least a million Armenians killed and a million more dispersed from their ancient homeland.
While many 21-year olds are escaping the pressure of college courses on a beach during spring break, Kathryn Urban decided to head for the United Nations and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) as part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) delegation. During the day she is learning about the challenges women face around the world and she’s spending her nights in a hostel several blocks away.
Today’s heroes don’t wear power suits, fly in on fancy jets or have superpowers. The real heroes of today are the people on the street helping people who are poor, connecting communities, and risking arrest in protest of oppressive systems. Oftentimes these heroes are women who work every day to make the world a better place for themselves and their children. That was the message Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis brought to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.
The participants at the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations come from all over the world and their interests are as varied as their geography. Bulletin boards boast a wide variety of event invitations. From advocating for LGBTQI rights to exploring feminism and Korean TV to genital mutilation in Africa, chances are if the issue affects women, it’s being addressed by a UN agency or by one of the many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that sponsor lectures and discussions.
The 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women will officially open at the United Nations Headquarters in New York next week. The commission will meet from March 12-24 and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations will once again host a group of Presbyterians interested in following the work.
El Comité de Defensa por los Intereses de las Mujeres y Mujeres Presbiterianas de la Iglesia Presbiteriana (EE. UU.) han emitido una declaración conjunta sobre la injusticia sexual en respuesta a la atención nacional enfocada en este tema.
The Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns and Presbyterian Women of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have issued a joint statement on sexual injustice in response to national attention being focused on the topic.
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson has a unique position in observing and advocating for women’s rights or, as she would quickly clarify, “the fair treatment of human beings” of any gender.
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson has a unique position in observing and advocating for women’s rights or, as she would quickly clarify, “the fair treatment of human beings” no matter what their gender.
