The World YWCA at CSW 2012
The 56th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to be held in February 2012 in New York promises to be an exciting and progressive event focusing on the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and other current challenges.
The CSW will also provide the strategic platform to review the issue of financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women. The World YWCA, the YWCA Canada and the YWCA of Nigeria have submitted a joint statement specifically recognising the vital role of leadership and political participation by women and young women in the eradication of poverty in rural communities. The YWCA movement recommends the investment in policies, programmes and organisations that develop value and make visible women’s, particularly young women’s, leadership in rural communities. In particular, initiatives which promote women’s leadership in peace building, conflict prevention and environmental protection in rural communities.
The World YWCA represents the voices of 25 million women, young women and girls in 125 countries worldwide; many living in rural communities. As a movement the World YWCA is strongly committed to the empowerment of rural women, which is critical to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and lies at the heart of organisations such as the YWCA. The twelve critical areas of the Beijing Platform for Action have informed the work of YWCAs as they provide services in over 22,000 communities around the world, while advocating with governments and other stakeholders for accountability to women and girls’ rights and dignity.
Women in rural communities often experience conflict in a more traumatic manner than men. In many remote villages and communities there is little protection for women during the outbreak of conflict, since such communities may have limited access to communication; or easy access to services such as the police, schools or hospitals. Internal displacement also exposes women and girls to greater vulnerability to sexual abuse, harassment and violence in refugee camps where there is inadequate protection and there are poor living conditions. With war and conflict, many women become widowed and separated from their families. Such female headed households are vulnerable to exploitation and sexual abuse.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights are a critical issue for women and young women living in rural areas. In the absence of adequate infrastructure, education, trained professionals, facilities, medication and transportation, thousands of women die each year due to violations of sexual and reproductive rights. Furthermore, harmful traditional practices and beliefs in some rural communities create horrific realities, and barriers to the true realisation of sexual and reproductive health rights for women and girls. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, World YWCA General Secretary said “Women and girls in rural communities are often marginalised with limited access to services, economic opportunities and a place at the decision making table. As a movement for over a century we continue to provide a safe and empowering space for young women to develop their leadership and build capacity for women to claim their rights. Investing in developing the skills of and empowerment of rural women is crucial to development as the world seeks a life free of violence and women enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and rights”.
Rural women can play a vital role in the prevention of conflict as trained community leaders to build peace in vulnerable situations, ease ethnic tensions and avoid the outbreak of conflict. The World YWCA is currently collaborating with Y-Global and FOKUS on a joint multi-country capacity building project Women, Peace and Justice, designed to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325). The initiative focuses on Sri-Lanka, Southern Sudan and Palestine, all countries in conflict and post conflict situations. UNSCR 1325 is an essential tool for the international community to ensure women are included in conflict prevention, peacemaking and post conflict recovery processes including in local communities. The World YWCA, therefore, calls for the financial and technical resources necessary to guarantee that the needs of women are addressed in peace negotiations and that their leadership is integral in these processes.
The World YWCA will be using the CSW platform to advance its new Strategic Framework 2012-2015 by advocating for continued implementation of global commitments on women, including CEDAW and UNSCR 1325, with a particular focus on engaging rural women in the peace building process. The World YWCA and member associations will be hosting sessions around key issues including ‘Sexual Reproductive Health Rights of Rural Women’ and ‘UNSCR 1325 and Rural Women’. As well as a women's intergenerational dialogue, which has become a trademark of the YWCA’s participation at the CSW over recent years. In order to progress the climate change resolution adopted at the 2011 World Council the association will be hosting a side event on the impact of climate change on women in rural communities in collaboration with partners. Furthermore, the World YWCA will host the Young Women’s Caucus in collaboration with WAGGGS.
The World YWCA has participated in the CSW since its establishment in 1948 and in fact, was one of the lead organisations advocating for its creation. As the leading global platform for advancing women’s human rights, CSW continues to be an important and strategic annual event for the World YWCA.
Read full Statement
