2022 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) Final Report
Executive Summary
Overview
From March 14-25, 2022, we attended the 66th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which was hosted in New York but attended online. The priority theme for CSW66 was “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes”, and the return theme was “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work”.
Highlights
Submitted a written statement to the UN, which was endorsed by Plan International.
Hosted a panel event with YDC alumni, which was attended by over 40 people worldwide.
Contributed to recommendations developed by youth gender activists at UN Women.
Developed a survey with the UNA-C to hear from young people in Canada.
Met with government officials and experts including diplomats and former ministers.
Developed a podcast episode with Beyond the Headlines.
Spoke at events at the NGO/CSW and the CSW66 Youth Forum.
Key Take-Aways
The intersections between climate change and gender inequality are clear, and affect women and girls in the global south the most. Addressing both of these critical issues at once will have the most sustainable impact, and allow us to mitigate the effects of climate change while empowering women and girls.
The impacts felt by these intersections go far beyond what we traditionally consider. Climate and gender interact with other factors such as conflict, immigration, class, race, and more. When climate change interacts with these factors, threats are multiplied even further.
Up Next
Although we are in varying stages of our education and careers, we will all bring our CSW66 experiences with us in our next steps. For example, speaking with Canadian diplomats at CSW66 taught us about the power of collaboration and negotiation. CSW highlighted the importance of this when fostering sustainable international relationships between states, but these qualities will be applicable in our future careers, whether in diplomacy or not. We were also able to connect with a broader network of YDC alumni, who have gained impressive positions in global affairs, government, and non-profit work. These connections will be valuable as we continue our careers across Canada.