World Population Day

The COVID-19 crisis has taken a staggering toll on people, communities and economies everywhere. But not everyone is affected equally. Women, who account for the largest share of front-line health workers, for example, are disproportionately exposed to the coronavirus. Supply chains around the world are being disrupted, impacting the availability of contraceptives and heightening the risk of unintended pregnancy. As countries are on lockdown and health systems struggle to cope, sexual and reproductive health services are being sidelined and gender-based violence is on the rise.

Recent UNFPA research highlighted that if the lockdown continues for 6 months with major disruptions to health services, then 47 million women in low- and middle-income countries may not be able to access modern contraceptives resulting in 7 million unintended pregnancies. 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence can also be expected. The disruption of UNFPA’s programmes on the ground could result in 2 million cases of female genital mutilation and 13 million child marriages between 2020 and 2030 that could have been averted.

Moreover, women disproportionately work in insecure labour markets and are harder hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19. Nearly 60 percent of women worldwide work in the informal economy, at greater risk of falling into poverty. Women’s unpaid care work has increased as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older people.

The pandemic is hitting marginalized communities particularly hard, deepening inequalities and threatening to set us back in our efforts to leave no one behind. Our response to COVID-19 in every country is critical and will determine how fast the world recovers and whether we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals or not.

To learn more about how and why the UN commemorates this observance, check out un.org/en/observances/world-population-day.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org.

Religious Actors: Ally or Threat for Achieving Gender Equality?

You are warmly invited to a pre-Event to Generation Equality Forum and the High Level Political Forum

Religious Actors: Ally or Threat for Achieving Gender Equality?

Register via Eventbrite

Program:

Opening remarks: Khushwant Singh, Head of Secretariat, PaRD
Launching new report: Dr. Nora Khalaf-Elledge, Post-Doc Fellow, Joint Learning Initiative

Looking Back to Look Forward: The Role of Religious Actors since the Beijing Declaration

Zainah Anwar, Executive Director, Musawah
Karin Ericsson, Programme Specialist Gender Equality, Sida
Umyra Ahmad, Advancing Universal Rights and Justice Coordinator, AWID
Dr. Nontando Hadebe, International Coordinator, Side by Side

Moderator: Shahin Ashraf MBE, Head of Global Advocacy, Islamic Relief Worldwide

Launching a new report co-published by ACT Alliance, Act Church of Sweden, Side by Side, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith Communities, SVRI, Goldsmiths and PaRD. With live illustrator and Q&A.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com.

NGO Committee on Status of Women-NY [monthly meeting]

Join NGO CSW-NY for our May Monthly Meeting about racial justice and gender. More information coming soon. At the beginning of the meeting, we will discuss the NGO CSW/NY Executive Committee elections taking place in June.

Register here!

If you missed April’s monthly meeting on the intersection of climate change, gender, and migration, you can watch the recording on Youtube here.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org.

Male Allyship: A conversation around International Women’s Day

Join NGO CSW-NY’s latest session of its ongoing series for Youth Leaders and Young Professionals.

This event is planned for young leaders that are already working on gender equality in their communities. The event will

Discuss about the engagement of men and boys on the conversation of gender equality and feminism;
Identify the main obstacles that the youth leaders face in their communities to engage men and boys; and
Provoke one-on-one conversations between men to answer trigger questions about male participation on gender equality.

Please register here!

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch.

United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2021

Dear colleagues,

UN Women is pleased to invite you to the United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2021. The event will take place virtually on Monday, 8 March 2021 from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST.

To facilitate the planning of the event, kindly RSVP at the following link: https://unwomen-iwd2021.eventbrite.com

Aligned with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the theme for the United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2021 is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world, on the way to the Generation Equality Forum.” In addition to celebrating the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will also ‘lift the curtain’ and bring increased attention to this year’s Generation Equality Forums in Mexico City (29-31 March 2021) and Paris (June 2021).

The Observance will feature high-level dignitaries from the United Nations and governments, as well as other gender equality advocates and champions. Speakers including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Executive Director of UN Women and Eva Longoria will offer reflections on the day’s theme and amplify the work of the upcoming Generation Equality Forums. The event will also include musical performances by Angelica Hale, the Pihcintu Chorus, and Broadway singers.

This colour for International Women’s Day 2021 is yellow. The hashtags for social media will be #IWD2021 and #InternationalWomensDay.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org.

He for She at Home: Gender Equality and the Family

We are pleased to invite you to attend our virtual event during the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), “He for She at Home: Gender Equality and the Family” on Thursday, March 25 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm.

This session will explore how the family empowers women and girls, particularly when men within the family value gender equality. As this is a UN event you must register to attend live by Wednesday, March 10 through the NGO CSW system. This is a 2-step process. Click here to begin the registration, then wait for an e-mail from NGO CSW/NY to complete your profile. Once you have completed your profile, click here to register for this event.

Our excellent speakers, a couple:

Carolyn Pape Cowan, PhD is Adjunct Psychology Professor, Emerita, UC Berkeley. She co-directed three longitudinal intervention studies of how family relationships affect children’s adaptation. Co-author of When Partners Become Parents: The Big Life Change for Couples and co-editor of Fatherhood Today: Men’s Changing Role in the Family and The Family Context of Parenting in Children’s Adaptation to Elementary School, Pape Cowan consults internationally about the development, evaluation, and policy implications of family intervention results.
Philip A. Cowan, PhD is Psychology Professor, Emeritus, UC Berkeley. He served as director of the clinical psychology program and the Institute of Human Development and co-directed three longitudinal intervention studies of links between family relationship quality and children’s development. He is the author of Piaget with feeling, co-author of When Partners Become Parents: The Big Life Change for Couples, co-editor of four additional books and monographs and numerous scientific articles on implications for family policy.

Hope to see you there!

NGO Committee on the Family New York

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family-NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch.

Addressing GBV: A Key Element in Gender-Sensitive Addiction Treatment Programs

Addressing GBV: a Key Element in Gender-Sensitive Addiction Treatment Programs

Free online event in English – Monday, 22 March 2021, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST (NY time), 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. CET (España)

Women with substance use disorders face many obstacles in accessing and engaging in addiction treatment programs. Considering that gender-based violence is an initiating or aggravating factor of substance use disorder, it is imperative to address this complex relation in a holistic manner. Within male-dominated environments, where gender aspects are frequently overlooked, women who experience GBV and substance use disorders find it difficult to address this problem effectively. This parallel event will explore the links between GBV and substance use disorders and will shed light on how gender-sensitive programs address GBV as a key element in the therapeutic process.

Pre-registration is mandatory. For registration instructions, click here.

Moderator: Maria Victoria Espada – Representative to the United Nations, Dianova International

Speakers:

Lois A. Herman – Managing Director, Women’s UN Report Network (WUNRN)
Gisela Hansen Rodríguez, Ph.D. – Clinical and Health Psychologist, Dianova
Edward C. Carlson, MA, M.F.T. – Chief Executive Officer, Odyssey House Louisiana, Inc.
Nazlee Maghsoudi, BComm, MGA – Chairperson, Executive Committee, New York NGO Committee on Drugs (NYNGOC)

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Drugs-NY, please visit nyngoc.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Drugs-Vienna, please visit vngoc.org.

[CSW65 Parallel Event] The Power of Freedom of Religion or Belief to Elevate Women and Girls

The Power of Freedom of Religion or Belief to Elevate Women and Girls

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ngo-csw65-forum-advocate-registration-tickets-137312871495

Summary:

On the occasion of the 65th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief is bringing together a panel of prominent female leaders to discuss how their diverse religious and belief backgrounds have shaped their views and prepared them for leadership positions around the world as well as how the freedom of religion or belief is critical to empowering women and girls.

Moderator: Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom, ADF

International Panelists:

Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Office
Blu Greenberg, Founding President of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance
Carole McConkie, Latter-day Saint Charities Representative at the United Nations (Geneva)
Melissa Rogers, Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Margaret Downey, Founder of the Freethought Society

Format: Each speaker will present for 10-12 minutes followed by a time of Q+A from the attendees.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief, please visit unforb.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch.

[High-Level Panel Discussion] The suffering, hardships and increase in domestic violence that women faced due to Covid-19 pandemic

IFPSD President Mrs. Sally Kader is honored to invite you to a CSW65 side event:

High-level panel discussion on the unprecedented suffering, hardships and the increase in domestic violence that women faced globally due to Covid-19 pandemic

Register here!

This high-level meeting panel discussion composed of experts to bring awareness of the pandemic’s effect on women and girls and address the role of relevant stakeholders in implementing solutions to this global crisis. The fight for gender equality is no exception, from surging reports of domestic violence to disproportionate economic losses, gender disparity, and decreasing number of women who maintain full participation and decision-making at all levels. Women and girls around the world faced unprecedented suffering and hardships due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This humanitarian crisis is not only limited to women in urban settings living in developed and underdeveloped nations.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org.

Youth Activist Space: Youth Voices in the MENA Region Under Crisis

In this installation of NGO CSW/NY’s Youth Preparation Series leading up to CSW65, young activists from the Middle East and North Africa region take the mic to share their views on the effects of a multitude of crises on the feminist movements in the region.

Register here!

About the series:

To prepare young people and youth gender equality activists for CSW65, the NGO CSW/NY Youth Leaders & Young Professionals are hosting an event series that will feature virtual spaces for youth to share their voices, experiences, and visions, as well as different trainings and skills workshops.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org.

domestic violence

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