global health

67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

The sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 6 to 17 March 2023.

Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to contribute to the session.

Themes

  • Priority theme: Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls
  • Review theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-second session)

Bureau

The Bureau of the Commission plays a crucial role in facilitating the preparation for, and in ensuring the successful outcome of the annual sessions of the Commission. Bureau members serve for two years. In line with ECOSOC decision 2002/234, the Commission holds the first meeting of its subsequent session, immediately following the closure of the regular session, to elect new members of the Bureau as needed.

The Bureau for the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (2023) comprises the following members:

  • H.E. Ms. Mathu Joyini (South Africa), Chair (African States Group)
  • H.E. Ms. Antje Leendertse (Germany), Vice-Chair (Western European and Other States Group)
  • Mr. Māris Burbergs (Latvia), Vice-Chair (Eastern European States Group)
  • H.E. Ms. Maria del Carmen Squeff (Argentina), Vice-Chair designate (Latin American and Caribbean States Group)
  • Ms. Chimguundari Navaan-Yunden (Mongolia), Vice-Chair designate (Asia and Pacific States Group)

For more information on the session, please visit: unwomen.org/en/csw/csw67-2023

For more information regarding NGO Participation, please visit: unwomen.org/en/csw/ngo-participation

For more information regarding accessibility, please visit: unwomen.org/en/csw/ngo-participation/accessibility

If you have additional questions, please contact csw@unwomen.org.

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, 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 NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org.

U.N. International Day of Older Persons (IDOP2022)-Commemoration at UN Headquarters in New York

The United Nations International Day of Older Persons aims to enshrine and promote the rights of older persons, and to engage and mobilize advocates to protect those rights.

UNIDOP 2022 will involve a multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed to address the socioeconomic, environmental, and health experiences of older women, highlight their participation in helping to build resilient societies, and the importance of their full inclusion in policy development.

Register here: eventbrite.com/e/2022-international-day-of-older-persons-celebration-registration-411340148457

Registration is open now. Closes Sept. 23rd, 2022.

Where: ECOSOC Chamber (OR LIVE on webtv.un.org). In-person participants, please use the UN Headquarters Visitors’ entrance on First Avenue and 46th Street.

Language: ASL will be provided in English only; Closed captioning will be provided on UN Web-TV in English at media.un.org

UN Security: Security screening begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. at the Visitor’s entrance on 46th Street and 1st Avenue. Information will be provided on picking up a temporary grounds pass. A government-issued photo ID is required for this process. Wearing a mask is recommended. Proof of vaccination is not required.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.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 NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY, please visit ngocsw.org

Prayer Service for Children and Young People

Join ACT Alliance, Caritas Internationalis, The Episcopal Church, World Council of Churches and World Vision in prayer for children and young people and for world leaders to give them life in all its fullness, on 8am Eastern at the Church Center for the UN in NYC on Monday, Sept. 19, on the margins of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

The multiple and interconnected crisis and conflicts facing the world have serious and devastating psychological, physical and social impact on children and young people. Over 78 million are out of school; 120 million who are attending school are not achieving required proficiency; and overall 222 million children and young people are in need of educational support. Failing health systems have resulted in 25 million children missing out on one or more doses of critical vaccines. It is the largest drop in a generation, according to UNICEF and WHO. On top of this gap, children are facing severe acute malnutrition, which weakens their immunity; this together with missed vaccines, threatens their very lives. Hunger crisis and immunization gaps converge into a real crisis for the survival, development and protection of children and young people.

We call on world leaders gathering at the United Nations to rally around urgent actions to save entire generations of children and young people.

Learn more and register here: eventbrite.com/e/prayer-service-for-children-and-young-people-tickets-407996958887

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN

NGO Committee on Ageing/NY Fall Update

NGO Committee on Ageing/NY Sept. 8 regular monthly meeting: What’s Happening in Ageing at the UN? What’s Ahead for the NGO Committee on Ageing/NY?

So much has happened at the United Nations over the summer, laying the groundwork for the NGO Committee on Ageing/NY Fall agenda. Join the NGO CoA/NY for its monthly Programme Meeting and find out more about what we’ve been up to, including the progress made at the High-Level Political Forum.

Hear from our colleague and special guest Amal Abou Rafeh, Chief, Programme on Ageing Section, UN/DESA, about United Nations initiatives, where ageing fits into the bigger picture, and what’s coming up in the next several months.

There will be time set aside for questions, comments, and insights.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ud-2hpz4qHdyXa1FFY5IHKQZYgySDjurY

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Ageing/NY is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

OHCHR’s multi-stakeholder meeting on the human rights of older persons

OHCHR’s multi-stakeholder meeting on the human rights of older persons will be held on 29 – 30 August 2022, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m CET, in a hybrid format at the Palais des Nations (Room XVII). More information, including on the panellists, is available here.

Registration for the event is open until 23 August. Once registered via Indico, you will receive the Zoom link a few days in advance of the event.

The meeting will also be webcast live and archived at: webtv.un.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.orgFor more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. 

Focused discussion on identifying ways and means of more meaningful engagement of youth in the work of the General Assembly

Follow-up to the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Our Common Agenda”

Focused discussion on identifying ways and means of more meaningful engagement of youth in the work of the General Assembly

Tuesday, 30 August 2022, at 3:00 pm

Economic and Social Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in his report entitled “Our Common Agenda” (A/75/982), calls for a renewal of solidarity across generations, particularly with younger generations, and puts forward a number of concrete recommendations to further that objective.

Paragraph 47 of the report includes a proposal recommending that the “Envoy on Youth will prepare recommendations for more meaningful, diverse and effective youth engagement in UN deliberative and decision-making processes for the consideration of the General Assembly, the Security Council and ECOSOC and their respective subsidiary bodies. This will be done in consultation with the world’s young people.”

The SG’s Envoy on Youth has been invited to provide recommendations on youth engagement in the UN processes for consideration by Member States, and a focused discussion during the seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly on identifying ways and means of engagement of youth in the work of the General Assembly convened by the PGA has been announced.

The focused discussion will serve as a platform for Member States and relevant partners, in line with resolution 76/6, to share views on youth engagement vis-à-vis the work of the General Assembly. The meeting on 30 August 2022 will be followed by a series of broad consultations to be conducted by the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth (OSGEY), including with youth organizations and representatives in line with paragraph 47 of “Our Common Agenda” report, to inform the drafting of the recommendations to be put forward for consideration of Members States ahead of the Summit of the Future.

Please note:

  • Representatives of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC in possession of valid UN grounds passes are invited to attend.
  • Civil society representatives are welcome to intervene by pressing the microphone button at the appropriate time.

Detailed information, including the Concept Note and Programme can be found at: un.org/pga/76/2022/08/19/letter-from-the-president-of-the-general-assembly-focused-discussion-on-youth-participation-at-the-ga

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights-NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org.

12th Session-United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM)

The twelfth session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) will be held from 3 – 5 August 2022 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. UN-GGIM, comprising experts designated by the Governments of Member States, seeks to promote international cooperation in global geospatial information management and provide a forum for coordination and dialogue among Member States, and between Member States and relevant international organizations. As the relevant inter-governmental body on geospatial information in the United Nations, UN-GGIM reports on all matters relating to geography, geospatial information and related topics to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

For full agenda, side events, relevant documents, and registration information, please visit ogc.org/otherevents/unggim-12th-session.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at fmhult@umbc.edu or tonkin@hartford.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com.

Multi-stakeholder meeting on older people’s human rights

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is organising a multi-stakeholder meeting on 29-30 August 2022 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, room XVII. This hybrid meeting will take place both in person and online.

NGOs are encouraged to attend in person if possible. You do not need to have ECOSOC status to participate. You can register now via the Indico system here.

The multi-stakeholder meeting is a follow-up to the Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 48/3 (read more here) and will discuss the recent report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Further information and relevant documents are available here.

Objective:

This two-day meeting will bring together key stakeholders for a discussion on the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons and the dispersiveness of international human rights law. The meeting will take stock of the progress made, assess the remaining challenges, identify opportunities and develop concrete proposals to accelerate efforts to close the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons.
The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the normative standards and obligations under international law in relation to the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons (A/HRC/49/70) will inform the discussion.

Outcome:
A summary report with conclusions of the meeting that includes recommendations on addressing possible gaps and the dispersiveness of international human rights law with regard to older persons, will be submitted to the Human Rights Council by its fifty-second session.

Mandate:
In its resolution 48/3, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human to convene a multi- stakeholder meeting to discuss the report of the High Commissioner on the normative standards and obligations under international law in relation to the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons.

The meeting will be fully accessible to persons with disabilities, and held with the participation of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, human rights experts and expert representatives of Member States, the treaty bodies and the special procedures, regional mechanisms, the United Nations system, academia, national human rights institutions and civil society, including with the meaningful and effective participation of older persons and of persons of different ages.

The meeting will consist of an opening segment followed by a series of interactive panel discussions and a closing segment. Initial presentations by the panelists will be followed by two segments of interventions by participants and concluding remark from the panelists. A maximum of one hour will be set aside for the podium, which will cover the panelists’ presentations and their responses to questions and concluding remarks. The remaining hour will be reserved for two segments of interventions from the floor, with each segment consisting of interventions from States, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. Speaking time for participants wishing to take the floor will be two minutes.

29 August Agenda

Opening session

Session 1: Gaps and challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the deficiencies in international and national frameworks for older persons in dramatic and tragic ways. While the pandemic seriously affected many groups, its consequences have been amplified by existing structures of inequality and disadvantage. This session will focus on identifying existing and emerging human rights protection gaps and particular risks facing older persons, as well as promising practices in responding to them.

Session 2: Adequacy of existing mechanisms in responding to the challenges

The aim of this session is to discuss current practices and identify recommendations on how the UN human rights mechanisms (Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and Universal Periodic Review) can enhance the integration of the human rights of older persons in their work. As noted in the report of the High Commissioner (A/HRC/49/70), the engagement of the UN human rights mechanisms on the human rights of older persons is not adequate, systematic nor sustained. The session will also highlight lessons learned from the Inter-American system of human rights on the protection of older persons as well as the important role played by national human rights institutions.

30 August Agenda

Session 3: Strengthening coordinated actions for the protection of older persons
This session will identify opportunities for strengthening synergies and joint actions across global and regional networks and initiatives on ageing to integrate and promote the human rights of older persons.

Session 4: Towards strengthening the protection of human rights of older persons
The objective of this session is to develop proposals and recommendations for strengthening legal frameworks at both the national and the international levels to protect the human rights of older persons for further consideration by the Council and other relevant bodies, including the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing.

Closing session

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

 

2022 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated globally on 9 August. It marks the date of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is organizing a virtual commemoration of the International Day from 9 am to 11am (EST) on Tuesday, 9 August 2022, focusing on this year’s theme: “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge. ” Indigenous Peoples, Member States, UN entities, civil society, and the public are all invited.

Background:

Indigenous women are the backbone of indigenous peoples’ communities and play a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of traditional ancestral knowledge. They have an integral collective and community role as carers of natural resources and keepers of scientific knowledge. Many indigenous women are also taking the lead in the defence of lands and territories and advocating for indigenous peoples’ collective rights worldwide.

The significance of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge is widely acknowledged: “Long before the development of modern science, which is quite young, indigenous peoples have developed their ways of knowing how to survive and also of ideas about meanings, purposes and values.” As noted by the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, the term “scientific knowledge” is also used to underscore that traditional knowledge is contemporary and dynamic, and of equal value to other kinds of knowledge.

International consultations jointly facilitated by UNESCO and the Internal Council of Science (ICSU) states that “Traditional knowledge is a cumulative body of knowledge, know-how, practices and representations maintained and developed by peoples with extended histories of interaction with the natural environment. These sophisticated sets of understandings, interpretations and meanings are part and parcel of a cultural complex that encompasses language, naming and classification systems, resource use practices, ritual, spirituality and worldviews.”

However, despite the crucial role that indigenous women play in their communities as breadwinners, caretakers, knowledge keepers, leaders and human rights defenders, they often suffer from intersecting levels of discrimination on the basis of gender, class, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Their right to self-determination, self-governance and control of resources and ancestral lands have been violated over centuries.

Small but significant progress has been made by indigenous women in decision-making processes in some communities. They are leaders at local and national levels, and stand at the frontlines of defending their lands, their cultures, and their communities. The reality, however, remains that indigenous women are widely under-represented, disproportionately negatively affected by decisions made on their behalf, and are too frequently the victims of multiple expressions of discrimination and violence.

The Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) highlighted some of the major issues encountered by indigenous women, particularly noting the high levels of poverty; low levels of education and illiteracy; limitations in access to health, basic sanitation, credit and employment; limited participation in political life; and the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence.

Format:

The virtual commemoration will include an interactive dialogue segment with invited speakers, moderated by Ms. Rosemary Lane, Acting Chief of the Indigenous Peoples Development Branch – Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Speakers will share their expertise and experience from their indigenous communities in preserving, reviving, retaining, and transmitting the traditional ancestral knowledge in various fields of communal activities, including but not limited to effective and sustainable climate solutions, use of natural resources, protection of biodiversity, ensuring food security, promoting native languages and culture, and managing indigenous science and medicine. Questions to be discussed include:

  • What is the unique position of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge?
  • What are some of the brightest examples of indigenous women-led processes in solving contemporary global issues through the effective application of traditional scientific knowledge?
  • How are indigenous languages crucial to the development, preservation, and transmission of indigenous cultural and knowledge systems? How are women leading the way in maintaining indigenous languages?
  • What was the effect of applying indigenous scientific knowledge and medicine in alleviating the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemiologic crisis?

Panel Speakers:

Archana Soreng (Kharia) – Member of UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Aili Keskitalo (Sámi)  – Former President of the Sámi Parliament of Norway

Zakiyatou Oualet Halatine (Touareg) – Former Minister of Tourism & Handicrafts, Mali

Hannah McGlade (Noongar) – Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Commentary on Panel Discussion by His Excellency Ambassador Diego Pary Rodriguez(Quechua), Permanent Representative of Bolivia to the United Nations

 

More information about International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022 available here: un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/international-day-of-the-worlds-indigenous-peoples-2022.html

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. 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 NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at fmhult@umbc.edu or tonkin@hartford.edu. 

Accelerating the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Implementation: Addressing Systemic Barriers, Recovery Gaps and Strengthening Peoples’ Participation

This year, the HLPF focuses on SDGs 4, 5, 14, 15 and 17, in addition to the focus on the theme of impact of COVID-19 pandemic and building back better. It is also understood that the high-level segment of ECOSOC will also discuss multilateralism and international cooperation in relation to sustainable recovery from COVID-19 and achieving the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development aspirational goals. Keeping the above context in perspective, and also building on the aspirations of the civil society community engaging in the process, this side event aims to provide a platform, perspective and dialogue space among MGoS representatives and other stakeholders from across the world, to further discuss the accelerated implementation of SDGs grounded with focus on systemic reforms such as recovery gaps and strengthening of peoples’ participation.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pceGqrjgjHdKMkt0_4Emvo0SHg9Uv5B6p

The following questions will be interrogated through multi-stakeholder dialogue:

What are the civil society proposals on post COVID-19 recovery approaches needed to accelerate the implementation of SDGs across social, economic and environmental dimensions, leaving no one behind with human rights and gender equality in the centre of recovery approaches?

What are the civil society proposals to address structural barriers, inequalities and inequities and systemic reforms required including climate and financial injustice and ensuring inclusive public services – health, including equal access to COVID-19 prevention, diagnostic and therapeutics, education and social protection?

What are the civil society proposals towards strengthening multilateralism and expanding civic space to build back better from COVID-19 with focus on partnerships with the people, and means of implementation?

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email its co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

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