UN Commission on the Status of Women Session 62
12-23 March 2018 | New York, USA
The UN Commission on the Status of Women is one of the largest annual gatherings of global leaders, NGOs, private sector actors, United Nations partners and activists from around the world focusing on the status of rights and empowerment of all women and girls, everywhere.
Since it was established in 1946, the CSW has worked to promote women's rights, document the real experiences of women around the world, and shape global standards for gender equality. In 1996, the mandate of the CSW was expanded to include reviewing progress on the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action - the key global policy document on gender equality. Since 2015, it has also contributed to the follow-up of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on gender equality and women's empowerment issues.
In addition to all this work, at the CSW's annual two-week meeting it addresses emerging issues relevant to its work worldwide. This year, its priority theme is "challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls", and its review theme is "participation in and access of women to the media, and information and communications technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women".
Of course, it would be unfair send our team all the way to New York with no time to see the sights! In addition to attending the CSW, our delegates will get a tour of the city, meet the most famous woman in New York (that is, see the Statue of Liberty!), and have some free time to explore. They'll also meet incredible civil society experts at their offices in New York and at the CSW's official NGO Forum and Reception.
KEY INFO
DEPARTS AKL - 7 March
RETURNS TO AKL - 28 March
TRAINING WEEKEND - 16-18 February
APPLICATIONS DUE - 20 January
$1500 DEPOSIT DUE - 31 January
DELEGATION FEE - $5720
Head Delegate
IHLARA MCINDOE
We're excited to have our Women Deliver Global Conference alumna Ihlara McIndoe leading our team to the Commission! Ihlara studies law and music at the University of Otago, and has a keen interest in increasing opportunities for women, particularly in the arts.
Ihlara has a passion for increasing young people's interest in music. She is a Youth Ambassador for New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music New Zealand, and directs an intermediate school choir for girls. She also works as a music contributor for Critic magazine, and local newspapers.
In early 2018 Ihlara traveled to South East Asia on a Centre of Asia Pacific Excellence scholarship, focussing on trade and politics in the SEA region.
In the future, Ihlara hopes to use her legal education and passion for classical music to work in the music industry. She wants to play an influential part in creating more opportunities for women in music academia, and fostering young people's interest in classical music.
Delegates
LAUREN HARRIGAN
Lauren is an arts graduate in History and International Relations. She now works in creative consulting, using female economy research to tackle unconscious biases in marketing to increase women’s influence over their own economic behaviour. She worked on the Treat Her Right pay equity campaign with NZCTU, which led to a commitment to pay equity from the government. Lauren wants to build economic empowerment in New Zealand women through the media, something she will learn about at CSW62.
NAOMI SIMON-KUMAR
Naomi is in her final year studying towards a conjoint BA/BSc degree in Political Science and International Relations and Physiology at the University of Auckland. Her experiences as a self-described ‘third culture kid’ have driven her interest in foreign affairs. As an adolescent, she divided her time between New Zealand and Asia, and credits her mixed ethno-religious heritage as having made her particularly attune to interculturalism on a very personal level. Naomi believes that the intersection of scientific knowledge and international policy is critical in addressing prevailing challenges around gender and development. Accordingly, she is looking to engage with people who will help her illuminate novel solutions to these problems – and ultimately do meaningful work in the field of international development for women worldwide.
LUCRETIA DOBREC
Lucretia has a strong passion for both global affairs and technology. She is currently in her final year at the University of Auckland, studying towards a Commerce and Arts degree, majoring in International Relations, Information Management and Employment Relations. Over the summer, she recently completed an FMCG Futures Internship at Foodstuffs North Island before previously spending the past two years working in the banking industry with BNZ. She hopes to foster a career as an advocate for women to undertake more roles in STEM fields, in the future of work.
ALLANAH COLLEY
Allanah currently works as a Judges’ Clerk and has a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Auckland. She is interested in women’s issues in the law, particularly in international and criminal law, and how law can more effectively empower women. Allanah is a Co-Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the New Zealand Women’s Law Journal – Te Aho Kawe Kaupapa Ture a ngā Wāhine and held leadership roles with the Equal Justice Project and YWCA Auckland. She is excited to attend CSW62 to see whether the growing momentum promoting women’s issues at a grassroots level is translating into change in the international community.
TASHA HOHAIA
Tasha Hohaia is Māori and Pākehā, a daughter of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in New Zealand with iwi affiliations of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahu.
She has a Bachelor of Law and Arts majoring in History and Māori Studies, and has most recently honed advocacy, feedback mechanisms, student leadership, as well as Māori and Pasifika engagement skills in the Tertiary Sector.
She is an innovative creative, recording and performing artist and uses all in her capacity and networks to connect to others.
She is determined to ensure that girls and women, globally, have the opportunity to thrive, as women have so much to offer the world – and especially passionate about making it happen in New Zealand.
JOSIE OLSEN
Josie is a first-year PhD student in History at the University of Auckland, working on international Vogue magazines in the context of the 1970s women's rights movements. She is passionate about women's rights, environmental issues, the intersections of privilege and disadvantage, and her pet dog. Josie is looking forward to the opportunity to learn from both internationally-renowned feminists and other "amateur" feminists like herself at the CSW62 conference.