Teri Shaw
Photo taken March 15, 2019. 2020 and 2021 events took place virtually. Sandy Thomson, Teri Shaw, along with Kathryn Wilkinson from Mississauga, in front of the sculpture, Sphere Within Sphere by Arnaldo Pomodoro, at the United Nations.
Over the past two weeks, Sandy Thomson and Teri Shaw, members of Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Oakville, joined over 25,000 activists from around the world to participate in this year’s virtual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is the principal intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Due to the pandemic, the annual New York City-based conference took place in a hybrid format with mostly virtual meetings.
From nearly 100 clubs across Canada, CFUW sends 20 delegates to join official representatives from UN Member States, UN agencies, and other accredited civil society organizations to discuss the progress and gaps in advancing the status of women in all regions of the globe.
Ms. Thomson says of her experience,
“Attending CSW is a golden opportunity to be educated on global issues with respect to human rights of women and girls. Canada has an important role as a negotiator in the final UN Agreed Conclusions, which is defined as a set of concrete recommendations for governments, intergovernmental bodies and other institutions, civil society actors and other relevant stakeholders, to be implemented at the international, national, regional and local level.”
Since the Commission was established in 1946, civil society organizations like CFUW have taken a leading role in strengthening political commitment to gender equality and advancing the dialogue on the empowerment of women and girls.
The two-week conference concluded with the UN Member States reaching an agreement on how countries can work together to accelerate gender equality, and ensure that women’s rights are respected and protected. It is these Agreed Conclusions that civil society organizations such as CFUW and others then use to challenge governments to acknowledge and work towards a more equal society.
Submitted by Teri Shaw - CFUW Oakville
About CFUW-Oakville
The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) – Oakville is one of the 107 clubs that make up CFUW. It was formed in October 1949 with 54 charter members.
