CSW 55 and Taking on Technology

This year's CSW falls at a time of great change. As I write this, there are uprisings in many cities of the Middle East and North Africa where women and men are demanding justice, freedom and equality. Through the images of people gathering to voice their demands in Egypt, we are witnessing the creation of a new era ushered in by courageous multitudes calling for an end to unjust and repressive regimes dominated by power, and for the restoration of real human security based on human dignity. Women are playing a fundamental role in the revolution, and must be included in reconstruction and future decision-making. We stand in solidarity with these women insisting on freedom, and we are inspired to reaffirm our commitment to the beliefs of our founding sisters of WILPF (also see recent WILPF statement and news articles below).

Also in recent weeks, Southern Sudan witnessed momentous change. After a historic referendum, the people voted to secede from the North and become the world's newest sovereign state. Overwhelmingly, the South Sudanese population that voted favoured separation (98.83 per cent in favor.). We, at PeaceWomen and WILPF, salute the efforts of women in Sudan and the region working to bring about change through peaceful, non-violent, participatory action. See featured news below or check our Sudan page of the News Portal for recent updates.

Next to the mass gatherings in Egypt and the historic vote in South Sudan is the 2011 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 55) where thousands of women assemble at the UN HQ from February 22 to March 4, 2011. Indeed, the women's rights community anticipates the first CSW led by the new UN entity, UN Women, but is wary of the first CSW with severe new registration rules that limit access for NGOs.

The CSW 55 priority theme--“Access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women's equal access to full employment and decent work”--resonates at the heart of what we do in WILPF. Here at PeaceWomen, in particular, we understand the power of education and technology. Our project harnesses technology and stretches a small budget to connect women around the world working on women's rights and equality, and particularly on women, peace and security issues.

For example, PeaceWomen re-launched our website last year to make our online portal and resources more accessible and user-friendly, and to advance accountability through online monitoring tools (such as Security Council Monitor, UN Implementation, Member State Commitments). We also proudly launched the first ever Women, Peace and Security iPhone application, a version of our WPS handbook, which was supported by Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The iPhone app could not have happened without the innovation and creativity of Swen Dornig (Liechtenstein)! (Thank you, Swen, for pushing the boundaries of how we make Women, Peace & Security language accessible to policy-makers.)

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will continue our engagement in the CSW including:

· WILPFs partnership with UN Women and OneVoice.org to discuss “Gender, Technology & Peacebuilding: Bridging the Israel-Palestine Divide,” February 22nd (lunchtime). Rsvp required.

· WILPFs partnership with Global Action to Prevent War (GAPW) and Soka Gakk to host a reception and discussion on peace activism and women's leadership, Feb 24th (6:30pm), with Felicity Hill and Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda. All are welcome

· WILPFs statement that was submitted to the CSW is available here online (ref: E/CN.6/2011/NGO/49). The statement is co-authored with Femmes Afrique Solidarité, International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms and WILPF.

· WILPF-US facilitation of the weeklong 2011 Practicum in Advocacy, which brings women from universities to CSW, among other important initiatives.

· PeaceWomen.org's monitoring tools will bring the CSW activities in New York to women, peace and security advocates more broadly. We have developed CSW focused web pages and have included here links to these and other useful CSW resources and events.

Over the years, a measure of commitment to gender equality has been the level of women's equal participation and advocacy opportunities. The annual CSW is an opportunity for activists to access and call for governments and the UN to implement their previous commitments. But, as I noted, NGOs have been seriously constrained by the new UN rules, which allocate only 20 places for each organisation. We cannot seriously discuss improving access and equality when the CSW is being detrimentally changed. Nevertheless, thousands of women have registered and will be present at UN HQ, even while the accessibility of UN events remains up in the air.

Finally, featured in our Resources this month is a new book by former WILPF Secretary General Barbara Lochbihler called “Listen to Women for a Change: 15 Years after the Beijing Conference on Women – 15 Years after the Peacetrain: Balances and Outlooks” with a chapter on Women, Peace and Security.

Photo above:Women of the Egyptian Revolution(Mortada)