What I have learnt at the 2022 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

Lara Brett

Lara Brett is finishing a Master in Contemporary European Studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin. She is a working student at the Maecenata Foundation in Berlin, writes for the Gender section of a News Education and is the new head of the Youth Employment Working Group for the European Student Think Tank. She also loves reading, travelling, and cats.

I had the opportunity to virtually attend this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York as a volunteer delegate with UN Women UK and in this article I’ll be sharing what I learned.

UN Women is the United Nations division dedicated to advancing gender equality. Every year CSW assembles UN Member State representatives and civil society to discuss issues threatening the rights of women and girls. This year’s theme focused on mitigating the impact of climate change on women and girls.  

The gendered impact of climate change

The talk that I found most impactful was ‘The Forgotten Voices – The Impact of Climate Change on Violence against Women,’ a side event organised by UN Women Iceland in collaboration with the Icelandic government.

During this talk, consultant Reem Alsalem stressed how climate change is distinctly life-threatening to women. I found her comments insightful, particularly the fact that cis men generally have a larger climate footprint than women; with climate change disproportionally affecting marginalised genders due to extreme weather events having detrimental consequences on their health and food security.  This includes indigenous women, older women and women from minority groups who are at most risk, but less able to adapt because of unequal resource distribution.  

Such effects are already taking place. In the ‘Forgotten Voices’ event, journalist Christina Lamb noted that Afghanistan is currently experiencing a terrible drought. This, coupled with reduced food production due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has led to an increase in child marriage; with young Afghan girls being sold as a means of survival.

Christina Lamb - “There seems to be a clear link between those extreme weather events and gender-based violence”

Activist Melania Chipondia outlined how climate change emphasises “underlying structural injustices”. Climate change produces additional fatal consequences such as exacerbating gender-based violence as resources become limited, further impeding women from underdeveloped rural communities. Not only does this heighten the risk of sexual violence due to women being forced to endure long and unsafe journeys to secure scarce resources, it also increases “sextortion” (providing sexual favours for access to resources). These conditions have fuelled violence against women and such cases are prevalent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where women are raped as they collect water from remote regions.

Yet, although women bear the most responsibility for gathering resources, they often have little say in how these resources are managed. This responsibility combined with social practices which dictate a woman’s place at home, results in time away from employment and education. This often acts as a barrier to opportunities to meaningfully participate in political decisions to tackle issues which they directly face, and reduces their representation in national agendas.

A point that I found particularly memorable was made by Chipondia: “When policies are made apart from the issue of exclusion, women’s voices are silenced”. This was echoed by fellow activists who called for more participation from key female agents with lived experiences in both national and international spaces, as their exclusion can undermine the success of policy for women. Despite such barriers, many speakers stressed that women are central to offering solutions and that there is a greater need for intersectional policy-making and inclusion, rather than a sole focus on just representation.

CSW highlighted how women suffer the consequences of continued exclusion from policy-making, but that including them in such processes can lead to more equitable societies and niche intersectional solutions that address diversity for tackling climate change. I think conferences such as CSW are hugely important as a forum for women from around the world to meet and exchange experiences, but such forums are not always accessible. The need for visas, vaccinations and accommodation often prevents women from participating in global discussions, such as CSW.

Unfortunately, one panellist also became the target of male violence during CSW. As Anishinaabe Two-Spirit activist Sadie Phoenix-Lavoie spoke about the impact of climate change on her community during the ‘Indigenous Women Speak for Mother Earth’ event, men interrupted her with racial slurs. The incident shows how even “safe” spaces can become infiltrated by misogyny, and reveals some of the non-physical violence female climate defenders face.

Ukrainian women as “A symbol of courage, endurance and resilience.” 

Speaking on the Ukrainian crisis, Natalia Karbowska highlighted that women refugees face an increased risk of human trafficking as they arrive at the EU’s borders with limited money and contacts, and are therefore vulnerable to exploitation.

Similarly, other speakers recounted the risk of kidnapping, the experiences of women at the Mariupol maternity hospital, and highlighted the emerging reports of rape and torture by Russian soldiers. Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica, a Latvian politician called Ukrainian women and girls “a symbol of courage, endurance and resilience.”

However, these experiences are far from unique, with speakers recounting the sexual violence faced by women in Iraq, Nigeria, Myanmar and Afghanistan. Afghan journalist Nilofar Moradi emphasised the need for solidarity with Ukrainian women, but she urged that the world adopts “the same passion to respond to Afghanistan’s crisis as well” without a Eurocentric lens, as survivors of trauma are agents in their own right. It was also agreed that women’s organisations are often among the first responders and that women continue to provide for their families during wartime, a “form of leadership that is too often unrecognised or undervalued.” 

Speakers called for women's participation in peace negotiations and long-term funding from the international community. I believe this ties into the wider issue of women's representation and inclusion on the global stage, as noted when activists raised concerns over the accessibility of CSW. The women who are able to speak at CSW were certainly the exception, rather than the rule. Women, especially from communities affected by climate change need to be at the forefront of action and drive these global conversations as well as receive logistical support to facilitate their grassroot efforts as this can lead to more effective policy responses.

Until they are not supported to accentuate their voices and participation in these spaces, repeated exclusion, erasure or limited participation of women will continue to widen gender-based violence and inequalities.

Concluding Thoughts

Attending CSW for the second year in a row was a huge privilege. I loved listening to and learning from activists from all over the world, and I wish that other countries would open up their delegations to civil society, to make the conference as accessible as possible. I look forward to seeing whether Member States will adhere to the Agreed Conclusions and uphold policies for the benefit of women and girls. To me, it is not clear what accountability mechanisms are in place, if any, and it should be clearer how positive change will be encouraged and upheld to tackle gender inequalities. Although women are often excluded from policymaking, they are active in finding solutions and making their voices heard. As Lamb stated, “the real heroes” are women “trying to keep everything when all hell is breaking loose.”

Published 11th June 2022

Edited by Alessia Biondi and Sabah Iqbal