Sunday, March 18, 2018

Will a Fifth World Conference on Women Undo the Beijing Platform for Act...



The UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) has been meeting for 62 years. 


This year, similar to the 30 years that I have attended, grassroots women from around the world come to share problems and solutions. The problems don't go away and for many are getting worse. The women don't go away they keep on keeping on, bringing others especially young women with them. 

There is an abundance of new ideas, innovative solutions, woman power and energy that keeps building.   But we are so scattered around New York City that sharing and organizing is made most difficult. And there are barriers between UN Women, CSW and grassroots women to have better communications and exchanges of ideas for cooperation and partnerships.

We have been asking the UN for a 5th World Conference on Women (5WCW) for fifteen years

The last one was in 1995 in Beijing when we finalized a comprehensive document that will improve the status of women and girls when implemented called the Platform for Action. 

The UN Commission on the Status of Women has been meeting for the past 62 years and it has become even more restrictive for non-governmental women’s organizations to meet. 

This year the artisan fair where women sell their goods to pay for their travel to New York and for program money back home was held in such a small room we could not get it.  The women’s organizations didn’t have room to display their crafts. This was a huge financial loss for the women’s organizations as well as for us who would have liked to purchase their beautiful crafts. 

We were even more removed from the UN headquarters to hold workshops and panels with one place being near Time Square.

The old way for conducting UNCSW is not working so let’s shift our imaginations, our intentions and our creative actions to bring about a UN Fifth World Conference in India in 2022.

Just imagine how wonderful such a global event for and by women and girls and open to all people will be. And have an impact on the entire world. Imagine a place where we will be in one area with enough room for workshops, panels, networking, theater, music, dancing and shopping galore. Where government and UN officials can hear the stories of women and girls around the world and see their potential for bringing justice and peace for all creation. Through technology we will be interconnected to women everywhere. No woman or girl would be left out.

The reasons giving for not having a 5WCW are that the Platform for Action document would be opened and weakened and it would be too expensive. 

Once an outcome document has been approved such as Platform for Action it isn’t reopened. It could be too costly for UN Women but not for a global effort raising money. With Me Too and the Women's March that has energized women to come together with men and youth support around the world, raising money for such an important event, especially by grassroots women, women of wealth and celebrities, will generate enough money for a conference and for women's programs and NGOs operational support for years after.

In fact it would generate interest from many sectors of society and through technology participation of millions of people would get excited, connect to the UN that they haven’t had the interest or the means to make happen. 

More and more foundations, governments and other institutions realize that it is women who must be empowered through funding and technology,  if we are going to save humanity. 

It is through uniting people and the implementation of the Platform for Action document that justice and peace and the care for creation can only happen.

We are gathering support for a UN Fifth World Conference in India 2022. 

5WCW. I participated in the First and the Second but not able to attend. I did attend the Third in Nairobi and the Fourth in Beijing and know how important these global gatherings were to women from all walks of life. They change lives. They touch so many people that the enormity of influence can't be documented. But it does. 

Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. is a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst and an internationally known author and speaker. She has held this vision and carried the 5WCW banner for years because she is a visionary and through her global travels talking to women and men about such a conference has generated and found great excitement in making this dream a reality. She, as an outsider of the UN system, isn’t stuck in the old ways and thinking. Everyone she and others who also carry the dream and banner are very excited to have 5WCW and want to help bring it about. 

When others catch the vision this ground swell of excitement will go viral. When there is a means for helping to raise money it will pour in. It is a win/win for the UN, for every women and girl, and for a world of justice, peace and caring for creation. It is now well known and documented that we will not go forward in solving the problems of the world without gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Women’s organizations and governmental officials in India want to host us.

Stay tuned to how you can get involved by going to Facebook Group UN Commission on the Status of Women and www.5WCW.org.  We have many CSW 2018 photos and stories. 



We soon will tell how you can write to Indian officials who need to hear from us to get support within India.

Let’s dream and work together for Going to India 2022. Namaste!!!