ARS PARTICIPATES IN UN CONFERENCE ON WOMEN
April 18, 2013
The Armenian Relief Society participated in the United Nation’s 57th
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, from March 4-15,
2013. CSW, a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC), is “the principal global policy-making body
dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women”.
The theme of this year’s CSW was “Elimination and prevention of all
forms of violence against women and girls”. Approximately six thousand
women from all over the world registered to attend the CSW57 events.
As in previous years, the ARS joined CSW57 to give a voice to women
and girls across the world fighting against all types of violence.
Throughout the last eight months the ARS UN committee chairperson,
Stephanie Killian, together with our ARS UN coordinator, Houry
Geudelekian, worked hard to plan a series of co-sponsored parallel
events in cooperation with various organizations that work against
violence against women.
The CSW57 Consultation Day took place on March 3, at the Armenian
Convention Center ballroom, with an international delegation of eight
hundred women who had come to learn about and prepare to advocate
ARS representatives with Ambassador Garen Nazarian at the Armenian Mission.
against “Violence Against Women” (VAW).
The welcoming speech was given by Soon-Young Yoon, Chairperson of the
NGO CSW/NY. Yoon stressed the importance of education in empowering
girls and women with courage and resilience.
Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of
UN Women, conveyed the message of UN Women to the participants.
Bachelet emphasized that discrimination and violence have no place in
the 21st century. She also stressed the fact that there is no
prosperity or progress without women; therefore, violence against
women is undermining development goals. “The CSW57 results in action
of promises made and agreements signed, and we must effectively tackle
the main causes of violence against women as we work toward the
Millennium Development Goals,” she said. Lastly, Bachelet focused on
the role of men and boys in fighting against violence against women.
The keynote addresses were presented by CSW Women of Distinction
Awardees: founder and president of Femmes Africains Solidarite Bineta
Diop, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkel Karman.
The program was followed by several panel discussions on trafficking
of women and girls, the role of men, and best practices to prevent
violence against women and girls.
A training session in communications and social media organized by PCI
Media Impact and Breakthrough, in collaboration with the Avon
Foundation, was held at the end of the event.
Participants left the Armenian Convention Center with great
expectations of the upcoming events and discussions throughout the two
weeks of CSW57.
On Monday, March 4, the ARS, together with the Permanent Missions of
Armenia and Estonia to the UN and the NGO CSW/NY, partnered with the
Global Network of Women Peacebuilders and the Armenian General
Benevolent Union for a parallel event entitled, “Commemoration of SC
[Security Council] Resolution #1325: What Lies Ahead?”. This high
level parallel event was moderated by H.E. of Armenia to the UN
Ambassador Garen Nazarian. The panelists were Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Estonia H.E. Urmas Paet, Bineta Diop, UN representative of
the International Alliance of Women and Chair of CSW /NY Soon-Young
Yoon, UN Women’s Chief Advisor on Peace and Security Anne Marie Goetz,
and International Coordinator of the Global Network of Women
Peacebuilders Mavic Cabrera-Balleza.
Minister Paet stressed the need to focus on security, development, and
human rights. Unfortunately, sexual violence continues to be used as a
tactic for war, said Paet. It is true that UN SC Resolution 1325 deals
with women in military conflict zones, however it can also be applied
in societies that are in peace. As a consequence, reparations should
be used as a tool to empower women and girls, and women must be
engaged in peace negotiations. Bineta Diop focused on the significance
of equal access and full participation of women in the peace process.
Diop stated that the impact of conflict on women is a universal
problem, and if peace agreements don’t talk about gender-based
violence, there cannot be durable peace.
Anne Marie Goetz of UN Women mentioned the need to support women’s
civil society organizations while referring to the fact that the
biggest gap in implementing SC Resolution 1325 is giving women a voice
in civil society.
Soon-Young Soon raised the question of how the draft recommendation
for action, “Women and Girls in Conflict Prevention, Conflict, and
Post Conflict”, presented at the last Convention on the “Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,” can make a difference
in the lives of survivors of violence. She also stated the need for
data and surveys regarding the situation of women on the ground.
Mavic Cabrera-Baleza of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders
talked about the importance of the localization of national action
plans some countries use to make a change in society.
A meeting between H.E. Ambassador Garen Nazarian and ARS members took
place at the Armenian Mission on Tuesday, March 5. During the meeting,
discussions took place regarding social issues in Armenia, Artsakh and
Javakhk and the role of the ARS in implementing projects towards the
benefit of social development, education and healthcare. Ambassador
Nazarian congratulated the ARS for its extraordinary work, both in
Armenia and the Diaspora. The role of the ARS in the post- 2015
Development Agenda, as well as the Society’s involvement in the NGO
CSW/NY activities, became a focal point of the meeting.
The ARS delegation, including ARS UN committee members and ARS Inc.
Executive Director Lala Demirdjian-Attarian, participated at the
annual reception, chaired by Geudelekian. During the reception, two
women of distinction awards were presented to Bineta Diop and Tawakkol
Karman.
During CSW57, ARS partnered on parallel events with four
organizations. Together with ZONTA International, the ARS organized a
parallel event on “Trafficking”. The panelists included Lynn McKenzie,
president of Zonta International and the Zonta International
Foundation, Nola Theiss, Executive Director and founder of Human
Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Nora Armani, actress and
filmmaker, and Nicole Zundorf-Hinte, an adviser in the German Federal
Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth. The
panelists discussed trafficking victims in the US, the protection of
victims, prosecution of traffickers, and the types and goals of
preventive programs. They shared the work they have done to help
victims of trafficking and to fight against trafficking. Armani, who
was invited by the ARS, focused on the power of media and films as a
tool to raise awareness about human trafficking and violence against
women.
NGO CSW/NY committee members singing the theme song at the closing of
the Consultation Day.
The second partnership was with the International Council of Jewish
Women (ICJW). The panel discussed the role of men and boys and their
involvement in the fight against VAW. The panelists gave examples of
what different societies believe in and how men and women behave
regarding VAW.
A panel on the “Global Perspective on VAW” was organized in
partnership with The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund. It was
a moderated panel discussion on grassroots programs educating women
and girls about their rights and creating prevention programs.
Panelists discussed case studies of countries, such as Rwanda,
Georgia, Argentina, and the Philippines, implementing programs to
fight violence against women.
ARS’ final event, in partnership with the Al Hakim Foundation, was
entitled “Activation of Spiritual and Religious Values to Combat VAW”.
The ARS invited Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian as one of the panelists.
Bishop Tanielian explained the importance of religion in regards to
gender equality and the female role stating that the importance of the
panel discussion is to find dynamic ways and means to prevent acts of
violence. Through references to the Holy Scriptures, the Bishop gave
examples of how unlawful acts of violence have been criticized and how
the roles of husband and wife have been depicted over the centuries.
Moreover, Bishop Tanielian focused on the power of education to
prevent violence in general, and specifically against women,
concluding, “…the sacred task of educating belongs not only to the
school instructors, but to all of us. We have to gear all our systems
to get rid of violence, this universal virus which deteriorates our
society…”
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian participating at the panel discussion on
“Activation of Spiritual and Religious Values to Combat VAW”.
Throughout the two weeks of the CSW57, ARS UN committee members and UN
badge holders attended many side events that addressed matters such as
ending child and early forced marriages, protecting the rights of
persons with disabilities, and providing justice and critical services
for survivors of violence. The participation of the ARS at the CSW,
which tackled the contemporary and significantly important issues of
women’s and girls’ rights and violence against women, is now opening
new doors for further partnerships at the UN/CSW level, prioritizing
the post-2015 development framework . The continuous efforts and
commitment of ARS UN committee members and badge holders result in the
organization’s year-long involvement with other UN entities, such as
UN Women, NGO/Human Rights, UNDP, UNSPA, DESA, and the office of the
Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights.
“The ARS is proud to have been a part of such a successful and
meaningful CSW,” stated Pauline Getzoyan, Central Executive Board
member. “The Board is very pleased with the hard work and dedication
of our UN coordinator, Houry Geudelekian, as well as the entire UN
Committee, including our badge holders, for organizing appropriate
events and partnerships in the battle to eradicate violence against
women and girls. The role of the ARS at the United Nations continues
to grow and will become increasingly important, particularly with
regards to our ongoing work on behalf of women and girls
internationally,” Getzoyan concluded.
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/04/18/ars-participates-in-un-conference-on-women-2/