from new york
In recent days, the corridors of the United Nations (UN) office have been occupied by people who have debated the situation of woman in the world and the advance needs for the gender equity during the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
The theme, which is a huge challenge in general, since gender equity is estimated to happen in 130 years, is even more complex when addressing the climate crisis, poverty and conflict zones. In one of the panels in which EXAME was present, for example, there was talk of the need for countries to unite to promote progress in places where there are few women’s rights, or their violation.
“In Ukraine, for example, many women left their jobs, their homes and even their families because of the war. When you think about a context like this, it is common to remember the men who are in the fights, but women are also directly affected,” said a person who cannot be identified for security reasons. According to official UN sources, 90% of war refugees in Ukraine are women and their children.
In another event, intersectionality was much commented, in order to consider all the characteristics of women. An example is ageism. “We realize that women aged 50 and over suffer more economically than men, especially since they have spent a large part of their lives doing the unpaid work of taking care of their home and family. Now, we need to ensure that public policies prevent greater harm “, said Monica Roque, sdepartment of human rights, gender and gerontology in Argentina.
the event too counted for the first time with the inclusion of youth leaders in official negotiations. From this, much has been said about technology and the need to offer more access so that girls and women are not further excluded.
Aisha Mehmood, whose work focuses on girls and women in rural communities, emphasized the importance of expanding access to technology. “There is a huge need for investments in policies and solutions that can localize technology, that can be available in languages that people understand, that can leverage audio and images for low-literacy users, and that can make technology models inclusive of girls and women who are in these marginalized communities”.
The idea follows part of the opening speech of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “Artificial Intelligence will be shaping the world of the future. Without women’s equal participation, this will remain a man’s world. The digital gender divide is fast becoming the new face of gender inequality. Instead of uplifting women and girls by providing access to education, healthcare and financial services, technology is often used to harm and control them through surveillance and trafficking.“, he said, proposing change.
This debate also permeated the parallel events. One example is Digital Financial and Inclusion in Brazil, promoted by the UN Global Compact in Brazil, with the support of Grupo Boticário and EXAME as an official media partner. Throughout the afternoon of Thursday the 16th, entrepreneurs, scientists, consultants and executives debated paths for advancement in Brazil.
The country even has representatives such as Ana Fontes, CEO of Rede Mulher Empreendedora and leading delegate from Brazil in the W20, the G20 engagement group for the women’s agenda. “I believe that actions like CSW help us to advance diversity and inclusion by promoting the connection of discussions in different working groups, which helps to strengthen the understanding of what we can do to move the needles”, she says.
In the Conference rooms it was possible to perceive the majority presence of women. However, the statements reinforced the need to have men in the discussions. “We are starting some conversations, especially when we talk about allied men”, said Cynthia Muffuh, head of human rights and gender at the Global Compact, in an exclusive interview with EXAME. .
“Gender is also about men and we are talking about the difference in treatment between people because of gender, a socially constructed idea of what it is to be a man and what to be a woman. In the same way that we learn a new language, we need to be able to learn new ways of living that allow for equity”, said Michael Kaufman, activist and educator on gender equity, in particular, on how to involve men and boys in this journey.
