A reflective account of attending the UK’s virtual delegation for the UN’s 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

By Olivia Brown, Trustee and MSYP for Scottish Youth Parliament and Trustee of Project Sonrisa

Last month, I was fortunate enough to join the UK’s virtual delegation for the UN’s 68^th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

CSW happens once every year and is an opportunity for thousands of people to come together in New York City and online, and spend two weeks dedicating conversations and discussions to women’s issues.

I’m a trustee and member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, as well as a trustee of Project Sonrisa. I really care about women’s rights and have spent much of the last two years working on issues such as sexual education, unhealthy relationships and fast fashion. Attending CSW68 was such an incredible opportunity, as I was able to listen in on meetings between decision makers focused on the issues I care about. CSW further provided me the chance to learn about issues I previously had little knowledge on – I spent a lot of my time listening to presentations about the reality of what it is to be a woman in Gaza right now, or how the lives of women in Afghanistan have changed since 2021.

My highlight of the commission was definitely the opening session – I tuned in and watched it live from the UN in New York, and was really taken by Chetna Gala Sinha’s speech. She talked about “Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari”, a bank she founded with a group of women in India, which is designed to help women to lift themselves out of rural poverty. This related really well to the key theme of this year’s CSW, which was “accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

Chetna Sinha’s view, that allowing women autonomy over their own money as a means to end poverty, is one which I find very compelling as a solution to this year’s theme. This can come in the form of microfinance or direct cash transfers. Development has been historically undermined by the “prescribing” of services to those living in extreme poverty, and often these services are not informed by or suited to their needs or realities. Allowing women the right to autonomy over their own money means that individual problems can be individually addressed, and has the potential to overcome the patriarchal structures in which many economies operate.

CSW is, of course, completely centred around human rights. In every discussion and meeting, the aim is to understand how we can realise the UNHRC, UNCRC and Sustainable Development Goals for women in every corner of the globe. And by inviting thousands of people from all over the world to join the virtual delegation, CSW has made gaining an understanding of these rights and their barriers more accessible. For the delegates such as myself who already had this understanding, we have been able to compliment it by learning about rights beyond our own borders. As most of my work has been based in Scotland so far, I got to learn about the international aspects of the issues I care about most and can now use this to inform my work at home.

The personal and professional development which CSW offers can’t be understated – the online platform provides opportunities to spend your lunch breaks with other delegates, chat about the meetings you’ve been to or recommend books to each other. Particularly for young people, this provides a unique opportunity to network and expand your horizons, irrespective of your background or career path.

CSW68 was a truly invaluable experience. I really encourage anyone – no matter their background – to keep their eye out and sign up to the delegation when CSW69 comes around next year!

Ends!

• The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council – click here to find out more
• Scottish Youth Parliament – click here to find out more
• Sonrisa Project – click here to find out more

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