CSW: The critical role of institutions in promoting gender equality

BIC NEW YORK — At the 68th session of the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) underscored the critical role of institutions in dismantling barriers to women’s full participation in society. This idea is central to a recent statement of the BIC and builds on its long-standing contributions to the global discourse on the equality of women and men.

At an event associated with the Commission, Liliane Nkunzimana, a BIC representative from the New York Office, shared an account from Zambia about how institutions can foster social betterment when they are guided by the principle of the equality of women and men.

In this community, the Bahá’í Local Spiritual Assembly took a proactive role, organizing a gathering of some 120 women of various faith backgrounds, in collaboration with village leaders, to explore the advancement of women. By assuming responsibility for all logistical arrangements, including meal preparation, the male members of the Local Assembly and other men in the community enabled the female members of the Assembly and other women to engage fully—a level of support described by many as a remarkable shift within the historical context of their society.

The outcome was profound: the event sparked initiatives such as literacy classes for women, support for local agricultural projects, and the creation of a local savings bank for income generation.

Daniel Perell, another representative from the New York Office, expanded on the principle of equality, noting that it transcends mere parity in status. “It is about collaboratively shaping a new reality, something we have yet to fully envision,” he said.

During the week-long session of the Commission, the BIC organized eight events, bringing together over 570 participants. These included representatives from member states, UN agencies, and civil society organizations, underscoring a spirit of collaboration and dialogue among diverse social actors.

The BIC delegation to the Commission, comprising Ms. Nkunzimana, Mr. Perell, and over two dozen other delegates, represented a wide array of experiences from the global Bahá’í community. This group included members of the BIC Offices in Addis Ababa, Cairo, Geneva, and New York, alongside members of the national Bahá’í communities of Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Oman, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Glimpses of the BIC’s participation at CSW68

Below are selected highlights from the BIC delegation’s participation in forums of the Commission as well as related events hosted by the BIC.

The New York and Geneva Offices of the BIC co-hosted an event that highlighted the Our Story is One campaign and the power of individual and community-level action to effect change.

Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba from Kenya emphasized that the journey for equality across the globe transcends ethnicity and religion. She highlighted the universal aspects of their challenges and underscored the importance of a collective journey toward equality.

Echoing this sentiment, Azza Karam, President of Lead Integrity and former Secretary General of Religions for Peace, said: “Our story is one and our struggle needs to be one, too. If there is one thing that has characterized women’s movements anywhere in the world, it is that we consistently insist on standing shoulder to shoulder with one another because women are women anywhere.”

Another speaker, Kristina Arriaga, Trustee of Meta’s Oversight Board, said: “We are all born with human dignity, regardless of the color of our skin, our gender, and in which country we have been born.”

The BIC co-hosted an event with the Kenyan government’s Office of the President’s Advisor on Women’s Rights focused on strengthening institutions to advance women’s rights in Africa.

Representatives of Bahá’í communities in the Arab Region convened a gathering titled Empowerment Through Institutions: A Collective Approach to Gender Equality.

Drawing inspiration from a metaphor in the Bahá’í teachings, Wajeeha Al-Baharna, founder and vice-president of the Bahrain Women’s Association, stated that “women and men are like two wings of a bird, society cannot prosper without the efforts of both.”

An event hosted by the BIC, and the Bahá’í Offices of External Affairs in Australia and Canada, titled From Conflict to Collaboration: Transforming Institutions to Promote Gender Equality.

In view of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, an event was co-hosted by the BIC with Ifeyinwa Ofong Main Representative of WorldWIDE Network Nigeria to the United Nations, where participants discussed the roles of individuals and institutions in securing women’s equal land rights, with a special focus on bridging the gap from creation to implementation of inheritance laws.

A member of the BIC delegation from Tunisia, Mohamed Ben Moussa, at an event co-hosted by Ethical Business Building the Future (EBBF)—a Bahá’í-inspired association that explores the application of moral principles to work and daily life.

BIC delegate Atieno Mboya from Kenya at an event by the UK CSW Association to explore the relationship between poverty, wealth, and current economic norms, from a perspective of the Global South.

BIC delegates attended the CSW68 Youth Forum, where young people from around the world reflected on how they could contribute to building gender-equal societies.

BIC representative from the New York Office, Cecilia Schirmeister, at the Youth Voices event at the UK Mission to the UN.

Source: https://news.bahai.org/