Left to right: Sascha Gabizon (WECF Executive Director), Hira Amjad (Founder and Executive Director DASTAK Foundation), Rebecca Heuvelmans (WECF Advocacy and Campaigning Officer/Moderator) It is often said that everybody has the same number of hours in a day, but is that really the case? Time is one of our most precious resources. But in our patriarchal societies, the time of women and girls – in all their diversity – is not valued equally, as they are disproportionately tasked with time consuming care responsibilities. . This includes, for example, gendered tasks such as collecting firewood or water, which for the large majority is done by women and girls, preventing them from enjoying education or pursuing paid employment. These hours of unpaid work often remain hidden, yet we know they will further increase given the exacerbating effects of climate change. Between 10 and 22 March, the world’s governments met at the United Nations for the largest gathering on women’s empowerment a
Met Nederlands ambassadeur en CSW Facilitator Yoka Brandt op de foto na afloop van de CSW68 “We have reservations on the text. We don’t have instructions to proceed to adoption .” After seven days of negotiations at the UN during this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Nigeria almost blocked the negotiated outcome document from being adopted. Almost, because after some formal and informal interventions in Conference Room 4, the Nigerian delegate, flanked by the Dutch Ambassador Yoka Brandt, added: “I now have instructions to support the adoption.” On the balcony filled with civil society as well as in the plenary room there was a clear sigh of relief followed by enthusiastic applause, hugging and photo taking. We have Agreed Conclusions ! Early negotiations As usual, the CSW negotiations process started early February with a Zero Draft , developed by UN Women and the CSW Bureau. And with input and inspiration taken from the Secretary General Report. For the EU, as