Ambassador Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, reminded us that this event, hosted by Israel, was the first time since October 7, 2023 that any meeting was held at the United Nations regarding the hostages taken by Hamas. Sexual violence against Israeli women during the October 7 attack and additional reporting that make...
Factoid: One striking fact for me personally was that women are 18% less likely than men to have loans approved, facing rejection due to gender bias. I’m often surprised by how even seemingly minor details can reveal underlying inequality.
As a lifelong Texan and then young immigrant in Russia, I have experienced dismissive attitudes towards feminism and women’s issues. Even the simple discussion of these topics tended to be rejected as hysterical propaganda. I was obviously aware, to some extent, of misogyny...
From March 11–14, 2024 I attended my first Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) at the UN in New York City. I attended 14 sessions in total, which I have listed below. Some were held in small-to-medium-sized conference rooms with a few dozen participants; others were held in the main UN General Assembly Hall with...
Language matters, especially in official UN reports and texts that countries – or parties – negotiate and agree to uphold. The annual COP, the 28th of its kind and last held in December 2023 in Dubai, was no exception to this practice. As Civil Society Observers and members of the Women & Gender Constituency (WGC), we begin...
