The UN Commission on the Status of Women is a high-level meeting and decision-making platform for governments, activists, and NGOs to discuss women’s rights and empowerment. Each year the Commission comes together for a two-week session at the UN headquarters in New York and negotiate an outcome document. The priority theme for this edition is focused on the challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls:
This year, IFMSA is represented by a delegation of 8 members:
- Alicia Fengler (bvmd-Germany and Head of Delegation)
- Aurora Ursula Joala (EstMSA-Estonia)
- Chantal Marchini (IFMSA-Sweden)
- Mariel Carrasco (IFMSA-Panama)
- Stephanie McKelvie (AMSA-Australia)
- Rachel Higgins (SfGH-UK)
- Rujvee Patel (MSAI-India)
- Vivian Wei-An Chen (FMS-Taiwan)
IFMSA is utilizing the CSW as a great opportunity to meet our partners, participate in discussions and pass on IFMSA’s stances using advocacy tools such as policy briefs and other materials as well as promote more meaningful youth participation within spaces at the CSW like the Youth Dialogue. It is one of the most important platforms where we can shed light on medical students’ voices and actions. Our goals for attending the CSW are the following:
- Having medical students’ voices heard at the UN level (through statements, interventions, and active participation).
- Continuing and strengthening existing partnerships, and building new ones.
- Increase IFMSA’s participation and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) linked to women’s rights and our engagement in these processes.
- Advocate for meaningful youth participation and a link between women and health
Throughout the past days, IFMSA has been focusing on attending and participating in high-level panels and side events related to health and women’s rights as well as meeting with different governmental delegations for updates about the outcome document.
Ensuring Comprehensive Sexuality Education worldwide is one of several focus points of IFMSA at CSW: On March 13th the IFMSA delegation attended the event “Education for a Healthy Future: Understanding Comprehensive Sexuality Education through Classroom Experience, International Technical Guidance and country reflections” at which we could discuss this issue with UN Women Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka and other high-level speakers.
Other highlights were the Opening Session of the CSW and the town-hall event for NGOs with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. In addition, other side events attended discussed diverse topics like NCDs and Women, Female Genital Mutilation and Modern Slavery. Finally, it’s also important to note that on March 14th Jaha Dukureh, UN Women’s Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, met up with part of our delegation.
Stay tuned for further updates from your delegation in New York City about the Youth Dialogue and other events happening in the second week of CSW.
IFMSA delegation to the 62nd UN Commission on the Status of Women:
Alicia, Aurora, Chantal, Mariel, Rachel, Rujvee, Stephanie, Vivian
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