A delegation from School Sisters of Notre Dame, including students from SSND-sponsored Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women as the CSW worked to make financing for gender equality and empowerment of women a priority worldwide. The annual meeting was held February 25-March 7 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. For information about SSND participation, please scroll down and click on the links below.

    SSND-CSW News - 2008

Agreed Conclusions on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination and Violence Against the Girl Child  (pdf)
Over the course of two long weeks of input, discussion, and negotiation, government delegations to the 52nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) labored to reach consensus on the Agreed Conclusions on this year’s priority theme - financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Agreed Conclusions is the principal outcome document of the CSW and identifies the primary areas of concern and formulates recommendations and commitments for governments, intergovernmental bodies, and civil society actors to be implemented at the international, national, regional, and local level. It also serves as the primary content to be included in the Commission’s report to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Analysis of the Agreed Conclusions (pdf)
There is much to laud in the outcome of this year’s meeting. The Commission succeeded in highlighting the importance of mainstreaming gender in the development of finance policy and the necessity of including women in the process.  However, their treatment of girls and their rights and concerns was somewhat arbitrary and wholly inadequate.  And while Commission explored the correlation between gender equality and poverty eradication, they failed to note the key role of education in accomplishing both. Sister Ann Scholz, SSND, director of the
SSND UN-NGO office, provides an incisive analysis of the Agreed Conclusions.

As delegates work, NGOs sponsor events
to raise awareness of concerns related to women, girls
Monday, March 3, 2008

Delegates discuss concerns
with U.S. ambassador to CSW
Thursday, February 28, 2008

WWG Draft 3 - corrected:
Working Group on Girls of the NGO Committee of UNICEF
Suggested Amendments to the Draft
presented by the Bureau of the CSW (Word Doc)  (.pdf)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Presented for review by the Caucus on Girls' Issues and Concerns

SSND delegation continues caucus work,
participation at the CSW
Wednesday, February 27, 2008

In caucuses and workshops, Mount Mary
students at heart of CSW work
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Participants in SSND-sponsored caucus
begin reviewing draft outcome document
Monday, February 25, 2008

Mount Mary students prepare to advocate on behalf
of concerns important to School Sisters of Notre Dame
Sunday, February 24, 2008

Press Release - February 24 (pdf)
School Sisters of Notre Dame to sponsor
parallel event during Commission on the Status of Women

Press Release - February 8 (pdf)
School Sisters of Notre Dame delegation
to participate in U.N. Commission on Status of Women

NGO Statement to the 52nd CSW (co-signed by SSND) (pdf)

If you have any questions about SSND participation
at the Commission on the Status of Women,
please contact Julie Gilberto-Brady, julie-nama@ssnd.org.

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