Image via FIFCJ
A delegation of 20 locally elected women will be in New York from 13-17 March for the 61st UN Commission on the Status of Women. The delegation will be led by Mayor of Paris and UCLG Co-President, Anne Hidalgo, Councilor for Feminisms and LGBTI of Barcelona and President of Metropolis Women, Laura Pérez, and Mayor of Bangangté and President of REFELA, Célestine Ketcha Courtès.
The 2017 Commission on the Status of Women focuses on women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work. UCLG has published a statement to the CSW on this issue, highlighting how local and regional governments can mainstream a gender perspective into the economy through their role as employers, purchasers and service providers. [Read UCLG’s statement to the CSW 61]
The delegation will take advantage of its time in New York to present its message on women’s economic empowerment and to renew and strengthen UCLG’s collaboration with key UN agencies and representatives on the localization of the SDGs. The UCLG Women delegation will be meeting high officials of the UN, including the Director of UN Women, the office of the President of the General Assembly, UN DESA and the office of the Secretary General, to discuss enhanced collaboration with the UN System
Special event: Locally elected women, making the SDGs happen
The highlight of the programme in New York will be the special event ‘Locally elected women, making the SDGs happen’ on 13th March, co-organized by UCLG and UN Women.
This special event will be opened by Celestine Ketcha Courtes, Mayor of Bangangte and President of REFELA, and Cristina Gallach, Under Secretary General of the United Nations for communication and public information. There will then be two roundtable discussions, one on Localizing SDG 5, which will discuss UCLG’s #BeCounted campaign for better global data on the proportion of women in local government, and another on gender equality, SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda. Speakers will include mayors from around the world, as well as UN Ambassador and Special Adviser for Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, Dessima Williams, and Director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, Navid Hanif. [See programme]
The 13th will also see a side-event on ‘Women for sustainable development in Africa’, co-organized by UCLG and REFELA. The debate will bring together women mayors, civil society representatives and UN agencies to discuss gender violence, urban planning, political participation, care work and economic empowerment. [See programme]
