#CSW63 Giving a voice to the voiceless - Roma

Day 3: Tuesday 12th March 2019

Tonight as part of the EI delegation we went to see a special showing of the Oscar winning Roma. As a film on my watch list I was glad to see it as part of the #CSW63 programme.

Yet nothing prepared me for the power of the message.

Unlike watching it at home on Netflix, we were in a beautiful auditorium at the Ford Centre for Social Justice which is an awe-inspiring space.

Our movie night started with an introduction by the President of the Ford Centre Darren Walker, the film was introduced to the audience via the voices of domestic workers.



To hear the panel discussion was powerful and insightful.  Domestic workers around the world are the great unseen, they care for our loved ones, organise our homes and are a part of our households.  However this section of the global workforce are the sector unlikely to be given basic workers rights as social protections, no maternity entitlements, paid leave, protective equipment, clear working hours or even a job description.

However the panel representing Asia, Africa and the Americas also demonstrated that with education, mobilisation and organisation the domestic workers sector can find and amplify their voices.

The film was brilliantly made and the story so well presented (no spoilers) however we agreed that to have the panel discussion first, helped to ground the fiction in real life.  This was not just about an Oscar winning film, it was very much about the voice of domestic workers.

Some people would question why this is an issue for teachers or teacher trade unionists? because we are all part of the same workforce and where there is exploitation, that impacts on us all.

I recommend Roma as it gives visibility and voice to those whose job it is to be invisible, but we must see the person and protect their rights to a just and fair working environment and life balance.

#CSW63 UN CSW 63 Opening Ceremony

Monday 11th March 2019

My first day at #CSW and I got a golden ticket!!!!

With many panicked messages and phone calls, our fantastic delegation leaders finally got me to pick up my phone and I was glad I did! Rebeca and Madeline offered me a ticket and I was into the chamber.

After nearly causing an incident at security (through a drink and lots of badges) I made it through to the other side and what a sight, my breath caught as I saw this wide space in the middle of New York.  My first thoughts were peaceful and thoughtful, even with so many people milling around and taking pictures.

I was quickly ushered through to the entrance hall where I am straight away faced with a statue of Nelson Mandela with his arms wide welcoming me to the building.  I felt at home, as Mandela stands in Parliament Square and welcomes us when I take groups of students to visit Parliament. Mandela felt like home.

Yesterday was a true moment for me.

I have taught about the UN, it’s positives and negatives for my whole teaching career and yesterday I was literally in the room where it happened.

I queued for the lifts and went up to the 4th floor. As I showed my pass and ID, I again took a breath as I entered the upper level of the chamber - I wasn't disappointed!

I had 2 phones in my hands, live videoing on FB and Twitter. I was tweeting and posting pictures. I was writing notes and I was listening - I looked like a crazy woman! 

But I felt so privileged to be in this space on behalf of Education International.

The opening was started by speeches from the President of #CSW63, the Secretary General of the UN and a representative of the Security Council.  The messages were powerful. We were reminded that when women are excluded, we all weep and that when the competency of women are constantly questioned then we lose out on the best talent.  My favourite quote was that "It's not enough to add women and stir", the clear call for true women's rights and not tokenistic gestures was loud.

We were told how the UN is trying to get its own house in order, with more women around the table of the Secretary-General who as an avowed feminist himself, is actively recruiting and promoting women.  As he said, when women are involved in the decision making and negotiations then decisions stick and are successful. Proving that it is important to have women at all levels of decision making. 

The work the Security Council are doing around the use of sexual violence during conflict is moving up a next level to now collecting data to actually measure if the actions taken are making an impact.  The fact that 70% of the resolutions relate back to women and girls, and 90% of the presidential statements does the same, shows a push to recognise the issue.  However to admit that more women blue helmets and negotiators.

There was so much reference to the importance of education and teaching (maybe should have been some more on the importance of women teachers but that's just me!)
I got an opportunity that only some get, to be a teeny, tiny part of the process of drafting a resolution that will have an impact on the lives of women and girls around the world if governments get it right.

The UN clearly have women and girls on the agenda, however as an organisation it is also honest about the fact that more needs to be done, and time is running out for the organisation to meet the deadline of the Beijing Declaration. However the fact that Gender Equality is "no longer an option discussed at the end of the meeting, if we have time" as said by the representative of the security council, shows that there is a large amount of political will to keep gender on the table.


Watch Video: Opening Ceremony #CSW63

Watch video: Sec-Gen Statement to CSW63

UN Secretary General's Remarks #CSW63 11/3/19

#CSW63 Self-Care

Tuesday 11th March 2019

Reflections for the day is that the #CSW63 is a powerful and empowering space for women. Whether you are an NGO, diplomat, trade unionist, campaigner, this week is about engaging with the wide picture of discrimination faced by women and girls across the world.

Although we are being given examples of where our activism is working and improving the lives of our sisters, unfortunately this is overtaken by examples of where we need to work or try harder.

We are activists because we are able to empathise and sympathise in connection with our sisters across the world, but what motivates us is the willingness and skills to take action.

We are here this week because we are driven to make a difference.

BUT as activists we also must look after our wellbeing, activist burnout is a very real consequence of being active. And as activists we often sacrifice ourselves for the struggle.

However we are too important to the struggle to not look after ourselves.

It is not selfish to step away from the emails/phone/letters to do something else.

It is not selfish to spend time socialising with your friends and family.

It is not selfish to go on holiday and not take your phone.

It is not selfish to not spend another Saturday organising a rally or march. to go watch your children play sport or visit your mother.

As a first time attendee to #CSW63 it is important to note that we must prioritise self care:

• Try to give your self space in between sessions to think and reconcile what you have heard
• Identify one thing you will do as a result of what you have heard- ie post about it on social media, talk to sister about your thoughts,  send an email, 
• Emotionally rebalance - hug it out, cry or laugh, go for a walk, read a book/magazine, watch a cat video :) 
• Find yourself - remember why you are involved in the struggle, what drove you to get active

As activists, we are only as good as our own wellbeing. Our strength is the capacity to fight for others but we must also fight for ourselves too.  We are all part of a wider struggle, we are all linked and connected so we must look after each other and be a strength to our sisters, aunts, daughters, mothers, grandmothers.

We matter, because our sisters matter

#CSW63 What is 'intersectional'?

Tuesday 11th March 2019

There have been references to the need for intersectional perspective when discussing all of the issues impacting on women's rights.

The first message I understood from #CSW63, its the importance to remember that Women's Rights are Human Rights. As was said at the opening ceremony by the representative of the UN Security Council, it is unacceptable that in 2019 50% of humanity is not afforded the full rights that all humans deserve.

As she said "We can't be happy with this!"

However it's important to note that is a variation of the understanding of the term 'Intersectional'.  It appears in UN language, intersectional is about the experiences and positions that women find themselves in i.e. women refugees, women domestic workers, women social activists.

Alternatively in the UK and the USA when we talk about Intersectionality, its where our cultural and membership of personal communities meet.  These are like 'secret' identities which we use to interact with others inside or outside of those cultural identity.

A few of these include:
Biological Sex
Ethnicity
Sexual Orientation
Gender Identity
Nationality (or country of origin)
Cultural Heritage
Religion
Social/Economic Status


 i.e. a Black (ethnicity) Cis-Woman (gender & biological sex) or a Lesbian (sexual orientation), Indigienous (cultural heritage) Trans-Woman (Gender)  or a Non-Binary (Gender identity) Migrant (nationality or social/economic status)

It is crucial to acknowledge that we all have an intersectional identity, which helps us to decode the world around us and that due to the experiences we have and how we have developed these 'secret identities' means that we may find a commonality with those with similar identities but also due to the mix, we may also have differences.

At the end of the day, we have to give individuals and groups the space to form these identities, acknowledge and amplify their voices irrespective of which 'secret identity' they are wearing that day.

As women activists we have a duty to provide a space for each other where we can learn from all of our experiences, as use these interactions as a way to strengthen the sisterhood.  Through understanding, empathy and compassion we should always find an opportunity to build up another sister's voice.

#CSW63 The Goal

Sunday 10th March 2019

So what is the goal of #CSW63 ?

Overall, it is to get member states of the UN to formally propose and adopt a set of agreed conclusions.

The process started weeks ago where the UN came up with a framework for discussion (as identified by an expert group) this then led to a production of a Zero draft. by the UN Office of Women.

Countries were then invited to comment on the Zero draft by submitting amendments.

All the amendments are drawn together to produce a huge document called a compilation draft.

This version of the draft is then submitted for a first read through and it is because of this the document then starts getting 'tidied up' and the draft becomes more readable.

It is at this stage when the NGOs, civil societies and trade unions are invited to influence their government representatives to ensure their contributions to the agreed conclusion draft represents the needs of the women in the parts of the world they represent.

#CSW63 the focus as NGOs etc are running their own parallel process with their own Zero start point.



When we talk about UN resolutions and the Millennium Development Goals, those of us outside of the drafting process are completely how much work goes into producing a final document.

As a citizenship teacher I talk about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child constantly in class without truly understanding how we've arrived at a final document that can be reduced 2 one double sided sheet that my year 9 classes stick in their books.

These resolutions and conclusions have a direct impact on the lives of millions of people around the world, so it is crucial to get the correct wording and sentiment as well as because the hardest part will be to get governments to not just agree to the resolutions, but also to put time and resources into achieving them.

The deadline is 2030 and the ILO are calling for a true 'quantum leap' to be able to reach this target date.  But with a number of countries objecting to references to reproduction rights for women or references to LGBTIQ rights, there is clearly a lot of work to be done.

UN: Commission on the Status of Women

#CSW63 Meeting the Delegation

Sunday 10th March 2019

Today we finally all met (in person) the Education International delegation and it was quick to realise that whether woman teachers are in Canada, Norway, Germany, Jamaica or Canada there is more commonality than differences.

All of us have identified where women activists are still fighting for their own place in their unions, women make up 70-80% of the education workforce globally, yet there are still huge barriers to women educators becoming leaders in the union movement.  

The talent and brilliance in this room hit like a brick to the head, how much talent is lost from the movement because so  many women are not able to have their voices heard within the movement where we are in the majority!

To say I felt humbled, was an understatement.

This week I am prepared to listen to the voices of sisters from around the world who are fighting for the survival of their cultures, communities and their lives.  All of our battles are relative, but most importantly they are all linked.  If women in one part of the world have been denied their right to thrive (not just survive) then that is an attack on all of us, women (and men).

Today, this was the message I felt.  Meeting the rest of the Global Unions Delegation to #CSW63 also made me realise how much work goes into am international resolutions. The challenges and fights that happen before the document is published on line. 

Today's battle for women's rights was kicked off

Our fight will prevail!

Women together? Be very aware

#CSW63 The Realisation of a Dream

Saturday 9th March 2019

Today was about arriving in New York and checking into the hotel.  Then the excitement of collecting my UN pass.

There is nothing that can describe the feeling when you walk past the UN Buildings in New Yorrk..  To know that Eleanor Roosevelt had a vision of a forum where countries can come together and discuss, debate and negotiate to avoid conflicts in the future. This was just an idea that the First Lady dremed of and went through the long process of setting up.  By cajoling and appealing to the best of nations Eleanor Roosevelt brought together those first few countries into the League of Nations.  But despite this initiative, World War 2 started and as a modern society we saw again the worst of human nature.  We saw what happens when those with power don't protect the" voiceless" and left our world worse.

Instead of the League of Nations collapsing, instead it became introspective and focused on being a stronger voice for the voiceless. The UN grew out of the ashes of post WW2 despair and provided hope for millions around the world.  But the UN as a structure, as an organisation is aware that it is imperfect. Yet Eleanor Roosevelt's dream prevails.

The UN continues to build spaces for the voiceless internationally and in their own front garden.  It helps to focus the power for moments in time, but also has the strength to continue with the mission.  The goal of the union is to make our world more just, more equal and more fair.  It is a symbol of hope and safety for so many around the world.

And this is why I geek out every time I think about the privilege I have as a representative of @NASUWT in the @Eduint sector of the Global Trade Union delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women 2019