The sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women was held from 14 to 25 March 2022 at the United Nations in New York. In light of the evolving COVID-19 situation, CSW66 took place in a hybrid format, so all side and parallel events are virtual meetings. The priority theme is achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs. The review theme is women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work.
March 16. CSW66 Side Event: ““Women’s Health and Well-being - Impact of Climate Change, the Environment, and NCDs”
PPSEAWA co-sponsored a CSW66 Side Event organized by the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations and the World Health Organization Office at the United Nations in New York . Co-sponsors included International Council of Women (ICW-CIF); Communications Coordination Committee for the United Nations (CCCUN); Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association International (PPSEAWA). The event was the continuation of a long-term agenda to incorporate women’s life course healthcare into the UN agenda with a focus on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) especially in context of major non-communicable diseases (NCDs), specifically, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory illnesses and mental health conditions. With the increasing concerns of the consequences of the impact of climate change, and the major role of women in family health, and providing frontline community healthcare, the importance of UHC and women’s health must be addressed in a systematic and cohesive manner. The panelists spoke on current initiatives and gave recommendations for the path forward.
PPSEAWA sponsored four parallel events during the CSW-NGO Forum:
15 March 2022. Virtual event: “Women and Girls empowerment for climate emergency: The Next”
Sponsor: PPSEAWA Taiwan. Panelists discussed characteristics we should expect from our next generation and ways to empower women to face the challenges of climate change, through policy advocacy and international cooperation based on perspectives from different sectors.
- Ying Ying Lai, Director General, Department of Waste Management at Environmental Protection
Administration. “Circular policy and green development in Taiwan” - Delia B. Senoro, Director of the Office of Mapua University, Philippines. “Addressing Climate Emergencies by Health Vulnerability Reduction Tools During COVID-19 Pandemic”
- Ninomiya-Lim Sachi, Associate Professor of Tokai University, Senior Manager of Student
Achievement Center, Japan. “Women in ‘Dialogues’ for a Sustainable Future” - Hsiao-Fen Lai, Standing Supervisor Homemakers United Foundation (HUF), Taiwan. “Women & Climate Action in Taiwan: The Experience of Homemakers United Foundation”
- Ya-Fen Wang, Director of Sustainable Environmental Education Center, Chung Yuan Christian
University, Professor of Dept. of Environmental Engineering at CYCU, President of the Taiwan
Association for Aerosol research, Consultant to the Asia-Pacific Regional Center for GEEP (Global Environmental Education Partnership), Taiwan. “Students-based Sustainable Environmental Education Action for Southeast Asia Countries”
17 March 2022. Virtual event: “Disrupting Harm Against Children - Lessons from Asia”
The Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association International (PPSEAWA) and ECPAT International jointly organized a Parallel Event during the 66th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations to address online child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation from multi-country perspectives in Asia.
- Introductory Remarks by Akari Yamada, First Vice President PPSEAWA In terminational
- Dr. Raj Abdul Karim, Chair of End CSEC Network Malaysia (ECPAT Malaysia) and Second Vice President of Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA International)
- Rangsima Deesawade, Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia, ECPAT International
- Sunhye Kang, Head of International Cooperation of ECPAT Korea (TACTEENNAEIL)
- Concluding remarks from Mikiko Otani, Chairperson of United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
Key learnings:
Dr Raj stated that every child has a right to be protected and to be safe online. Every child has the right to be informed on the dangers of online sexual exploitation and abuse. It is the parents’ responsibility to monitor their child’s online activities.
Ms. Deeswade advocates for national-scale awareness, whole of society approach to start conversations between children and their caregivers and teachers about online risks and harms.
Ms. Kang says boys are willing to share their stories, but what we think and what boys want is not the same. Thus we need better education/training programs for first responders like police and social workers, as well as service providers for boy survivors.
Ms. Otani suggested that legislators and lawyers should work closely with social workers and therapists with victim training to gather testimony on child sexual exploitation. Prevention before exploitation occurs would be best way forward for all children.
21 March 2022. Hybrid event: “Asia Actions in Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment”
Soroptimist International and PPSEAWA International co-sponsored this hybrid event. Speakers:
Keynote address by Mondhiya Bhangsba
- Ms. Kazuko Morita, Soroptimist International Association President (Japan). “The Dream program and Economic Empowerment at Work” Japan’s Actions: Grant assistance, Outplacement, Recognition of good practice in the company, Entrepreneurial assistance, Workplace reform assistance, Promotion to executive and managerial positions, Additional child-core facilities. SIA’s Actions: Vision: Women& Girls have the potential and live their dreams. Mission: Provides women and girls with the access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.
- Dr. Chaiskran Hiranpruk, PPSEAWA UNESCAP Representative (Thailand). “How to Advance Women’s Economic Empowerment”: Eliminate discriminatory, simplify procedures for ablating official personnel, Stress free, transfer directly into people’s bank accounts, expand options to deliver creditworthiness.
- Ms. Queen Chang, Past Governor of SIA Taiwan Region (Taiwan). “Taiwan’s actions: reducing the care-giving stress of women during COVID-19 pandemic.”
- Ms. Puan Sri Siew Yong Gnanalingam, Past President pf SI South West Pacific (Malaysia). Projects in Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment”
“SI Damansara, Desa Mentari Project” helps young women to leave village to break gender stereotype, successful organic farming project. “Blossom Project” helps single mothers of low economic standing in Penang. “Collaboration with Steppingstones”, “Women Institute of Management (WIM)” help women to break the economic glass ceiling with women’s leadership program on middle management, advance career path, learning to strengthen value to employers. “As we look into the future, a sustainable and equal recovery for all is only possible if there is a feminist recovery: one that puts progress for women and girls at the evert.” - Ms. Jungmi Lim, Board Member of SIA (Korea). “Asia Actions in Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment”
22 March 2022. Virtual event: “Climate Change and Migration: The Intersection of Climate Change, Migration, and Gender”
PPSEAWA International was a con-sponsor on this virtual event organized by the Washington and Lee University Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
Panel One: “Wartime environmental degradation impact on women and children in Ukraine”
- Dr. Martha Kichorowska Kebalo Main Representative of WFUWO to the United Nations / ECOSOC
- Ms. Lesya Nikolayeva International Environmental Expert, Chair of the Organization “Ukrainian
Women in Switzerland” - Dr. Olena Maslyukivska Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental Studies of the
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine,
Topic: Children are exposed to the hazardous environment, malnourished, and dehydrated, under psychological stress. Life in basements without basic hygienic conditions. Air pollution from shelling, patrol storges burning debris. Asbestos from destructed buildings covered. By slate. Contamination of clean water and sanitation. Inadequate nutrition. Hospitals in basements. Affecting children’s mental health. Displacement and migration. Reports about sexual and physical violence and abuse of women and girls.
Panel Two: Climate Change and Island States
Akari Yamada, PPSEAWA USA. Topic: “Climate Linked Migration and Pacific Women”
Warmer temperatures affect rising of the sea level, coral bleaching, and fishing. Relocation for school and work. Economic impact of Migration from Fiji and Tonga to Australia, New Zealand, California, Hawaii, and
Utah. Other Impacts on Pacific Women and Girls: Climate related disasters can increase cases of violence against women, deaths, and be injured. Need a paradigm shift to include non-economic loss: loss of non-tangible, value-based assets such as culture, heritage, and language. Promising model for inclusive Climate Response: Young Tonga Women Climate Change Network hosts training workshops. Young women learned to allocate jobs during a climate crisis like a tsunami to family members such as storing clothes for protection and directing people to an evacuation center. Tongan young women also became part of a regional network, meeting with women’s groups in seven other Pacific countries to exchange ideas on resilience building and adaptation measures.
Students at Washington and Lee University presented on the following topics:
- “Climate Change and Women in Indonesia”
- “Climate Change and Migration in Madagascar”
- “Tuvalu” -Petition the UN High Commission on Refugees to rewrite its harmful refugee definition to include climate refugees