Report from the CSW 55, NY February/March 2011

Release Date

This year, at the United Nations 55th Commission on the Status of Women Conference, PPSEAWA very proudly co-sponsored three parallel events. The theme for the Conference is: “Access and participation of Women and Girls to Education, Training, Science and Technology”.

The First event took place at the Harvard Club:

Making Our Schools Safer: Working with Girls and Boys”. On the panel was Dutch diplomat David Prins, head of the Conventional Arms Branch of the UN; Ravi Karkara an experienced UNICEF Global Secretariat on Child and Young People; and Chico Colvard, the award- winning Documentary film maker of “Family Affair”. At the end of the program we all read essays of school children from Sri Lanka.

The second event:

Are We Doing Enough for Girls” featured our CSW girls sponsored by New York PPSEAWA. HeeJung Yoon and Megha Cherian conducted a brilliant presentation, speaking for one hour and fifteen minutes and then answering questions about their experiences being the oldest child of immigrant families.

The third event:

”Protecting and Empowering the Girl Child Online and Offline” included a panel with speaker Mrs. Shang- Luan Yan from Taiwan, an expert in gender issues. The event was filled to capacity and the electricity created, flashed throughout the room.

Michelle Bachalet, head of UN Women commented at Orientation Day of the CSW 55 conference “You (girls) represent the future but also more important the present and the world had a duty to listen. Empowerment coupled with access can change the lives of young girls. We need to show that ”WOMAN CAN DO ALL, BUT NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME”. How inspiring to hear these words and to finally have a seat at the table with a powerful, experienced Under- Secretary- General as the first head of UN Women.

Hooray for us all!!