OneMama UN Delegation at CSW65 2021

NGO OneMama and Delegates Attend the 65th Session on the Commission on the Status of Women Virtually

As an ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organization (NGO), OneMama is proud to have 2021 be the first year we bring our own delegates to the United Nations CSW65 world stage…virtually!

CSW65 was the first virtual event and it went quite smoothly! You can find our event page HERE for all the details.
THANK YOU to all who attended and helped make this event a great community success!

We were able to capture the event live and you can find that HERE:

OneMama delegates are loyal and optimistic through the ups and downs surrounding this unprecedented state of affairs that are no doubt going to cause strain on the work OneMama does. We are excited to ride the motivation leading up to the CSW in order to continue our work towards lasting change on a global scale and in conformity with the 2021 CSW themes.

Read Our Inspired Delegate Stories following CSW65:

OneMama Stories: An Inspiring “Mama” Changing Women’s Health
https://blog.fightingforyourjoy.com/onemama-stories-an-inspiring-mama-changing-womens-health
The Virtual Dance Party that Saved Lives
https://blog.fightingforyourjoy.com/virtual-dance-party-fundraiser

What is the CSW65?

This year, the 65^th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, will take place from 15 to 26 March, under the theme, “Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. The session this year will be mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is also an important bridge to the Generation Equality Forum, organized by UN Women and co-hosted by the Governments of France and Mexico, in conjunction with youth and civil society, and will be a pivotal opportunity to change our societies and cement women’s leadership as we recover from COVID-19. The Forum will kick-off in Mexico City from 29 to 31 March, and culminate in Paris 30 June to 2 July 2021. 

• CSW 65 official documents
• Webcasts
• Side events
• Speeches and statements

Newly released data shows that progress to achieve gender equality in public life and decision-making has been too slow.

• Women make up 25 per cent of parliamentarians globally, and only three countries have 50 per cent or more women in parliament.
• Less than one per cent of parliamentarians are women under 30 years of age.
• Women make up only 13 per cent of negotiators, 6 per cent of mediators and 6 per cent of signatories in formal peace processes.
• In 2020, only 7.4 per cent of Fortune 500 companies were run by women.
• Just 22 countries in the world are headed by a woman.

At the current rate of progress, it will take another 130 years to reach gender equality at the highest positions of power.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted women disproportionately – from loss of jobs to rise in violence against women and unpaid care work. Although women are at the front line of COVID-19 response as healthcare workers, innovators and leaders, their contributions remain less visible and less valued. Only 3.5 per cent of COVID-19 task forces across 87 countries had gender parity.

So, what happens when women lead? Evidence shows that when women are in power, they invest in often-overlooked policy measures – from expanding healthcare and education to green economies and ending violence against women – that ultimately build sustainable and resilient futures.

Building back better from COVID-19 needs women at the centre, leading, making decisions that serve the planet, address inequalities, and achieve equal power-sharing.

Achieving gender equality in leadership and decision-making is possible. Gender quotas in legislatures and other sectors, zero tolerance to violence, special measures that enable women to enter the political pipeline, and dedicated funding to women’s organizations, have proven to be catalytic in bringing change.

OneMama’s Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The global COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to the advancement and security of women. Its impact on rural communities worldwide proved particularly devastating with women trapped in domestic violence situations, limited access to medical care, and a veritable collapse of economic opportunities.

Building an inclusive and effective path for the sustainable and resilient recovery from the pandemic while honoring the 2030 Agenda and principle of “ensuring that no one is left behind” at the global, regional and national levels is crucial.

As an NGO supporting the rural community of Kirindi in Uganda (East Africa), we are an emblematic case study of the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic both exacerbated and enhanced for rural communities and their women globally. OneMama Inc. promotes sustainable development, maternal health, and community health in a rural model and advocates for sustainable and resilient recovery through our unique programming. We advocate for building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda particularly around the SDGs that closely align with our program and work: Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Sustainable development will not holistically happen until rural women and their communities are considered.

In rural areas in Uganda, particularly that of Kirindi, COVID-19 restrictions on transportation (motorcycle and buses) have made it extremely difficult for women to get to our health clinic without walking long distances while pregnant or suffering from illnesses. COVID-19 restrictions also put a halt on all community meetings, craft and OneMama collection women’s group meetings, including our ability to offer limited domestic violence prevention trainings.

Sales of agricultural crops in physical market places shrunk drastically due to contact restrictions and transportation cuts. All these restrictions are also making it hard to get medical supplies like our birth control and medications. Simple home COVID-19 tests have been impossible to access so we can’t track it in our community. The vaccines that have been made recently will most likely never reach our community and if they do they also may not keep since we don’t have the kind of refrigeration needed to protect the vaccine. Domestic violence has increased significantly with the lock downs, giving the women no alternatives to flee or free themselves.

We recommend the following actions to ensure rural women in all global communities are not left behind as developed parts of the world rise from the pandemic more rapidly:

• Tracking health issues we suspect to be COVID-19 due to absence of testing. We are watching and communicating daily with our patients and community and increasing medical supplies for both the birthing and medical clinic.
• Hosting community education days on COVID-19, birthing, family planning, best practices in self-care and domestic violence prevention.
• Searching for funding and partnerships as international restrictions halted 75% of funding.

A partner to provide COVID-19 testing and a vaccine that is distributable in rural areas without refrigeration access.

To read the Full Statement by OneMama, click here.

How Can You Get Involved?

To donate to OneMama’s programs, click here.

If you are interested to be a OneMama UN Delegate, click here.

Interested in hearing about our past trips to the CSW? Recaps from past years:

CSW64 2020
CSW63 2019
CSW62 2018
CSW61 2017
CSW60 2016
CSW59 2015