CSW 65: How Religious and Traditional Actors Are Advancing Women’s Participation and Leadership in Public Life

On Monday, March 22, from 9:00-10:30 AM EST, the Network for Religious and Traditional Leaders, Cordaid, the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, and Religions for Peace will host the event, “How Religious and Traditional Actors Are Advancing Women’s Participation and Leadership in Public Life,” as part of the Sixty-Fifth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

Religious actors are important community organizers who work to create sustainable and equitable peace within their communities. During this turbulent time, their leadership has helped to address the continued devastating impacts as a result of COVID-19 within their communities, as well as the growing backlash against basic human rights, including civil and political rights. This backlash can notably be seen within the advancement of women’s leadership and the broader gender equality agenda. From discriminatory laws and social norms to targeted violence against politically-active women, these barriers prevent women, especially young women, from meaningful participation and from advancing into higher forms of leadership.

Religious actors have been at the forefront of their communities in shaping and advancing women’s leadership and participation in public life, as political leaders, healthcare leaders, and leaders of peace. As of January 1, 2020, women make up 24.9% of parliaments globally, 6.6% as Heads of State, and 6.2% of Heads of Government.  As these percentages have been steadily improving over time, the World Economic Forum calculates that at the current pace it will still take 94.5 years to achieve political parity.

In line with the priority theme of the sixty-fifth session of the CSW on advancing, “Women’s Full and Effective Participation and Decision-Making in Public Life,” the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Women’s Feminist Movements and Leadership, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the event will showcase examples of how religious actors, both men and women, are advancing women’s leadership and participation in public life. Through a fire-side chat among five religious actors, the discussion will focus on best practices, lessons learned and a way forward in advancing women’s leadership and pushing back against the push back on gender equality.

CSW, which will take place this year from March 15 to 26, offers an opportunity for a global intergovernmental body to focus exclusively on advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women all over the world. This year’s priority theme will focus on, “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.”

Please note that you must have a profile on the NGO CSW65 virtual platform to register for this event. You can register as an NGO CSW65 Virtual Forum Advocate for free here: NGO CSW65 Forum Advocate registration page link.

You can log in to an existing account here.

After registering as an Advocate, you can add this event to your calendar of CSW events here.