MenEngage Alliance members to take part in the Commission on the Status of Women

From the 14^th to the 25^th of March 2022, the 66^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place. As in past years, MenEngage Alliance members and partners are taking part in this critical space, alongside other feminist organizations and leaders.

The United Nations describes CSW as ​‘the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.’ This year’s session will prioritize that said theme in the context of climate change: policies and programmes to reduce the risk of environmental disasters.

CSW consists of sessions co-organized by the UN and governments, called ​‘side events’. It also consists of civil-society led sessions, called ​‘parallel events’, organized by NGO-CSW. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all the side and parallel events will take place virtually, with some official sessions held in hybrid format for New York-based delegates.

Supporting the climate justice agenda as part of this year’s CSW theme 

Global Climate Justice Working Group

Reflecting this year’s focus on the climate emergency, the MenEngage Alliance Climate Justice Working Group mobilized ahead of CSW66. The group worked to strategize, organize, and prepare our advocacy for this year’s session.

The working group, made up of members from across MenEngage regional networks, aims to strengthen the Alliance’s engagement, position, and clarity on climate justice. It seeks to mobilize and work with members and partners towards deconstructing patriarchal masculinities and creating a climate- and gender-just world.

Participant members include:

• YouthNet for Climate Justice and Fridays for Future (Bangladesh)
• MÄN (Sweden)
• Rural development initiative (Rwanda)
• Community Transformation Foundation Network (COFTONE) (Uganda)
• Red Cross Togo (Togo)
• Center ANNA (Russia)
• The Gender Lab (India)
• MenEngage Belgium network
• Grenada Conservation Fund (Grenada)
• IGDS/UWI (Trinidad and Tobago)

Joint MenEngage Alliance Written Statement

Through the Global Climate Justice Working Group, MenEngage Alliance and Sonke Gender Justice submitted a written statement, calling for action in response to the gendered impacts of climate change.

Click here to read the Joint Written Statement

Oral Statement

MenEngage Alliance, alongside the Global Climate Justice Working Group, in partnership with youth climate movement Fridays for Future (Bangladesh) and indigenous organizations (including Community Transformation Foundation Network (COTFONE), Uganda) came together to draft an oral statement for the CSW General Discussion. The statement highlights the imperative to further explore and unpack the root causes of the climate crisis and take bold and transformative actions for climate, gender, and social justice.

Read the transcript here.
Watch the video here.

Language Advocacy on CSW66 Agreed Conclusions

The MenEngage Advocacy Working Group and Global Climate Justice working group have been collaborating to provide inputs to the text of the official outcome document of CSW66 — the Agreed Conclusions and the Resolution on the Methods of Work of CSW.

Click here to see the draft version from CSW66 Agreed Conclusions.
Click here to see the draft version of the Methods of Work Resolution.

MenEngage Alliance is co-organizing a number of sessions around CSW66 and NGO-CSW this year:

Masculinities and Patriarchy in Climate Change and Gender Justice: Collective Learnings for Building Political Momentum at CSW66 and Beyond 

• Thursday, 10^th of March 2022
• 8am — 11am EST
• Register to join

This session will unpack key themes towards accountable advocacy in solidarity and allyship with women’s rights, feminist, SRHR, and LGBTQIA+ activists and organizations at CSW66​.It will explore the feminist political agenda for this year’s CSW, and its links to men and masculinities through an accountable advocacy and allyship movement-building.

The aim is to build understanding on this year’s priority theme, negotiations, geopolitics, and the possible roles of civil society. As well as to develop an action plan for meaningful engagement throughout the CSW66 with tools, tips, and resources.

Transforming Patriarchal Masculinities for Women’s Rights, Gender, and Climate Justice 

NGO CSW Parallel Event

• Tuesday, 15^th of March 2022
• 8am — 10am EST
• Register to join

Men and Unpaid Care Work: Global perspectives – Covid and beyond 

NGO CSW Parallel Event

• Tuesday, 15^th of March 2022
• 9am — 11am EST
• Register to join

The session will present the programmatic experiences of various organizations during and post COVID from across the globe on working with men and boys towards building more gender-just families and communities and building care economies to contribute to achieve women’s economic empowerment in the changing word. Participants are encouraged to bring their questions, experiences, and ideas as part of this dialogue.

Climate Justice as Gender Justice: Making the case to address Masculinities and Patriarchy in Climate Change 

CSW Side Event

• Friday, 18^th of March 2022
• 9am — 10:30am EST
• Register to join

This session will unpack the links between the climate crisis and patriarchy, gender norms, engaging men and boys, and transforming masculinities.

To seriously tackle the climate crisis, addressing its root causes is fundamental. These include patriarchal systems and norms. Dismantling them starts with holding men in positions of power accountable, and working with men and boys to strengthen allyship and solidarity with feminist, youth, and climate justice movements.

This session will discuss insights from policy, research, and practice with civil society, UN agencies, and governments who prioritize these issues sharing experiences and expertise.

MenEngage Alliance Caucus Meetings 

These two sessions will serve as a way for members and partners, joining CSW66, to connect. It aims to be a space for linking and learning, relationship building, sharing of promising practices, and collective strategizing with other members of the Alliance.

Opening MenEngage Alliance Caucus

• Monday, 14^th of March 2022
• 9am — 10:30am EST
• Register to join

Closing MenEngage Alliance Caucus

• Thursday, 18^th of March 2022
• 9am — 10:30am EST
• Register to join

Most sessions will have interpretations to English, French, Spanish, and Russian.

Click here for more information on the participation of MenEngage Alliance in CSW66.