Coalition to Stop Violence against Women member organizations participated in the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) in New York.
The participants presented the situation in Armenia in the field of women’s rights. In particular, during various discussions on gender violence, the impact of conflicts on the deepening of gender violence and overcoming its consequences was emphasized. Participation in such feminist gatherings strengthens the fight for women’s rights and a life free from violence.
The CSW is the largest global gathering on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the United Nations. The CSW68 priority theme was “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty”.
“Participation in the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) at one hand provided an opportunity to present Armenia’s situation in the field of women’s rights, particularly, on gender violence during various discussions. On the other hand, it was a good platform in terms of expanding cooperation and establishing new partnerships. Participation in various feminist gatherings also filled with great energy to continue the struggle for the promotion of women’s rights,” underlined Anna Hovhannisyan, the Advocacy and Policy Development team manager at Women’s Resource Center Armenia, the Coalition member organization.
Gayane Grigoryan, Programs Manager of the Coalition member Agate Rights Defense Center For Women With Disabilities NGO, is hopeful for the gained experience and connections to serve Armenia on its path of becoming more inclusive and accessible, as well as gender and disability-sensitive through different programs and strategies.
“The 68th session was a very important platform and a good opportunity to represent Armenia and Agate NGO, as well as to talk about the problems of women and girls of different groups with disabilities, including forcibly displaced women from Nagorno Karabakh. It was also a great opportunity to value the intersectional cooperation with different partners to solve gender problems, to reveal the issues and gaps of reproductive health and gender violence in the region,” emphasized Grigoryan.
The participation of some of the Coalition member organizations’ representatives in the 68th session was possible thanks to the “Transforming the domestic violence agenda in Armenia” Project supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.
“In a time marked by escalating conflict and the further shrinking of civic spaces, your inspiring remarks illuminated a clear message of hope, determination, and resilience. From emphasizing the importance of fostering feminist movement building to highlighting the critical need for long-term, flexible, and core funding, as well as the importance of engaging men and boys, your contributions highlighted some of the global patterns around what works and how to prevent and end violence against women and girls,” mentioned Abigail Erikson the Chief of the UN Trust Fund as she was summing up the meeting of the organizations supported by the UNTF.
“The experiences and lessons you shared during the event have and will continue to guide the work and operations of the UN Trust Fund. Together, we stand strong in our commitment to realizing the vision of “A world of global solidarity in which all women and girls live free from all forms of violence and enjoy and exercise their human rights”, she concluded.