The voice of women workers at the UN (UNCSW62)

Union women from around the world are preparing to attend the 62^nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW62), taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 12-23 March 2018.

In the context of this year’s priority theme “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”, PSI, the ITUC and the Global Unions Federations are focusing on:

• Access to decent work and labour rights
• Education is key to empowering rural girls and women
• Gender responsive quality public services support the empowerment of rural women
• Climate justice and rural women´s human rights

The Global Unions have jointly prepared and submitted a Statement to the UNCSW62: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls

PSI has registered a 20-strong delegation representing affiliates in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. A Trade Union Delegates’ Briefing will take place on the 11^th March. More details will be sent soon to the delegates.

Members of the delegation are invited to:

• Organise meetings during February and the first week of March with their respective national bodies responsible for the issues of women and gender, ascertain the composition of the official delegation to UNCSW62 and present the position of the international trade union movement;
• Inform the PSI Secretariat of the results of meetings with their governments. Based on these reports, we will request a meeting in New York with the accredited government missions of those countries represented in our delegation, to lobby on key issues at the national level, as well as to publicise and promote the trade union agenda.
  

PSI is organising and/or participating in the following parallel events:

• PSI-GATJ – Tax and gender justice – empowering rural women in mining-affected communities
  Date: 13-March / Time: 10:30 AM / Venue: Church Center for the United Nations / Room: Tenth Floor
• ITUC-EI-PSI – Leaving No-One Behind: Unions Organising for Rural Women and Girls
  Date: 13-Mar / Time: 2:30 PM / Venue: 4 W 43rd Street / Room: Green Room
• PSI-ActionAid – Gender responsive public services to empower rural women and girls affected by climate change
  Date: 16-Mar / Time: 10:30 AM / Venue: 4 W 43rd Street / Room: Social Hall

You will be able to follow the trade union delegation's activities on our Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.

For more information:

• Joint Global Unions' statement to the UNCSW62 
• Expert Group Meeting information and background papers: More information - Report - Background Papers - Expert Papers
• And the Feminist U.N. Campaign published a report card, A Year of Progress, a Long Way to Go
• Report of the Secretary-General Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts
• See the UNCSW62 website for more information on the session.