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2022-06-29|News

The Garden of Hope Foundation and Partners in the NGO CSW60

The 60th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) met in New York on March 14-24, 2016, to discuss challenges facing women around the world and how countries can unite to put gender equality at the top of their development agenda.

The main theme of this year’s gathering was the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a list of 17 ambitious goals for humanity to achieve over the next 15 years. In particular, Goal 5 calls for gender equality, including the end of all violence against women.

Groundbreaking in many ways, the SDGs can genuinely bring about a world of dignity, health, equality, and prosperity for all. Little wonder that the more than 6,000 NGO delegates at the CSW60 were keen to make sure governments stick to their promises and do not backtrack from the aim of achieving gender justice.

Outside of the official government meeting inside the UN and related side events with UN agencies, governments, and NGOs, most of the NGO delegates took part in the hundreds of parallel events at NGO CSW.

On Tuesday, March 15, the Garden of Hope (GOH) organized a parallel event in partnership with the Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS) and its regional affiliates on the how the network of women’s shelters around the world is helping end violence against women.

GOH CEO and chairperson of the Asian Network of Women’s Shelters Chi Hui-jung spoke about the need to provide shelter for the most marginalized women in Asian society, in particular transgender women, who suffer from unimaginable bullying, abuse, and domestic violence yet frequently have no shelters in which to seek refuge when in need.

Some 50 people packed into a small room and listened to presentations from leaders of regional networks in Asia, the Americas, Australasia, Europe, and the MENA region. The parallel event was chaired by GNWS chairperson and NGO CSW Woman of the Year Bandana Rana.

Besides catching up with old friends, learning about the latest developments around the world, and sharing best practices, the CSW and NGO CSW are opportunities for activists and NGO workers to join together in unity to end violence against women.