The Moments that Changed My Perspective: Catherine’s Reflection on CSW70
As a teenager, I have observed the misogynistic behaviour that people of my generation adopt. In fact, with the rise of indispensable social media platforms, sexist narratives spread faster than ever. Women and girls, when faced with microaggressions, simply laugh them off because current reporting mechanisms are weak. Thus, I came to the United Nations to advance this year’s priority theme: advancing justice and dismantling structural barriers for all women and girls.
My name is Catherine Dong, a Political Science student at McGill University, and I had the honour of representing MYAD at the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). As a young feminist, it was an honour to represent women, youth and civil society at the largest annual UN gathering on gender equality. For the past six months, I have been developing policies on areas such as digital safety, financial inclusion and the elimination of gender-based violence. I was also introduced to negotiations for the first time. Thanks to Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) Canada, I had the opportunity to provide recommendations to the CSW70 outcome document, adopted during the Commission.
At the UN, I met with some of the most influential people on the planet, including High Commissioners and diplomats from Portugal, Australia, and Bangladesh, amongst others. After my first stakeholder meeting, however, I found myself feeling powerless. It seemed as though our policies would simply be read passively. But as we met with more Permanent Missions (PMs), I began to see our impact. We met with enthusiastic attorneys from the Philippine Commission on Women who genuinely considered our policies at both national and international levels. We also had the honour of meeting with the PM of Romania, Vice-Chair of CSW70, with whom we advocated for greater youth inclusion in UN spaces and improved accessibility to the negotiation process.
Even though we had prepared policy reports in advance, some ideas came along as we spoke with more people. During our first few days at the Commission, we noticed the lack of youth representation in side events. We raised this concern to the PM of Romania, and they showed interest in helping us advocate for more youth-focused events for future commissions, aiming to set 10% of all side events to showcase youth perspectives.
As I reflect on my trip, I come to realize the immense privilege that I have. Unlike many, I did not face funding or visa barriers. When billions of people do not have access to UN spaces because of socio-economic obstacles, low-income country perspectives can easily fade. Certain crises thus may not gain as much advocacy on the world stage. Therefore, I hope to adopt a more intentional approach to policy writing. With this in mind, I am incredibly lucky for the opportunity to have attended this Commission. Thank you to the team of MYAD Officers who brought this experience to life!
