The 58th Commission on the Status of Women is currently underway in New York, USA. It started on the 10th of March and will go on till 21st of March. This annual meeting of hundreds of women, men, government officials, ministers, national delegations, girl’s groups, boy’s groups, NGOs, and other stake-holders at the United Nations is to discuss this year’s priority theme, Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls.

Inevitably there are a whole host of new initiatives and campaigns that are launched/announced at this annual meeting. This year I have started my own ‘campaign’ to gather information about all the campaigns both launched and mentioned during #CSW58 and compile them in one place. This is an incomplete list in all likelihood but my hope is that I will be able to get people to leave comments with those that are missing from this compilation to help me along!

So lets get started shall we!

Campaigns @ CSW58

Tweets about the various campaigns launched or mentioned at CSW58.

  1. European Commission campaign: Science its a girl thing
  2. Campaign to build on equality, based on the stereotypes you are trying to fight. “Science: It’s a girl thing!”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g032MPrSjFA 
  3. ITU's campaign: Girls in ICT Day 24 April
  4. UN Women campaign: He for She heforshe.org
  5. UN Women campaign: Beijing+20
  6. From the NGO briefing, “#Empoweringwomen is empowering humanity” an upcoming @Unwomen campaign. @WomenNC @womenlive #CSW58
  7. Zim gvt launched campaign against rape and women continue to demand stiffer sentences for rapists@FemnetProg#CSW58@263Chat
  8. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Girls in Latin America and the Caribbean
  9. Unbreakable Campaign by Progressio  http://www.progressio.org.uk/unbreakable 
  10. Our campaign action has been handed in to @JustineGreening at the #CSW58! Thank you to all for taking action pic.twitter.com/yBteWUU8cy
  11. Plan Global: Because I am a Girl  http://plan-international.org/girls/ 
  12. .@PlanGlobal‘s #BecauseIAmAGirl Campaign looked to support 4million girls directly through programs #csw58 #vawg
  13. BanBossy banbossy.com
  14. SG's UNiTE Campaign
  15. Cities4CEDAW campaign una-sf.org/blog/
  16. 16 Days of Activism campaign
  17. Balakrishnan: The 16 Days campaign from @CWGL_Rutgers has been on going for 20 years. #CSW58 #WSW2015 #WILPF100
  18. Vlogs by Mandem On The Wall's bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/26545056
  19. Say No to Exploitation of Humans for Profit campaign
  20. Global campaign “Say No to Exploitation of Humans for Profit” launches Mar 13 11:30EST, rm C (CB) UN Headquarters #CSW58 @TIATaskForce
  21. Equal Pay Day Campaign: equal-pay-day.com/
  22. Equal Pay Day Campaign- if women in N.A. made same as men= $430,000 in her lifetime! #CSW58 pic.twitter.com/2u2kHIbxUT
  23. A 12 year old twin Sister & Brother just addressed the room to start their campaign to stop and END #FGM #Inspiring #YoungVoices #CSW58
  24. Men Care campaign mencare.org
  25. The impetus for the MenCare campaign: to address the unfair care work divide, & because, men gravitate towards the idea. #MenCarePlus #CSW58
  26. Unite 4 Education campaign
  27. World Pulse's 'Women weave the web' campaign: bit.ly/1fCOxLd
  28. .@WorldPulse currently doing a campaign around digital access, literacy & empowerment; want girls & women to write & speak out. #CSW58
  29. Intel's She will connect campaign
  30. @phumzileunwomen : @UN_Women & Intel are now partnering in the “She Will Connect” to encourage the use of #ICTs for women and girls- #CSW58
  31. Microsoft's Big Dream movement
  32. @Empower_Women Rane Johnson of @Microsoft announces launch of Big Dream Movement to support women & girls interested in #ICT careers #CSW58
  33. Let Girls' Lead Campaign letgirlslead.org/
  34. At the global launch of ¡PODER! which highlights the work of @LetGirlsLead in Guatemala! #CSW58 #letgirlslead pic.twitter.com/UQjKBDALCM
  35. Cyber safe girl cybersafegirl.ca/
  36. With 3 of 4 Atlantic Ministers respon for Status of Women @ cyber safe girl launch, amazing leaders #CSW58 #cybergirl pic.twitter.com/z8efz4D3oD
  37. International Women's Media Foundation  http://www.iwmf.org/get-involved/advocacy/ 
  38. @ #CSW58 side event on #women, ICTs and #pressfreedom. @IWMF will launch global survey on violence against female journalists
  39. ISIS's linking the networks campaign bit.ly/1g2Oiic

This week has started with questions and more so than any other week of the year. And no this is not a PMS post or a pre-post-PMS post. Most people don’t know/care but the first biggest conclave of women’s rights has started in new york city this week. It brings together every year 100’s (in the past even 1000’s) of women (and some men – mostly as part of country delegations) to the big apple to talk about “A” subject matter that is of import to women’s well being in the world. It lasts 2 weeks and is a very busy hectic time for all those involved and here, its a networking event for women’s rights organizations, international NGOs and donors, government representatives and those select few who are representing the voice of the voiceless women in their countries who go about their daily lives with no knowledge of this meeting.

I have looked at this meeting with awe and despair. I go back and forth with everyone who cares to talk to me about why… why not. I can not find an answer in their reasons that satisfactorily answers why. I can not satisfactorily respond to their question on why not.

What I do know is that the status of women does not change significantly enough every year. What I do know is since everyone who comes to this is already working in changing the lives of women for the better it does no one any service if they continue to just talk to each other. What I do know is changes do not occur over a meeting in a closed room where a privileged few talk to a privileged few about how to help the unprivileged. What I do know is that this is not a celebration of women. What I do know is that there is no tooth when it comes to implementation of what we discuss and even if rarely agree on some recommendations. What I do know is that advocacy is an important strategy but advocating to the converted is a waste of resources. What I do know is that advocacy laced with political correctness is worse than no advocacy. What I do know is that this leaves us feeling that we did something meaningful when in reality we didn’t. What I do know is when we look around us we find others who are skeptics too but none of us have the courage to act to change the skepticism – and we are speaking of empowering women of the world here?

I do not think boycotting is the answer here. We need to engage and engage with reasonable periodicity that will allow us to meaningfully reflect and analyze. We need to engage to hold others to account, to ourselves to account. We need to allow people to say honestly the status of women today not to talk about fake realities that they have created for the sake of the meeting. We need to remember we are the privileged and when we speak on behalf of others (especially since they did not ask us to represent them) we bear a great deal of responsibility and accountability.

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