Building a more sustainable and inclusive world: IDRC at the UN Commission on the Status of Women
This year, UNCSW’s primary focus will be on addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective. IDRC’s support for research on the barriers faced by Indigenous women, the unequal distribution of care work and the compounding effects of climate change has much to contribute to these deliberations.
The UNCSW is the principal intergovernmental body dedicated to promoting gender equality and empowering women.
IDRC’s participation at UNCSW
During this 68th session of UNCSW, IDRC is participating in three side events in New York.
Indigenous women’s voices on the barriers and opportunities towards their inclusive socio-economic development
March 12, 2024, 3:00 – 4:05 p.m. EDT │ United Nations Headquarters – Conference Room D and on UN Web TV
Canada’s official side event is a dialogue led by Indigenous women leaders from Canada and Mexico on the intersectional barriers Indigenous women and girls face towards equitable and inclusive socio-economic development in several growth fields.
Lilian Chel Guerrero, a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Mexico, will speak of her experience as president of the Network of Indigenous Women in Science, which was created with IDRC support.
The event is hosted by the Government of Canada, in collaboration with the Province of Manitoba, the Ontario Native Women’s Association, the Government of Mexico and IDRC.
The care economy in the multilateral system: Uniting stakeholders for global impact
March 20, 2024, 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. EDT │ United Nations Headquarters – Conference Room 12 and on UN Web TV
While there is growing momentum internationally to advance the care agenda, international commitments and declarations have not yet translated into actions and investments. This side event will discuss concrete steps to maximize the presence of the care agenda in multilateral platforms — including the G20 and the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — highlighting voices, needs and perspectives from the Global South.
The event is co-hosted by several IDRC partners leading research on the care economy: the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Global Alliance for Care, Southern Voice, Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth, United Nations Foundation and IDRC. The event is sponsored by the Government of Canada.
Caring in crisis: Exploring the impacts of climate change on care responsibilities and poverty
March 20, 2024, 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. EDT │ United Nations Headquarters – Conference Room 12 and on UN Web TV
As the centrality of care work in sustaining lives, economies and our planet becomes more evident, it is urgent to address the diverse needs and interests of the migrant, rural, Indigenous and Afro-descendent women who provide care. While these groups of women face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, their care load is exacerbated by climate impacts that reduce the availability of natural resources, like firewood and water, and cause migration and negative health impacts.
This side event will explore these dynamics, women’s contributions to conserving biodiversity, their adaptive strategies to combat the effects of climate change and the practices that will empower them to thrive in the face of climate adversity. Representatives from our research partners, Fundación Avina and UNRISD, will speak about their work to map innovations and solutions developed by ecofeminist and grassroots movements and develop a catalytic fund to support them.
The event is co-hosted by the Global Alliance for Care, Fundación Avina, Oxfam Canada, UNRISD, UN Women, Mexico’s National Institute of Women and IDRC. The event is sponsored by the Government of Canada.
IDRC partner events
Empowerment of LGBTIQ+ people: Network for LGBTIQ+ Human Mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean
March 14, 2024, 10:30 – 12:30 p.m. EDT │ Virtual event at NGO CSW Forum 68
This panel will address the empowerment, human rights, gender equality and political advocacy of LGBTIQ+ people in Central and South America. Panelists, including Markus Gottsbacher, senior program officer at IDRC, will discuss different experiences of violence and discrimination of LGBTIQ+ people and their strategies and approaches to overcome them.
The event is hosted by Diálogo Diverso, the Ecuadorian organization leading IDRC-supported research on these issues with Colombia Diversa.
Financing for gender equality: Empowering women and girls' access to public services in Tanzania
March 20, 2024, 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. EDT │United Nations Headquarters – Conference Room D
This official UNCSW side event shares learnings related to investments in gender equality and women’s empowerment in Tanzania. Our research partner, the Economic and Social Research Foundation, will report on the impacts of women’s access to public procurement spending as a crucial policy instrument to foster gender equality.
The event is hosted by the Government of Tanzania.
Read more about IDRC support for research on the care economy.