NCOSS at the Commission on the Status of Women
Next week NCOSS representatives will land in New York for the 61st Commission on the Status of Women. Our work there will focus on Indigenous Women’s empowerment and raising the voices of young women in decision making spaces.
NCOSS will be co-hosting a side event with the Australian Government focused on Indigenous women’s economic empowerment. Indigenous communities are strong and resilient, with a wealth of knowledge to lead and shape solutions for a sustainable and inclusive future. Empowering Indigenous women and girls is critical to ensuring no one is left behind.
We have also received sponsorship for three young women from the NCOSS Young Women’s Advisory Panel be part of the group representing NCOSS over the two weeks - Keira Jenkins, Harpreet Dhillon and Lauren Stanley.
- Keira Jenkins (left) is a young Gamilaroi woman from Moree, north western NSW. She is a journalist and photographer with the Koori Mail newspaper based in Lismore on the north coast.
- Harpreet Dhillon (middle) is a 16-year-old Indian girl who’s the first female in her family to be able to finish school and to have the opportunity to go on to attend university. She is an ambassador for Girl Guides Australia.
- Lauren Stanley (right) is a Women's Officer for the Women's Collective at Western Sydney University where she is studying a double Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Applied Leadership and Critical Thinking.
Thank you to HESTA and Settlement Services International for their sponsorship of these young women.
Together we will be participating in discussions on the Agreed Conclusions to come out of CSW and will be focused on the following priorities:
- Intersections of Disadvantage: It is imperative that further emphasis be placed on solutions to address the multiple and interconnecting forms of inequality, discrimination and disadvantage faced by many women.
- Human Right’s Institutions: The active, meaningful and clearly defined role of civil society organisations (women’s, human rights and feminist organisations), National Human Rights Institutions and academic institutions, at CSW. These organisations are central to the achievement of economic security for women, and have a critical role in driving change, ensuring accountability for gender equality and the implementation of actions from the Commission.
- Gendered responsive education: Promoting gendered responsive education is essential to women’s and young girls’ economic growth and human development. This includes access to lifelong and non-formal learning, gendered financial literacy education programs, leaderships and career programs, and education about sexual and reproductive rights.
- Culturally responsive training and women’s services: Ensuring that women have access to specialist and culturally responsive women’s services, including health, housing and legal services; as well as access to quality, relevant and affordable work-related and vocational education and training. Including women with disabilities, and women from migrant and indigenous backgrounds.
- Access to safe, accessible and affordable housing: Ensuring all women and girls have access to safe, accessible and affordable housing.
We will be reporting back during the two weeks from New York on our events and the progress made.