Seychelles represented at women’s forum |06 April 2013

The two-week session included plenary session where Seychelles’ ambassador to the UN, Marie-Louise Potter, had the honour of presenting the statement on behalf of the country.

High level round tables, interactive dialogues and panel discussions, as well as a plethora of related side events and parallel events also took place during the two weeks.
 
In addition, the CSW deliberated on the review theme “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including care giving in the context of HIV/Aids”. 

It also addressed the emerging theme of “Key gender equality issues to be reflected in the post-2015 development framework”.
Prior to holding the 57th session, UN women held two preparatory meetings on the African continent as an engagement process with the aim of ensuring the support of the African continent towards the realisation of agreed conclusions at this year’s CSW.   

In its agreed conclusions the commission strongly condemns all forms of violence against women and girls and acknowledges that only through the realisation of gender equality and the empowerment of women can we address the structural and underlying causes of violence against women and girls.   For far too long, cultural stereotypes, religious and other beliefs, attitudes and messages that promote all forms of violence against women and girls have been deeply embedded in our social structures.  In unison, countries of the world at this 57th session have seen the need to advocate for the eradication and prevention of violence against women and girls through effective enforcement of existing laws, treaties and conventions, strengthening multi-sectoral services, programmes and responses in a multidisciplinary manner and in partnership between all sectors of society, and most especially with men as allies in this whole process.

Prior to attending the 57th session of the CSW, Seychelles’ two representatives on the Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action Monitoring Group (CGPMG), Marie-Josée Bonne and Tessa Siu attended the meetings and training session from March 1-3.
 
One of the critical areas of discussion remained problematic monitoring in a strategic and results-based manner. 

The group was exposed to a one-day session from a consultant on a new methodology of monitoring using a Gender@Work framework. 

Country reports and case studies will be commissioned for presentation at the 10th Meeting of Ministers responsible for Women’s Affairs (10WAMM) in Dhaka, Bangladesh in June 2013 which will be fed into the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) later in the year.

Panel discussions were held on women’s political leadership led by the Honourable Speaker of the House of Assembly of Dominica, Alix Boyd Knights.

Additionally there was a discussion on ‘Jurisprudence of equality regarding violence against women (VAW): Towards judicial leadership’, under the chair of Judge Memooda Ebrahim-Carstens of the UN Dispute Tribunal, accompanied by two female judges from Africa -- one from Kenya and the other from Malawi -- to coincide with the priority theme of the CSW57. 

Furthermore, the meeting also paid particular attention to the Commonwealth’s gender priorities post-2015 global development framework.

In conclusion, the 2014 CSW theme will centre on the critical importance of MDG3 to the achievement of the other MDG goals and will concentrate on the challenges and achievements of the MDG on women and girls. 

Contributed