Women in Church and Society take part in a United Nations platform
Geneva, 10.04.2014.
“Work that promotes the equal participation of women and men in an inclusive community must be deeply rooted in a society that values the gifts of each person,” said Maria Cristina Rendón, Program Assistant for the LWF Women in Church and Society (WICAS) program. “The advocacy efforts of WICAS to uphold and protect the rights of women are grounded in this faith and have for nearly 20 years been the reason for our participation in the annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York.”
The CSW – part of the United Nations Economic and Social Council – is a principal institution for global policymaking dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. Each year, representatives from member states gather at UN headquarters in New York to assess progress, identify challenges and formulate policy that promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women.
In March 2014, the theme of the 58th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women and girls.” Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, underscored the crucial role of churches and the organizations they have founded in eradicating gender inequality. Mlambo called violence and discrimination against women a moral issue that requires churches to take up their prophetic role and put women at the center. “Men dehumanize themselves by making women into victims; men who do not speak out and continue to sit in silence on boards and other decision-making bodies where there are no women take part in a conspiracy of exclusion,” she said.
WICAS invited Rev. Elitha Moyo of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) to take part in the session as the ELCZ Gender Justice Project Coordinator.
In a panel discussion, “The post-2015 development agenda: a faith-based gender perspective,” organized by the Ecumenical Women’s Network, she discussed how the program (with the support of the LWF Department for Mission and Development) has advanced gender justice and what challenges remain for women in Zimbabwe’s political and social arena. Rev. Moyo’s presentation reflected the progress in her dioceses in gender-awareness training for pastors, the growing participation of women in ordained ministry, and the prevention of violence against women. She underscored the LWF Gender Justice Policy as a tool that frames the ELCZ’s efforts to ensure that its congregations and structures are much more inclusive.
Christine Mangale, Program Coordinator of the Lutheran Office for World Community in New York, spoke on behalf of Ecumenical Women and WICAS at a key UN plenary session. Mangale expressed their support for the call by UN Women for a single core goal in the post-2015 agenda. She also gave examples of ecumenical partner initiatives that once again affirm the deep involvement of faith-based organizations in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These included an LWF project in Mauritania to combat female genital mutilation (FGM), which shows how religious convictions can curb harmful practices and promote healthy opportunities for women and girls.
After two weeks of consultation, the member states published an agreement in which the Commission stated that, although there is development in some areas, progress for women and girls across all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is slow and uneven. The fact that the feminization of poverty continues and that the goals for eradicating hunger remain unmet was raised as a major concern.
Although the agreement divided countries on issues such as sexual and reproductive health, and therefore there were many who abstained because of this disagreement, this year’s session provided a unique platform for reviewing and redefining policy. This included the persistent gender pay gap, the disproportionate burden of women’s unpaid care work, and the small number of women in decision-making.
“Being engaged in the CSW in order to achieve substantial participation of women at key points of policymaking is part of our programmatic focus,” affirms Rev. Dr. Elaine Neuenfeldt, Executive Secretary of WICAS. “These efforts uphold gender justice holistically, addressing issues that are not only women’s concerns; they must be central to churches, governments and society, so that the dignity of each person is at their center.”
http://www.lutheranworld.org/news/lwf-addresses-gender-justice-commission-status-women
Photo: The Lutheran World Federation/Christine Mangale
Translated from English by LELBāL pastor Ieva Puriņa
Proofreader Mag. Theol. Milda Klampe