In a busy schedule of briefings, side events, and receptions, CCWESTT’s Executive Director Bonnie Douglas found time to connect with other gender equity leaders at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) in March. Bonnie has shared some of her reflections on her experience with readers.
Bonnie was selected as a civil society member of Canada’s official delegation at UNCSW69. The delegation included other not-for-profits (NFPs) working in the gender equity space, but Bonnie feels CCWESTT’s voice was a crucial voice to add to the conversations at the UNCSW this year, especially given that SETT is often left out of conversations around gender equity.
“STEM and the skilled trades don’t always come across as a priority for gender equality, and that the focus can sometimes be on broader, important issues like gender-based violence, access to pay equity and other initiatives that are needed,” Bonnie says. “But what sometimes gets missed is that SETT professionals are also so affected by those things in the workplace, and it affects their ability to thrive, make a career, and be part of the economic prosperity that we know coincides with gender equality.”
Bonnie notes that emerging issues at the UNCSW this year included AI and other new technologies and their impact on gender equality. As the UN looks to revitalize the commission and prioritize gender inclusion in this work, there is an opportunity to engage SETT professionals in these change conversations.
“It’s clear to me that SETT professionals are experts in solving those types of complex problems and need to be part of the solutions,” Bonnie says. “SETT professionals are experts at collecting the data that’s needed to help really move things forward. They’re experts in prioritizing and implementing tough solutions. So I think it’s even more important now, as things get challenging, to move the gender equality progress forward, that SETT professionals continue to be part of that.”
Bonnie’s highlight of the week was “being able to make a statement as part of the interactive dialogue on the revitalization of the Commission on the Status of Women.
“I was fortunate, along with Jackie Neapole from the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women where we were ceded some time by the Canadian government to make statements as part of the interactive dialogue. In a space where other countries were making official statements with their ministers and leaders, Canada was the only [country] that I had seen that had ceded time to not-for-profits. It was a highlight for me to be able to make a statement regarding gender equality. And it’s important for science, engineering, trades and technology to really be a part of that conversation.”
UNCSW is a bustling space with main events in the official member conference rooms and on the delegation floor, but there are also a range of parallel events, often hosted by community groups or NFPs. Bonnie attended some Canadian side events to show support for other Canadian organizations. While there, she had conversations with audience members from all over the world, who regarded Canada as a leader in gender equality, intersectionality, and reconciliation.
“In our own work of advocacy, I know we can be quite critical of Canada, and we have lots of opportunities to improve, but I thought it was really interesting to see that the world seems to look to us for a lot of things and regards Canada as quite accomplished in some of these areas, despite the fact that we know that there’s a lot of work yet to be done and there’s a lot of action that still needs to be taken,” Bonnie explains. “I think on the global stage, Canada has a good reputation, which is something that I think we should be careful not to tarnish as we go forward and look to make change and look to progress as a country and keep our Canadian identity and continue to kind of live up to the expectations that it looks like the world has of us.”
Thinking about attending UNCSW or applying to join the Canadian delegation next year? Bonnie suggests comfortable shoes, snacks, a refillable water bottle and planning ahead to prepare for the intensity of the schedule.
“My advice for anyone who might be attending is to take advantage of the number of connections that you’re able to make in the space,” Bonnie says. “It really is a community that’s coming together that’s aligned on making programs and gender equality. So that’s the place to meet people connected to your work, make new connections, new collaboration opportunities. And garner more support for your own work.”
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