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CSW 2009

From 2 March - 13 March 2009, the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meets in New York. Jane Gabriel and openDemocracy guest bloggers report from New York with tales and testimonies from a UN meeting which should place women at the forefront of the global debate. 2009's priority theme was "The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS".

See also our coverage of the Commission meeting in 2008 and 2007.

We would like to thank our 5050 intern, Kadie Armstrong, for publishing the blog. Thanks also to Alice Welbourn of the Sophia Forum and Tyler Crone of the Athena Network for their help in bringing new authors to our attention during the UN CSW.

On the eve of International Women's Day, 2009, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women has much to tell 50.50
After three years of constant debate, the Karama movement is finding a common language with which to speak, and a ‘voice' on international platforms. Jane Gabriel spoke to Hibaaq Osman, Karama's founder. Listen now.
After almost two weeks of round-table discussions, panel debates and lobbying, the 53rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) came to an end, its legacy being the statement of 'Agreed Conclusions'.
Margaret Owen, Director Widows for Peace through Democracy is recovering from her 11th visit to the UN CSW where she tried, in vain, to win support for the world's widows. She asks in bitter disappointment, why it is, when never before in human history has there been such an explosion in the numbers of widows, the poorest, most stigmatised and marginalised women in the world, that no one really wants to know.
Jamila Taylor reports on how the continued focus on abstinence and fidelity in prevention programmes in US Global Aids policy fails to help women protect themselves from contracting HIV.
Kristen Cordell, at the end of her first visit to the CSW, sees little hope for progress without research being taken more seriously, an end to bureaucratic divides, a pooling of resources and real collaboration between NGO's and the UN.
After profound disappointment with the discussions on "The equal sharing of responsibility between women and men in care giving in HIV/Aids"  at the CSW, Tyler Crone issues a heartfelt plea to all women's rights advocates to get back into the streets and reach out hands.
Jane Gabriel reports on the endless attempt to link the reality of women's daily lives to the decision making process at the UN CSW
Margaret Owen reports with a mixture of anger and hope from the CSW, on the struggle by Widows for Peace through Democracy  to get recognition of the extreme suffering of widows and some action by the UN.
The battle over language takes place in the second week of the CSW. Jane Gabriel spoke to women who are negotiating at the CSW, word for word, to describe the reality they represent.
Kristen Cordell looks at a novel approach to addressing gender equailty through development.
Tyler Crone, Co-Founder and Coordinating Director of the ATHENA Network, looks at the position of women in the international response to the AIDS and HIV epidemic.
Ximena Andion, Jaime Gher and Elisa Slattery of the Center for Reproductive Rights present an overview of the challenges to reproductive and sexual rights facing HIV-positive women across the globe, and look at what governments need to do to protect those rights.
Kristen Cordell reflects on the work still to be done in her own country, the USA, to challenge the violence done to women.
Dean Peacock of Sonke Gender Justice Network South Africa reports on the battle with their country's official delegation to the CSW, over the truth about HIV/AIDS treatment
Jane Gabriel reports on a "side event" in which the impossibility of working for women's human rights in an area of endless conflict was discussed, and not only when it is the military who have the arms. As one young woman from Haiti said "I am so far away. We need help. It's the use of arms by civilians too"
Kristen Cordell hopes that the new UN database on Sexual Violence will reduce the turf wars between the UN agencies dealing with Gender, and underpin the research and analysis which is key to promoting women's rights
Kirsten Cordell reports on the debate about the impact of the financial crisis on women. "I was abroad when the global finical crisis struck and thus keenly aware of its reverberating and devastating effects. I assumed the news for financing gender equitable programming would prove equally bleak."
The UN Commission on the Status of Women has been hearing from women whose fundamental reproductive rights have been violated through enforced sterilization.
Margaret Owen who is the director of Widows for Peace through Democracy, told Jane Gabriel why..... "Every year I think oh my god what are we all doing, hundreds and hundreds of women from all over the world coming here to talk mainly to each other, because the whole thing about the CSW is there's very little contact between the NGO's and their governments. But I've been coming because I've got one particular issue concerning the status of women that has been continually under wraps and yet it is one of the most important and urgent of all the human rights issues there could be....
Kristen Cordell asks how political will is created and examines the implications for women in the NGO world.
In the shadow of the start of the Commission on the Status of Women meeting at the United Nations, twenty-five US Women of Color gathered to revisit an old unresolved topic.
Kristen Cordell considers the relationship between women and human security.
Nahal Jalali-Farahani reflects on what the inclusion of young women could bring to this UN convention.
A new opportunity for peacekeeping may be down to US women
Kristen Cordell reports from the CSW on her hopes for progress towards the long called for systematic reform of the UN Gender apparatus
Today the 53rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women gets underway for ten days of meetings, greetings, roundtables and interactive panels and dialogue. This afternoon two roundtables, each with representatives from more than 95 countries will begin the discussion on this year's priority theme  "The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS".
Milly Katana, an HIV positive Ugandan activist and director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, tells Sylvia Rowley why criminalising the transmission of HIV would undo 25 years of hard work.
This year's session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, about to begin in New York, once again has a varied and compelling agenda.
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