The 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) convened in New York from 6 to 17 March 2023, in a hybrid mode after two years of COVID restrictions. In addition to the United Nations member states, thousands of non-governmental organizations from different parts of the world came to New York to attend the in-person sessions and have discussed many pressing issues including the social and economic development of women and girls, prevention of all kinds of violence against women, women in effective decision-making positions, education of girls, women’s participation in the science and technology sector, women journalists and contributions of women to maintain sustainable peace and development.

The UN Commission on the Status of Women is one of the most important times at the United Nations when women leaders and delegations from different countries and societies come together in solidarity to promote women’s rights and activists come together in New York. The Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), which has participated in the UN Commission on the Status of Women meetings since 2013, continues to raise awareness on women empowerment and give a voice to the voiceless in diverse United Nations platforms. This year, JWF organized 12 parallel panels in partnership with 13 non-governmental organizations from 8 different countries.

On the occasion of the 67 th Session of the CSW, JWF events shed light on pressing issues such as protecting women human rights defenders, integration policies for women refugees, arbitrary arrests and torture of women in detention, supporting global women’s movements in Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran and Myanmar. Empowerment of women journalists and human rights defenders who risk their lives for accurate and reliable information was among the top priorities. Another important agenda addressed at the UN by the JWF was to encourage young women professionals and girls to pursue academic and professional careers in STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and to open space for young women and girls. Recent research studies reveal that gender equality is gradually increasing in the field of innovation and technology as women’s active role in science, computers, technology, engineering and all other sectors is one of the cornerstones of sustainable development.

The JWF CSW67 High-Level Reception was held at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York on the opening day of the UN Commission on the Status of Women on 6 March 2023, Monday. Turkish, Kurdish, Iranian, Afghan, Hazara, Kosovan, Armenian, American, Romanian, British women’s rights defenders, journalists, academics, and human rights experts, as well as young participants from North Carolina TMSA Charter High School and New Jersey Pioneer Academy were among the guests at the reception.

High-level representatives from the Permanent Missions of France, New Zealand, Chile, Guatemala, Sri Lanka and Myanmar to the United Nations participated in the reception. It was an opportunity for the UN diplomats and non-governmental organizations from all over the world to meet, network and exchange ideas during the CSW67. After the open buffet, twelve representatives talked about their panel discussion organized in partnership with the JWF and NGOs from the United States, Brazil, Greece, Germany, India, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, and the United Kingdom. Expert speakers attending the reception also addressed the participants about the priority agenda of the CSW67.

In addition to the addresses of representatives from prestigious media organizations such as Committee to Protect Journalist and Empower Women Media, Azra Jafari, the first female governor of Afghanistan, and Kurdish artist Hozan Cane, who made her voice known to the whole world with her art and the crimes against humanity she lived in prison, also attended the reception. Kurdish singer Hozan Cane sang the song “Ez Jinim Jîyanim – I am a living woman” written for the International Women’s Day.

Eger tu mafe min nas neki nas neki,
Eger tu jîyana mîn bin dest ki bin dest ki,
Ez ê bibim agirê rojê ref bi ref werin
Ez jinim jîyanim te di afirînim,
Ez jinim jîyanim te di mejînim,
Ez jinim jiyanim hebunu serhildanim.
Ez jinim jîyanim te di Afirînim,
Ez jinim jiyanim te di afirînim.
Ez jinim jiyanim te di mejînim.
Ez jinim jîyanim hebunu ser hildanim.

Even if you usurp my right,
Even if you restrict my freedom,
I will be the fire of the sun and I will come again piece by piece.
I am a woman, my life, I give birth to you.
I am a woman, my life, I make you conscious.
I am woman, my life, my being and my rebellion.
I am a woman, my life, I give birth to you.
I am a woman, my life, I make you conscious.
I am woman, my life, my being and my rebellion.

On the occasion of the 67th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF) organized 12 parallel events, both in-person and online, in partnership with 13 non-governmental and educational institutions, including Brazil, Greece, Germany, India, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States. Expert speakers shared their perspective and real-life experiences on women’s rights and gender equality during the sessions.

As the 67th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) returns to hybrid mode this year, the JWF and its global partners, organized parallel events to share the current status of women’s rights and successful civil society practices for the empowerment of women and girls for policy recommendations on the prevention of violence against women. There was an active international participation in the panel discussions at the Church Center for the UN where the role of women’s human rights in peacebuilding and regional projects aiming at the empowerment of women refugees were highlighted.

Prestigious speakers, academics, experts, journalists, and activists will continue to discuss critical local and global issues of women’s development and present innovative policy proposals for the gender-sensitive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the UN Headquarters until 17 March 2023.

More than 30 speakers from 12 countries covered the following topics and themes:

• Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders for Sustainable Peace
• Violence Against Women Journalists around the World
• InnovaSHEon: Women`s Empowerment through Innovation and Technology
• Challenges and Opportunities for Refugee Women in Romania
• Intersectional Violence Against Women in Turkey
• Integration Policies for Successful Resettlement of Refugee Women in Greece
• Women`s Role in Nation Building: Empower & Co-Power
• Global Solidarity to Combat State-led Violence Against Women
• The Role of STEM Education in Achieving Gender Equality: Perspective of Youth
• Challenges and Best Practices of Women Refugees: Enforced Migration Stories
• Gender-Responsive Action for Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation in the Digital Age

During the 67 th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the JWF held a panel on “Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders for Sustainable Peace” at the United Nations on March 7, 2023. Women human rights defenders, journalists and community leaders continue to face systematic violations of rights in the process of building just and peaceful societies. This event addressed violations of patriarchal and anti-gender narratives from Iran, Afghanistan, and Myanmar, and presented policy recommendations to combat various forms of state-sponsored harassment and arbitrary detention of women human rights defenders. At the session moderated by Cemre Ulker JWF’s UN Representative, Azra Jafari, Afghanistan’s First Woman Mayor, Erica Saghar Kasraie, Creative Director of Empower Women Media operating in Washington DC, and Naw Hser Hser from Myanmar Women’s League spoke about their perspectives on the role of women human rights defenders for sustainable peace and shared status quo of women`s rights in different parts of the world.

In this panel jointly organized by JWF, AST and Set Them Free at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the speakers discussed the crimes against humanity that women in Turkey have experienced because of their ethnic, political and social identities. The session was moderated by Hafza Girdap, one of the Founding Members of the Set Them Free platform.

GercekNews Editor Alin Ozinian talked about the difficulties of being a female and Armenian journalist in Turkey. Canadian-born human rights lawyer Sarah Teich shared the grievances experienced by the Hizmet Movement after 2016.

Kurdish singer and human rights defender Hozan Cane from Germany talked about the crimes against humanity she experienced in prison in Turkey, the inhumane conditions of the ward where the women volunteers of the Hizmet Movement and even newborn babies face grave human rights violations in prisons during the UN Women’s Status Commission. Hozan Cane, who was deprived of her freedom for four years in Turkish prisons, continues to talk about the rights violations and ethnic discrimination experienced by the Kurdish people and women abroad with the language of music and cinema.

On March 9, 2023, the online panel on “Violence Against Women Journalists Worldwide” shared different human rights violations, including increased physical attacks, harassment, arbitrary detentions, and smear campaigns against women journalists with the rise of autocratic regimes. In this session, Iranian, American, Brazilian and Ukrainian women journalists discussed about the deteriorating current situation of press freedom and gender-based barriers experienced by women journalists as the priority agenda. The speakers also underlined the social violence faced by journalists, including the role and experiences of women journalists covering war crimes in Ukraine, and examples from Turkey, Iran and Brazil were discussed. Among the speakers were Gulnoza Said, Europe and Asia Director of Committee to Protect Journalism, Iryna Matviyishyn from Kyiv Independent newspaper, Mayra Yazdiri from CBN News and Marina Dias from Washington Post Brazil. The session was moderated by Stephanie Fillion, Award-winning UN Correspondent and journalist.

On March 9, 2023, PIGI Koinsep (Greece) organized an in-person CSW67 Panel “Integration Policies for Successful Resettlement of Refugee Women in Greece at the Church Center for UN. The session was moderated by the UN Representative of the JWF, Cemre Ulker. Following her opening remarks, Vonya Womack, the Executive Director of Refugees Unknown Stories Untold took the floor to speak on the best practices of refugee women and the importance of human rights storytelling. Human Rights Lawyer Alexis Anagnostakis joined the event virtually from Greece and talked about the state policies of Greece aiming to facilitate the successful integration of women refugees. Ramona Mihaila, a gender expert and academic from Romania later spoke on the importance of empowered women refugees for regional sustainable development. The event concluded with the remarks of Ahsen Karagulmez, a youth advocate, who recently resettled in the USA from Greece as a refugee.

On March 11, 2023, the JWF organized a “Women`s Empowerment through Innovation and Technology” in-person panel discussion at Compass College, Kyrgyzstan. The event reflected highlights on the UN CSW67’s priority theme, innovation and education in the digital era for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. It was divided into two-panel discussions, the first of which was held in English and focused on intergovernmental expert panel discussions and engagements from a local to a global level. The panel discussion hosted various esteemed speakers among which were the Vice-Mayor of Bishkek, Victoria Mozgacheva, and UN Women Kyrgyzstan Representative Ulziisuren Jamsran.

On March 13, 2023, Set Them Free in partnership with the JWF organized the virtual panel “Global Solidarity to Combat State-led Violence Against Women”, which brought together academic, gender experts, and media producers together from USA, UK, and Iraq. The session was moderated by Cemre Ulker, Co-Founder of Set Them Free, and UN Representative of the JWF. The panel started with the remarks of Azadeh Nikzadeh, an Iranian film producer as she spoke on the crimes against humanity faced by Iranian women and their pivotal role in leading a global momentum for women`s rights. Following her speech, academic Dr. Shilan Fuad Hussain from the UK discussed Kurdish women advocates` role in creating global solidarity to combat globally increasing women`s rights violations. Fatema Daryab Ahmadi, Adjunct Professor at American University based in Washington DC covered the plight of women`s rights and girls’; empowerment under the Taliban rule. Lastly, Chra Abdullah, Project Manager of Dialogue and Culture Organization shared best practices of civil society from Iraq creating cohesive societies to foster women`s rights and girls’ education.

JWF Global Partners Participating in the UN Commission on the Status of Women:

• Journalists and Writers Foundation (USA)
• Association for Dialogue and Universal Values (Romania)
• Dialogue Society (UK)
• Time to Help (UK)
• Human Rights Solidarity (UK)
• Triangle Math and Science Academy (USA)
• PIGI (Greece)
• Intercultural Dialogue Institute (Brazil)
• Raindrop Foundation (USA)
• Advocates for Silenced Turkey (USA)
• PES University (India)
• Set Them Free (USA)
• Compass College (Kyrgyzstan)
• Women Techmakers Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
• UN Women (UN)