Next March the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding, and planning is underway to select delegates from the Episcopal Church as well as from all Provinces of the Anglican Communion.Episcopalians who are committed to the enhanced participation of women in development, in achieving gender equality, and in the advancement of women in the fields of education, health and work as well as the equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels are encouraged to apply for delegate status.
The application deadline for prospective delegates has been extended to December 15, 2005. This annual meeting, held at UN headquarters in New York City and nearby locations, will begin on February 24 and run through March 8.
Under the auspices of the Office of Women's Ministries of the Episcopal Church and the Office on the Anglican Observer to the UN, Anglican and Episcopal delegates have attended this annual event for the past three years. The 2006 event will be the largest gathering of women from around the Communion thus far. Each year since the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing, the UNCSW annual meeting has focused on two different questions from the Beijing Platform for Action and explored how well - or how poorly - the member states have fulfilled their obligations.
This year the focus is on "enhanced participation of women in development, in achieving gender equality and in the advancement of women in the fields of education, health and work" as well as the "equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels."
To meet these challenging goals, the Episcopal Church planning committee seeks to have, among the delegation, women who work or have a passion for these goals in their own spheres of action, be it congregation, diocese, national church or in their local or state communities.
The networks that have evolved among women because of the connections made during the UNCSW have proved valuable to their work. Opportunities to participate include serving as an ECUSA delegate or attending as a visitor. Delegates will have full access to all UNCSW events while visitors will have a more limited access. ECUSA delegates must be able to commit to attending at least the first week of this meeting. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Kim Robey at krobey@episcopalchurch.org or on-line: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/uncsw.htm and click on Applications to be A Delegate at UNCSW 2006.
