RURAL WOMEN: REALITIES AND INITIATIVES TOWARD EMPOWERMENT
UNITED NATIONS – The 56th Session of the Committee on the Status of Women of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will convene at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on February 22. The theme of this year’s session is “The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges”.
According to current UN estimates, approximately 70 percent of the developing world’s 1.4 billion people living in extremepoverty live in rural areas. The large disparities in wellbeing that exist between urban and ruralresidents throughout the world are a consistent cause of concern. They affect the opportunities, resources, and services available to women and girls in rural areas in significant ways.
In keeping with this year’s theme, the UN representatives from The World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations (WFUWO), an NGO in Consultative Status with Economic and Social Council and accredited by the UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI), with direction and support from WFUWO President Mary Szkambara, members of the WFUWO Executive Board and Editor-in-chief of Ukrainian Women in the World Halyna Kovalevych, organized a panel “Rural Women: Realities and Initiatives Toward Empowerment” to be held March 1, 2012, from 2:30pm-4pm at the Salvation Army Social Justice Building, 221 E. 52nd St. (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues). Joining the WFUWO in sponsoring this event is the Permanent Mission of Ukraine, along with the CoNGO NGO Committee on the Family – NY, International Council of Womenand National Council of Women – USA.
Marianna Zajac, President of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America will moderate the panel, which will include introductory remarks by H.E. Yuriy A. Sergeyev, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, followed by three speakers.
First to speak will be Olena Suslova, Ukraine’s candidate to the 23-member Experts Committee of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), as well as Gender Activity Coordinator for the Parliamentary Development Program of Ukraine. She is Founder and Chair of the Women's Information Consultative Center in Ukraine.
Irina Klyuchkovska, PhD, is the Director of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Communications at Ukraine’s Lviv Polytechnic University. Dr. Klyuchkovska was unable to attend and her presentation, “The Struggle of Rural Women against Poverty in Contemporary Ukraine” will be given by Martha KichorowskaKebalo, PhD.
The third to speak witll be Kathryn Vasilaky, PhD, Vice President of Research and Strategy at TroopSwap in Washington, DC. Dr. Vasilaky will speak on the topic “Developing Female Entrepreneurs in East Africa: An overview of female skills and competitiveness and the social norms that shape them”.
A discussion and response to comments will follow the panelists.
UN ground passes are not necessary to attend this event.
According to Nadia Shmigel, WFUWO’s Main Representative with UN (ECOSOC), “the difficulties that confront women living in rural areas are remarkably similar worldwide, despite cultural, demographic and other differences. With the concentration of wealth in modern urban economies, rural women are impactedprofoundly by the lack of resources, compounded by widespread and prevalent gender inequality. Forums such as CSW allow for the sharing of experience and information, and ultimately actions, that offer opportunities for change.”
The World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations (WFUWO) was establishedin November 1948 in the United States. Currently the organization’s headquarters are found in Toronto, Canada. An international federation of 27 non-profit organizations uniting women of Ukrainian heritage from 17 countries that span four continents, the WFUWO supports cultural, educational, humanitarian and social programs, and advocates the advancement of the status of women, their families and children. WFUWO upholds the principles of political and religious tolerance, and universal human rights.
