Inaugural Post!
I'm honored to be the first student to post on behalf of the Feminist Advocacy in the UN course at Rutgers University. Thanks to the guidance of the professional staff at the cwgl, this tumblr will act as a platform where we can display our understanding of feminist theory and praxis though readings, discussions and concrete experiences at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
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"Class Trip to the UN"
By: Mariel Quintana
Why did you choose this course? What do you know about human rights? Do you know about the United Nation’s Millenium Development Goals and how it’s progress is being incorporated in the post-2015 development agenda?
These were questions commonly posed to our class throughout the day as we went from building to building to attend discussions about feminist advocacy in the UN. In total, we attended discussions with 4 organizations: UN Women, UN Non-Governmental Liason Service, Urban Justice Center, and Third World Network.
The in-depth conversations held among us were impressive. I was reminded of how, after much advocacy on multiple levels, women’s rights as human rights have finally become an issue taken seriously. Through class discussions and our class trip, we learned that on the forefront of women’s rights advancement are passionate individuals and hard-working grassroots organizations. Many activists’ motions are driven by the possibility to extend awareness of women’s issues by the passing of international documents agreed upon by the UN. While signed agreements such as the Programme of Action are useful to advance international dialogue, it is the work of the “little people” that make the work and decisions of employees of the UN reach closer to closing the gender inequality gap.
When I registered for Feminist Advocacy in the UN, I expected a chance to visit the UN as a tourist. I did not expect the opportunity to sit down and chat with women from various fields of the UN and from NGOs that have a stake in policy decisions relating to human rights around the world. After this recent trip, I feel more knowledgable about how gain access to the tools and resources needed for advocacy of human rights. I truly look forward to see what my education brings me as the Spring Semester unfolds!
