This past week, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) hosted their 66th annual session, which brought together representatives from 45 UN member states, entities, and civil society organizations for the purpose of promoting gender equality and empowering women around the globe. Historically held on-site in New York, USA, this year marked the second year the event was offered in a hybrid format. With the increased accessibility of virtual attendance, the CSW annual session is now one of the world’s largest forums dedicated to the advancement of women.
The CSW, founded in 1946, monitors emerging issues related to the status of women and makes recommendations to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) concerning women’s rights and empowerment. The annual session is an opportunity to evaluate and accelerate the progress of priority themes. This year’s priority theme was, “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes.”
Sigma hosted two parallel events corresponding with the CSW66 theme. Over 300 attendees representing more than 50 different countries joined in. The first event, presented in collaboration with The International Council of Nurses, focused on the impact of climate change on women’s health and well-being. The expert panelists highlighted nurses’ contributions in mitigating climate change and building resilient healthcare systems specializing in women’s health. Sigma President Ken Dion closed the meeting by reminding the 27 million nurses around the world to be bold and step outside our silos to engage with others for the sake of our population, our profession, and our planet.
The second event, presented in collaboration with Jhpiego, promoted careers in nursing and midwifery as a pathway to women’s empowerment, upward mobility, and gender equality. Sigma UN Liaison Mercy Mumba emphasized the investment in nursing education for girls and women as an investment to the community and future generations. Read more about her call to promote gender equality and empower women through professional growth and development here.
Both parallel events demonstrate Sigma’s commitment to actively participate in UN activities in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our increased engagement at the UN is part of our global initiatives and mission to advance world health. Since our initial recognition as an associated non-governmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations (UN) in 2009 and subsequent Special Consultative Status to the ECOSOC in 2012, we have worked to ensure that nurses are included and visible as part of the solution in achieving the SDGs and addressing global challenges.
Sigma has participated in the CSW annual session for the past eight years. Because 90% of the world’s nurses are women, preparing the future nursing workforce with strong leadership skills contributes to gender equality and economic and social empowerment of women worldwide. Ultimately, this contributes to better health and well-being for all and supports Sigma’s mission to develop and empower nurse leaders everywhere.
You can contribute to promoting gender equality and empowering women and nurses wherever you are, too. The 17 SDGs are interconnected and serve as a blueprint to a better future for all. Local and global actions to advance any one of the goals contribute to achieving all the goals. But here are some specific ways to get involved:
- Visit the Sigma website page to learn more about how chapters are taking action.
- Log in to The Circle to engage with Sigma’s chapter leaders and access the United Nations SDG Chapter Toolkit and SDG of the Month.
- See this flyer, developed by Sigma’s UN Liaisons and Youth Representatives, for chapter and individual ideas on how to get involved.
- Subscribe to the UN mailing list to receive news and updates on opportunities to participate in UN events.
- Make plans now to attend CSW67 in 2023!
Last year, 227 Sigma chapters around the world reported activities targeting the SDGs. Together, Sigma nurses are working together for a better future.
Janice E. Hawkins, PhD, RN, Clinical Associate Professor and Undergraduate Departmental Adviser at Old Dominion University School of Nursing in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, is a retired Army nurse. In addition to being a Sigma UN Liaison, she is a member of Sigma’s Epsilon Chi Chapter at Old Dominion University.