March 9, 2009

Updates from Caucuses during CSW53
Beijing + 15, Meeting #3 – March 9th, 2009
Conference Room B

Updates from Regional Caucuses

Asia-Pacific Statement:
The Asia-Pacific appreciates all the working of the CSW NGO Working Group. They would like to raise the following points:
1. They are apprehensive towards the date due to cold weather.
2. They will cooperate to participate and help organize the national, regional and local forums to feed and be consistent with international goals.
3. They wish to know what will be written in the outcome.
4. They believe that the Beijing Platform for Action and Millennium Development Goals.
5. This plan must consider emerging issues as they evolve.

The African Caucus has indicated that it will convene a coordinating group of 5 representatives to help plan and coordinate the deliverables that emerge from this event.

The European Caucus is happy to coordinate if other European Commission partners are interested.

An NGO member that visited with the Dutch Mission today has suggested that a meeting there would support:
• A Mid-Term Review to take place in September
• That Beijing + 15, CEDAW, MDG and CSW should be linked
• That discussions should be at a high level

Goals & Objectives

In addition to the goals and objectives identified in the Power Point presentations,
• Themes recommended for Beijing + 15 include:
o We have enough words
o Time for Action
o Time for governments and international community to fulfill promises and commitments
• Beijing + 15 event should support the implementation of the GEAR proposal for the composite model
• Beijing + 15 should create focus on holding domestic governments accountable for their obligations under Beijing and other aspects of international law
• Focus should not be on new wording or re-opening the agenda, which risks compromising and weakening the wording

How should these goals and objectives be accomplished?

In addition to the points in the presentation, the following points have been raised:
• Develop an Action Kit that suggests to local NGOs different ways in which they can help to mobilize this campaign
• Develop regular milestones to sustain momentum
o Several people raised that monthly milestones may be logistically and financially impractical. Perhaps monthly report to coordinating regional focal points? Possibly to promote idea-sharing across regions so that regions can learn from one another’s successes. Events every 3 months instead? Is May 2009 a realistic target for delivering a plan for the proposal for next years events? How will coordination with sub-levels take place back to international level? What will the role of DAW be in this event?
• Engage new allies, including men, youth, and women. Focus on youth born since Beijing?
• Address changes in expectations and re-examine the question of understanding for the problems
• Campaign should bring Beijing together with other international instruments (1325, 1802, CEDAW)
• In addition to use of radio and internet, cells phones should be used, particularly in developing countries to reach communities at the grassroots level
• Strategies should be adapted to local context but not necessarily on the lines of developed versus developing
• Recruit Ambassadors, high-profile figures who can help get this message out to the masses and create relevance to the unengaged
• Media is a critical component to this strategy
• Private Sector actors can also have roles
• Schools, educational facilities and academic institutions

Who should be involved?

Coordinating Committee
• NGO CSW Committee, Government ministries, NGOs at all levels, GEAR instrastructure, plus others? Regional Caucus/ Networks

Other Potential Participants/ Contributors
• Religious institutions/ traditional mechanisms; however some argue that including religious allies can compromise goals; others (particularly African representatives) argue that the women will listen to messages from the religious leaders
• Private actors
o Some have expressed concerns over the role they would play in this event? Would they participate on the coordinating Committee? Or would they, as Vivian clarified, work to participate in implementing strategies established by the Coordinating Committee that derive from the established goals and objectives?
• Suggestion that regional autonomy for development of regional/ local plans may be best approach
• Trade unions and labor unions may prove a useful ally in driving this strategy forward
• The plan must be established for April 2009
• Perhaps actors that are to be included should not be decided broad-based functional groupings, but rather by their commitment to the goals and objectives that this event is promoting

Other Thoughts/ Suggestions
• Consider alternative name to Beijing + 15; very uninspiring and meaningless to many
• Promote and recognize women from the first world conference at all + 5 events
• Re-engage journey so far, where we have to go from here
• Maybe prepare some form of timeline of major milestones, ideas of what has been accomplished to date to create some sort of ‘march-on’ order
• Should advance GEAR composite model selection; strong agreement on this
• Use Facebook and other technologies

Budget Considerations
• Budget needed for short team costs (e.g. 1-year campaign) and for longer-term visioning; such a budget needs to be developed and presented
• Budget should keep in mind being cost-effective and efficient especially givent the turbulent times
o Can support come from governments?
o How do we mobilize events elsewhere?
o Too costly to do events both before CSW and at CSW
o Important to keep connected to CSW
• Budget and fundraising objectives must be clearly defined and credible

Outstanding Issues & Questions
• Where will next year’s CSW take place is significant: New York, Geneva, Montreal, Africa (someone suggested Abuja, Nigeria)?
• What was budget for Beijing + 5? Vivian indicated that she would find out