Episcopalians reflect on women’s rights progress 30 years after Beijing Declaration

[Episcopal News Service] Some of the Episcopal delegates who represented Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe at the 69th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, or CSW69, in New York City gathered via Zoom March 31 to report back on their experiences. Episcopal leaders who participated independently also shared their reflections.

CSW69/Beijing+30 focused mostly on reviewing the implementation and outcomes of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 30 years after the U.N. adopted the resolution during the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace held in China’s capital. The Beijing Declaration promotes gender equality and women’s rights through a set of principles addressing 12 critical areas of concern, including education, economic empowerment, political participation and ending gender-based violence.

“I think for many of us who work in the field of gender justice, this year was a particularly very heavy year for CSW,” Nicole Hosein, director of Episcopal Relief & Development’s gender initiatives, said during the webinar “Beyond Beijing+30: Realizing the Dream.”

“A recent U.N. Women report noted there’s pushback against gender justice in one in four countries globally, and that’s really alarming,” said Hosein, who participated during the first half of the March 10-21 meeting virtually.

Hosein was one of the six Episcopal delegates to CSW69 alongside the Rev. Margaret Rose, the presiding bishop’s ecumenical and interreligious deputy and former director of The Episcopal Church’s women’s ministries; Rebecca Blachly, the church’s chief of public policy and witness; Lynnaia Main, the church’s representative to the United Nations; Julia Ayala Harris, president of the House of Deputies; and Troy Collazo, policy adviser with the church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations. The delegates joined representatives of U.N. member states, U.N. entities and accredited nongovernmental organizations who gather annually to learn from one another and strategize ways to increase and improve women’s equality and empowerment worldwide.

CSW69 also addressed ongoing challenges women and girls face, including gender-based violence, wage gaps, economic barriers and a lack of access to education and health care. Women and girls of color and LGBTQ+ women are disproportionately affected by these challenges. For example, nearly 130 million girls, most living in poorer countries, aren’t enrolled in school. Also, women worldwide are paid about 80% of what men are paid for the same work, and that wage gap is higher for women of color.

Collazo, whose duties include advocating for The Episcopal Church’s positions on immigration and refugee policy, participated in person during the first week of CSW69. He was unable to join the webinar, but Main, who facilitated the webinar, read aloud his written reflection:

“In all honesty, the conference felt somewhat hackneyed. I didn’t encounter any novel solutions to the problems women face that haven’t been discussed since the 1960s,” Collazo said in his written statement. “The challenges faced by refugee women, in particular, stood out as an area requiring more innovative approaches and leadership. I appreciate the opportunity to have been part of this important global forum and look forward to discussing how we can contribute to more progressive and effective solutions in the future.”

Before he retired last fall, former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry wrote and submitted The Episcopal Church’s goals for CSW69 in a statement:

• Prioritize resources and programs for marginalized women and girls, including LGBTQ+ women, women of color, women with disabilities, migrant women, elderly women and others.
• Increase access to resources, public services, social protections and infrastructure.
• Increase access to economic and political power and decision-making.
• Eliminate all forms of gender-based violence.
• Address climate change and environmental issues, which disproportionately harm women and girls.

“While celebrating progress for and by women and girls in all their diversity in the 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we lament persistent injustices and call for changes,” the statement says.

Additionally, delegates participated in ecumenical and interfaith events during CSW69, including an opening and closing Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at The Episcopal Church Center in Manhattan. Rose told webinar participants she appreciated the opportunities to connect with women leaders of different faith backgrounds.

“As we begin to think about what’s next, I hope that we’ll be able to do mission meetings in between and move ahead in ways that will continue to make a difference – certainly in the U.S. – but around the world where there continues to be so much need,” Rose said.

During the webinar, Main noted that the United States, under President Donald Trump’s administration, wanted to eliminate the term “gender” from the conference, which contributes to the growing “pushback” against gender justice. Additionally, she mentioned that new challenges have manifested since the Beijing Declaration was adopted in 1995, including the gender digital divide and artificial intelligence, as well as the evolving definitions of gender and sex and the resulting “culture wars.”

“We have seen, as well, the persistence and universality of gender-based violence. One in three women will experience that in their lifetimes. The ongoing pushback against health care and sexual and reproductive health rights – as well as the oppression of LGBTQ persons around the world – much still needs to be done. And of course, this work does not end,” Main said.

The intentional killing of women and girls, or femicide, is also a global crisis. In 2022, nearly 89,000 known women and girls were murdered, the highest number recorded in 20 years. Femicide targeting transgender women and women of color has particularly been increasing every year.

Lisa Bortner is president of the National Episcopal Church Women, or ECW, a churchwide organization that seeks to empower Episcopal women and foster programs that minister to women and children. She was one of several Episcopal leaders who independently participated in CSW69. During the webinar, Bortner mentioned that one of the ECW’s priorities is to advocate for increased focus on the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. With that in mind, she said she was disappointed that, to her knowledge, no Indigenous woman from the United States spoke during any CSW69 session.

“By the end of the first week, we felt a very deep conviction that next year we must sponsor our own NGO CSW session on the plight of Indigenous missing and murdered women,” Bortner said. “Our goal is to bring those women to the table, giving them a platform to share their stories and advocate for themselves and their families and their communities. To make that happen, we need to collaborate within The Episcopal Church, so I’m going to ask Lynnaia if we can work even more closely in the next year so we can hopefully make that happen.”

In the United States, more than 1.5 million Native American women – 84.3% of the population – have experienced violence in their lifetime, according to data from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. They are more than twice as likely to experience violence than women from any other demographic. And more than half of the total Indigenous population, most of whom are young women, have experienced sexual violence. 

After the speakers shared their experiences and reflections, webinar participants answered a couple of brainstorming questions using Zoom’s chat function. The first question: What critical issues emerged from CSW69 and the Beijing+30 review that we must address?

“Continued attention to stopping human trafficking,” one person wrote.

“Gender-based violence and women’s political participation,” another wrote.

The second question: What groups and networks exist for advancing our work?

Answers included The Episcopal Church’s Gender Justice Office, Episcopal Migration Ministries’ Rainbow Initiative and the International Anglican Women’s Network, or IAWN. Helen Van Koevering, chair of IAWN, wrote in the chat that she’s open to connect and further discuss how to address issues related to the Commission on the Status of Women between U.N. meetings.

The webinar concluded with Rose leading a closing prayer, which included the Beijing Noonday Prayer, a prayer that was co-authored by two Episcopalians and other faith partners for the Fourth World Conference on Women. Every year, delegates pray the Beijing Noonday Prayer at noon when CSW meetings are in session:

“O God, creator of the heavens and the Earth, we pray for all who gather in Beijing. Bless them. Help them and us to see one another through the eyes enlightened by understanding and compassion. Release us from prejudice so we can receive the stories of our sisters with respect and attention. Open our ears to the cries of a suffering world and the healing melodies of peace. Empower us to be instruments in bringing about your justice and equality everywhere.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.