The Foundation and UN Women host event at Commission on the Status of Women

The Foundation co-hosted an event with UN Women at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York Monday 5 March 2012.

The Foundation co-hosted an event with UN Women at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York on Monday 5 March 2012. The theme of this year’s CSW is the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges.

The side event co-hosted by UN Women and the Foundation explored the opportunities for improving access to clean, renewable energy for rural communities, with a particular focus on rural women.

The event took shape as a moderated dialogue among grassroots rural women and representatives of the Troika+ Women Leaders on Gender and Climate Change. The key messages of the event will be carried forward by the Troika+ to inform and shape their priorities for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)

The event was moderated by Mary Robinson, President of the Foundation and an opening and closing address was delivered by Michelle Bachelet, Under Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Women.

This UN Women video introduces the priority theme and key messages of this year’s CSW.

Other Troika+ members in attendance were Ambassador Anne Anderson Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN, Michelle Heiglin Deputy Secretary General World YWCA and Radha Muthiah Executive Director of Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.

Further Reading

Opening remarks by Michelle Bachelet Under Secretary General, Executive Director UN Women

The Foundation distributed this paper at the meeting

Rural Women, Climate Change and Access to Energy

The fifty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women is taking place at UN Headquarters in New York from Monday, 27 February to Friday, 9 March 2012.

Our Work: Women’s Leadership on Gender and Climate Change

UN Women