It was an intense, busy undertaking for our delegation, most of whom were young people, who earned their own money to attend the conference.
The meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), February 27, 2012 – March 9, 2012, waslabeled “outrageous” by feminist NGO’s and UN bureaucrats. It appears that the majority of the delegates of the UN member states, assisted by pro-family NGO’s, refused to bend to the will of the ruling feminist “elites”, who had expected, as usual, to dominate the UN meeting. This time they failed to do so. REAL Women of Canada was delighted to send a delegation to this meeting, sending eight (8) members, led by one of ourAlbertaboard members, Theresa Nault. It was an intense, busy undertaking for our delegation, most of whom were young people, who earned their own money to attend the conference.
REAL Women Co-hosted Popular Side Event
In addition to our many other duties at the conference, REAL Women of Canada co-hosted, with the New Yorkbased Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), one of the best attended side events sponsored by NGO’s at this conference. Our event dealtwith the horrendous effect ofChina’s one-child policy on women, families and society. We titled our event “Gender Inequality In Population Control Programs.” The younger REAL Women team members worked hard advertising our event by distributing flyers throughout the conference building. The room was full, the panelists were experts on the topic, and the audience enthusiastically engaged the panelists during question period. The audience was diverse and for many this was their first exposure to the serious implications emerging fromChina’s one-child policy; especially the disparity that has occurred between the number of men and women in society caused by the aborting of female babies.
Monitoring the Canadian Delegation
One of REAL Women of Canada’s other responsibilities was to monitor the Canadian delegation. In doing so, we expected to attend the delegation’s briefings for Canadian NGO’s attending the conference. These briefings are facilitated by the head of the Canadian delegation, and were supposed to be open to all Canadian delegates and NGO’s. Unfortunately, it became a game of cat and mouse between the Canadian delegates and REAL Women, as the Canadian delegation did its best to avoid the presence of our representatives at its briefings, by consistently providing us with incorrect information as to the location of its briefings. Also, oddly, despite our frequent requests for the names of the Canadian delegation, this information was not forthcoming. We only were able to obtain the list from other sources after the conference. Why is the Canadian delegation so afraid of the presence of REAL Women at these conferences? Are they concerned that we might report on what they’re doing and saying at the UN, information they do not want disclosed? For example,Canada has a close relationship at these conferences withTurkey’s spokesperson, who promotes a radical feminist ideology there. Compliments were offered to the Turkish delegate by the anti-life chairs of the committees, so that we knewCanadawas working to input feminist ideology into the conference document, with this Turkish delegate.
REAL Women’s Perennial Question:
Why is the Canadian delegation persistently promoting a left-wing feminist ideology at UN conferences? We have encountered and witnessed this many times. The Status of Women selects our delegation to the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women each year and determines Canada’s policy position during negotiations. Why? What authority do these ideological bureaucrats in the Status of Women have to set the Canadian agenda? Why has the Canadian delegation been allowed to operate so freely without any control or supervision from the Conservative government? We keep asking this question and never receive a satisfactory answer.