CanWaCH delegation at CSW69: Five questions with Marie Jobin-Gélinas

The largest annual global gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, CSW69 brought together governments, civil society organizations, experts and activists from March 10 to 21. CanWaCH was pleased to join the session and support the attendance of youth and delegates from organizations across our membership. The following Q&A is part of a series of interviews with members of the CanWaCH delegation. Read all of the delegation’s insights on Write to Thrive.

Why did you want to attend CSW69? What drew you to being part of the CanWaCH delegation? 

The goals of the CSW69 concerned pressing issues that I face every day, whether raising awareness among leaders about health issues affecting women and adolescent girls or empowering women. Therefore, my participation was a unique opportunity to renew and expand my knowledge in this area and create networks with other organizations that also work in the health field, particularly sexual and reproductive health. Evidence is at the heart of my work at the Université de Montréal, and I was interested to learn more about the participatory action research presented at the conference. 

What was a moment at CSW69 that made you stop and think differently about an issue? Did you hear a perspective that challenged your assumptions or changed your mind?

Although my work has made me aware of the social determinants of health, I was positively surprised that several interventions emphasized their importance for achieving equality. For example, one speaker emphasized at an event on mental health and well-being that while psychotherapy sessions are essential for the homeless, the largest source of reassurance is still being able to afford adequate housing. Therefore, social and economic actions that concern more than mental health are as crucial, if not more so, than health interventions. The fact that health promotion is still underfunded affects the most vulnerable, including women living at the intersection of several identities and experiencing multiple forms of oppression. This very concrete intervention reassured me of the feasibility of including the social determinants of health in public policy and confirms that we must continue our collective efforts in this direction. 

If you had to describe CSW69 in three words, what would they be?

Discovery, passion and perseverance

How did you choose which events and activities would be most useful/relevant?

Honestly, I attended the events for which I was able. The programming was unclear, and we had to rely on the other delegation’s members for event information. There were multiple information sources, and events were scattered across several buildings, so sometimes you had to rush from one event to another before it was full. However, in general, I attended events related to the themes and countries of intervention of my home organization: SRHR, Haiti, FGM/C, action research, resilience of health systems, etc. It was also a great opportunity to learn more about issues I am less familiar with, such as the intersection of gender and sustainable development issues among South Asian women. 

What makes these types of global gatherings important?

The event was an opportunity to learn from best practices proposed by NGOs dedicated to gender equality. While the current global climate has influenced all discussions, events such as these help forge strong links between women’s rights organizations and gender-diverse individuals, and develop innovative new approaches to reach the most vulnerable, particularly women and adolescent girls. The CSW puts urgent issues on the global agenda that are sometimes underfunded or neglected by member states. 

Connect with Marie on LinkedIn here.