While this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) winds down in New York, we are reminded that the work to enable the full participation of women in all aspects of public life remains a key challenge across the globe. This year’s theme, ‘Innovation and Technological Change‘ was timely. It is closely linked to one of Southern Voice’s on-going priorities to ensure that digitalization does not leave women and girls behind.

Dr Roxana Barrantes (IEP-Peru) and Estefanía Charvet, presented the findings of the digital transformation research and consultations we have been implementing. The event advocated for a Digital Global Compact that works for women and girls and introduced priorities from the Global South.

As Southern Voice research reveals, a web of intersecting socio-economic factors created obstacles for women and girls during the pandemic: for example limited access to devices, affordability of data plans, household and community expectations, as well as both perceived and real online safety threats. The panel  had welcoming remarks by H.E. Ms. Anna Karin Enneström, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations, co-chair of the Global Digital Compact process.

In another event, with the Global Alliance for Care, we presented the Basic Care Basket indicator to selected stakeholders. Researchers Vanessa D’Alessandre and Florencia Caro Sachetti from CIPPEC-Argentina received valuable feedback to continue their work on this synthetic indicator for care needs. Understanding with precision what is needed to provide an adequate level of care to individuals is essential to harness and direct the necessary resources to the sectors and individuals responsible for care.

Learn more about the Basic Care Basket in the video below.

If you are interested in these initiatives, get in touch via secretariat@southernvoice.org.

As a bonus, Southern Voice’s Steering Committee had the chance to meet in person for the first time since 2019. The committee members discussed strategic priorities for the network during its 10 anniversary year and beyond. We invite you to stay tuned for more news on our upcoming celebratory activities.

During the entire week the Southern Voice delegation met with a variety of stakeholders in New York to discuss possible collaborations. All events were organized in association with the wonderful Sustainable Development team of the United Nations Foundation.

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