RESURJ signed two letters, one addressing the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women that is the Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations, and another addressing the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations. Both letters demand an intervention to expedite non-immigrant visa processes to ensure in-person civil society participation at CSW67. Read them below.
H.E. Ms. Mathu Joyini
Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women
Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations
845 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022
Dear Ambassador Joyini,
The organizations indicated below believe that CSW is a critical space not just for shaping global norms and standards, but for building solidarity between different stakeholders, sharing lessons learnt, opening opportunities for cross-regional collaboration and strengthening feminist and women’s rights movements. We value deeply the role that the Commission plays in advancing global commitments on gender equality and women’s, adolescent girls’ and girls’ human rights. At a time when the Beijing agenda and the wider gender equality agenda face polarizing hostility in multilateral discussions and negotiations, robust engagement from feminist and gender justice organizations and movements is needed as they are key drivers for progress and play a critical role in holding the agenda.
Over the last two years, we have seen how the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened a concerning trend of closing of civic space, online and offline, at the country, regional and global levels, including during CSW, that has undermined our influence and jeopardized our work in furthering the gender equality agenda. This year, as we go back to the pre-pandemic in-person mode of participation, we continue to advocate for and work in ensuring that access and meaningful engagement of civil society is a priority for CSW67.
While we recognize the opportunities for inclusion opened by the virtual world, especially for those facing financial and visa-related obstacles for traveling to New York, we also recognize the invaluable opportunity that comes with attending CSW in-person, particularly for intersectional feminist activists, women human rights defenders and organizations from the global South that often encounter issues when requesting Visas for entry to the United States of America (US). In numerous countries, advocates and activists are confronted with processing times of up to two years by US Consulates.
Considering this, we would like request your good offices, and the support of the CSW Bureau, in advocating with the government of the United States of America, in its capacity as host country, to expedite the processing and approval of non-immigration visas for those attending CSW in person and any personal assistants (for persons with disabilities), especially for those coming from excluded groups and global south countries.
It is also essential to ensure that CSW is truly accessible for all who attend in person. In that regard, we would like to ask UN Women’s support in guaranteeing that during CSW, all venues, especially at UN Headquarters, as well as activities related to CSW will be inclusive, accessible and feminist in design, with reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities including but not limited to closed captioning, international sign language and information in accessible formats, and multi-language interpretation, ensuring the robust participation of women from the global South, grassroots movements, and those who have historically been on the margins of civic space.
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H.E. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations
799 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Dear Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield,
The organizations indicated below believe that CSW is a critical space not just for shaping global norms and standards, but for building solidarity between different stakeholders, sharing lessons learnt, opening opportunities for cross-regional collaboration and strengthening feminist and women’s rights movements. We value deeply the role that the Commission plays in advancing global commitments on gender equality and women’s, adolescent girls’ and girls’ human rights. At a time when the Beijing agenda and the wider gender equality agenda face polarizing hostility in multilateral discussions and negotiations, robust engagement from feminist and gender justice organizations and movements is needed as they are key drivers for progress and play a critical role in holding the agenda.
Over the last two years, we have seen how the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened a concerning trend of closing of civic space, online and offline, at the country, regional and global levels, including during CSW, that has undermined our influence and jeopardized our work in furthering the gender equality agenda. This year, as we go back to the pre-pandemic in-person mode of participation, we continue to advocate for and work in ensuring that access and meaningful engagement of civil society is a priority for CSW67.
While we recognize the opportunities for inclusion opened by the virtual world, especially for those facing financial and visa-related obstacles for traveling to New York, we also recognize the invaluable opportunity that comes with attending CSW in-person, particularly for intersectional feminist activists, women human rights defenders and organizations from the global South that often encounter issues when requesting Visas for entry to the United States of America (US). In numerous countries, advocates and activists are confronted with processing times of up to two years by US Consulates.
Considering this, we would like request to you, in your capacity as representative of the host country, to take all necessary measures to expedite the processing and approval of non-immigration visas for those attending CSW in person and any personal assistants (for persons with disabilities), especially for those coming from excluded groups and global south countries.