We were recently honoured to speak with the inspiring Ruth Healey, President of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI), about the charity’s advocacy for women’s and girls’ representation at the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
As issues surrounding women’s rights and violence against women and girls (VAWG) dominate global headlines, Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland, a leading women’s charity, is taking its fight for gender equality to the world stage. This month, the charity will head to New York to contribute to the United Nations’ CSW, pushing for urgent action and policy change.
The annual CSW is the largest global gathering focused on addressing the widespread inequalities, violence, and discrimination faced by women worldwide. Meeting each March, the Commission also holds a five-year review to evaluate progress. This year’s session in New York will assess advancements made over the last five years.
The annual CSW is the largest global gathering focused on addressing the widespread inequalities, violence, and discrimination faced by women worldwide. Meeting each March, the Commission also holds a five-year review to evaluate progress. This year’s session in New York will assess advancements made over the last five years.
While UN member states vote on resolutions, selected NGOs with consultative status are invited to actively participate in the CSW’s work. Since 1984, Soroptimist International (SI) has proudly held consultative status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). SIGBI, one of SI’s five federations, was granted this status in 2013, enabling the charity to play a key role in holding member states accountable and driving action on women’s equality.
Ruth Healey, President of SIGBI, said: “Our members—Soroptimists—are incredibly proud of our consultative status at CSW. We look forward to joining over 12,000 attendees in New York as one of the largest delegations of NGOs. As we reflect on progress made, we’ll also focus on the work that still needs to be done. With International Women’s Day approaching, we urge the Government to recognise the ongoing gaps in women’s rights, equality, and empowerment—especially as we mark an important milestone at this CSW: 30 years since the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA).”
Thirty years ago, world leaders made a historic commitment to ensure equal rights, opportunities, safety, and power for women and girls. The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action remains the most comprehensive and visionary plan ever created to advance gender equality, with a focus on 12 key areas. SIGBI works tirelessly to ensure that governments and decision-makers fulfill their commitments in these areas.
Ruth continued: “Thirty years later, we are far from the finish line. The pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, climate change, and other global challenges have delayed progress, but governments worldwide are also working to roll back the gains we’ve made. With applications for this year’s BPfA 30 percent higher than usual, it’s clear that Beijing30 is critical. It’s time to push back against this resistance and shift the trajectory for women and girls, both now and for future generations.”
This year, CSW coincides with International Women’s Day, both events driving meaningful action for women and girls around the globe.
“We’re privileged to participate in both events,” Ruth said. “At the grassroots level, our 248 clubs across the UK, Ireland, Malta, Asia, and the Caribbean, with a total of 5,150 members, are implementing a diverse range of projects to uplift and empower women and girls.”
Ruth emphasised that SIGBI’s unique position as one of the few charities with a direct link to the UN provides an opportunity for women to make a real difference. While SIGBI representatives, including Director of Programme Lindsay Green, are attending CSW in New York, clubs across the UK are delivering impactful projects locally, nationally, and internationally to educate, empower, and support women and girls.
Ruth also emphasised the importance of conducting a gender impact assessment for all decisions made and ensuring that women are represented at every level of government. While women are impacted by a wide range of issues, there is growing concern that progress has been set back in recent years due to challenges such as conflicts, the pandemic, and instability in some countries and volatility—situations where women and children often bear the brunt of the suffering.
About Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI)
Educate. Empower. Enable
Soroptimist International is a global volunteer women’s organisation working together to transform the lives of women and girls with nearly 66,000 Members in 121 countries.
Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) has over 5,000 Members in over 250 Clubs in 17 countries including Great Britain, Ireland and countries in Asia and the Caribbean, who work at a local, national and international level to educate, empower and enable opportunities for women and girls.
SIGBI is a membership organisation dedicated to empowering women and girls to achieve their full potential.
Join the 66,000 Soroptimists worldwide, the majority of whom belong to their local Club, where they can make friends with like-minded women, have fun and work on projects that help improve the lives of women and girls locally, nationally and internationally.
Learn more about their work here: SIGBI website.
