KSK70 Diaries - Part 2*
*This is a series of articles consisting of assessments by Gülfer Kırbaş, who attended the 70th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on behalf of ÇemberDE.
While on my way to Rockefeller Center for an event, the song Sixteen Tons suddenly came to mind.
We cannot call it a coincidental recollection.
The song was written about the value of labor and the lives of workers burdened with debt. Many of the talks I heard at CSW70 today essentially revolved around the same question, albeit in different words: by whom and how is the value of labor perceived?
Throughout the day, we listened to experiences from different parts of the world.
In Mozambique, young women are making bicycles from plastic waste to ensure girls have safe access to school and healthcare services.
Attacks against women human rights defenders are increasing in Uganda.
The invisible contribution of care work and migrant women to economic growth in Macao.
And there's a bigger issue being discussed at the end of the day:
Equality is not just a social policy issue, but a central issue for economic systems.
Today, Smriti Zubin Irani's remarks on egalitarian economies were particularly thought-provoking in this regard.
Although the topics seem to come from different geographical regions, they actually connect to the same point:
Systems that do not take into account women's labor, knowledge, and leadership remain incomplete.
The rest of the day passed at New York's own pace. I met with activists from Türkiye, went to Rockefeller Center, and visited a cathedral. The weather was almost like spring; I ate my salad on a bench in Bryant Park.
I'm sitting here at the New York Public Library now, writing down my day's notes.
Perhaps one of CSW's most valuable aspects is this:
The ability for experiences from different parts of the world to become part of the same conversation.
We will discuss what we heard and the discussions in more detail with our dear Sinem Sefa Akay .
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