Celebrating Women and CSW68

March is Women’s History Month. On March 8^th, 2024, NFBPWC will celebrate International Women’s Day alongside the United Nations and countless other countries and organizations. This year the United Nations observance of International Women’s Day theme is ‘'Invest in women: Accelerate progress.” The Official UN International Women’s Day commemoration will be held in the ECOSOC Chamber and live streamed on 8 March 2024, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am EST.

The International Women’s Day Website has declared “Inspire Inclusion” as the 2024 campaign theme. As the president of an organization that values inclusion, I would like to share their statement:

Inspire Inclusion.

When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world.

And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

Collectively, let's forge a more inclusive world for women.

Read more about a definition of what it means to inspire inclusion here.

(https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme)

“The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, will take place this year from March 11^th – 22^nd, 2024 under the priority theme, ‘Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.’” (https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women) As an affiliate federation of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW or BPW International), we participate annually in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).  This session will be held as a hybrid event with activities being held both onsite in NYC, virtually, and simultaneously (hybrid). All NFBPWC members have an incredible opportunity to participate in the CSW experience either from the comfort of their own homes or in NYC… for FREE!

NFBPWC is honored to be accepted, for the fourth year in a row, to present a Parallel Event at this year’s Commission on the Status of Women 68^th annual event. We are thrilled to announce that our event will be a truly hybrid one, both in-person and virtually on Zoom. This marks our second in-person, hybrid Parallel Event. We are privileged to be hosting this year’s Parallel Event with BPW Canada Global Collaboration to Tackle Period Poverty on March 13, 2024 from 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Eastern Time). Our phenomenal Young BPW, Emily VanVleck, will be the Moderator at the event. It is important to recognize that her leadership elevated the Period Poverty Initiative to this level as she took the lead in executing the planning of the event and speakers with BPW Canada’s Immediate Past President, Karin Gorgerat.

In addition, NFBPWC is proud to be supporting a fellow Dina Fesler’s (a fellow NFBPWC and IFBPW member) event: Navigating Trauma: Empowering Adolescent Girls in Conflict Zones. Please click on this link to participate in this virtual event on March 13, 2024 at 12:30 PM (Eastern Time). Links to other BPW events can be found on our CSW Portal webpage and here: https://www.bpw-international.org/un/csw68-2024/csw68-parallel-events/. Thank you to all the members who are attending events in New York City for the IFBPW Leaders’ Summit and/or the 68^th annual Commission on the Status of Women event.

Your participation is key, and our success on this global platform at the United Nations depends on you. Please celebrate and share this event as widely as you can. Invite your friends, your neighbors, your social media connections, your family, and your work colleagues. This is our opportunity to help NFBPWC grow our membership and market our organization while celebrating women globally. Here is a link to this year’s CSW68 page: https://www.nfbpwc.org/UN-CSW.

What other support do we need to make this event successful? It takes a small village to make an event like this possible. For our members attending this year’s Commission on the Status of Women, it takes a huge commitment of time, funds, and expertise. Please consider donating to make these opportunities more accessible and feasible for all of our members: https://www.nfbpwc.org/Donate and indicate that it is for our United Nations CSW Fund (NFBPWC is a 501c3 organization).

Let us celebrate and honor one another throughout Women’s History month. Please remember, you have an opportunity to provide constructive input and to find your own unique path in this organization. This is a chance to develop your potential, and that of NFBPWC, in a safe and welcoming space. Please continue to bring your ideas, projects, and your own light forward. Let us celebrate our successes as individuals and as an organization!

NFBPWC is truly living our theme for this biennium: Cultivate Connections, Create Community. Sending personal wishes of celebration, health, and progress around the globe!

Kind Regards,

Megan Shellman-Rickard,

NBPWC President (2020-2024)