New York (United States of America). The 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) will be held at the United Nations in New York from 10 to 21 March 2025. This session marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and focuses on reviewing and evaluating its implementation, as well as addressing current challenges to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Sister Annecie Audate, FMA, Director General of VIDES International, participates in this event bearing the testimony of commitment on the front line of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians for the promotion of women’s empowerment and women’s rights.
The meeting of 11 March 2025, during which UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed representatives of civil society was particularly significant. Guterres stressed the urgency of defending women’s rights, saying they are currently “under siege”. He therefore called for more investment in education, more efforts to eradicate violence against women and girls, support for women’s organizations and human rights defenders, promotion of women’s leadership in the areas of new technologies, and ensuring the full participation of women in politics and peace-building, “to create more lasting solutions”.
The Secretary began his speech by saying, “In these difficult times, civil society is on the front line – putting everything at stake – to promote progress, achieve gender equality, and build a better world for all of us. I am at your side, now and always.”
He also pointed out that “A wave of misogyny and a furious backlash against equality threaten to hold back progress. This – continues Guterrez – is unacceptable, immoral, and self-injurious. We must stop it – and we must stop it together. […] Women’s organizations and civil society played an important role in securing these results in the preparation of the Summit of the Future. However, women and girls still face an incredible set of wrongs. […] We need to reverse the course. You are the engine of progress. Our world needs you and you can be absolutely sure that I will fight by your side and for you. [… ]
Let us never forget that inequality is a question of power. We still live in a world dominated by men and in a culture dominated by men. And power is never given, it must be taken. Together, we must take it. And for those who wonder how? The answer is in this room. Energy, commitment, and determination. All of us who care about equality must unite, organize, and mobilize to push the world into action. Each of us must do our part.”
“Each of us has to do our part.” This is the strong invitation that Sister Annecie Audate treasured as she left the meeting, feeling increasingly determined to affirm in her work every day the importance of gender and human rights issues, according to the Vision of VIDES International committed to promoting a fraternal and solidary society based on respect for the dignity of every person and sees young people committed as active citizens in the constant search for the Common Good.
In this framework of action, the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians firmly believes that to achieve integral development and empowerment of women, it is fundamental to invest in education and networked according to the call of the Church today that sees in synodality an effective strategy that will allow collaboration in the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations.
