Empowered Women at the United Nations

Carilyn Pointer - This March marked the 68^th annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women,  “The largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment.” The conference was hosted at the United Nations headquarters and is a prime example of the impact networks can have.

Networks are collections of nodes that are linked together. The UN is a prime example of a network because it is a conglomerate of different programs and specialized agencies, each of which has its own area of work, leadership, and budget. Each of these agencies and organizations is considered a node. Each node has a unique task, but all contribute to the overall function of the network. The network of the UN has spread even further by creating connections and relationships with other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), which are themselves networks. NGOs hosted panels and brought more attendees to the conference. These connections and the ability to work worldwide without regard to boundaries or regions are some of the benefits of networks, especially when multiple networks combine.

The topics at the conference ranged from economic gender equality, and women’s empowerment, to the disproportionate effects conflict has on women. With speakers and attendees from across the world and a variety of NGOs, the importance and impact of the UN-led network was a forceful sound: The sound of empowered women creating space for themselves and others, and of diverse peoples and countries uniting and reporting on the status of women across the world.

_{Photo Credit: Carilyn Pointer}