The Honourable Minister Marci Ien and Parliamentary Secretary Lisa Hepfner will be in New York City for the 68th Session of the United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW).
At this year's session, occurring from March 11 to March 22, international institutions, governments, and civil society organizations will meet to discuss the priority theme of "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". Both Minister Ien and Parliamentary Secretary Hepfner will underscore Canada's commitment to advancing gender equality for women and girls in all their diversity, in economic, social, and political life.
In addition to Minister Ien and Parliamentary Secretary Hepfner, the Canadian delegation includes federal parliamentarians, representatives from provincial and territorial governments, and National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives.
The delegation also includes representatives from feminist civil society organizations (CSO) that will add meaningful perspectives to the discussions, as they share their expertise with regard to this year's theme. CSOs will also meet and share experiences with other organizations from around the world.
The civil society organizations delegation includes:
- Shayla Claringbold - Indigenous Youth Roots
- Jennifer Cloutier - YWCA
- Clèche Kokolo - Canadian Partnership for Women and Children's Health (CanWaCH)
- Hannah Shein - Egale
- Hana Val - BYTE
