29 February - 9 March, 2012 | United Nations Headquarters, New York City

During the 56^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held at the United Nations Headquarters in the City of New York, PGA organized two activities and the Convenor for the Sustainable Development, Health and Population Program, Dr. Donya Aziz (MP, Pakistan), was invited to speak at a UNFPA-hosted event. These activities, in chronological order, were:

1. Hosted by UNFPA, the panel titled Reproductive Rights and HIV: Addressing Rural Women’s Needs for Empowerment and Equality, which took place on February 28, 2012.

2. Side Event on Opportunities and Challenges in Improving Rural Women’s Access to Clean Water and Sustainable Energy, co-hosted with the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, on February 28, 2012.

3. Side Event on Gender Perspectives in the Use of Technology against the Impact of Climate Change and for Access to Clean Water and Energy, co-hosted with the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations, on February 29, 2012.

PGA convened a delegation of four Members of Parliament: Ms. Minou Tavárez from Dominican Republic; Ms. Irene Addo Torshie from Ghana; Ms. Elsa Papadimitriou from Greece; and Dr. Donya Aziz from Pakistan. These four PGA members attended all three events accompanied by Ms. Shazia Rafi, Secretary General of PGA, and relevant staff.

During the Side Event on Opportunities and Challenges in Improving Rural Women’s Access to Clean Water and Sustainable Energy, PGA members were joined on the panel by Ms. Ingrid Fiskaa, State Secretary for International Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway; Ms. Azize Sibel Gönül, Member of Parliament from Turkey; and Ms. Tess Mateo, Managing Director and Founder CXCatalysts.  The Side Event was attended by distinguished personalities, among them: Ministers of Social Affairs from Sierra Leone and the Republic of Madagascar; Members of Parliament from Nigeria, The Maldives, Mozambique, Suriname, Turkey, Zambia, Kenya, Greece, and Norway; representatives of United Nations agencies such as UN Women, UNEP and the United Nations Foundation; and participation from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and university students.

On the other hand, the speakers during the final Side Event on Gender Perspectives in the Use of Technology against the Impact of Climate Change and for Access to Clean Water and Energy, hosted at the Turkish Mission were H.E. Mr. Ertuğrul Apakan, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations; H.E. Ms. Aşkın Asan, Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policies of Turkey; Ms. Shazia Z. Rafi, Secretary-General of PGA; and Ms. Elsa Papadimitriou, member of the PGA Executive Committee and Deputy Convenor of PGA’s Sustainable Development, Health and Population Program. This Side Event was also attended by Members of Parliament from Turkey and Angola as well as PGA staff.

Both Side Events were conceived as informal conversations among speakers and allocated a significant amount of time for interactive dialogue. At the same time, both highlighted the importance of the gender dimension in achieving access to clean water and sustainable energy for women and girls living in rural areas. 

Firstly, the participation of Dr. Donya Aziz (MP, Pakistan), in the UNFPA-hosted panel on addressing rural women’s needs and access to reproductive rights and HIV, highlighted the experience of her country. Over two decades ago, the Government of Pakistan recognized the differences between women and girls in urban and rural areas prompting it to adopt legislative initiatives and public policies to better address their needs. Some of the implemented programs have increased registration of rural women allowing them to have a citizenship card and enroll in conditional cash transfers given directly to women as head of the household. Another positive example was the enactment of the Antiwomen Practices Bill last year, introduced by Dr. Aziz, which proscribes forced marriages, recognizes as a crime giving away young girls to settle disputes, and grants inheritance rights to women. Dr. Aziz mentioned that still much work has to be done on preventing the spread of HIV/Aids in rural communities since women are becoming infected by their husbands carrying the virus without knowing. Men migrate to other regions for work and get infected bringing HIV to their own homes. She urged international agencies and Member States to implement international legal frameworks and regulations to deal with this pressing matter. 

With regards to the Side Events, organized by PGA and graciously supported by the Norwegian and Turkish Permament Missions to the United Nations, they intended to: 1) be a first step in the discussions for access to water and energy toward the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development that will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012; and 2) provide a forum for female Parliamentarians to converse on the following issues:

• Relevant country experiences on the adverse impacts of water scarcity, traditional fuels and climate change on rural women;
• From local to global: concrete initiatives to ensure rural women’s participation in sustainable energy, access to clean water and the use of clean technologies;
• Drafting and implementing legislation on the universal right to clean water and sustainable sources of energy  through a gender lens;
• The gender dimension of a green economy: why is it important?
• The gender perspective on the role of technology in mitigating the effects of climate change.

It is noteworthy that the Side Event on Opportunities and Challenges in Improving Rural Women’s Access to Clean Water and Sustainable Energy allowed all participants to enjoy a one-hour reception after the program. Members of Parliament and guests were able to mingle and exchange points of view about the topics discussed enhancing the experience.

For more information on PGA's Gender Equality and Population Program, please contact Mónica Adame, Program Officer, at