Into the Home Stretch- Is Anyone Listening?

It was a cold an drizzly day and I left my umbrella in my other suitcase! Fortunately, most of my commute is underground, so I got up and got going. We were invited to a discussion with the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres of Portugal. He was joined on the dias by Under Secretary Sima Bahaus, who heads up UN Women. He gave a well researched speech about the s1tatus of women in the world and what he was hoping to see in the soon-to-be-released draft for the CSW 67 Conference, outlining priorities regarding Women and their access to technology, which is the theme for this conference. This my first rodeo and I listen with bright-eyed optimism. 

Now it's time for questions and the women don't hold back. "Why haven-t we met the goals from last year?" "Why aren't young women represented at the UN?" "We're further behind on stopping cyberbullying than we were"" PLEASE, we're begging you to do more to help the millions of women and children displaced in Ukraine...Afghanistan... Myanmar?" THE STORIES ARE EXCRUCIATING. 

 This the first hybrid CSW and the first time young women are part of the agenda. Nearly 12,000 women have attended (mostly virtual) That' s a lot of motivated women. If the Secretary General was not terrified, he should be. No one man (not even a woman?) can solve these issues. But if he can move the needle- there's hope. NOTHING CAN HAPPEN UNTIL WE: -Listen to women and children -Give women and girls access to digital literacy and education (not as token members) -Financial availibility for providing internet universally -More women and girls in leadership in AI and STEM fields -Online protection from harassment -Commitment to ensuring human rights It's not going to be impossible, but its's going to feel like it is. Are  we all up to the task?

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