Day 1: CSW Youth Forum

'Your voice matters. This is your world, this is your space, demand it, claim it, enjoy it and transform it.' - Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary General for Intergovenmental Support and Strategic Partnerships at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowement of Women 

40% of young people worldwide are working or unemployed and living in poverty. 1 in 7 young girls are married before 8 years old and childbirth is still the number 1 killer worldwide.

These are a few of the shocking realities we heard at the CSW61 Youth Forum today.

It was accepted that the success of SDG5 seems to be 'mission impossible'. However, I have never felt a greater sense of unity. Everywhere I looked, everyone I spoke to, was passionate about Gender Equality. Young people from all across the globe, from different cultures, backgrounds and even speaking different languages were united with a shared anger at the problems women face and a determination to do something about it.

The day started with a wave of enthusiasm, the live music by Meredith O'Connor set the tone of passionate, yet crucially, meaningful voices, as she relayed her experiences of being bullied, empowering young people to embrace being 'different'. You could feel the buzz in the room, - Malayah Harper (General Secretary of World YWCA) commented that this day would go down in history, as the Youth Forum reached out to record-breaking numbers of young people in person and online - and the first few moments, the Mexican wave, the incredible building itself - gave a real impression of this.

Then came the opening speeches - powerful, engaging and hopeful all at once. First we heard from Phumzile Mlambo, Executive Director of UN Women. One of the most striking parts of her journey which she told us what that she was an activist at the age of 12. Her background in a "scraping through family" in South Africa taught her many lessons, the one which seemed perhaps most obvious (yet often overlooked in these times of division) - was the necessity to forge alliances, reach out to others and unite.  She also stressed the power of getting organised - too often, young people are labelled as having no story to tell, having little to contribute. To debunk these stereotypes, we must use our voices whenever we have an opportunity to use them.

Phumzile also established one of the key focuses of the whole day - the necessity to involve men and boys in gender equality.

'We need to make sure that your friends understand that when they say they want a world where there is no violence or poverty, gender equality is crucial'

Gender equality is therefore far more than a moral imperative, if 50% of the population do not engage in it - it simply will not happen, and if SDG5 is unsuccessful, all the SDGs will be. We discussed the stigma men often face when they are pressurised to be the bread winner, even when they suffer illnesses or mental health issues, perhaps explaining the high suicide rate among young men. Gender equality will take the pressure away from men, as well as making a more equal world.

Another highlight was hearing from the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina J Mohammed. She reminded us that 8 people in the world (all of which are men) hold half the wealth of humanity. Her speech discussed many different problems women face but concluded with the Nigerian proverb 

''Fine words do not produce food"

- this was the essence of the Youth Forum - yes, there was cheering and passion, yes, there were fine words and speeches, but it was all based in meaningful actions. 

The rest of the day was spent listening to a range of inspirational people - youth activists, UN delegates and leaders of private sector and grassroots organisations. We each also chose a breakout group, my group discussed mental health issues for young women, we discussed symptoms of trauma, methods of reducing anxiety and the pressures young women, in particular, face.

The day concluded with more music, and even a youth focused analaysis of CEDAW. 

If the rest of our CSW61 experience is anything like the Youth Forum, then we have an inspirational week to come. Bring it on!