Milton’s Lynn Shire attended the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) as a delegate for The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW)’s on March 12, 2024. The CFUW is a national organization advocating for women and children, with a focus on education.
Individuals had to submit an application that included their role in CFUW and an essay on what their potential contributions to the conversations and what they hope to bring back to their local chapter, once they return. Shire was chosen as an attendee to CSW68, despite being a new member of CFUW. “I was grateful for the opportunity to participate this year. However, I had no understanding of the structures and agencies within the United Nations. It was a lot of learning” states Shire.
Ideally, Shire would like to see concrete, operational commitments from governments, NGOs, and other organizations such as faith-based organizations and private corporations to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030 in the final report. These goals were adopted in 2025 by all UN Member States and provide a blueprint for peace and prosperity for all people in the world. Unfortunately, world events such as COVID-19, and recent heightened conflicts such as in Ukraine and the Middle East have made reaching these goals by 2030 unlikely.
Shire states “as many would like to believe that women and girls have achieved parity in Canada, especially within a strong public education system, I knew as a front-line worker that this was not necessarily true”. Often girls have many barriers, such as not attending school due to family constraints, families often having limited resources, thus do not have the money to purchase feminine hygiene products, and so girls would have to stay home during their periods.
Shire had a unique opportunity to hear from grassroots workers and volunteers from 50 different countries, about the significant progress in their communities. Overall, her role as a human being, employee, volunteer, and family member has not changed. However, what has changed is her energy levels for effecting change. Shire states “It gives me hope that eventually, women and girls will no longer have to fight for equity, because it will be achieved. Maybe not in my lifetime, but if I ever have granddaughters, they will not have to fight the battles that I did as a woman.” For more information on CFUW, you can find it through their offical website.
