Historic speech of VP Kamala Harris during CSW Session at the UN

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On Tuesday, US Vice President Kamala Harris informed UN diplomats that the status of women is the status of democracy. She also mentioned Eleanor Roosevelt’s historic work at the global body. Harris made remarks in her pre-recorded statement. It was delivered on behalf of the Biden administration to the 65^th session of the UN’s 2^ND largest annual event, the CSW (Commission on the Status of Women). Harris addressed the backsliding of women’s rights and the increase in violence against women during the pandemic, stressing their impact on the overall health of a nation’s political system. Harris said, “When women face obstacles to obtaining quality healthcare; when women face food insecurity, when women are more likely to live in poverty, and therefore disproportionately impacted by climate change, more vulnerable to gender-based violence, and therefore disproportionately impacted by conflict”.

She added, “Well it’s harder for women to fully participate in decision-making. Which, of course, in turn, makes it that much harder for democracies to thrive”. The VP also expressed a sense of confidence going forward and said, “Women in the United States lead our local, state, and national governments, make major decisions regarding our nation’s security and drive major growth in our economy. These are signs of progress. These are signs of strength. Friends, we cannot take this progress for granted, especially now. COVID-19 has threatened the economic security, the physical security, and the health of women everywhere”. The address of VP Harris was historic because she is the first Biden administration White House official to address the United Nations. She is the first female US Vice President and the highest-ranking US government official to ever address CSW and the UN.

The UN director of the International Crisis Group, Richard Gowan said, “The fact that Harris is speaking is a clear way to demonstrate a new US direction on women’s rights at the UN. I think that it will go down exceedingly well with other delegations. Harris brings an extra degree of political credibility to UN discussions”. The session’s theme of the Commission was on the status of women. The event began on 15^th March and ends on 26^th March 2021. The session will mostly virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered his speech at the opening session of the CSW. He said, “We need to move beyond fixing women and instead fix our systems. The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a shadow epidemic of violence against women worldwide, online and offline”.