Delegation From: Bangladesh

Represented By: Lakewood High School

Position Paper for The Commission on the Status of Women

The topics presented to the Commission on the Status of Women include the Empowerment of Female

Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries and Removing Barriers to Justice for Women. Bangladesh fully supports

endeavors to advance women’s rights in all areas and would like to see further efforts put forth in the realization of

women’s rights, the implementation of effective programs, and overall forward progress in the area of women’s

rights as a whole.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

Bangladesh puts its full support behind efforts to empower women not only in the business field, but in all other

fields, and is committed to improving women’s rights and gender equality as a whole. While the condition of

women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh is not perfect (as is the case in many other nations), considerable progress has

been made in this area (along with an array of other areas relating to women’s rights and gender equality); due to the

growth of the garment industry women have entered the workforce in significant numbers (over three million

women have formal paid employment in this sector alone), the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and

Industry has been active in promoting targeted government policies (including allocation of sufficient budget funds)

to support women entrepreneurs, and nearly all banks in Bangladesh now have desks dedicated solely to women

entrepreneurs to ensure that they can access loans on better terms more easily.

Bangladesh has expressed its support of women’s rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of women by

signing onto/participating in a variety of United Nations programs, campaigns, and plans. It has ratified the

Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and has signed onto the

Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) (known as the “most progressive road map to gender equality”) . Bangladesh

also joined the UNiTE Campaign targeted at reducing violence against women, participated in 16 Days Activism

against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, and fully supports and hopes for a more focused effort in implementing

the Strategic Plan 20142017. This program (operated by UNWomen) presents goals and plans of action in vital

areas regarding gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide; these areas include leadership and political

participation, economic empowerment, ending violence against women and girls, peace and security, and several

others. Furthermore, Bangladesh has put into practice the United Nations Joint Programme on Violence Against

Women which is aimed at reducing violence against women and has yielded fruitful results, as stated by H.E. Dr.

A.K. Abdul Momen (Bangladeshi Ambassador to the UN) on February 9, 2015 in the Permanent Mission of

Bangladesh to the United Nations: “In the criteria of evaluations reports found out that UNWomen

Programme have been largely successful in delivering planned activities and outputs.” Lastly, Bangladesh stated at

the 57th

CSW on March 11, 2013 that it has a variety of its own effective legal framework in place to aid women and

help prevent violence including the Domestic Violence Prevention and Protective Act (2010) and the National

Women Development Policy (2011).

All things considered, Bangladesh would like to see the further consideration of programs similar to those of the

United Nations Joint Programme and overall more steps taken to ensure that women have access to the business

field and the option of entrepreneurship. However, Bangladesh would also like to be sure that the cultural beliefs of

each individual nation are taken into account and respected as much as possible when discussing possible ways to

improve women’s access to entrepreneurship/women’s rights in general. Finally, Bangladesh simply hopes to see

effective collaboration between nations and an overall forward movement in regards to this issue as well as women’s

rights in general.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

In 1911, only two countries in the world allowed women to vote. Now, in 2015, a little over a century later, this right

is practically ubiquitous. We have come very far as a planet in the way of Women's justice, but we still have so far

to go. The United Nations have made several strides in the past. Adopted in 1979 by the UN Women committee, the

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) serves as a declaration of

women's rights globally and provides a specific destination of offenses to which national action can then

springboard off of. UN Security Council Resolution 1325, on women, peace and security reaffirmed the need to

include women in conflict compromise. 8 subsequent resolutions on the same topic, the most recent being in 2015,

provide a crucial fortification for women in areas of conflict. The Bangladeshi committee in the UN in February of

last year addressed the President of the committee in encouragement of the HeforShe program launch, and hoped for

its implementation and success.

Bangladesh is a linchpin in this situation of utmost importance. As their independence was only gained 40 years ago,

the last four decades have been full of trials, yet from these struggles came successful stories and institutions for

present day equilibration of the sexes. In the Bangladeshi Constitution and specific laws, women’s rights are

protected under the broad and universal principles of equality. However, equality is not practiced, specifically in law

enforcement and the work force. In 1990, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs set up Assistance cells to

help victims of violence. In efforts to open conversation on the inequality, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust

(BLAST) collaborated with USAID's Justice for All (JFA) to organize a panel discussion on the challenges of

women's participation in the justice sector in Bangladesh. The Joint Programme on Violence against Women (the

Programme) is a UN program partnered with Bangladeshi government in which the reduction of poverty is used to

help instill equality.

Even though these programs have had substantial success in resolving huge issues there are many still blatantly

prevalent. The biggest issues however, are many governments’ failure to identify there is a need for programs to

help equality of women, as many believe that the laws enacted are enough, and also that government officials need

to be responsible for the actual success of laws or programs they initiate in order to insure their success.

Bangladesh therefore suggests a 3 prong approach to addressing the problem. The first is the implementation of

GenderResponsive Budgeting, as this will allow government spending to truly help women equality and also will

allow governments to see how their resources are being used. The second portion is the insistence of Gender

analysis for the effects of documents and resolutions, under the model of the one done on UNDP Justice programme

documents. This would allow the investigation on the true effects of a law put into effect. The last is that

practitioners should be held accountable for results in gender equality and that they must state outputs of their

legislation to insure its profitable effects.

Delegation from: The People’s Republic of China

Represented by: St. Vincent- St. Mary High School

Position Paper for the Commission on the Status of Women

The issues before the United Nations Council on the Status of Women are: Empowering Female

Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries and Removing Barriers to Justice for Women. The

People’s Republic of China strongly believes that the United Nations should work toward

protecting and promoting the development of women while still respecting the unique stages of

development in different countries.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

Women in developing countries often face immense cultural, legal, and religious barriers. These

barriers prevent women from obtaining paying jobs or starting their own businesses. They seem

to have no effect on the world of economics, however their impact is quite large. Countries with

similar or equal numbers of women and men in their workforce have increased gross domestic

product and economic growth. Having females in the work force not only increases economic

growth but helps to reduce poverty and promote education. The People’s Republic of China

believes that the Commission on the Status of Women should make every effort to promote and

empower female entrepreneurs in developing countries, while remaining considerate of the

sovereignty of the states involved.

In the past, China has supported numerous resolutions in the hope of improving the rights of and

empowering women. One of these resolutions is The Beijing Declaration and Platform for

Action. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was created during the Fourth World

Conference on Women, in Beijing, China. The declaration describes steps to be taken in the

interest of improving women’s role in the economy as well as women’s rights, health, poverty,

and the environment.

The People’s Republic of China feels that the best way to solve this issue is to create an

environment where women can safely start and run businesses and contribute to the economy.

This would be achieved by creating a loan system to supply women with the funds they need to

successfully start a business as well as creating education centers to teach female entrepreneurs

about running businesses. In addition to this, policies on gender equality would be integrated into

the creation of laws in order to create a safer environment in which women can contribute to the

economy. The empowerment of women is an issue that affects countries worldwide. Therefore,

we need to find a remedy to this problem as an international community. The People’s Republic

of China hopes that the Commission on the Status of Women will find a solution in order to

empower female entrepreneurs across the globe.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

A common issue across the globe is inequality among women and men. While many steps have

been taken towards creating equality, there is still many places where women are not able to

receive an education or get jobs. Another noticeable difference between women and men is their

place in the justice system. In many countries, women are not able to have a fair trial. Their

testimonies do not count as much as a male’s and they are often punished simply for stepping

forward. The People’s Republic of China strongly believes that the Commission on the Status of

Women should work towards removing barriers for women in the justice system.

The United Nations has taken action in the past in an attempt to put an end to the mistreatment of

women around the globe and give them equal opportunities to justice. China has supported many

of these attempts including Resolution 2122, in which many ways of protecting the interests of

women and their equality were agreed upon. In addition to this, The People’s Republic of China

supported the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which presented a list of steps to be

taken in order to improve the rights of and protect women worldwide. Despite these strides, the

improvement of women’s rights are not progressing at an acceptable rate.

The People’s Republic of China believes that the best way to remove barriers to justice for

women is to hold a summit in which to discuss possible solutions to this issue. China also feels

that the Commission on the Status of Women should reaffirm the ideas of the Beijing Platform

Act in the interest of improving the situation of all women, without exception, who often face

similar barriers. Special attention, however, should be given to groups that are the most

disadvantaged.

FRANCE: Commission on

Women’s Rights

St. Edward High School

In a largely patriarchal global society, women have traditionally held less influence than

that of men, and this has remained true in a troubling way into our modern era. Since 2011, the

United Nations has noted a lag in the attaining of its set goals to globally improve the social

wellness of women. The UN has pointed out that although public school systems are accepting

more girls into their schools, the efforts in other areas, such as maternal mortality, HIV

contraction, and sexual assault rates. Just as France itself has traditionally sought to advance and

protect the rights of the women within its jurisdiction, France encourages other countries where

violations of the basic right of equality for its female population are denied and restricted due to

prejudice and discrimination to rectify their government systems to express greater equivalency

for both men and women alike.

In many countries, the health care available to women is quite restricted, and often

unacquirable even to pregnant women. In developing countries like Bangladesh, it is estimated

only 5% of rural women received guidance and assistance from a doctor or other medically

trained staff during their childbirth leading to a dramatically increased effect on post-

childbearing complications. Worldwide, 300 million women are affected by long term

complications caused by childbirth, many of which result from an unavailability of health care.

HIV rates globally also reflect poor access to healthcare for women. Globally, 53% of

HIV-positive individuals are women, and in Saharan Africa it is nearly 60%. The AIDS virus

continues to spread in many parts of the world, especially in countries located in Latin America

and Southeast Asia. Even in the United States, AIDS is the leading cause of death for black

women between the ages of 25 and 34. Thus, France encourages all nations to strive to provide

its people with health care that can be accessed easily by women to prevent such unhealthy

lifestyles for women around the world, and it firmly believes that better health care is needed for

women around the world.

France lastly encourages social justice for women, especially those who are victims of

sexual assault and domestic violence. In one 1999 study, 1.5 million female French citizens

claimed to be a victim of some form of sexual assault, ranging from verbal to physical attacks,

with 5% claiming physical assault. Meanwhile, in the United States, the U.S Department of

Justice determined that only about 40% of all rapes that occur are actually reported. Up to 76%

of women are estimated to be targeted for sexual assault during their lifetime, and 25% of

women are “assaulted by an intimate partner” while with child.

France has received a top rating in is women’s justice system by the Daily Beast, and

hopes that it can encourage other countries to try to improve and dedicate more resources to the

settlement of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and ranked as the 12 overall best country for

gender equality. France hopes to pass resolutions within the United Nations to set new standards

and goals for all countries so that women in modern society can gain equal status with men in all

parts of the world.

Works Cited

Best and Worst Places for Women. The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, n.d. Web. 14 Feb.

2016. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/20/best-and-worst-countries-for-

women-the-full-list.html>.

Melnick, Meredith. "U.N. Update: Barriers to Women’s Access to Justice and Health Care

Persist | TIME.com." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.

<http://healthland.time.com/2011/07/06/u-n-update-barriers-to-womens-access-to-justice-

and-health-care-persist/>.

"Paris, France - Embassy of the United States." Women's Rights in France. N.p., n.d. Web. 12

Feb. 2016. <http://france.usembassy.gov/whm2.html>.

"Women's Rights in France." RFI. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.

<http://www.english.rfi.fr/womens-rights-france>.

Delegation from Germany

Represented by Strongsville High School

Position Paper for the Commission on the Status of Women

The topics before the Commission on the Status of Women are Empowering Female

Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries and Removing Barriers to Justice for Women,

Particularly in the developing countries of Africa and Asia. Germany is dedicated to the

advancement of Women in not only the work place, but all aspects of life; advancing the

opportunities and encouraging the success of females worldwide.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

Entrepreneurs have proven themselves to be the driving force behind economic prosperity and

job growth in developed nations across the globe. Encouraging and supporting female

entrepreneurs and administering support for their pursuit of innovation and creativity could

provide a means for spurring the development of nations. Germany hopes to increase its support

for domestic female entrepreneurism and is dedicated to achieving the same support system in its

sister countries. In Germany, currently one of roughly every four business owners is a woman.

However, Germany’s full potential for the fostering of the potential for female entrepreneurial

development has been far from fully exploited. The history of Germany has shown a trend for

discouraging women in their pursuit of independent business. Upon a tour to survey information

regarding women in positions of leadership and authority, The German Federal Foreign Office

gathered that women from three different continents with differing societies all struggled with a

lack of support for their economic enterprises. Weiberwirtschaft is a center for business

established in Germany for the sole purpose of partnering with aspiring female entrepreneurs and

providing for them capital and initiative. Greater action needs to be taken, however, by the

German government and by the United Nations as a whole. Statistics display that the gross

domestic product in country as well developed as Germany could increase by as much as 16% if

the nation engaged its women in entrepreneurism more actively. Eradication of the generally

accepted notion that the man is the ideal role model for the leader of the economy could be

crucial to the development of the woman’s place in the business society. By building a new

platform of belief from a young age laying out the benefits of gender equality, the source of male

domination could be eliminated. Infusing lessons on the empowerment of females in schools

and workplaces alike could accomplish such a feat. Consciously investing in the business

endeavors of women in developing nations could also help to empower their pursuit of

prosperity. By pooling the resources of both the United Nations, national governments, and

various NGO’s, developing nations could discover the funding required to encourage their

women to pursue entrepreneurism and thus spur economic growth and job creation.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

In the developed world, gender equality and women’s roles in everyday society are advancing,

slowly, but there is still an obvious increase in the social well-being. In underdeveloped

countries, though, the fight for even a small step forward for the advancement of women is a

huge task, often due to the cultural standards that have been present and a part of the structure of

the nations for ages. Germany has in fact in stated numerous, small yet effective, ways to make

men and women more equal. The German government has made gender equality in terms of

education the biggest focus as of right now. Germany has also stepped up its sexual

discrimination and violence laws and hopes to encourage other nations to follow its in footsteps

of the problem of human trafficking, which is primarily women. In a developed countries, as

Germany is, 70% of women have been taken for the trafficking circuit. Germany would like to

call for the nations around the globe to recognize and attack this problem as a major stepping

stone in the advancement of justice for women. Religious factors also have factored into the

equality and rights of women. Many countries have exploited religious values and cultural

expectations as a means of putting women behind men, in every aspect of life. This sort of

justice is a concern because there is no desire for the insulting or misinterpreting of these

cultures, as every culture and religion are respected in their own right, but the importance of

equal rights for women is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed and encountered. Germany

calls for action in the education of not only women, but of both genders, in the importance of

women in society. Germany would like to stretch the reconciliation policy, encouraging that

family values that are passed onto children are those of equality. This, Germany believes, will be

a program aimed at educating the heads of households, since most often women are not offered

formal education, that will allow the men and women adults in a family to teach their children

that women deserve the same rights as men. Germany also would like to call together all nations

that have a strong Islamic presence and install a program that will teach the values of the religion

and culture, through the eyes of a female leader. Germany would like women of the religion and

culture to speak out about what their religion means to them and how these religious figureheads

interpret the rights they currently have and would like to gain. A widespread educational

campaign is a way to address all of the issues on the topic of justice for women; allowing for

both genders to see the statistics that are currently in the world and entice change throughout the

developed and developing nation. Germany calls for the monetary endorsement of NGOs, such

as Captive Daughters and Madre, as well as the national governments and the United Nations to

supply the funds in order to get an educational program to begin to inspire and create a lasting

difference in gender injustice, for not only Germany, but all nations around the world. Germany

has made huge strides from where Germany once was and believes that these advancements will

be necessary to the development of nations abroad.

Delegation from: the Republic of India Represented by: North Olmsted High School

Position Paper for the Commission on the Status of Women

The issues before the Commission on the Status of Women for the March 2nd-3rd conference at

Notre Dame College are: Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries; and

Removing Barriers to Justice for Women. India secures the rights of its women citizens in its

Constitution and is committed to upholding those statutes of equality, freedom from

discrimination and dignity.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries.

The Republic of India recognizes that supporting and encouraging female entrepreneurs in

developing countries is an important step towards improving the global economy, the country’s

own economy, and the global status of women. With India’s large population the state is lucky to

be home to several highly successful business women; however this is still the few and far

between. Increased female representation in business in India, as well as the whole world, is a

necessity. Article 45 of the Constitution of India as well as Right of Children to Free and Compulsory

Education Act (RTE) provides that education is a fundamental right of any child. It legislates

that free education, in accordance to the minimum standards laid out in the RTE, should be

available for all children ages six to fourteen. Despite this, education struggles with a lack of

attendance and a lack of qualified teachers. The specifically harms young girls; although the

education is free, it costs them the time they could be working to raise family revenue.

Unfortunately, only about thirty-nine percent of women in India receive primary education. This

basic level of schooling is the foundation for further learning necessary for an entrepreneur or

other person of business. In the Republic of India, 350 million citizens currently live below the line of poverty.

Additionally, while 81 percent of male citizens have a formal occupation, only 39 percent of

women do. This is a gross underrepresentation of women in the workforce, and this is shown by

India’s scoring on the Gender GEDI Female Entrepreneurship Index, where India was placed

second to last out of 17 countries. This poor scoring can be attributed to many social pressures

that face women in India, notably travel restrictions. In India women are more constrained than

men in their ability to travel. Due to safety concerns and social norms, women face larger

burdens leaving their house and going to work. Thus the Republic of India hopes to create

measures that eliminate social pressures impeding women's entrepreneurial hopes. The state hopes to establish a program that would create easier transportation for women and

foster an increase of education for its citizens. The United Nations has made attempt to promote

female entrepreneurs by establishing the annual, “Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.” This day

however, has only promoted awareness, and has done little to aide the state. The Republic of

India believes providing easier and safer access to transportation would not only help an Indian

women attend work, it could also create a system where Indian children could attend school

safely, prompting an increase in attendance at schools. 50% of India's population is under the age

of 25, and 65% is under 35, so the establishment of such a program would help create a new

generation of empowered female entrepreneurs in countries like India. The Republic of India

implores the UN CSW to work towards writing a comprehensive plan to help developing nations

struggling to promote female entrepreneurship, specifically focusing on improving women’s

education and regulating higher standards of infrastructure throughout the state.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women.

The Republic of India currently faces an ongoing threat to women, with an increase in crimes

against women. These crimes include rape, dowry crimes, and acid throwing. The state does not

condone these actions and have accordingly passed numerous pieces of legislation prohibiting

such crimes, including the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1960, the National Commission for Women

Act of 1990, and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005. However, the

crimes have still continued. As a result, the Republic of India is stanch to remove any barriers to provide women with equal

justice. The United Nations itself as a body has made large progress in efforts to reduce the violence on

women throughout the world, which the state appreciates and promotes. However, many of the

crimes against women often go unreported due to the social stigma and shunning of victims. It is

considered dishonorable for a family to have one of its members victimized. These social views

further impede a woman's access to justice. Additionally, many perpetrators convince witnesses

and other individuals to keep their criminal acts secret, further contributing to unreported crimes.

The Republic of India recognizes the severity of its current problems but is needing new methods

to help abolish the current social problems facing crimes against women. The United Nations has previously made effort to help reduce these tribulations, enacting

programs for all nations such as “UNiTE” (End Violence against Women) and “Stop Rape

Now”. These programs were developed to spread awareness of the current threats to women and

to try to minimize the number of crimes. The Republic of India, however, is an extremely rural

and highly populated nation and thus the current campaigns are not as effective as hoped.

Additionally, the state finds the need for stronger enforcement of its current laws. Therefore, the

Republic of India urges the development of a UN program that has the ability to reach all

individuals, including all social classes and all regions. Additionally, the state hopes that the

program not only educates the population about crimes against women to eliminate the social

stigmas, but it also hopes that the program will also provide means of enforcement or show the

punishments of the heinous crimes in effort to reduce the number of victims and crimes by

providing means of enforcement. India strongly believes crimes against women are atrocious to

society as a whole, and urges the United Nations to establish a program to end such acts. The

Republic of India recognizes that justice for women has various obstacles, and the Republic

views ensuring women’s equality and legal rights as a top priority for all nations.

Delegation of Israel Represented by: North Olmsted High School Position Paper for the commission on the Status of Women

1. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries In countries across the world females are often treated as inferior or unsuitable to perform many

of the tasks that man can handle. Such tasks may include even the most simple of operations, for instance,

only about 58% of women in Serbia even have their license, In Iran, some women have even been sent to

jail for speaking out about women's rights. In addition, women living in similar conditions are often not

allowed to work or declare ownership of a business. On average, the human sex ratio on Earth is 1:1,

meaning that for every one man, there is usually one girl. With that being said, countries that deny

women the fundamental right of taking part in business are essentially cutting their profits in half which is

catastrophic especially in newer nations. With the empowerment of women in business comes more jobs,

more money, and a stronger nation.

Women entrepreneur empowerment is as much of an Israel problem as it is a Japan problem and

as it is of a Ugandan problem or an American problem; the point being that no one is perfect. We need

not to criticise and oppress the women but to rather allow the women to pique just like the men can. In

Serbia, women are paid up to 16% less than the average man is paid. Nations must learn to raise not only

the ceiling to women but also the floor. Countries need to make jobs more abundant and worth-while so

that new nations can capitalize off of them. This is literally a choice between living comfortably, or

living in debt. According to Professor Orly Sade at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, increasing the

prevalence of crowdfunding platforms can lead to a much higher increase in participation of women as

investors and project leaders. There could be a major leap in female entrepreneurship in even male-

dominated fields which may inturn offer even more growth opportunities for women. By allowing

women to have more money via grants it can inspire more women while at the same time, develop the

current women entrepreneurs into the next stage of their career.

It is also important that the UN takes into consideration the social aspect of this debate. In many

cases, women are expected to take care of the family, or are restricted from work due to religious

purposes. If real change is desired, all of that will have to go away. The separation of church and state

must commence, no longer will women be forced to stand back and watch like pieces of property. One

must keep in mind that it is not a matter of lacking the education, it is more a matter of being denied the

ability to capitalize off of that education. The idea of the women’s stereotype must be aside and replaced

with psychological motivation such as personal achievements and role models. Regulations and laws

need to be set in place not only allow females to operate in the work force, but amendments need to be

passed to abolish the current standing laws that are preventing our women from working.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

Inequality of gender, especially women has been a huge issue across the nation. Women

are restricted to do certain things in certain countries, which removes them from ever feeling as a

free individual to make their own decisions in life. In certain areas such as the Middle East,

women face problems such as economic discrimination. Women are unable to work outside of

their homes without permission or even promote ownership over their property. Also they are

politically isolated. They are unable to place votes in a democracy government as an individual.

We feel if the United Nations could take action, we can remove barriers across the nation and

make women independent individuals once again.

As known as one of the top violators of women's rights, Israel has an issue with

inequality among women. In 2013, 48.3% of women in Israel had 13 or more years of schooling,

compared to 45.4% of men. Yet only one out of every five Israeli professors is a woman. Though

that is a substantial increase from the past, women remained extremely underrepresented at the

highest levels of academia. Naomi Chazan, co-director of the equality division and a member of

the steering committee of the gender index, said that affirmative action is required, at least

temporarily, to solve the problem of women’s underrepresentation in the public sector.

“Among other things, it’s necessary to set numerical targets in key positions in the public sector

in order to increase the representation of women in a relatively short period of time.” Hanna

Herzog, also a co-director of “equality” and steering committee member, said that solutions

should be tailored to different populations. “The consequences of an action plan, of laws, of

various policies, and the distribution of resources must be examined in light of the different

needs women from different groups have in order to ensure that gender justice and equality will

not be restricted to women of a particular level alone.” Among Arabs, for example, women’s

labor force participation was just 26.3%. Israel also has problems with encouraging women to

enter the workforce, which can prevent poor families from getting ahead. If women were

encouraged to be able to go into the workforce, we could change the inequality difference

severely, and assist many women to becomes representatives of their country once again.

The removal of barriers to justice for women is not only a regional issue in countries and

areas of the world where it is most used, but a global issue. When women are treated as equal

citizens under the law, human rights are respected, poverty will gradually reduce, and the

societies and economies of countries flourish. This is not only an issue for women, but an issue

for human rights, the economy, and worldwide prosperity and stability. If the United Nations

would help women remove these barriers, we can see women progress as real individuals in

society and women will be able to commit and assist their economy, bringing Israel to equality

among genders and making Israel a prosperous country once again. Thank You.

Delegation from: Italy

Represented by: Orange High School

Position Paper for the Commission on the Status of Women

The issues before the Commission on the Status of Women are: Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in

Developing Countries; and Removing Barriers to Justice for Women. The Delegation of Italy is

committed to discussing the issues at hand and finding the solutions that most benefit women around the

globe.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

In struggling developing economies, potential for growth is often not achieved due to a failure to fully

utilize human capital, specifically women. Research has shown that equal participation of women and

men in the workforce can raise a nation’s GDP, reduce poverty, and improve standard of living. These

benefits are especially vital to developing economies. However, many developing nations restrict the

economic freedoms of women, especially due to cultural or religious traditions. Legal restrictions on

women’s economic liberties include laws prohibiting women from accessing bank accounts, managing

their own property, and signing contracts. The Delegation of Italy finds such practices to be in violation

of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 17, 22, and 23) and the Convention of the

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Articles 3, 13, and 14).

While Italy cannot be considered a developing nation, it has contended with issues involving women in

the workforce in the past and continues to work to encourage women to take up entrepreneurial

endeavors. The female employment rate in Italy is a low 46.5%, mostly due to social norms that

encourage women to be mothers and homemakers before pursuing their own professional careers. At the

same time, Italy has one of the lowest wage gaps in Europe (5.8%). The women in Italy’s workforce have

high levels of education and therefore well-paying jobs. Italian women are likely to take on

entrepreneurial roles in family businesses; a 2015 study showed that the number of self-employed women

in agriculture increased by 76% in Italy, many of whom were entrepreneurs and university graduates.

Italy’s Minister of Equal Opportunities, Mara Carfagna, told the United Nations General Assembly that

“the Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes that everyone has the right to participate in the

management of his or her Country’s public affairs. It is thus on the active participation of women in the

decision-making processes and in the labor market that I wish to focus on... the increase in the power and

autonomy of women and the improvement of their social, economic, and political conditions are

fundamental for the existence of transparent, accountable governments and public administrations, and

essential for lasting development in every field of life.” Her words highlight the importance of female

entrepreneurs to developing economies and international human rights.

The Delegation of Italy feels strongly that empowering female entrepreneurs in developing nations is

impossible without first increasing access to education in such countries. Beyond that, the Commission on

the Status of Women should consider creating campaigns in developing economies to encourage women

to take advantage of economic freedoms, where applicable, and to recommend amendments to laws not in

accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It may be necessary to enlist the assistance

of NGOs in such endeavors. Lastly, the Delegation of Italy suggests the creation of a subcommittee of the

CSW to oversee the distribution of microloans to female entrepreneurs in developing economies.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

Gender inequality has afflicted societies around the world for millennia. A global patriarchal culture has

bled into political and societal institutions to keep them impenetrable to women and indifferent to the

fight for women’s rights. The Delegation of Italy holds that although advancements in women’s rights

have been made, further improvement is both possible and necessary. Justice for women is of particular

importance and must be made more accessible. Crimes against women -- including both physical and

sexual violence -- remain rampant in many parts of the world, along with a severe lack of education and

workplace equality. An exclusion of women from positions of power hinders the attainment of justice for

women. The Delegation of Italy supports the advancement of women’s rights, both domestically and

internationally.

Although the Italian Republic has taken great steps to advance gender equality domestically, it has been a

slow process, and there is much progress to be made. Women only received the vote in 1945, and the

highest level of women serving in the Italian parliament at once is a mere 31%. There are quotas in place

for women’s participation in local politics, but not for national politics, leaving women a minority.

Additionally, due to its heavily Roman Catholic-influence culture and political parties (such as the

Christian-Democratic party, which held a lot of power from 1948 to 1994), Italian policies have often

valued the traditional family structure above the advancement of women’s rights. It was only in 1981 that

honor killings became illegal. However, in recent decades, the Italian government has begun to heavily

promote women’s rights and justice. Law 898 was passed in 1970, legalizing divorce for the first time.

Law 151 in 1975 worked to eliminate the legal support for male-dominated families, and Law 66 in 1996

classified rape as a crime against an individual. A startling 31% of Italian women have experienced

domestic violence from men in their lifetimes. In 2013, then-Prime Minister Enrico Letta stated, “We are

at war against femicide,” highlight both the severity of the issue in Italy and the renewed determination of

the government to protect women. Law 119/2013 was passed, creating both harsher punishments for

abusers and increased legal protection for female victims. Internationally, Italy has supported the

advancement of justice for women by expressing its support of the UN Security Council resolution 1325

of 2000 on women, peace, and security. In an address to the Security Council in 2013, Italy expressed

particular support for “reaching the target of 15 per cent spending for post-conflict peacebuilding projects

on gender equality and women's empowerment, particularly on women's economic security” when

implementing resolution 1325.

The Delegation of Italy feels strongly that the removal of barriers to justice for women calls for increased

responsibility for the protection of women to be taken by national governments. The Delegation of Italy

also feels that governments must take make legal reforms to promote the political, social, and economic

equality of women. The assistance of NGOs may be required in the promotion of such equality. The

Commission on the Status of Women should consider advancing peacekeeping operations to protect

women from crimes such as genocide and rape, especially in both conflict and post-conflict regions.

Finally, the Commission on the Status of Women should consider creating a subcommittee to promote the

construction of women’s shelters and help centers across the globe.

Delegation from: the Republic of Japan

Represented by: North Olmsted High School

Position Paper for the Commission on the Status of Women

The issues before the Commission on the Status of Women are: Empowering female

entrepreneurs in developing countries and removing barriers to justice for women. Japan is

devoted to the task of empowering women and removing barriers to justice by cooperating with

other countries in this committee.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

The Republic of Japan highly supports empowering female entrepreneurs in developing

countries across the world. As a country made up with more than 51 percent of its country

women Japan has adopted womenomics in order to grow and repair its economy. Japan has also

furthered its methods of empowering female entrepreneurs by forcing major companies to place

women in their workforce. Japan has worked extremely hard to decrease the resentment to

women entrepreneurs in its own borders, setting a principle for other nations to follow.

Recognizing the importance of women entrepreneurs since the adoption of womenomics, the

Japanese government and its people firmly believe in the empowering women and the

establishment of women's rights in developing nations. However, this committee must

acknowledge that there is an opposition to women entrepreneurs in some developing nations It is

also important to note that Japan will be respecting popular sovereignty as it does not want to

force any nations to adopt its beliefs on this issue.

The Republic of Japan has immensely supported the issue of empowering female entrepreneurs

in developing nations and its own by adopting other resolutions and treaties for example its

adoption of Womenomics. Due to the delicacy of this issue the empowerment of female

entrepreneurs has to be done by supporting popular sovereignty. The Republic of Japan also

believes that the women should be treated fairly in developing nations so its ideology of

womenomics should be adopted. Programs must be created by Non Profit Organizations in order

to setup daycares in developing countries to care for women who do have kids. The severity of

this issue must be acknowledged as the establishment and creation of female entrepreneurs can

strengthen developing nation economically. This program must work in cooperation that way

popular sovereignty is protected. By establishing this program the United Nations will be able to

support the empowerment of female entrepreneurs worldwide while respecting popular

sovereignty.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

The Republic of Japan highly supports the actions taking internationally to remove barriers to

justice for women. Japan has millions of women living in its country and is immensely investing

in them in order to grow its economy and for the nation to prosper. Japan’s president, Shinzo

Abe, stated that he will empower women and make no human rights violations against women in

the 21st century. Japan is setting great principles on how to treat and empower women to other

nations.

Recognizing the importance of a strong female role in society illustrated by the adoption of

Womenomics, the Japanese government believes in the advancement of women in the 21st

century. Japan has taken full understanding of the issue at hand and is working currently to

resolve this gap between men and women not only in its nation but the nations across this vast

planet. However, when considering the severity of this gap between men and women across the

world Japan seeks to mend this problem using Popular Sovereignty in order to not upset other

nations.

The Republic of Japan has consistently supported the removal of barriers to justice for women

such as adopting Womenomics, a theory linking the advancement of women to increased

development rates.The Republic of Japan would like to bring the Womenomics side to the

national community in hope for other nations to adopt it. Japan has set goals for itself to achieve

prosperity in its economy by adopting Womenomics and would like to alert the National

Community of its benefit. The Republic of Japan thoroughly believes in equality between men

and women and this is why it has built daycares to take care of children in order to provide an

education for both men and women with children. Japan now prides itself for being a very equal

nation and hopes to establish awareness of this issue and resolutions in the international

community. The international community must first make it accessible for women to receive

proper education and the push equality and diversity in businesses and government positions

across this world.

Committee: Commission on the Status of Women

Topic: Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

Delegation from: Malawi

Position Paper for the Commission on the Status of Women

The issues placed before the Commission on the Status of Women are: Empowering Female

Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries and Removing Barriers to Justice for Women. The

republic of Malawi believes that all humans should be capable of acquiring the same rights and

conveys its aspiration for further cooperation amongst citizens within nations to ensure that one's

natural rights are apparent and maintained.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

The country of Malawi, being a developing nation, believes that by empowering citizens,

especially women, to partake in new businesses and corporations, Malawi has the ability to grow

economically and equally. Malawian women remain disadvantaged in the socio-economic, legal, and

political arenas of society regardless of the 1995 Malawi Constitution guaranteeing women equal rights.

The government in Malawi actively works to ensure these gender disparities are maintained; however,

obstacles to gender equality persist in Malawi because of existing discriminatory statutory and customary

laws and practices. The country of Malawi recognizes entrepreneurs must emerge from the country to

bring agricultural and food security, irrigation development, infrastructure, and overall economic

development for Malawi to grow as a self-sufficient nation. The government seems to persist that women

remain uneducated and poor and only observe development rather than catalyze it. One of the salient

features missing among women in Malawi is the ability to effectively participate as actors in their

communities. Malawi encourages women’s entrepreneurship in many managerial roles, some of which

can be held right within the home to ensure not to impede women's’ everyday duties of childcare and

maternal matters. Working with the World Bank, Malawi has become involved in the Community Savings and

Investment Promotion (COMSIP) program which assists women in building savings, and invest in

businesses to provide for their families’ future. The program functions by women investing what little

savings they have earned through public work wages. The COMSIP, plans, through grants, to match these

savings which the women can then use to invest in small scale enterprises such as training and small

investments in a range of areas including health, nutrition, and micro-business. A total of 1,275 groups

with 27,252 beneficiaries–65% of them women—have also been trained in financial literacy and business

management. Their new skills have helped improve their business performance and leverage more

savings. The COMSIP has made it possible for women in the community to increase their incomes and

improve their own as well as their families’ quality of life. Women now have the opportunity to create

successful businesses and contribute to economic sustainability. Malawi believes that plans such as the Community Savings and Investment Promotion, can help

developing nations improve their economies and augment women’s social and economic role. Malawi

hopes to call upon developed nations, to collaborate closely with organizations such as The World Bank

and women community leaders to continue to advocate for the empowerment of female entrepreneurs,

while maintaining national sovereignty. Additionally, Malawi calls upon the international community to

push for international legislation ensuring women’s fundamental rights in such developing regions.

Finally, Malawi is elated to be working within the Commission on the Status of Women and is confident

developing nations will welcome female entrepreneurship to achieve a stronger economy and state.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

Institutionalized discrimination between men and women remains a significant issue in the

country of Malawi. Although Sections 20 and 41 of the Constitution of Malawi uphold the principle of

equal rights for men and women and prohibit any discrimination based on gender, the disparities between

men and women continue to affect Malawi’s society. Women in Malawi generally fare worse than their

male counterparts on most social and economic indicators including wage equality, political participation,

secondary and tertiary education enrolment and literacy. The unequal status of women in Malawi is

shaped by the inter-locking factors of general poverty, discriminatory treatment in the family and public

life and a vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Both matrilineal and patrilineal systems operate in Malawi’s ethnic

groups and it is reported that both systems perpetuate discrimination against women in the family with

respect to control over resources. However, Malawi has achieved gender parity with respect to primary

school enrolments, which indicates an improvement in attitudes towards girls’ education. From the local to the global level, women’s leadership and political participation are restricted.

Women are underrepresented as voters, as well as in leading positions, whether in elected office, the civil

service, the private sector or academia. This occurs despite their proven abilities as leaders and agents of

change, and their right to participate equally in democratic governance. Saying this, UN Women’s

programmes on leadership and participation are guided by a history of international commitments to

women’s representation. Towards these ends, UN Women provides training for women political

candidates to help build their capacities, and offer voter and civic education and sensitization campaigns

on gender equality. Other initiatives encourage young men and women to engage in advocacy around

making gender equality measures central to public policymaking. UN Women advocates for legislative

and constitutional reforms to ensure women’s fair access to political spheres—as voters, candidates,

elected officials and civil service members. Malawi collaborates with UN country teams and works with

civil society on programmes so that elections uphold women’s rights, including to vote and campaign free

from electoral violence. This program with the UN has not worked as well as the delegation of Malawi

intended for it to work; therefore, more action between the countries representing the UN must be taken. The delegation of Malawi believes that the ultimate goal for the United Nations should be to

create a distinct program allowing women to participate and be heard in every nation around the world.

Day by day, intelligent women are being shut down due to gender inequality. Malawi believes the UN

should help fund these programs that advocate women’s rights, ultimately spreading greater awareness on

gender equality. The UN should support UN Women and advocate different measure to help involve

women around the world into our society.

Submitted By: Mexico

Committee: Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

Topic A: Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

School: Strongsville High School

Encouraging the Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs

As it is already well known, it is not often that the role of women in developing, third world countries

is to be in the business world, let alone becoming an entrepreneur. In societies dominated by men, it is

difficult for women to be motivated to contribute their skills to the workforce. Throughout Mexican

history, the role of women in society was simply as a wife and mother. Women’s suffrage began in the

1970s and transformed the setup of Mexican society. For poverty stricken countries, such as those in Sub

Saharan Africa, these revolutions become more difficult. Since most or all members of the families in

developing countries work to provide for their loved ones, it becomes challenging for women to venture

into the business world and risk all they have to create a new business. The uncertainty of whether or not

they will succeed is enough to deter women from the idea of starting their own businesses.

The solution to this problem is first encouraging women of developing countries to be courageous

enough to pursue entrepreneurship. Countries can do so by providing incentives, monetary or other, to

women and their families in order to assist them on their journey to creating their own business.

Nongovernmental organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or World Bank could

also be taken into consideration. With the use of these NGOs, programs can be implemented to teach and

show women in developing countries the economics of becoming an entrepreneur, as well as the business

end of it all. As earlier mentioned, the largest obstacle for women to overcome is the idea that their

business has the potential to fail and they will be unable to provide for their families. We look forward to

working with other nations in the effort to boost the number of women becoming entrepreneurs.

Submitted By: Mexico

Committee: Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

Topic A: Removing Barrier to Justice for Women

School: Strongsville High School

Bringing Gender Equality into Society

In our country not many women are in the work force, that number is 38% now that is an

unacceptable number. What is worse is that close to four million women 15 and up are illiterate

now that only makes up a small percent of our population but still that's four million! 92% of our

younger girls ranging from age six to age fourteen are now attending school, but that is still not

high enough we need 100% to fully explore their talents. Many feminist groups have just

transformed into NGO’s that are working on specific topics in our society which includes, sexual

and reproductive rights, violence against women, and gender education. Not to long ago women

took over our broadcasting towers to demonstrate that they are smart and can be independent.

Now we do not approve of uprising but we approve of the women who tried to make their lives

and their daughters’ lives. Now more than 95% of girls of parent age know of one or more

contraceptive and now more than 78% can give birth in hospitals, which means that infant

mortality rate has greatly decreased over that last 16 years. Money wise they are not any better,

most women make 85% of what their counterparts make. An astonishing 18% of women still

cook with a wood fire and 13% are still bound to the house duties.

Works Cited

"Mexico." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Feb.

2016.

"Mexico Machismo." Global Security. N.p., 09 July 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.

Delegation from: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Represented by: Cleveland Heights High School

Position Paper for the Commission on the Status of Women The issues before the Commission on the Status of Women are: Empowering Female

Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries; and Removing Barriers to Justice for Women. The

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly believes in fostering a conducive environment in which all

females can achieve economic, political and legal competence through policies that are

compatible with the religious and societal norms of the country.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports the rise of female workers to help strengthen the

economy and ‘Saudization’, or the Nitaqat system that requires companies to hire a certain

amount of Saudi nationals, while also conserving traditional social norms of the country. Saudi

Arabia is internationally known as one of the world’s largest oil producers and exporters;

however, the government of Saudi Arabia is currently taking great strides to move away from a

purely petroleum-based economy in efforts to expand its wealth, due to a taxing state budget

deficit of almost $100 billion. The shift from strong governmental control over major economic

activities through oil and public sector employment to more private sector and industry-related

professions will take the aid of all Saudi citizens, including women.

As of 2015, women only constituted 13 percent of public and private sector employment

positions; despite accounting for 51 percent of Saudi graduates. This gender gap among laborers,

according to the UN Women’s Progress of the World’s Women brief, can “reduce GDP per

capita by 27 per cent”. Attentive efforts were made by the late King Abdullah to slightly

modernize traditional laws by expanding education opportunities for women, and allowing

women to work as store clerks for the first time. These measures of reform sought to improve the

education system, and equip women with the entrepreneurial skills necessary to become

successful adults that are prepared for a competitive workforce, and expand the rights of women

to work in a greater number of fields without harassment or restriction, in attempts to invigorate

the economy while not violating the partition of sexes. In line with King Abdullah’s reforms,

Saudi Arabia supported the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination Against Women with provisions that ensure the continued validation of Islamic

law, the traditional and religious norm of its society, to ensure adequate change that allows

women to occupy more entrepreneurial and private sector positions.

For these reasons, the Saudi delegation hopes to collaboratively create plausible economic plans

that promote the key objectives of the G-20’s Comprehensive Growth Strategy, such as

empowering women and raising their participation in all development sectors, and supporting

individual initiatives in creating projects through financial credits. The delegation recognizes that

women are vital to the progression of the demanding economy, and by providing women with

accessible resources to succeed in the business sphere will ultimately lead to the progression of

society as a whole. To further promote female interest and opportunities in Saudi Arabia, the

government desires to promote UN Women’s Knowledge Gateway for Women’s Economic

Empowerment program. The Saudi delegation principle goal is to create programs that promote

the Agenda of Sustainable Development, and demonstrate the social and economic

modernization of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly believes in abiding by a comprehensive set of laws and

regulations that afford all citizens the rights bestowed or denied by Sharia (Islamic law) and the

Quran. Saudi Arabia believes that each sex should abide by specific regulations that create

opportunities for all citizens. Under the late King Abdullah and current King Salman’s reign,

various efforts have been made to further the economic status of women through moderate

policies that address some of the deep-rooted divides in lifestyle options through innovate

amendments that address complicated issues that are intertwined with social, political and

economic expectations.

The last decade in Saudi Arabia has seen a great era of reform for women. Various reformists

have been appointed to key governmental positions, and gender segregation has heavily lessened.

The late King Abdullah surpassed several political and legal barriers by guaranteeing women the

right to vote in 2011. The revisions produced great results when roughly 130,000 women

registered to vote and 978 women ran for an official office in 2015. Similarly, laws such as, “The

Protection from Abuse” have been passed to give women who face domestic abuse more legal

rights, by making physical and physiological abuse punishable by fine or jail time. These legal

and political reforms have taken progressive steps in a moderate direction. Moreover,

Educational obstacles have been addressed by allowing women more educational access, both in

gender segregated facilities and King Abdullah Science and Technology University, the first

coed university in the country. The efforts to remodel all spheres of life to further the status of

women represent the Saudi government's dedication to creating opportunities for all Saudi

citizens.

Saudi Arabia plans to further social, political and economic competence for women through

conservative policies that agree with the ideological state of the kingdom, and account for the

steady changes of the structure of Saudi government and ideology. The delegation hopes to

foster a productive and justice society for women and men. It is important to the Saudi

government to reform the status of women in line with the cultural and religious traditions of

society. The Saudi delegation wishes to create inclusive and effective programs and centers that

encourage women to participate in politics, as well as extend legal and economic rights, to

further represent the female population, and work in conjunction with the United Nations Human

Rights Council (UNHRC) to examine specific human rights challenges and solutions without

complicating the culture of Saudi Arabia.

Delegation from: Spain

Represented by: Westlake High School

Position Paper for the Commission on the Status of Women

The issues before the Commission on the Status of Women are: Empowering Female

Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries; and Removing Barriers to Justice for Women. Spain is

actively involved in programs to integrate women in the community, whether it be through

political, social, or economic means. Spain hopes that today’s meeting will help advance every

woman's’ standing in any of their endeavors in the business world as well as in terms of

achieving justice.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

The Kingdom of Spain greatly supports female entrepreneurship and encourages other countries

to be involved to aid developing nations either through donations to UN funds or actively hosting

projects and organizations which promote this. For over ten years, Spain has supported female

entrepreneurship in many developing nations such as Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, as well as thirty

nations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Spain has taken considerable steps to promote strong female

leaders as seen with their voluntary contributions of one hundred million USD to two UN funds

under the CSW. Spain hopes to set a precedent for economically stable nations to join in

nurturing the new business leaders of tomorrow.

The Kingdom of Spain has been specifically involved with the NEPAD Spanish Fund for

African Woman Empowerment which has approved and financed 46 projects since 2007 and

successfully completed 38 of those. Recently they have approved 31 new projects with an

investment of 8 million Euros. The ultimate goal of the NEPAD Spanish Fund is to unlock the

socioeconomic potential these women have to positively influence their community. Another

organization based in Barcelona is the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean

Businesswomen (AFAEMME) which consists of several developed as well as currently

developing nations working in conjunction to empower women economically. In 2013, they

launched a project termed, Young Women as Job Creators. It took place in Jordan, Morocco,

Palestine, and Spain. After its success, the organization is on its way to launch its second phase

in Albania, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia. Spain has shown only support for

the cause and has not opposed policies that promote female entrepreneurship but have generally

supported them.

Because developing nations do not have the resources needed to further advance the standing of

women in their community, meeting this necessity to grow our world falls upon the

economically stable countries. Spain has not strongly advocated their involvement under this

topic but have shown that they have contributed greatly. Spain hopes that members of the CSW

will engage in this endeavor if they are capable of doing so and can provide smaller nations with

the means by which they may prosper as well. If nations work together in this manner, forming

funds or organizations where strong female leaders educate the general population of women,

growth will become evident. The logistics and money allocation may be an issue for nations but

voluntary involvement from large corporations is a great way to approach that problem. By

encouraging other nations to contribute, Spain hopes to improve the standing of women in the

business world, providing them with the proper resources and finances to startup their

businesses, with equal opportunities as males. By doing so, these nations will also help lesser

developed countries achieve their Millennium Development Goals which will not only affect

these nations but the entire world.

II. Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

The Kingdom of Spain recognizes women’s right of access to judicial services, including

services to victims of gender-based crimes in both conflict and post-conflict situations. Spain

recognizes the importance of aggressions against women and that gender violence is a clear

cause of social alarm. Spain advocates the promoting and fostering of conditions that allow

equality between men and women, and as a member of the International Crime Court, strongly

opposes rape, especially as a weapon of war. Spain advocates that nations take effectual

measures to oppose gender-based violence against women.

The Kingdom of Spain is active in the effort being made to promote gender equality and

empowerment. Spain passed The 2004 Law on Integral Protection Measures against Gender-

Based Violence, which extended itself to preventive, educational, social, welfare and victim

support initiatives. Spain recognizes that gender-based violence is deeply rooted in a patriarchal

attitude and culture and that gender inequality and gender-based violence are issues that occur in

all regions, countries, cultures, and societies and are deserving of international attention. Spain is

an active member of the European Institute for Gender Equality, which assists countries of the

European Union to promote gender equality with programs of gender mainstreaming and the

1995 Beijing Platform for Action, which aims to empower women in all spheres of life through a

full and equal share of decision-making. Spain passed the 2007 Equality Law, which is based on

principles of equality and nondiscrimination and includes measures in priority areas such as

socio-political and economic participation, violence, education, and protection of the right to

equality. Though Spain has been devoted to the elimination of gender inequality, Spain

recognizes the difficulty in reconstructing judicial and legal systems to remove all obstacles for

women to file complaints against perpetrators to activate the state’s victim protection

mechanisms. In 2011, 47% of partner violence cases were dismissed. The dismissing of such

cases is a problem that continues to persist in Spain and Spain hopes to address this problem

effectively.

The Kingdom of Spain urges nations to collaborate in raising awareness of gender-based

violence and in constructing effectual judicial systems so as to give women better access to

judicial and legal services and to effectively prosecute perpetrators of gender-based crimes.

Spain recognizes that barriers to justice for women is an international concern. Spain advocates

that the United Nations take measures to establish supplementary programs and protocols to

assist victims in litigating claims on gender-based crimes and to make legal redress more

accessible for women. Spain looks forward to improving legal situations for victims of gender-

based crimes with the collaboration of other members of the United Nations.

Thailand

Lakewood High School

Committee on the Status of Women

The issue identified by the Committee on the Status of Women are: Empowering Female

Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries. The delegation of Thailand will provide any

necessary support to solving the issue of gender inequality and discrimination.

I. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

It is without a doubt that worldwide, women are economically disadvantaged. Nearly 70%

of the world’s population living in extreme poverty are women, and women on average

earn 24% less than what men make during their lifetime. In developing nations with poor

or unstable economies, the economic inequality amongst men and women is even worse. To

get rid of these obstacles, Thailand recognizes that empowering women as entrepreneurs in

developing countries is an important step that requires serious attention from The

Commission on the Status of Women.

While it may be a result of certain cultural aspects of a nation's history, the inherent

separation of women from economic opportunities is something that must be eliminated to

get them more involved. In Thailand, the issue of gender inequality has been addressed

many times throughout the past decades. As seen all over the world in many different time

periods, women in Thailand suffered from lower labor force participation rates,

employment segregation, and significant wage gaps. Fortunately, the implementation of

new governmental policies and modernization of education helped immensely in the effort

to even the playing field for women. From 1973 to 2011, the enrollment rate of women in

education in Thailand jumped from 13.45% to 78.44%, compared to 69.86% for men. This

amazing leap has had immediate and noticeable effects. Increasing the educational

opportunities for women greatly reduced the gender income gap, employment

discrimination, and segregation of work. For the many women in developing countries with

the potential to do extraordinary things, only limited by society’s division of gender, the

effects of equal education could do wonders.

Due to the clear beneficial effects seen domestically, Thailand believes that a major step

towards empowering female entrepreneurs and a point of focus for The Commission on the

Status of Women should be eliminating inequality with education and providing the

opportunity for higher education. In addition to having traditional schooling, small scale

education for aspiring female entrepreneurs by first world mentors would allow women to

lift themselves out of poverty and perform at their full potential.

It would be extremely unfortunate and unreasonable if half of developing nations’

brightest minds continue to be unable to help build society and succeed financially because

of their gender assigned to them at birth. The delegation of Thailand looks forward to

offering support through The Commission on the Status of Women to women so that they

can succeed as entrepreneurs.

II. Removing barriers to justice for women

The hardest part for women in this world is their male counterparts. As a fledgling in the

world of women’s rights (thailand just recently crafted a new constitution upholding the

rights of women in 2007) it is important that we all understand that the women of this

world are the backbone of society. The most pressing part of inequality between genders is

that there are certain restrictions on women which hold them back from being equal with

men on many levels. the biggest of these barriers is the usurpation of their rights to a free

and happy life.

There is so much we can do for the women of the world and it starts by getting over the

first and most seemingly daunting wall: Gender equality. Throughout the history of man

we have seen the women being forced to follow the man-- Numerous biblical references, the

American housewife, the human traffic issue. Thailand recognizes that there are still

generations of men who think that they are simply in control of women living in our

country and those people may never change their minds but we need to work for the

future, a future where all are treated as equal. In Thailand there is a saying that describes

the relationship between men and women as an elephant, the front legs; the male, lead the

back legs; the women. It would be difficult to convince older people we must direct the

minds of children onto a path that leads to gender equality. There are plenty of cases of

inequality around the world: women not being able to dive, not being able to speak their

mind, being owned by their husband, legally allowed to be beaten. This oppression is no

different than slavery and we have to move on.

Women are the backbone of the world. They birth us and feed us and care for us because

that is what mothers are expected to do. Let us all think for a moment what would happen

if these women all got up and left. Havoc would react almost instantaneously-- families

would fall apart, children would starve, the whole economy would simply fall apart. When

a women leaves a relationship why should she not have the right to live independently at

the same level as men. In lebanon women can not even divorce on the instance of abuse

unless they have an eyewitness, in Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive, in

Bahrain women’s right to custody over their children has been striped so tell me why men

are allowed to decide what is right for women. Women have been on this earth just as long

as men so it's time we start treating them with the respect they deserve and as men's equal.

If we can not fix this problem then we should be inspiring the next generation so they might

be able to do what we can not. We need to show the next generation what it means for men

and women to live as equals so they themselves can do the same. And Thailand does not

just want equality in the household but also in the workplace, in all nations governments,

and in the economy. We know a world with gender equality is not out of our reach, but

there is are hurdles we need to jump before we can obtain this goal.

Submitted by: The United States Committee: UN Commission on the Status of Women School: Solon High School

Topic I: Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

Ever since the beginning of society, women have been suppressed by men throughout

multitudes of affairs. Despite their significant contributions to society, women have not been

treated as equals to men. This is still the issue today as women continue to fight for their rights.

The gender inequality that the world witnesses on a daily basis is extremely evident, especially

when it comes to business and industry. In today’s age, it is no longer just about human rights;

it’s about the economy. The potential benefits that can be reaped by advocating for more female

entrepreneurs are immeasurable. The United States firmly believes that women in power are the

key to sustainability. As a strong advocate of female rights, the United States serves as a prime

example of the plethora of benefits associated with the impact of hosting more female

entrepreneurs.

The United States is a strong proponent of opening many opportunities for females to

lead businesses. After implementing many reforms to help create opportunities for women, the

United States has seen a 3.5 trillion dollar growth in the economy in the last four years. The

United States firmly suggests that developing countries follow its example and embrace the

extreme growth in the economy. But women cannot be the only entrepreneurs. Obviously,

opportunities need to remain even to encourage participation from both men and women in the

white collar world.

The United States believes that women and men should be given equal opportunity in the

entrepreneurial world, but when it comes to developing countries, the government should

catalyze the growth of small businesses. In general, developing countries tend to revolve around

blue collar labor, while the white collar world remains subsequently underdeveloped. With the

intervention of first-world countries, white collar labor can become widely available, while still

maintaining a strong economy. The key to achieve this lies in women. Men usually dominate the

labor pool in developing countries, but creating new industries and allowing women to take

charge of them would allow for a conservation of the former economy with added revenue. In

the United States, women have added more than 10% growth in the last four years. In a

developing country, the growth could be of an unprecedented amount. The United Nations

should put money toward a fund for catalyzing the growth of small businesses. It can provide

micro-loans and can provide necessary resources to allow for creation of businesses. In

developing countries, access to running water, electricity, and the Internet can all be problems.

Working with new technologies, the United Nations can aid the expansion of these things to

further cultivate creation of more businesses. Ultimately, women need a presence in today’s

economy to keep the world moving forward, and neglecting to do so will only cripple the already

struggling economies of developing countries.

Topic B- Removing Barriers to Justice for Women

Throughout the past 240 years of it’s life, one of the strongest boasting points of the United States was that they achieved Manifest Destiny- they successfully included everything in their possessions from coast-to-coast. While

this is a true geographic statement, it is also equally as credible a social observation. As the years have progressed, more and more emphasis has been placed on the inclusion of women as equals in modern society. As the strongest advocate of female equality in the entire world, the United States has most certainly found that women play an integral role in society, and are worth far more than just being there to make their husband a sandwich. The United States has found multitudes of benefits associated with granting equality to its women. Take for example the primary social endowment received by women- the right to public assembly. Dating all the way back to the revered Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, we found that tens of thousands of women rallied together to create social reform, not just to gain voting rights, by displaying the eminence of collective power through their strength in numbers. On top of this, women have provided significant political sustenance throughout the course of time in the United States. A prime example of this would be forthcoming presidential nominee and current Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Despite being a woman, Clinton has explicited dominance over the political world, which most likely attributes as to why she’s leading the polls in the democratic party. Last but not least, the United States has found women to expedite multitudes of economic affairs, all of which significantly contributed to bolstering their national GDP. The United States would love to see men and women be considered as equals throughout the entire world; however, the US acknowledges that this is not entirely feasible due to the presence of social barriers. Bearing this in mind, the US hopes to implement its system of toleration through educational means and social reforms to as many countries as can be. Seeing the multitudes of rewards provided by women, the US is very keen on aiding all its sibling nations, especially its underdeveloped ones, to properly harness both sides of the human race. The US has already reached coast to coast with this goal in their own country. However it’s imperative to bear in mind that at one time, the world as all one big island.

Delegation from: the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Represented by: Valley Forge High school

I. Empowering female entrepreneurs in developing countries

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has always been very involved in empowering female

entrepreneurs to be successful in their country. Ex president Hugo Chávez Frías declared himself

a feminist and stated, “I am feminist and fight for the Bolivarian woman to take the place it

deserves in the construction of the socialist homeland”. “There cannot be Revolution without

women’s participation”. Believing in his statements CSW has taken steps to further endorse the

empowerment of female entrepreneurs.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is well aware of the importance of female entrepreneurs

in the workforce. To address the issue Hugo Chavez inspired for a non-sexist attitude and

established rights for women. During his presidency the following Act was adopted in favor of

the delegation; Organic Law of Labor for the Workers. This Law allows women maternity leave

and has improved wages and hours for them. In Venezuela institutions have been built with the

intentions to empower women, the Ministry of the Peoples Power for women, The National

Women’s Institute, the Bank of Development for Women, And the mission Madres del Barrio.

Recognizing the impact females’ roles have on the society, economy, and environment; CSW

has noted the significance of women and are providing high quality training courses, programs,

and resources in order to support the UN in the fight for gender equality and women

empowerment. We believe that other countries should follow in Venezuela’s progressive state of

mind and offer similar training courses to empower entrepreneurs all around the world. We also

suggest that a international institution is set up to aid women in these other countries.

Delegation from: the Republic of Venezuela Delegate: Ashley Miñano Represented by: Valley Forge High school 1. Removing barriers to justice for woman (CSW) Women in Venezuela experienced violence and they had little to no rights. Everything changed for Women when Hugo Chávez Frías came into office. He enforced the equality for woman and devoted all his passion to the establishment of the needed conditions to eradicate all forms of violence against women. The leader of the Bolivarian Revolution was positive that gender equality is an essential part of democratic transformations, leading to the establishment of truly just and humane society. Thanks to Hugo Chávez the participation of women in national life was enhanced. Women were always viewed as inferior to men which explains why their rights aren’t equal and they aren’t treated with respect. To help the problems women faced everyday. Hugo Chávez introduced the following acts : the organic law on the right of women to a life

of free of violence; the law of equal opportunities; the law on responsible parenthood; the law on the promotion and protection of breastfeeding; organic law of labor for the workers; and the organic law of communal councils. Specialized courts in the protection of women have also been established. Women in national life were enhanced and that is why women hold 50% of public offices. Today in Venezuela women are treated with more respect and treated equally as men. Acknowledging gender inequality around the world CSW in Venezuela has taken many actions to equalize gender roles. We believe that other countries should follow in Venezuela’s progressive footsteps. Other countries can set up similar laws to help their women. We suggest the United Nations create an international institution to aid women to gain equal rights, going hand in hand with an institution to empower female entrepreneurs.