UVU students contribute to 61st session of U.N. Commission on Status of Women

University Marketing & Communications: Layton Shumway | 801-863-6863 | [email protected]

A delegation from Utah Valley University, comprised from one faculty member and five students, members of the Utah International Mountain Forum, a coalition of student clubs at UVU, will participate at the 61st session of the United Nations Commission on Status of Women (CSW61) on March 20-23.

During the visit UIMF members will report to the participants of CSW61 and representatives of the UNWomen about their contribution through engaged learning to the gender and sustainable mountain development agendas of the United Nations by hosting the International Women of the Mountain Conferences since 2007.

“Thanks to the engaged learning approach at UVU, our students were able to be recognized for our contribution to gender and sustainable mountain development in the 2016 United Nations Secretary General’s Report on Sustainable Mountain Development,” said Jensen Christian, president of UIMF. “Now we have an opportunity to tell a story of our success at this important forum.”

Students already recognized how engaged learning through building partnerships with NGOs with consultative status under the U.N. ECOSOC could be important for their success at the level of the United Nations. One of them, the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and its main representative at the U.N., Rusty Butler, former associate vice president for international affairs and diplomacy at UVU, secured their participation at CSW61.

Another NGO, Utah China F.I.S.H. D&C, and its president Wendy Jiang, provided UVU students an opportunity to make a presentation via Skype titled “Students Contribution to Empowering Mountain Women (SDG5) and Sustainable Mountain Development (SDG6.6 and SDG15.1) by hosting International Women of the Mountains Conferences since 2007.” It took place at the One UN Hotel, Manhattan Room, 2nd Floor near United Nations headquarters on Tuesday, March 14.

UIMF members plan also to visit the office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in New York and meet permanent representatives of several nations accredited at the U.N.

UVU’s delegation visit and participation at CSW61 was supported by ELLA and GEL grants from UVU.

Fourth region (Section 1)