The sunshine and cloudless sky on our third day in New York allowed us to walk a great distance in the city and appreciate the beauty and design of many of the city’s sights. On our way towards the UN headquarters, we took a short detour through the Grand Central Station mall and market. With a wide variety of products, foods, and rare cheeses and spices, our stomachs growled.

Tony Medina at the entrance to the United Nations Headquarters

We began the day by being introduced to many VIPs and delegates in the hallways of the United Nations headquarters, including Mr. Robert Kirkpatrick, Director of the Global Pulse in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. He was very excited to hear of a student’s attendance at the CSW60, and discussed the role of social media in our activities in an area promoting gender and SDGs.

Next, we met representatives from the LDS Charities in the hallways of the UN. David Colten and his wife Julie shared with us some background into their work and involvement in the inter-faith dialogue and discussions at the CSW60. Needless to say, it was very interesting to discover the numerous Utah representatives present at the CSW60 throughout the whole day.

After lunch, we arrived at the Church of the Covenant which is located two blocks from the UN headquarters at 310 E. 42^nd street, where Clay Olsen who contributed to the 4^th Women of the Mountains Conference at UVU, was to make a presentation of the topic of the danger and the pervasiveness of pornography across the world. Here, we faced a dilemma to remain for the viewing of Mr. Olsen’s presentation or attend another important and interesting event.

During the Panel Hosted by NGO Days for Girls

This session was hosted by the UVU’s good friend Celeste Mergens, CEO and Founder of Days for Girls International (DFGI), a globally well known NGO focused on providing sustainable feminine hygiene products to girls and women across the world. When we entered the room and caught Celeste’s attention, she greeted us like old friends and thanked us for coming. The panel was held in the Hardin room in the Church Center of the United Nations, the same room as the day prior with the event hosted by Vital Voices. We were barely able to find seats as the room was tightly packed by so many delegates and women from across the world.

The Days for Girls standard hygiene kit

http://www.daysforgirls.org/#!whats-in-a-kit/c623

The panel, titled “Breaking Cycles of Poverty: Sustainable Menstrual Hygiene Management Models,” consisted of, Dr.Ugodi Ohajuruka the board member from Nigeria; Chris Mutalya, the DFGI Ugandan board member and only male panelist; Severina Lemahokti, Kenyan director for DFGI; Shylla Rahman, new member of DFGI from Bangladesh; and Deborah “Debbie” Young, the Utah Director for DFGI. We heard several personal stories from audience members who had the highest praises and thanks for Celeste and her group’s effort. And, it was incredibly moving to hear from so many women of whom DFGI have positively impacted across the globe, including here in the United States. Before the session was dismissed, our friend Wendy Jyang and her friends presented Celeste with a beautiful painting to say thank you for her efforts and commitment to helping so many girls and women with such an important issue.

All in all, it was a revealing experience to see how so many institutions and individuals from Utah have added their voices to the policies and agenda of the United Nations on gender. My next report will conclude our experiences during the CSW60, taking into account that this was our first attendance to the Commission on the Status of Women which was only funded for four-days. We hope that in the future our students will be able to attend the session in its entirety.

                 Tony Medina, President, Utah International Mountain Forum