ICJW’s Karmela Belinki addressed the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 26, 2020, as one of four representatives of Civil Society who took the floor on the third day of the High Level Segment. She was invited by the Geneva NGO Committee on Human Rights, and she spoke about gender equality and the regressive influence of social media on the human rights of women.

Click here to watch her 3-minute speech.

The other Civil Society speakers were Paloma Costa Oliviera from Brazil, who spoke on Youth’s Voice for Climate Change, and Ralmeg Gandaho from Benin, who spoke on Corruption and Human Rights. Unfortunately the fourth speaker, Kehkashan Basu from India, who was due to speak on SDG 10 Inequalities, did not have a visa to come to Geneva and at the last minute had to cancel.

 The selection – respecting geographical diversity and gender balance –  of the four Civil Society Speakers who take the floor, for 3 minutes each, at the end of the yearly opening session of the Human Rights Council, is the responsibility of the Geneva NGO Committee for Human Rights. Léonie de Picciotto, ICJW’s representative to the UN Geneva,  is a Co-Chair of this  Geneva NGO Committee.

Karmela Belinki is Co-Chair of ICJW’s Human Rights committee and chairs the Council of Jewish Women of Finland. She had attended all 4 UN Conferences on Women, and spoke on the subject of Beijing + 25. Her intervention was very well received. A reception for all the speakers, organized by the same NGO Committee,  followed late afternoon so as to give everyone an opportunity for networking.