Anglican women will help mark 50th anniversary of UN gathering

About 100 women from across the Anglican Communion are set to attend the 50th anniversary celebration and meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) scheduled Feb. 27 to March 10 in New York. Archdeacon Taimalelagi F. Tuatagaloa-Matalavea, the Anglican Observer at the UN, has sent out invitations to 68 delegates from the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion. In addition, the Episcopal Church in the United States plans to send about 30 delegates, and the Anglican Church of Canada, eight. A delegate from Cuba has also been invited. It is the last time the archdeacon will head the Anglican delegation to the UN meeting as her term as Anglican Observer to the UN ends July 1; she will have served five years. “There are two goals for the Anglican women: To engage as effectively as possible in the UNCSW process (and) to expand and create enthusiasm for the International Anglican Women’s Network (IAWN),” said Canon Alice Medcof, IAWN co-ordinator. IAWN is a network of the Anglican Communion that encourages the role of women in the church and responds to issues from the perspective of women. Ms. Medcof said during the UN meeting, the IAWN will focus on the equal representation of women and men in decision-making bodies as recommended by a resolution during the Anglican Consultative Council meeting last year. The enhanced participation of women in development, gender equality, and the advancement of women in education, health, and employment will be the focus of the UN meeting. “This event provides an opportunity for Episcopal women and men to listen to and learn from the experiences of our Anglican sisters and to strategize together for women’s empowerment throughout the Communion,” said Margaret Rose, director of the Episcopal Church’s Office of Women’s Ministries, in a press statement.