12-member delegation from NWAC to press for the financial empowerment of Indigenous women at 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

March 11, 2024

GATINEAU, Que -- Carol McBride, the President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), will lead a 12-member delegation of Indigenous women representing NWAC’s member associations across the country when UN Women hosts the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

The priority theme of this year’s conference, which will be held in New York City in the second week of March 2024, is “accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

That is also a priority for NWAC which administers multiple programs aimed at the economic empowerment of Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls found that social and economic marginalization is one of the pathways for maintaining the violence. Indigenous women know that financial security leads to physical security.

“Now is the time for countries around the world, including Canada, to invest in the economic potential of Indigenous Peoples, and especially of Indigenous women,” said Mrs. McBride. “By empowering them with the capability to earn good wages at good jobs, we can erase the blight of poverty that continues to disadvantage Indigenous people, especially those living on First Nations.”

The NWAC delegation, representing all parts of Canada, will attend the international gathering over three days, from March 11 to March 13. While the conference will focus on the equality and empowerment of all women, NWAC’s representatives will ensure that Indigenous voices are heard and that the special concerns of Indigenous women are considered and addressed.

All factors that impact financial well-being, including healthcare, education, and environmental degradation, are compounded for Indigenous women. But Indigenous women also have solutions, and the NWAC team will ensure they are put forward when the world meets in New York.

“By listening to Indigenous women, Canada has made significant strides to reduce poverty in this country over the past decade,” said Mrs. McBride. “But more needs to be done, both here and around the globe. NWAC and its affiliated provincial and territorial member associations will demand that the work continues at an accelerating pace.”

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