A Quick Chat with Gladys Acosta Vargas

In our Quick Chat this week, Gladys Acosta Vargas, XUNICEF colleague and Chairperson of CEDAW Committee talks to Sree Gururaja on the inter-relatedness of women and children rights. She shares her apprehensions of the disturbing recent trend of more and more governments advancing rights of the family with the intention of diluting the distinct rights of women and children. Gladys , a national from Peru, is currently serving her second term in the CEDAW Committee and continues to be a ‘grass roots level” activist advocating for change in socially disadvantaged communities, invisible to politicians and policy makers.

Gladys joined UNICEF in 1999 as Regional Adviser, Gender and Development, Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office, then from 2002-2006, was the UNICEF Reperentative in Guatemala, and from 2006-2008 was the UNICEF Representative in Argentina. In 2008, she moved to UN Women ( which replaced UNIFEM) as Chief, Latin America and the Caribbean Section and retired in 2011. Her pre-UN career in latin America, included being Professor , Political Sciences and Law faculty, at the Universidad National de Colombia; Program Director, Gender and Power Project, Instituto Latin-American de Servicios Legales Alternativos, Bogota and Director General, Centro de la Mujer Peruana "Flora Tristan,” Lima.

In this brief provocative interview, Gladys reminds us that while NGOs have been the major force compelling governments and institutions to bring about change, they are being bypassed and challenged by political interests in almost all countries. This is a dangerous trend and has to be addressed at all levels. She talks about the new general recommendation of the CEDAW Committee protecting the rights of indigenous women to be presented at the CEDAW session this October and how it was drafted basically by “ listening " to the women and understanding their reality. We welcome your feedback and views in the Comments section below.