We are exceptionally proud of our postdoc Nisha Gangadharan for being selected as a delegate for the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), an intergovernmental body that promotes gender equality as well as the empowerment and rights of women. She will join this year's meeting which takes place in March. Nisha has been a leader in science, engineering, teaching, and mentorship during her time with us and will now be a leader at CSW69 as well.
This year’s CSW theme is “For All Women and Girls – Equality. Rights. Empowerment”. Gender equality is among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark document for achieving gender equality and the human rights of women and girls, everywhere. This is a mission deeply personal to me. Being raised by wonderful parents and going to a girls-only school, I was constantly encouraged to believe that I could achieve anything I set my mind to. However, stepping into the real world, I was shocked to realize that what I had always seen as basic human rights were actually privileges. I have both experienced and witnessed unequal treatment of women, and often have been a helpless bystander, which haunts me to this day. That’s when I realized I needed to empower myself in order to empower those around me. In Cambridge I have had the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who shared my passion for women’s rights. Currently as an affiliate of the Newnham College, University of Cambridge, one of the oldest female-only colleges in Cambridge, I have the opportunity to engage with and empower the next generation of female scientists. I have had many thought-provoking discussions about women's rights over formals and opportunities to learn from the lived experiences of so many wonderful senior members of the college. I realize that the more I learn about women’s rights, the more there is to discover. I am excited to be a part of the CSW69, that brings together world leaders, government representatives, civil society organizations, experts, policymakers, and activists from different parts of the world to discuss gender equality and decide on actionable items to make that a reality. Let's make this world a better place for everyone.