Rachael Fraser, a member of St James the Less Episcopal Church in Bishopbriggs, part of the Scottish Episcopal Church, is a student of International Relations at the University of St Andrews. She recently attended a week-long training course on human rights advocacy for faith-based organisations organised by the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva. In this column, she reflects on the week.

The focus of the training was around the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979), otherwise known as CEDAW, which was a landmark convention for women’s rights globally. It was an incredibly busy week, with lots to cram in; lots to discuss and lots of individuals to hear from.

My first impression of the group attending was how diverse we were. Numbering nearly 50, we came from many corners of the world. We were of different ages, different races, different cultures, different jobs – all different walks of life. I also felt a little out of my depth. There were many questions of “so who do you work for?” and a lot of explaining that I was actually still studying at university and had been sent by the Anglican Communion Office. As much as I felt somewhat underqualified to attend, as the week went on I learned so much from the men and women around me and from the wealth of experience they brought to the discussions – I also felt that I had something valuable to bring to the table, and as everyone had individual experiences, everyone had something to contribute from their respective perspectives.

We heard from representatives of church aid organisations (Church of Sweden, Mission 21, LWF, World YWCA, to name a few) who acknowledged the increasingly shrinking space afforded to civil society in engaging with UN mechanisms – and especially those faith organisations striving for human rights to be upheld. One particular highlight for me was hearing from Jane Connors, who works for Amnesty International but previously worked for the United Nations, who spoke candidly of her experiences and her recommendations of how to engage with UN mechanisms, and to hold countries accountable for their ratification of CEDAW.

Throughout the week we also heard from training attendees themselves, who shared their particular experiences of working in faith-based human rights advocacy, and sharing of best practices. In hearing from these experts, we were able to learn ways to engage with UN mechanisms as civil society organisations. I learned a great deal from these discussions, and I am now thinking of ways that my church (and others) can better work alongside the United Nations.

The highlight and focal point for many during the week was a visit to UN’s headquarters in Geneva, to attend a session of the committee whose job is to ensure that those who ratified CEDAW are taking necessary steps to eradicate discrimination against women. This day included a lunch during which we met some members of the committee, which was hugely informative and gave us a small insight into the backgrounds and minds of those doing this work. Seeing the committee in session was fascinating – there was a lot of question avoiding from the country under review (Myanmar), but the committee members kept them on their toes. A thoroughly interesting and informative morning.

I particularly enjoyed a session on forum theatre from Claudia Signoretti, which encouraged us to use our bodies and physical movements to draw out stereotypes, think about the way that particular actions perpetuate these stereotypes, and using theatre to highlight and address gender based violence.

Overall, it was an action packed week and I learned a huge amount from those around me. I had hugely enriching discussions, and made connections across the world that will be invaluable in the work ahead. Huge thanks go to Terrie Robinson and the Anglican Communion Office in London who arranged for me to attend, and for all the support you have given me!

I will leave you with a quote that Martin Junge, general secretary of the LWF, shared with us during his opening remarks:

“For those who have heard and seen how God wants this world to be, it is hard to accept how this world is.”

Let’s work towards how God wants our world to be.