This week, a UW student has made her impact on the international stage by taking part in one of the most prominent gender equality commissions hosted by the United Nations.

Shreya Rao, a fourth-year student studying in the environment, resources and sustainability program at the UW, has been chosen as a youth delegate with the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York City.  

The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council and is the primary global intergovernmental organization devoted to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. To evaluate progress, identify challenges and establish international standards on matters ranging from gender-based violence and educational access to reproductive health rights, and economic participation, the UN brings together member states, civil society organizations and advocates from around the world each year. For this year’s session, which is the CSW70, leaders and organizations from all sectors gathered to advance international commitments to women’s and girls’ rights. 

Rao is attending as a member of the Canadian delegation, representing youths from Canada along with CARE Canada and other international partner organizations. She is a Youth Public Engagement Champion at CARE Canada, where she promotes gender equity and sexual and reproductive health and rights nationwide as one of the six Canadian youth activists. CARE Canada nominated Rao for the opportunity to be a fully funded delegate with CanWaCH, where they fund 6 delegates across Canada, and through her application about her passion about this topic, CanWaCH has chosen her to be a part of this delegation. “Coming to the UN is the dream of many and being recognized in this way is an opportunity that is such an honour,” Rao said.

At CSW70, her focus was on youth empowerment and expanding access for global policy discussions for young people. “Young people are not just inheriting our future, we should not be passive stakeholders just because we are young,” she said. “All policies being created today are directly impacting us, whether we know it or not.” She added that youth representation at forums like this is a necessity rather than a courtesy. Rao also spoke about her sense of responsibility towards the communities she represents, such as young women, people of colour, and LGBTQ+ individuals. “To really ensure my impact is heard, I always try to be brave, speak up when I see injustice, and invite more youth [to] the conversation,” she stated. 

Rao also showed gratitude to the ERS program’s flexibility for giving her the interdisciplinary foundation that her advocacy work requires. “It gave me the credentials to become an expert in the space I’m in,” she said. Her experience has shown that studying at UW has enabled her to develop subject-matter expertise in a variety of areas relevant to her work, through utilizing electives and providing opportunities of more than 15 leadership roles on campus. In the interview, she shared, “I also started a social enterprise with support from Greenhouse and the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship. But that all happened completely by accident. It was just being inquisitive and identifying gaps and thinking ‘maybe we can do this better’ and once you start that dialogue, people will help you.”

For students who want to pursue similar opportunities, Rao offers some advice to them suggesting speaking up about your goals, seeking  mentorship and embracing discomfort. “I found people who were doing cool things and looked for mentorship and guidance by cold messaging them, going to events where they would be,” she explained. “People really reward curiosity.” She added that her involvement in diverse extracurricular activities has provided her the freedom to consider a wider range of paths, including graduate study in environmental studies, policy or global affairs. Rao said, “Experiences like these give me the privilege of choice.”