Posting from our Local2Global Coordinator, Marie Lousie Jackson- Miller

Our 2014 Local 2 Global cohort spans all generations from millenial to the silent and great among 7 WILPF women. Lauretta is our wisest. She joined in 1948 and comes from New Jersey. Our poet is Rain. She joined in Missoula 2 years ago. Our team from Iowa, Jan and Deb, have "educated, agitated and illuminated" throughout this past year in their home branch, WILPF Des Moines. Eileen is from our WILPF Branch in Ashland, Oregon, and co-coordinators: Nicole is from WILPF's Detroit Branch, and Marie-Louise is from Quincy/Boston.
We have gathered for tea and conversation often since we arrived on Saturday at the Court St. Giles Hotel in New York. At our orientation for all WILPF delegates, we received a warm welcome from Ria Kulenovic, WILPF US Section Director of Operations, and Alanna Kelly, our Leadership and Outreach Intern. Maria Butler of WILPF's PeaceWomen Project also wished us a "Happy International Women's Day!"

We shared words to describe WILPF: Human Rights, Disarmament, Peace, Fearless, Courageous, Agency, Hope. Advocacy and organizing are our tools. Our role at the Commission on the Status of Women is to network and to learn collectively at the side events. We will use our words like "hope" and "courage" throughout this week. We will be inspired by the people we meet, and as we leave, we'll prepare to report back to our groups, branches and sections.

We had a viewing of WILPF's anniversary video - an historical perspective which was quite inspiring. Emma from our office in Geneva encouraged everyone to be a spokesperson for WILPF and WILPF's Centennial Celebration at the Hague in the Peace Palace in 2015 where we will have our Triennial Congress specifically for WILPF members - followed by our International Conference of NGOs, civil society organizations and academics. WILPF is working together with the Nobel Women's Initiative in planning the conference and celebration of women peacemakers throughout the world. Emma asked the WILPF delegates to encourage everyone to tell others at the CSW that they are doing the work of women's power to stop war. We all signed the Women Stop War pledge and committed to gathering signatures during the week.

Kristin Alder introduced the discussion topic: No Development without Disarmament. We have seemingly unlimited financial resources for war - yet ever decreasing dollars for human needs. What is up with that? The WILPF delegates discussed this from both a socio economic perspective as well as an environmental perspective. One over arching conclusion noted was this: that if we don't fight, there is no market for weapons - and no need for weapons production.