St. Charles pastor chosen for United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

The Rev. Stacy Walker of St. Charles Episcopal Church has been chosen to represent the Episcopal Church at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women from March 12-23.

Walker will join delegates from all over the world in New York City to participate in UN meetings, workshops, networking, and organizing events.

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is an annual gathering of member states at the United Nations to consider global issues related to women's empowerment and gender justice.

The 2018 meeting is the 62nd annual session, and the priority theme is "Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls."

Other topics on the schedule include women's participation in and access to the media, and the impact of information technologies for the advancement and empowerment of women.

The event kicks off with International Women's Day on March 8, which UN Women says is especially potent in this critical time of progress in the women's movement.

"This year, International Women's Day comes on the heels of unprecedented global movement for women's rights, equality and justice. Sexual harassment, violence and discrimination against women has captured headlines and public discourse, propelled by a rising determination for change," the UN organization says.

Rev. Walker was selected as a delegate by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Michael Curry. She was also a member of the 2015 delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

"That experience confirmed for me that the church still has a voice of advocacy in civil society," she says, and she is honored and excited to return to the work of the commission in 2018.

St. Charles Episcopal Church is located at 994 N. Fifth Ave. (Route 25) in St. Charles. It offers three Sunday morning services. The building is wheelchair accessible. For information, call (630) 584-2596 or visit www.stcharlesepiscopal.org.