Rachael Fraser’s Speech to Synod on her Attendance at the 61st
Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
Primus, Members of Synod, Guests; Good morning.
It’s wonderful to be back at Synod this year and to have the opportunity to
speak to you again. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is
Rachael Fraser. In March, I travelled to New York to attend the 61st
Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. As
some of you may know, I attended the 60th Session last year, and I was so
excited and honoured to have been invited to return for this year’s meeting.
The Commission is committed to the
promotion of gender equality and the
empowerment of women, and meets
every year to consult with Non-
Governmental Organizations, UN
entities, and UN member states. The
two-week session is packed full of
events and meetings, and I’ve never
experienced anything like it.
The Anglican Consultative Council
sends a delegation of around 20 from all
across the communion to the
Commission every year. I had the
honour and privilege of representing the
Scottish Episcopal Church again this
year.
Our group came from different walks of
life; we were students, clergy, artists,
politicians, eye surgeons. We came
from all corners of the world: Australia, Japan, South Africa, Pakistan, Hong
Kong, Canada – but we shared our faith, and a commitment to ensuring that
the voices of the silenced could and would be heard. Throughout the two-
week session I was surrounded by women who constantly inspired and
enriched me with their stories and experiences.
Before I go any further, I want to speak a little about privilege. Each of us
here was born into a particular set of circumstances. We have no control
over these circumstances. Our race, our sex, our nationality; these are all
factors outwith our control. Yet it is these attributes that often give individuals
advantages over others.
Privilege comes in many forms. White privilege, male privilege, straight
privilege. Privilege is having access to clean running water. Privilege is being
able to freely and safely use a bathroom that matches your gender identity.
It’s being able to walk down a busy city street holding the hand of the person
StOM Page 10