YOUNG BPW NAC REGIONAL REP
Deanza L. Walwyn-Bowrin
deanzabowrin@gmail.com

United Nations
Unchair@nfbpwc.org

Check out the first edition of the BPW International Newsletter.

It launched in June as a quarterly designed to keep BPW members everywhere connected to information about what’s going on in different regions, international initiatives, advocacy, and more.

Click here or right-click on the cover image to read it.

Larisa B. Miller
Chair International Relations
international@nfbpwc.org

As reported from IFBPW to North America and the Caribbean Regional Meeting on May 18, 2026.

Click here to read the report.

It’s BPW Canada’s 50th and We’re All Invited

• Emerging Leaders (Under 35 / YBPW) Luncheon (Speaker – Wura Dasylva)
• Opening Reception: Bar Willow Eatery on Wascana Lake

Friday Highlights!

• Luncheon (Speaker – Darci Lang – Lead the 90%)
• Workshop (Growing Your Club - Erin Davis)
• Business sessions
• Evening Event: The Key to the City Adventure

Saturday Highlights!

• Luncheon (Women on Corporate Boards Panel)
• Elections and Speeches for 2026-2028 BPW Canada Board Members
• Business sessions
• Gala Dinner (Speaker – Lisa Peters)

• Key Topic Update: Reproductive Rights and Justice
• Key Topic Update: Women’s Empowerment
• Closing Pink Tea Luncheon (Women in Politics Panel)
• Business Sessions

Our early bird registration fee expires June 1st so register today! Here is the link: https://bpwcanada.com/convention-registration/

We have a hotel rate of $129 CDN at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre. Register now here: https://bpwcanada.com/accommodation/

For more information about all our wonderful speakers, see: https://bpwcanada.com/convention-speakers-bios/

Our NAC conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada is only two months away. August 23 through 25 will be here very soon!

It is wonderful to have an International Event this close and we will have many members of our International Executive with us, including President Diana Barragán and First Vice President Neelima Basnet.

Our Leader’s Summit will provide great value with a fantastic line-up of speakers – perhaps your employers will support you to attend to gain additional leadership skills. I hope to see many of you there!

NAC 2026 Regional Conference - REGISTRATION - BPW Canada.

Book your hotel room at the Hilton Niagara Falls/Fallsview before the block of rooms and the special rates are gone!

The views from the rooms are amazing – don’t miss out!

NAC Accommodation - BPW Canada

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Remember, the reach is not only those in the USA and Canada, but 10 islands in the Caribbean and many countries within the BPW International family.

NAC Sponsorship Opportunities - BPW Canada

Our NAC Young BPW Rep Deanza Walwyn-Bowrin is putting together a great Young BPW Symposium for August 23rd (everyone is welcome) so I hope we will have a great turnout to support her and the Young BPW members.

NAC Programme - BPW Canada

For general information: NAC 2026 Regional Conference - HOME - BPW Canada

Upcoming:

The BPW Latin America Regional Conference is being held in Lima, Peru, on October 16 and 17. Join the XI BPW Latin America Regional Conference in Lima - BPW International

The next BPW International Congress will be held in Fortaleza, Brazil, in November 2027. President Barragan will be doing a site visit of hotels this summer, so I will share more details after that. I hope many of you will be able to attend.

I wish you a lovely spring and look forward to seeing many of you in Raleigh for IGNITE 2026 and in Niagara Falls for NAC Regional.

Karin Gorgerat
Regional Coordinator
N. America and Caribbean Region BPW International
karin.gorgerat@bpw-international.org

Risking Death to Get to a Meeting

In 2017, I worked my tail off to go to Egypt for the international meeting. So exciting!

I couldn’t afford the Mena hotel, which was some princes castle at the base of the pyramids. Nooooooo. So, my friend Laurie Dameron, Chair of the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, and I shared a room across the road.

Well, turned out not to have been such a great choice.

Our first morning, we needed to get across the street for events at the Mena. Sounds simple enough.

Oh, my goodness if you haven’t been to Cairo, it’s insane on the streets. We saw one street light in all of Cairo! One-way streets and no way to turn.

Getting across in 24/7 traffic turned out to be a life-threatening task. It was 7:00am. Honk! Honk! Yelling! Men driving, almost no women driving.

We were all covered up in the stifling heat to respect the traditions of our host country. We headed to the corner to cross. Cars, donkeys, wagons, tiny taxies, Holy cow – oh wait, that’s India. Holy something! We were terrified!

So, we zig-zagged across, almost getting hit – surely because they somehow knew we were white female tourists. They just don’t stop!

We managed to get to the median. That was it. There we stood, getting flipped off, yelled at, told to take a taxi, etc. Geez, it’s just across the street!

There was a local woman, properly covered, who started across and they pushed her back! Whoa.

So, about 15 minutes passed and we were already half an hour late for the meeting, and we are getting afraid for our very American lives!

Then, just as I’m ready to be the sacrifice, a male taxi driver pulls over on the other side, gets out, and stops traffic for the local lady with her cart of fruits and veggies.

They stopped!!

We scurried across with her, let me tell ya, we were so happy she was there. 

We got to the other side and that same man stopped us, asking if we were ok. Uh no!

He said, “You know, in Cairo, you call a cab and go to your destination.”

I’m shocked. I said, “It’s right there!”

He told us, “Thats the way it is. You can’t cross unless you are a local man or sometimes a local woman and even then traffic isn’t happy but it stops. It’s just an understood thing.”

Somehow, I got us upgraded to the Mena for the rest of the week, putting an end to death-defying road crossings.

Another interesting thing; carts pulled by donkeys pick up recycling from the hotels. In her position with the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, Laurie was naturally fascinated by the huge clay pots outside to collect recycling. She asked the guy at the front desk where they went.

He shrugged.

We asked our taxi driver.

He shrugged. Hmmmm…

Funny thing is, there’s garbage is all over the side of the roads, and it’s mostly plastic bottles and cardboard. Made us wonder if the whole recycling process at the hotel was just for show for us tourists.

The whole trip was filled with cultural surprises, most of which were more fun than these two. This was one conference I will never forget.

Life is not what it’s supposed to be. It’s what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the

Sharon Simmons
CO/WA

Navigating Life with Integrity: The Power of Having an Ethical and a Moral Compass

We live in a world filled with choices and challenges so having a strong ethical and moral compass is more crucial than ever.

These compasses guide us through complex situations, helping us make decisions that align with our values and beliefs. For us women, who often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, understanding and embracing this inner guidance empowers us in both our personal and professional lives.

So what is our ethical compass? It is a set of guidelines that help us to discern right from wrong based on societal norms and standards.

Our moral compass on the other end, is our personal belief system which dictates our sense of right and wrong and is influenced by our upbringing, culture, and personal experiences.

Together, these compasses shape our actions and interactions, influencing how we relate to others and ourselves.

Integrity is an integral part of our daily lives, as it is a catalyst for building and fostering trust in relationships at home, work, or within communities. When people see us acting ethically, they are more likely to trust and respect us.

Upholding our values in challenging situations empowers us, reinforcing self-esteem and confidence.

When making decisions, we have choices. However, a strong moral compass guides our thought process in the right direction when we are faced with difficult choices, from career moves to personal relationships.

It provides clarity and helps prevent later regrets. Additionally, when conflict arises, we lean on an ethical approach to promote fair solutions and foster understanding, allowing for healthier relationships within the conflict resolution process.

In cultivating our ethical and moral compasses, it is imperative to do regular self-reflection on both our values and beliefs.

Journaling is an effective tool for this introspection.

It is also important to stay informed about ethical issues in society, as understanding different perspectives enhances our moral reasoning.

As we are all part of multiple communities, it is imperative to engage and participate in community service and/or advocacy work.

Engaging with diverse groups serves to broaden our understanding and strengthen our moral framework.

Encouraging others through our example is priceless, as our actions can inspire those around us. Whether it’s in the workplace or in our social circles, embodying our values encourages others to do the same.

Mentorship, sharing your experiences and values with younger generations, adds immense value in instilling a strong moral compass.

In conclusion, I encourage each of you to embrace both ethical and moral compasses! They will help you to make the right choices, live authentically and inspire others to do the same.

In a world where the lines between right and wrong can so often blur, staying true to our values is a beacon of hope and strength. Let us navigate our lives with integrity, empowering ourselves and those around us to lead with purpose and compassion.

Dawne Williams
Chair IFBPW Ethical & Moral Compass Task force

For information on the International Committee please email international@nfbpwc.org

Commission on the status of women
csw@nfbpwc.org

SDG Agenda: A Shared Blueprint for Peace and prosperity

Did you know that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015?

Did you know that this one document provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future?

At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. These 17 goals make it clear that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

It's a huge undertaking. But with individuals, governments, non-governmental organizations, non-profits, and others working together, it can be done.

The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN, including the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

In June 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 178 countries adopted Agenda 21, a comprehensive plan of action to build a global partnership for sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment.

Member States unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration at the Millennium Summit in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Summit led to the elaboration of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.

Then, the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation, adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa in 2002, reaffirmed the global community's commitment to poverty eradication and the environment, and built on Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration by including more emphasis on multilateral partnerships.

Distribution of all initiatives on the SDG Action Platform by SDG Goal. It is important to note that many initiatives are linked to multiple SDGs.

In June 2012, at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Member States adopted "The Future We Want" in which they outlined their decision, among other things, to launch a process to develop a set of SDGs to build upon the MDGs and to establish the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

Rio +20 also contained other measures for implementing sustainable development, including mandates for future programs in development financing, small island developing states, and more.

In 2013, the General Assembly set up a 30-member Open Working Group to develop a proposal on the SDGs.

In January 2015, the General Assembly began the negotiation process to create the post-2015 development agenda. It culminated in the subsequent adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with 17 SDGs at its core, at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015.

2015 was a landmark year for multilateralism and international policy shaping, with the adoption of several major agreements:

• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (March 2015)
• Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development (July 2015)
• Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Development (September 2015)
• Paris Agreement on Climate Change (December 2015)

Today, the annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs.

So far, while some nations are lagging behind their commitments, as of early 2026, the United States is the only developed nation to formally reject and withdraw from the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). This follows the US being one of only three UN members (along with Haiti and Myanmar) to not produce a Voluntary National Review (VNR) of their SDG progress.

Additionally, the US has ceased participation in related international organizations and exited other key frameworks such as the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other internationally supported bodies related to sustainability and development.

Today, the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues, including water, energy, climate, oceans, urbanization, transport, science and technology, the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), partnerships and Small Island Developing States.

DSDG plays a key role in the evaluation systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and on advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs. In order to make the 2030 Agenda a reality, broad ownership of the SDGs must translate into a strong commitment by all stakeholders to implement these global goals. DSDG aims to help facilitate this engagement.

Now that you know more, what can you – as BPW members and individuals, as members of local communities and governments, as citizens of your towns and states and nation – do to help move the goals of the SDGs forward?

We already know what needs to be done. Now let’s work together with organizations such as the UN to move those 17 goals closer to reality for everyone.

United Nations
Unchair@nfbpwc.org

The majority of the information in this article comes from the United Nations’ website’s page for the Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Sustainable Development.

Stay Connected with the UN by bookmarking these sites

• United Nations Main Website https://www.un.org
• UN News https://news.un.org
• UN WebTV (live & on-demand) https://media.un.org/en/webtv
• UN Women https://www.unwomen.org
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) https://sdgs.un.org/goals
• United Nations on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/unitednations

To learn more or to get involved with NFBPWC’s United Nations efforts email: unchair@nfbpwc.org.