Hard to believe but it’s 2026 already. I hope you all had a lovely holiday season.

The International Executive met in early November for our annual Face-to-Face meeting. It was a very valuable and productive meeting with a lot of work accomplished. There was discussion about the 2027 IFBPW Congress and a location should be shared soon.

Work on our Member’s Survey is coming along very well and by the time you are reading this you may have received the link to complete it.

There was a pilot survey done to make sure it was right before it went out to all members, and we are very appreciative of the time and work that has been put into this survey.

It will be exciting to see the results so the International Executive can do the work to address any concerns to ensure the value of your membership is enhanced. Watch for it in your inbox around mid-January. We hope you will all take the time to complete it.

BPW Listens – Your Voice Matters

Planning continues on the North America and Caribbean Regional Conference on August 23 – 25, 2026. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada is waiting for us!!!!

Registration and hotel information will be posted on the BPW Canada website in January, so check into the site regularly. And keep reading your magazine – more information will be here as we get closer to the big event.

We have some amazing speakers booked and you will find value in what they have to share.

I hope you have added the conference to your calendars – and that you plan to bring your family – Niagara Falls is beautiful and has a lot to offer everyone!

Here is the link with the preliminary agenda. North American & Caribbean (NAC) Regional Conference - BPW Canada.

Our Region will be hosting our 2nd Leadership Webinar on Thursday, February 5th. It is hosted by our Training Coordinator, Sujata Tiwari. Stay tuned right here for registration details.

Warm wishes as we progress through this new year.

Karin Gorgerat
BPW International
Regional Coordinator
North America and Caribbean

How We Celebrate and Innovate Through the Lens of the United Nations—A Call to Action for December

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Celebrate!

Reflect on one UN achievement or milestone from 2025 that resonat-ed with you. Whether it was pro-gress in women’s leadership, ad-vancements in climate commit-ments, humanitarian successes, or other breakthroughs. Understand-ing the wins helps us champion future progress.

Innovate!

Choose one UN priority you want to follow more closely in 2026. Is it AI ethics, global education initiatives, or sus-tainable development that interests you? Or something else, like economic justice or peace and security. Commit to deepen-ing your understanding and awareness and participation in 2026!

Engage!

Explore one UN resource you’re unfamiliar with this month. Whether it’s a briefing, a live event, or a global campaign. You could also consider how your club or com-mittee might connect with that work in the coming year.

As an NGO affiliated with BPW Interna-tional, our engagement connects the lived experiences of working women with the UN’s global priorities. Understanding the UN’s year-end direction helps us align our efforts, strengthening our advocacy and identifying opportunities for meaningful participation.

Barbara J. Bozeman
President 2024-2026

I would like to extend my best wishes and season’s greetings to all of you on behalf of our BPW sisters of North America and the Caribbean Region. As we reflect on all that has happened this past year, I hope you are all able to look back on 2025 with fond memories and a feeling of accomplishment for a job well done.

I also hope that many of you are planning on coming to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada August 23-25, 2026 to attend the North America and Caribbean Regional Conference. It promises to be a wonderful experience – a chance to meet BPW members from around our region and around the world and to learn things to take back to your clubs/affiliates. Please add these dates to your calendars and to your schedules – and bring your family to extend your time in this beautiful region.

I wish all of you a wonderful time during the holidays with your family and friends and good health and

happiness in 2026.

Karin Gorgerat
BPW International Regional Coordinator
North America and Caribbean

For information please email international@nfbpwc.org.

LARISA MILLER
BPW Galway & NFBPWC USA
International Relations Chair 2024-2026
International Liaison

The Power of Showing Up

As we close out 2025, it’s a perfect moment to celebrate one simple truth: every act of leadership starts with showing up. Whether you step into a meeting, turn on your camera for a virtual panel, or walk into a room where you are not yet sure of your place, showing up is the first act of courage that makes everything else possible.

This is especially true at the Commission on the Status of Women.

CSW will gather voices from around the world – activists, diplomats, educators, innovators, and women just like you who chose to be present. You don’t need to be an expert or a seasoned advocate. You just need to show up.

Why Showing Up Matters

One of the most impactful presentations this year was title “Stand Up and Speak Up.” The message was clear: when women stand up, speak up, and lean into their leadership, they transform every space they enter. But there is one part we sometimes overlook:

You cannot stand up, and you cannot speak up, if you never show up.

At CSW, being present, virtually or in person, is more than attendance. It is participation. It is visibility. It is claiming your space in the global conversation about women’s rights and equality.

Even as a spectator, you are learning the language of international advocacy, witnessing global collaboration, and becoming part of a movement much larger than any single club or country.

Your Invitation to Participate

This December, as we celebrate victories, connections, and community, consider how you can show up for CSW70:

• Attend sessions virtually or in person. NGO CSW/NY offers a full virtual platform, accessible, flexible, and designed for global participation.

• Experience the energy. Watch a briefing, sit in on a panel, or explore a grassroots presentation. Every session opens new doors.

• Be inspired by allies in action. CSW is full of partnerships, collaborations, and women helping women succeed.

And if you feel called to do more, this is the moment to begin shaping your own parallel event idea. NGO CSW/NY accepts virtual proposals from NGOs like ours. Your club’s work in technology, leadership, financial literacy, or community empowerment could be showcased on the global stage.

How to Start Strong

• Visit ngocsw.org to explore the details, schedules, and deadlines.

• Brainstorm program ideas with your club or committee.

• Partner with another club, federation, or organization to co-host an event.

• Connect with Emily VanVleck, VP Advocacy. She has the most current information and can help guide you through the steps.

Celebrate Your Strength

As you reflect on 2025, celebrate the moments when you showed up – for your community, for your club, for yourself. And then let that momentum carry you into CSW70, where your presence matters just as much as your contributions.

Showing up is leadership.

Showing up is advocacy.

Showing up is how change begins.

We invite you to show up for CSW70. Show up proudly, boldly, and ready to be part of the global movement for gender equality.

Some relevant resources: https://ngocsw.org/ https://www.facebook.com/unwomen https://www.facebook.com/NGOCSWNY https://indico.un.org/event/1020223/ https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women/csw70-2026

By Barbara J. Bozeman
National President

We’ve got a few important dates coming up, and this is a great moment to start getting involved.

First up: November 10

We’ll (NGO CSW/NY) be hosting our very first YLYP (Young Leaders & Young Professionals) meeting. This is a space for younger members to connect, share ideas, and get more involved in advocacy — especially ahead of CSW (The UN’s Commission on the Status of Women). Please make sure to pass this along to your club’s YBPW members or any young professionals who might be interested. We want them in the room and part of the conversation.

Next: November 12

The  NGO  CSW/NY  Open  Forum  is happening! If you’re curious about CSW or

planning to get involved this year, this is the perfect place to start. You’ll learn what SW is, how NGOs can take part, and what to expect for CSW70.

And starting November 13:

Applications open to host parallel events for CSW70. This is a great chance to highlight the work your club is doing, showcase an issue you care about, or collaborate with other organizations on a global stage.

So, if CSW, youth engagement, or advocacy have been on your mind—even a little—now’s the time to get involved. Let’s make sure all NFBPWC members, especially our up and coming young ones, are informed, included, and ready to lead.

Emily VanVleck
VP Advocacy IFBPW UN Rep

Allies in Action—Partnerships that Power Progress

At the United Nations, collaboration isn’t just encouraged – it’s essential. Every major UN initiative, from peacekeeping to public health, relies on alliances with governments, organizations, and communities.

These partnerships form the backbone of sustainable progress and are embodied in the Sustainable Development Goal#17: Partnerships for the Goals. It reminds us that no nation, agency, or individual achieves equality and justice alone.

Allies in Action at the UN: Around the world, the UN builds bridges across boundaries. Member States unite to confront global challenges like climate change and conflict. UN agencies work alongside nonprofits, academic institutions, and the private sector to develop new ideas and new ways to do things through advancing technologies. Even internally, UN champions cross- department collaboration to ensure humanitarian aid and education efforts reach people who need them most.

These alliances aren’t symbolic. They are the real gears of progress. They are proof that when partners share vision and responsibility, solutions become not only possible but become fact.

What This Means for  NFBPWC: BPW International stands as one of the UN’s recognized allies. Our participation links the experiences of women in business and leadership to global policy conversations. As we focus this month on Allies in Action, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how partnership strengthens every level of our work and what each of us individually and within our Clubs can do:

Collaborate Locally: Partner with a community organization or local business to advance a shared goal.

Connect Nationally: Invite other NFBPWC communities to co-host educational sessions or awareness campaigns that support the UN’s mission.

Engage Globally: Follow UN briefings and events online to learn how cross- sector partnerships are driving real-world change.

Amplify others: Use your platform to elevate the work of other women’s groups and community leaders.

Your Call to Action

Allies make the impossible achievable. Before the month ends, consider how you or your club can strengthen one partnership that supports the UN’s goals. It may begin as a small collaboration, but like the UN itself, every alliance adds up to lasting impact.

Barbara Bozeman
President 2024-2026

Inspire, Innovate, Transform—Together We Shape a Sustainable Future

Greetings BPW Sisters!

I am pleased to report that NAC completed two webinars in September with great success.

Thanks go to BPW Canada members Colleen Babiuk-Ilkiw and Sheila Crook, with technical support from NFBPW President Barbara Bozeman, for a terrific session titled “Advocacy on the Line – Crafting Position Papers to Spark Change”. There was great engagement from many within NAC, showing the dedication our members have to making a difference for women.

We are equally grateful to NAC Training Coordinator Sujata Tiwari for the valuable webinar “Empowering BPW Leaders”. Following in Dr. Lena Madeson’s footsteps, we all want to be strong leaders, whether it’s in our careers or volunteer work. There will be additional Advocacy and Leadership Webinars in the new year so stay tuned!

Work is underway within BPW International with preparations for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 70) CSW70 (2026) | UN Women – Headquarters at the United Nations in New York City from March 9 – 20, 2026. While not everyone can attend in person, I hope many of you will participate in the over 700 Parallel Events with the NGO CSW About the NGO CSW Forum | NGO CSW/NY ,many of which are offered virtually at all hours of the day and evening. There are always topics and speakers of interest to everyone to learn more about women’s issues and work being done to make a difference. Watch for more information as it becomes available.

The North America and Caribbean Regional Conference will be held at the Hilton Niagara Falls/Fallsview Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada from August 23 – 25, 2026. It will include a Youth Symposium for Young BPW members on August 23rd and the Leader’s Summit over the next two days. We will have some amazing speakers on topics of interest to all. It will give you a chance to meet our NAC sisters from the Caribbean Islands and the USA, as well as other members from around the world.

Niagara Falls is very convenient for travel from the USA whether by car, train, or flights into Buffalo. There are regular shuttles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. I hope you will take the opportunity to attend. Stay tuned for registration/hotel and speaker information!

As you approach Thanksgiving in the USA, I wish you all a lovely weekend with your family and friends, and hope you can rest, relax, and recharge, all the while eating a little too much turkey!

Karin Gorgerat
BPW International Regional Coordinator
North America and Caribbean

For information please email international@nfbpwc.org.

LARISA MILLER
International Relations Chair 2024-2026
International Liaison

Allies in Action

Did you know that BPW International has been part of the Commission on the Status of Women since its founding in 1946?

From the very beginning, BPW Leaders helped shape global discussions about women’s rights. Everything from employment and education to leadership and equity. So many of the policies we take for granted today were influenced by the persistence of BPW voices. Our history with CSW isn’t symbolic. It is built on partnerships.

From those first collaborations between women’s organizations and UN delegates, BPW has modeled what it means to be an ally for equality. We helped build the platform where women’s equality is debated and defined. And it continues every year as BPW members from around the world add their voices to the ongoing global conversation.

As we move closer to CSW70, our focus goes beyond awareness. It’s aboutconnection, collaboration, and collective strength. The theme “Allies in Action” reminds us that advocacy is never a solo effort. Every club, committee, and member can contribute. When we act locally with the CSW theme in mind, we don’t just represent NFBPWC. We demonstrate how allies unite to make progress possible.

What Can You Do This Month? Connect your work to the CSW:

Theme: Review your club’s activities or projects. Can you link them to women’s access to finance, innovation, or technology?

Spotlight Local Changemakers: Highlight women in your community who are advancing empowerment through business, education, or technology.

Co-Host or Support a Parallel Event Proposal: You can create and hold virtual events during CSW70. If your committee or club wants to collaborate on a session that showcases partnership in action, let us know (soon!).

Stay Informed and Share Forward: Follow updates from BPW International and UN Women and share key posts or articles with your networks. Every bit of awareness builds momentum.

Your Call to Action

Before November ends, choose one of these four actions – more if your club is feeling ambitious.

1)  Learn It. Read the CSW theme background brief and note how it connects to your personal and professional world.
2)  Speak it. Bring the topic to your next meeting or event. Even a 5-minute discussion can spark new ideas.
3)  Share it. Post one story, quote, or resource that helps others understand the CSW mission.
4)  Lead It. Volunteer to be your club’s CSW Liaison. Be the bridge between our local work and our global advocacy. Every alliance begins with a conversation. Every partnership builds momentum. When BPW women act with intention, the world listens.

Barbara Bozeman

President 2024-2026