The Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It was established in 1946. The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
In 1996, ECOSOC expanded the commission’s mandate and decided that it should take a leading role in monitoring and reviewing progress and problems in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (the key global policy document on gender equality) and in mainstreaming a gender perspective in UN activities.
During the commission’s annual two week session, representatives of UN Member States, civil society organizations and UN entities gather at UN headquarters in New York. They discuss progress and gaps in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Member States agree on further actions to accelerate progress and promote women’s enjoyment of their rights in political, economic, and social fields. The outcomes and recommendations of each session form the “Agreed Conclusions” document which is forwarded to ECOSOC for follow-up.
Parallel events organized by NGOs are coordinated by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women (NGO CSW/NY), which is a group of New York–based women’s NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. For more information on the NGO CSW67 Forum and on NGO parallel events, please visit the website of NGO CSW/NY at https://ngocsw.org/
UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women
NGO CSW/NY: https://ngocsw.org/
UN Web TV: https://webtv.un.org/
VIEW PRESENTATION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0kYEiSZp38