News
Working Methods of the Commission on the Status of Women
The space for women’s and feminist organisations at CSW is gradually closing, in particular at the international level.
21 March 2015
Menu
The space for women’s and feminist organisations at CSW is gradually closing, in particular at the international level.
The Political Declaration adopted by CSW59 does not have a transformative and forward-looking approach to gender equality, the empowerment and human rights of women and girls.
Side event organized and sponsored by by International Alliance of Women (IAW), during the Commission on the Status of Women, in New York, March 13, 2015. The side-event gathered a panel of feminist economists to reflect on how insights from feminist economics can inform policies and contribute to the realization of women’s social and economic rights.
Negotiatiions the Political Declaration on the anniversary of Beijing+20 that will be adopted on the first day of the CSW are not going well. Women’s organizations, feminist organizations and organizations that work to achieve the full realization of women’s human rights are laying out a minimum of demands necessary to achieve the goals of fully realizing gender equality, the human rights and empowerment of all women and girls everywhere.
The adoption of a Political Declaration on the first day of this year’s CSW means that women’s groups and networks will not have real quality space and opportunity to contribute to the discussions and inform the Political Declaration. This is an expression of the backlash on women’s human rights. Changes in the working methods of must give decision power to women’s NGOs ,in particular access to negotiations over the outcomes of CSW
In spite of the efforts of NGOs a political declaration will be adopted on the very first day of this session, thus preventing NGOs from influencing the outcome of the meeting. IAW and others have objected to this procedure.
Adoption of the Political Declaration on the first day of the session of CSW59 narrows the space for civil society engagement and participation in the intergovernmental process itself and deprives NGOs of the possibility of making a meaningful contribution to the ethos of the Declaration .
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, President of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women- Geneva: The decision to adopt the political declaration on first day of the CSW reduces space for civil society participation. We strongly recommend a review of your decision on timing for adoption of the political declaration.
The Dream of Peace was painted by the Norwegian painter Henrik Sørensen for the Palace of the League of Nations in Geneva in 1937 – 39
You can support the work for women and girls in a tangible way:
donate to the IAW today.
Founded in 1904 and based in Geneva, the International Alliance of Women (IAW) is an international NGO comprising 44 member organizations involved in the promotion of the human rights of women and girls globally. The IAW has general consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and is accredited to many specialized UN agencies, has participatory status with the Council of Europe and is represented at the Arab League, the African Union and other international organizations.