68th Session on the Commission on the Status of Women

The 68th Session on the Commission on the Status of Women – an event auspiced by the United Nations – will focus on accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective. This guide is provided by the Justice Coalition of Religious.

JUSTICE COALITION OF RELIGIOUS

This guide was produced by the Justice Coalition of Religious (JCoR), a coalition of 23 non-governmental organizations that are accredited to collectively represent over 200 congregations of Roman Catholic women and men Religious at the United Nations (UN). For centuries, congregations of Religious have served people who have been rendered poor, vulnerable, oppressed, and marginalized by existing global systems. Through our membership in the Justice Coalition of Religious, we have united with our sister and brother organizations to enhance collaboration among our members – at UN Headquarters and around the world – in our common mission: to improve quality of life for people who are living in poverty and to enhance our stewardship of the natural environment.

The primary aim of our collaboration is to strengthen the capacity of Catholic Religious and their partners to address the root causes of human and environmental suffering.

We work toward this goal by coordinating national, regional, and global efforts of Religious to call on political leaders to take action for a just, equitable, and rights-based implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations’ Agenda for 2015-2030. We hope these pages will help empower you join us in this mission!

WHAT IS THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the largest global policy-making body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity. It is instrumental in promoting the rights of women and girls, shaping global standards and policy agendas, and documenting the reality of the lives of women and girls across the globe.

This year, the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) will gather governments, civil society, and other stakeholders at UN Headquarters in New York to discuss the progress and challenges of promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls throughout the world. These discussions will focus on a specific topic related to gender equality (priority theme) and evaluate progress on the implementation of agreed conclusions from previous sessions of the Commission (review theme). To learn more about CSW, click here.

Priority Theme

Accelerating the achievement of gender equality by seeking equity among genders in our approaches to: addressing poverty, strengthening public institutions, funding projects for social advancement, and provision of loans and other financial services

Review Theme:

Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls

Outcome

Throughout the Commission on the Status of Women, UN Member States negotiate an outcome document referred to as Agreed Conclusions. Agreed Conclusions contain an analysis of the Commission on the Status of Women theme, adopted resolutions, and a set of recommendations for governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, and relevant stakeholders, to implement at the international, regional, national, and local levels.

The Commission on the Status of Women schedule is composed of the following three types of events:

Annual Session
The official gathering of the Commission that convenes high-level government representatives and registered civil society actors to discuss and set policies on gender equality and the rights of women and girls.

Side Events
Side events coincide with the Annual Session. They are official events organized by UN agencies and Member States, in collaboration with civil society, to raise awareness and influence policy dialogues.

Parallel Events
Parallel events take place outside the official United Nations CSW space. They are organized by civil society and provide a space for the public to engage in open dialogues.

68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, 11-22 March 2024

Commission on the Status of Women 68th Session DETAILS Commission on the Status of Women

When & Where
11-22 March 2024, United Nations Headquarters in New York
Watch
Join online to follow the proceedings of the Commission on the Status of Women at webtv.un.org (streamed in multiple languages)
Official Website
Click on the following link to access the CSW68 website
Schedule
Click on the following links to view the proposed schedule of the Annual Session and a list of official side events
Current draft of Agreed Conclusion
Click on the following link to read the Zero Draft (first draft) of the CSW68 Agreed Conclusions.

Non Govt Organisations and the Commission on the Status of Women

The NGO CSW Forum is a civil society gathering that coincides with the official UN Commission on the Status of Women. It is organized by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women (NGO CSW/NY) and features more than 750 parallel events (in-person and virtual) facilitated by civil society and non-governmental organizations from around the world. These events inform, engage, and inspire grassroots efforts and advocacy to promote the equality and empowerment of women and girls. The NGO CSW Forum is a particularly important space because provides an opportunity for all members of global civil society, even those without special qualifications such as UN accreditation or a UN grounds pass, to engage in the processes and discussions of the CSW.

CSW Forum virtual portal

Official Website
Click on the following link to access the NGO CSW Forum website

Registration
Registration for the Forum is free for all participants.
Please click here to register.

Tutorial
View a recording of the NGO CSW Forum Participant Training.
This webinar details: