Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

• The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, one of the main UN organs within the United Nations.
• CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting 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.

How does it work?

• 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 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for action, the key global policy document on gender 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 Commission also contributes to the follow-up to the 2030 Agenda of SDGs so as to accelerate the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Review and Priority Themes

Based on the resolutions from 2018 and 2020, priority and review themes for 2020–2024 are:

• 2020: Review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly, and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• 2021: Priority theme: Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Review theme: Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session).
• 2022: Priority theme: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes. Review theme: Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work (agreed conclusions of the sixty-first session).
• 2023: Priority theme: Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Review theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-second session).
• 2024: Priority theme: 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. Review theme: Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-third session).