Governments agreed on steps to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment at the 59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 59), convened from 9-20 March 2015, at UN Headquarters in New York, US. The formal session covered, among other topics: lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); financing for gender equality; and gender-disaggregated data.
On new work arrangements for CSW, governments agreed that aligning the work of the Commission with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF) will strengthen its role in coordinating global implementation and policy-making on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and in integrating gender equality with actions on sustainable development.
Governments also agreed to create a ministerial segment to demonstrate high-level political commitment towards gender quality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights, beginning in 2016. They further agreed to increase focus on the Commission’s annual review theme by using case studies to illustrate lessons learned in implementing commitments. In addition, the UN Secretary-General will produce a targeted report on progress on the theme, based on national data and inputs.
On the post-2015 development agenda, governments affirmed the central role of the Commission in shaping the post-2015 agenda. UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka urged governments to support a stand-alone goal on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the post-2015 development agenda. She also called for ensuring that the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD 3) is “a game-changer for financing gender equality” and for strengthening the leadership and participation of women in climate change.
UN Women and the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) launched the ‘Women in Politics 2015 Map,’ which reveals a mixed picture. Although 48 countries now have 30% or more women members in at least one parliamentary chamber, the growth of women in politics has slowed. The organizations stressed the need to tackle gender equality and women’s participation in public and political life “head-on” to ensure the success of the post-2015 agenda.
At a Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) event, participants stressed the role of the private sector in achieving gender equality. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the WEPs initiative in 2010 to engage businesses in advancing gender equality and sustainability. To date, over 1,000 companies have made a commitment at the highest level to implement the seven Principles. Delivering a keynote address, Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton called for keeping “ambition alive,” to address remaining challenges.
At a side event hosted by UN Women, Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it Up for Gender Equality, participants called for “bolder action from governments and louder mobilization from citizens” on women’s rights and gender equality. The event celebrated women’s achievements since Beijing while also calling for immediate action to address remaining challenges.
Source: IISD
Original article: CSW 59 Closes with Renewed Commitments, Calls for Continued Action on Gender Equality
