EWL and its members are ready for CSW63!
[Brussels, 1 March 2019] The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019. The priority theme is ‘Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls’, and the review theme is ‘Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development’. As always, the EWL will attend with a delegation composed of our President, Gwendoline Lefebvre, our Vice-Presidents, Laura Albu and Ana Sofia Fernandes, and our Senior Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Mary Collins.
In November, starting from the aforementioned priority theme, the EWL issued a statement drawing clear demands for action at international and European level to realise the full human rights of all women and girls. You can find the EWL Statement here.
The EWL has also actively contributed to draft – Zero Document - of the UN 2019 Commission on the Status of Women conclusions. You can find the EWL amendments to the conclusions on “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls” here.
During CSW63, the EWL will give visibility to its demands and vision through different actions. The EWL co-organises three side events:
• "Building safe and empowering digital spaces for women and girls" - Monday 11 March, 1.15-2.30pm, Conference Room D, UNHQ. Accessibility and the use of internet and social media in today’s world has made us more connected, better informed and has revolutionised the way we communicate. Information and communications technologies have also contributed to the rise of online/cyber violence and harassment against women and girls. The event will thus focus on how to address and prevent this phenomenon, also by show casing good practices on combating cyber violence against women and girls, including EWL’s cyber violence training project. Side-event organized in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations.
• “It’s time! For women’s rights, for a united feminist Europe - Women’s rights in Central Eastern Europe”- Wednesday 13 March, 12.30-2pm, EU mission, 666 Third Avenue, 31st Floor. The event will hear from EWL members on priorities, constraints and recommendations for the region, all of which are documented in the recent publication The Time is Now for a Feminist Europe.
• “Gender budgeting: smart spending for social protection, public services and sustainable infrastructures”- Thursday 14 March, 4.45-6pm, Room D (CR D). The event aims to demystify gender budgeting as an effective transformative tool to ensure that public spending is targeting gender equality outcomes, particularly with regards to social protection, public services and sustainable infrastructures. Side-event hosted by the Romanian Presidency of the EU, together with Austria and Finland.
All members are invited to take part in a coordination meeting that will take place on Wednesday 13 March, from 10am to 12.30pm at the EU mission to the UN.
In addition, the EWL requested a meeting with the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and requested speaking time for the following interactive dialogues:
• High-level interactive dialogue among Ministers on the priority theme: ’Building alliances for social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls’
• High-level interactive dialogue: ’Accelerating implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: towards Beijing+25’
Finally, we are collating a guide that brings together practical information for members attending the CSW and a series of documents that the EWL has drafted and contributed to in the run up to CSW. The aim of this guide is to facilitate as much as possible members participation at the CSW and the EWL’s overall strategy in the run up to, during and post CSW63. Please, do not hesitate to contact our Senior Policy and Campaign Coordinator, Mary Collins, at collins@womenlobby.org in case you are participating in CSW63.
