The
most significant challenge: Strengthening the Implementation
From the Women Major Group
·
The Commission on the Status
of Women has a key role in strengthening existing and emerging international
norms on gender equality at the inter-governmental level, as well as in setting
global standards for national, regional and global policies based on these
norms as a body of the United Nations.
·
The commission has also
the responsibility to monitor and review the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of its review processes
and in the fulfilment of the obligations under the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other existing
commitments on realization of gender equality, human rights and empowerment of
women and girls, which are mutually reinforcing in realizing gender equality.
·
However, while
recognizing that the CSW has contributed significantly in the above mentioned
issues, according to our experience in various countries, a growing
challenge is the implementation of the commission’s agreed conclusions, finalized
through hard and very time-intensive inter-governmental negotiations, as well
as the extensive efforts of thousands of women’s organizations and civil
society associations from all parts of the world attending the CSW meetings.
·
A major problem underlying
the challenge of implementation of the CSW agreed conclusions is the non-binding nature of the commission created in
1946.
·
Women’s organizations
and civil society organizations are the main actors of the follow of the
Beijing Declaration of Action and its review outcome documents at the sub-national,
national, regional and global levels. Thus, the commission depends on them in
terms of its legitimacy and impact.
·
However, in recent
years, women’s organizations and CSO’s have witnessed increasing hurdles in
terms of participation of women’s organizations in the CSW meetings, both at the
national level - in terms of being consulted or included in the governmental
delegations and in terms of attending the CSW negotiations in New York.
·
This situation seriously
discourages women’s organizations and CSOs, who are the main forgers of norms
on gender equality, as well as the main actors of the implementation and follow
of Beijing Platform of Action, CEDAW and other existing commitments on
realization of gender equality, human rights and empowerment of women and girls
to participate in CSW.
·
It also negatively
impacts their power and role in terms of the implementation and follow-up of
the Beijing Platform for Action and the agreed conclusions of the CSW.
Based
on the above, we ask the honorable Chair and the Vice-Chairs of the 59th
CSW and all member states to:
·
To have a fresh, transforming, innovating
approach in reviewing the working methods of the commission, aiming at
strengthening the role of the commission in terms of implementation of its
agreed conclusions and its role and impact on realizing gender equality. The
post 2015 process not only offers a significant window of opportunity for this
shift of paradigm, but also makes it an obligation.
·
To reach a resolution that sets clear
guidelines in terms of the obligation of governments, regional and
international bodies to include independent women’s organizations and CSOs in
all processes of CSW negotiations, from the sub-national to global.
