#CSW65: what was won, what is pending
The 65th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the foremost intergovernmental body dedicated to gender equality, came to a close on Friday, 26 March 2021, after negotiations on the text of the agreed conclusions stretched into the final day of the conference.
The Women’s Rights Caucus (WRC)—a global coalition of more than 200 feminist organizations, networks, and collectives that advocates for gender equality at the United Nations— welcomes the adoption of the Agreed Conclusions and the renewal of a global commitment to achieving inclusive gender equality. The consensus shows multilateral support to advance the human rights of all women and girls.
Despite pushback from regressive governments, WRC welcomes several key areas of progress, including explicit calls for:
- Recognition of opportunities and threats posed by online platforms which have enabled women’s and girls’ participation and access to decision-making spaces, but need further measures to ensure that women and girls can use those spaces without threats of violence and harassment.
- New commitments to address the gendered impacts of COVID-19, particularly among women and girls who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, and to take stronger action to mitigate them.
Read the full press release here.
