Preparations

Several preparatory meetings were held prior to the sixty-second session of the Commission on the Status of Women:

FSN forum – “Rural women: Striving for gender-transformative impacts”
Regional preparatory meeting in the Asia-Pacific region
Regional consultation in the African region
Regional consultation in the Latin America and the Caribbean region
Multi-stakeholder forum
Expert group meeting on the priority theme

FSN forum – “Rural women: Striving for gender-transformative impacts”

As part of the preparations for CSW 62, FAO—together with IFAD, UN Women and WFP—ran an online discussion from 17 July to 6 August 2017 to explore the critical gaps and highlight priority areas for action on how to accelerate gender-transformative impacts for rural women and girls.

The discussion focused on three principal questions: What are the main challenges rural women and girls are facing today? Are we using the right approaches and policies to close the gender gap? How can we best achieve gender-transformative impacts?

A paper was prepared from the 98 contributions received from 78 people (25 percent men), representing over 30 countries and a variety of organizations, multilateral and bilateral agencies, NGOs, research institutes and academia.

Summary of the online discussion [ en, es, fr ]

Regional preparatory meeting in the Asia-Pacific region prior to CSW62

On 23 February 2018, the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Asia Pacific Forum on Women Law and Development, convened an “Asia-Pacific high-level meeting for CSW62” on its priority theme, in Bangkok, Thailand. Senior officials from ministries responsible for agriculture, rural development and gender equality across Asia and Pacific agreed on key priorities for the advancement of rural women’s and girls’ human rights, which will be taken forward to CSW62. The meeting served as an important platform to exchange good practices and lessons learned, and included civil society organizations representing rural women’s movements as well as farmers associations.

Regional consultation in the African region prior to CSW62

On 21 and 23 February 2018, UN Women, the African Union Commission (AUC), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) convened the “Africa ministerial pre-consultative meeting on CSW 62” in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The consultation was attended by approximately 250 participants from 44 AU Member States, including 27 Ministers or Deputy Ministers, women and young women living in rural areas, and more than 50 civil society representatives. Member States strategized on ensuring an AU Member States Common Africa position for CSW62, including priority actions to advance the gender equality priorities of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU’s Agenda 2063.

Africa Ministerial Outcome Document [ ar, en, fr, pt ]

Regional consultation in the Latin America and the Caribbean region prior to CSW62

On 6 and 7 February 2018, the Ministry of Women of the Dominican Republic, the National Institute of Women of Uruguay and UN-Women co-organized the “Regional consultation for Latin America and the Caribbean prior to CSW62”, in Santo Domingo. Ministers and senior officials from 26 national machineries for the advancement of women in Latin America and the Caribbean took part in the two-day consultation, with input from civil society and women’s networks, and agreed on the Santo Domingo Declaration, a consolidated position for rural women and girls of the region.

Santo Domingo Declaration [ en, es ]
Related: Regional Consultations in Latin America and the Caribbean leading up to the UN Commission on the Status of Women call for rights and dignity of rural women

Regional consultation in the Arab region prior to CSW62

On 2 March 2018, together with the League of Arab States and the government of Tunisia, UN-Women organized the Arab regional preparatory meeting for CSW62 on the sidelines of the meetings of the 37th session of the Arab Women Committee, where ministers and representatives of Member States, with input from civil society participants, coordinated the Arab position and determined the priorities of the region, resulting in the Tunisia Declaration.

Tunisia Declaration [ ar, en ]
Related: Women’s rights activists transforming women’s lives in the Arab world

Multi-Stakeholder Forum

On Thursday, 25 January 2018, UN Women convened a “Multi-stakeholder forum” at United Nations Headquarters to help create a conducive environment for a successful sixty-second session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) in March 2018. Participants engaged in discussions and expressed commitments to generate momentum around the session's priority theme, "Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls".

Concept Note
Programme
Report
Opening session

Opening statement by Ms. Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women (click here to read the statement)
Opening statement by H.E. Ms. Geraldine Byrne Nason, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations and Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (click here to read the statement)

Panel 1: Ensuring rural women's land rights and tenure security and strengthening food security and nutrition for rural women and girls

Topic Introduction by Ms. Carla Mucavi, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Liaison Office of the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
MODERATOR:
H.E. Ms. María Emma Mejía Vélez, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
PANELISTS:
H.E. Mr. Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mrs. Valentine Rugwabiza, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations (statement not available)
H.E. Mr. Einar Gunnarsson, Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Lot Thauzeni Pansipadana Dzonzi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Malawi to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
Ms. Katia Araujo, Director of Advocacy, Landesa (click here to read the statement)

Panel 2: Empowering rural women and girls through quality education and access to information and communications technologies (ICT)

Topic introduction by Ms. Purna Sen, Director of Policy Division, UN-Women (click here to read the statement)
MODERATOR:
H.E. Ms. Koki Muli Grignon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations and Vice-Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (click here to read the statement)
PANELISTS:
H.E. Mr. Dian Triansyah Djani, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Sven Jürgenson, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Ms. Nguyen Phuong Nga, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Juan Carlos Mendoza García, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Juergen Schulz, Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations (statement not available)

Panel 3: Ensuring access to healthcare and sexual and reproductive health and rights, and to infrastructure, water and sanitation

Topic Introduction by Ms. Seemin Qayum, Officer-in-charge, Economic Empowerment, UN-Women (click here to read the statement)
MODERATOR:
Ms. Christine Brautigam, Director, Intergovernmental Support Division, UN-Women (statement not available)
PANELISTS:
H.E. Mr. Jouni Laaksonen, Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
Dr. Isha Ray, Professor, University of California, Berkeley (statement not available)
Ms. Susan O'Malley, Chair, NGO/CSW (click here to read the statement)

Panel 4: Strengthening laws, policies and programmes to address violence and harmful practices against rural women and girls

Topic Introduction by Ms. Seemin Qayum, Officer-in-charge, Economic Empowerment, UN-Women (click here to read the statement)
MODERATOR:
H.E. Mr. Masud Bin Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations (statement not available)
PANELISTS:
H.E. Ms. Gillian Bird, Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H. E. Mr. Martín García Moritán, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Ms. Maria Helena Lopes de Jesus Pires, Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste to the United Nations (statement not available)
Ms. Christine Kalamwina, Deputy Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
Ms. Marina Kumskova, Programme Associate, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) (click here to read the statement)

Closing session

Closing Statement by H.E. Ms. Marie Chatardová, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations and President of ECOSOC (statement not available)
Closing Statement by Ms. Christine Brautigam, Director, Intergovernmental Support Division, UN-Women (statement not available)

Expert Group Meeting

In preparation for the sixty-second session of the Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women convened an “Expert group meeting on the priority theme: ‘Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls’”. The expert group meeting was co-convened by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) at IFAD Headquarters in Rome, Italy, on 20 to 22 September 2017.