Preparations

Several preparatory meetings were held and inputs were received prior to the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Regional preparatory meeting in the Asia-Pacific region prior to the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women

On 13 and 14 February 2019, UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) jointly convened the “Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63)” in Bangkok, Thailand, in collaboration with FAO, UNDP, UNFPA, and the Asia-Pacific UN Regional Coordination Mechanism Thematic Working Group on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (TWG-GEEW). Ministers and senior officials from the ministries responsible for labor, social protection and welfare, and gender equality across Asia and the Pacific discussed and examined the priority theme and developed policy recommendations, to serve as the regional input to CSW63 as well as for the preparation for the Beijing+25 review process.

This Regional preparatory meeting was preceded by a regional civil society strategizing workshop on 11 and 12 February 2019 entitled, “Strategizing Workshop for the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women and Beijing+ 25 Review.” The Workshop was organized by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), with the support of UN Women ROAP, UNESCAP and the Canadian Government.

Workshop on Applying a Gender Lens to Science, Technology and Innovation

The Government of Austria, UNCTAD and UN Women jointly organized a Workshop on Applying a Gender Lens to Science, Technology and Innovation, in support of the work of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The workshop took place on 18 January 2019, in Vienna, Austria, back-to-back with the CSTD 2018-2019 Inter-sessional Panel. The workshop brought together science, technology and innovation (STI) policy makers, researchers and representatives of governments and international organizations who discussed the current state of gender perspectives in STI, highlighted best practices, and developed policy recommendations in support of the work of the CSTD and CSW.

Read the summary report of the workshop here.

Regional consultation in the African region prior to CSW63

UN-Women, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) convened the “Africa ministerial pre-consultative meeting on CSW63” in Cairo, Egypt, on 3 to 6 February 2019. The consultation was attended by Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs, Senior Government Officials, teams of experts from Government and civil society representatives. Member States strategized on ensuring an AU Member States Common Africa position for CSW63, including priority actions to advance the gender equality priorities, existing commitments and key messages highlighting Africa’s concerns in relation to the CSW63 priority theme “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls”.

Africa Ministerial Outcome Document [ en ]

Regional consultation in the Arab region prior to CSW63

On 4 February 2019, together with the League of Arab States and the government of Algeria as Chair of the Arab Women Committee, UN-Women organized the Arab regional preparatory meeting for CSW63 on the sidelines of the meetings of the 38th 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 Cairo Declaration.

Cairo Declaration [ ar, en ]

Regional consultation in the Latin America and the Caribbean region prior to CSW63

On 11 and 12 December 2018, the Women's Institute of Argentina, the National Institute of Women of Uruguay and President of the Board of Directors of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, and UN-Women co-organized in Buenos Aires the “Regional consultation for Latin America and the Caribbean prior to CSW63. 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 Buenos Aires Declaration.

Buenos Aires Declaration [ en, es, fr, pt ]

Multi-Stakeholder Forum

On Friday, 1 February 2019, UN Women convened a “Multi-stakeholder forum” at United Nations Headquarters to help create a conducive environment for a successful sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) in March 2019. Participants will engage in discussions and express commitments to generate momentum around the session's priority theme, "Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls".

CSW63 Multi Stakeholder Forum Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Concept note and discussion guide
Programme
Report
Opening session

Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Ms. Geraldine Byrne Nason, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, CSW63 Chair (statement not available)

Panel 1: Social protection systems for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls

Topic Introduction: Ms. Shahra Razavi, Chief, Research and Data, UN Women (click here to read the statement)
MODERATOR:
Ms. Koki Muli Grignon (Kenya), CSW63 Vice-Chair
PANELISTS:
H.E. Ms. Pennelope Althea Beckles, Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations, President of UN Women Executive Board (statement not available)
H.E. Mr. Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mrs. Maria Helena Lopes De Jesus Pires, Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Sami Bougacha, Charge d’Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Tunisia to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Luis Homero Bermúdez Álvarez, Deputy Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
Ms. Nupur Kukrety, Gender and Social Protection Specialist, UNICEF (click here to read the statement)

Panel 2: Public services for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls

Topic Introduction: Ms. Laura Addati, Policy specialist, Women’s economic empowerment, International Labor Organization (ILO) (click here to read the statement)
MODERATOR:
Ms. Rena Tasuja (Estonia), CSW63 Vice-Chair
PANELISTS:
H.E. Mr. Neville Melvin Gertze, Permanent Representative of Namibia to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Juan José Ignacio Gómez Camacho, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Craig John Hawke, Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the United Nations (statement not available)
Ms. Melissa Upreti, Senior Director, Program and Global Advocacy, Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (click here to read the statement)

Panel 3: Sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls

Topic Introduction: Ms. Silke Staab, Senior Researcher, Research and Data, UN Women (click here to read the statement)
MODERATOR:
Mr. Mohammed S. Marzooq (Iraq), CSW63 Vice-Chair
PANELISTS:
H.E. Mr. Agustin Santos Maraver, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Ms. Ivana Pajevic, Deputy Permanent Representative of Montenegro to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
Ms. Caroline Kihato, Director of Urban Policies, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (statement not available)

Panel 4: Ensuring synergies and addressing intersecting inequalities for enhanced results

Topic Introduction: Ms. Christine Brautigam, Director, Intergovernmental Support Division, UN Women (click here to read the statement)
MODERATOR:
Mr. Mauricio Carabali Baquero (Colombia), CSW63 Vice-Chair
PANELISTS:
H.E. Mr. Martín García Moritán, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Mr. Jonathan Guy Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative of United Kingdom to the United Nations (statement not available)
Ms. Wenyan Yang, Chief, Global Dialogue for Social Development Branch, Division for Inclusive Social Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UN (statement not available)
Ms. Venus Ilagan, Secretary General, Rehabilitation International, New York (statement not available)
Ms. Saphira Rameshfar, Representative of the Baha'i International Community’s UN Office in New York and member of the Working Group on Girls to the UN (click here to read the statement)

Closing session

Ms. Åsa Regnér, Deputy Executive Director, UN Women (click here to read the statement)
H.E. Ms. Inga Rhonda King, Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations, ECOSOC President (click here to read the statement)

ED meets Denis Mukwege Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Expert Group Meeting: Social protection systems, public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality

In preparation for the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women will convene an Expert Group Meeting on the priority theme: “Social protection systems, public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality” in New York, 13 to 15 September 2018.

Input for the report of the Secretary-General on the review theme

The report, prepared for the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (11 – 22 March 2019), reviews and assesses the extent to which Member States have implemented the agreed conclusions from the sixtieth session of the Commission, on “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development”. The report summarizes the progress, gaps and challenges relating to action taken at the national level in implementing the agreed conclusions.