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The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the
United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...
(ECOSOC), one of the main UN organs within the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
and advancement of women worldwide. In April 2017, ECOSOC elected 13 new members to CSW for a four-year term 2018–2022. One of the new members is
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, which has been criticised for its treatment of women. UN agencies actively followed their mandates to bring women into development approaches and programs and conferences. Women participate at the prepcoms, design strategy, hold caucus meetings, network about the various agenda items being negotiated in various committees, and work as informed lobbyists at conferences themselves. The CSW is one of the commissions of the UN that do not limit participation to states only. For example, NGOs are also allowed to participate in sessions of the CSW, attending caucuses and panels and organizing their own parallel events through the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York (
NGO CSW/NY The NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York (NGO/CSW/NY) is one of three women's committees of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the UN ( CoNGO). Established in 1972, it provides an open forum for women's voices to be ...
). This is particularly important for contested territories such as
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, which is not a member of the UN. In the past few years, NGOs from Taiwan (such as the
National Alliance of Taiwan Women's Associations The National Alliance of Taiwan Women's Associations (NATWA) (''Chinese:'' 臺灣婦女團體全國聯合會) is the only umbrella group for organizations promoting women's interests across the island of Taiwan. The Alliance is both a Non-governmen ...
) have been able to participate in the CSW sessions. CSW consists of one representative from each of the 45 Member States elected by ECOSOC on the basis of equitable geographical distribution: 13 members from Africa; 11 from Asia; 9 from Latin America and Caribbean; 8 from Western Europe and other States and 4 from Eastern Europe. Members are elected for four-year terms. Among its activities, the CSW has drafted several conventions and declarations, including the
Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (abbreviated as DEDAW) is a human rights proclamation issued by the United Nations General Assembly, outlining that body's views on women's rights. It was adopted by the General A ...
in 1967 and women-focused agencies such as
UNIFEM The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, french: Fonds de développement des Nations unies pour la femme, ) was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International ...
and INSTRAW. The Commission's priority theme for its 57th session (57th session) was the "elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls". Ahead of that, an Expert Group Meeting (EGM): prevention of violence against women and girls was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 17 to 20 September 2012.


History

The UNCSW was established in 1946 as a mechanism to promote, report on and monitor issues relating to the political, economic, civil, social and educational rights of women. It was a unique official structure for drawing attention to women’s concerns and leadership within the UN. UNCSW first met at
Lake Success, New York Lake Success is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York. The population was 2,897 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Lake Success was the temporary home of the Uni ...
, in February 1947. All 15 government representatives were women, which distinguished UNCSW from other UN movements, and UNCSW has continued to maintain a majority of women delegates. During its first session, the Commission declared as one of its guiding principles:
to raise the status of women, irrespective of nationality, race, language or religion, to equality with men in all fields of human enterprise, and to eliminate all discrimination against women in the provisions of
statutory law Statutory law or statute law is written law passed by a body of legislature. This is opposed to oral or customary law; or regulatory law promulgated by the executive or common law of the judiciary. Statutes may originate with national, state legi ...
, in
legal maxim A legal maxim is an established principle or proposition of law, and a species of aphorism and general maxim. The word is apparently a variant of the Latin , but this latter word is not found in extant texts of Roman law with any denotation exac ...
s or rules, or in interpretation of customary law.
One of UNCSW's first tasks was to contribute to the drafting of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...
. Commission members inserted gender-sensitive language — arguing against references to "men" as a synonym for humanity and phrases like "men are brothers". They received resistance from members of the
Commission on Human Rights A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...
, but succeeded in introducing new,
inclusive language Inclusive language avoids expressions that are considered to express or imply ideas that are sexist, racist, or otherwise biased, prejudiced, or insulting to any particular group of people and sometimes animals as well. Use of inclusive language ...
.


Original members

The first session (1947) had 15 members/delegates in attendance, all women: *Jessie Mary Grey Street, Australia *Evdokia Uralova,
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор ...
* Zee Yuh-tsung, China ( at the time the Republic) *Graciela Morales F. de Echeverria, Costa Rica * Bodil Begtrup, Denmark *
Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux (26 February 1904 – 25 February 1964) was a French women's and human rights activist. During World War II, she was a member of the French Resistance and orchestrated her husband's release from Buchenwald concentratio ...
, France *Sara Basterrechea Ramirez, Guatemala *
Shareefah Hamid Ali Shareefa Hamid Ali (c. 1883 – 1971), also known as Begum Hamid Ali, was an Indian feminist, nationalist, advocate, and political figure. She was the President of the All India Women's Conference in 1935, and one of the founding members of the ...
, India * Amalia C. de Castillo Ledón, Mexico * Alice Kandalft Cosma, Syria * Mihri Pektaş, Turkey *Elizavieta Alekseevna Popova, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics * Mary Sutherland, United Kingdom * Dorothy Kenyon, United States of America *Isabel de Urdaneta, Venezuela


Reproductive rights and the Commission


Early Work and CEDAW

The Commission began working after its founding in 1946 to directly introduce women's rights to the international arena. This was achieved through a variety of means, most commonly through attempts to collect data that showed discrimination occurring against women. In conjunction with the emerging global women's movement, the UN and the CSW named 1976 through 1985 the
United Nations Decade for Women The United Nations Decade for Women was a period from 1975 to 1985 focused on the policies and issues that impact women, such as pay equity, gendered violence, land holding, and other human rights. It was adopted December 15, 1975, by the United ...
. During this time, reproductive rights were included in the central action of the Commission, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which entered into force in 1981. This convention stipulated that with regards to
reproductive rights Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows: Reproductive rights rest on t ...
, reproduction "should not be a basis for discrimination". It also acknowledges the social implications of motherhood, and states that childcare and maternity protection are integral rights and should be extended to all realms of the lives of women. CEDAW is the only international human rights treaty that overtly references family planning. It states that it is a human right for women "to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights", and any state party to the treaty is required to provide education on family planning and reproductive rights, including various forms of contraception.
Forced abortion A forced abortion may occur when the perpetrator causes abortion by force, threat or coercion, or by taking advantage of a situation where a pregnant individual is unable to give consent, or when valid consent is in question due to duress. This ma ...
or sterilization constitute violations to the treaty. The
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
has failed to ratify CEDAW. In addition to CEDAW, the CSW has undertaken several other efforts to address reproductive rights. Throughout this time, the Commission hosted four global conferences on women to address issues including reproductive rights. The locations were Mexico City in 1975, Copenhagen in 1980, and Nairobi in 1985.


Fourth World Conference on Women and Beijing Platform for Action

In 1995, the Commission held the Fourth World Conference for Action, better known as the 1995
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. This followed three other conferences addressing the needs and rights of women around the world. The
Beijing Platform International Women's Year (IWY) was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976 to 1985, was also established. Hist ...
has been hailed by the
Center for Reproductive Rights The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) is a global legal advocacy organization that seeks to advance reproductive rights, such as abortion. The organization's stated mission is to "use the law to advance reproductive freedom as a fundamental huma ...
as "the most comprehensive articulation of international commitments related to women’s human rights." It places a special emphasis on reproductive rights through its legislation regarding family planning, which states that it is the right of all women "to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice, as well as other methods of their choice for regulation of fertility which are not against the law." Specifically, the Platform urges state governments to reevaluate punitive measures placed on
abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
, provide family planning and a range of contraceptives as alternatives to abortion as well as quality abortion after care. The Platform also presents a safe, healthy pregnancy as a human right which is to be attained through quality resources and healthcare available to all women regardless of economic status. Some scholars have argued that the Platform served to complicate issues of adolescent sexual care and complications resulting from
HIV and AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
.


Reproductive Rights in the Twenty First Century

Since the new millennium, the CSW has also taken action to integrate reproductive rights into the international arena through the creation of the
Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenniu ...
(MDGs), specifically goal 5, which is achieving universal access to reproductive health. In 2005, the UN added a provision to MDG 5 which aimed to "achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health," determined by the prevalence of contraceptives, adolescent birth rates, the use of prenatal care, and the failure to access family planning methods. The agreements published from the 57th session in 2013 of the CSW also mentions the importance of reproductive rights as human rights and access to safe reproductive care as a means to resolve violence against women. The Declaration also understands this care as a means of prevention of future violence, acknowledges systematic factors and how they influence care and reproductive rights. More recently, the CSW reaffirmed their prioritization of their sexual education, reproductive rights, and reproductive justice for all women including the use of modern family planning options (including a range of contraceptive options) through publishing their 2014 Declaration of Agreements.


Women’s rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

In December 2022, the
Islamic Republic of Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
was expelled from membership of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, following the
death of Mahsa Amini On 16 September 2022, the 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini,; ku, ژینا ئەمینی, Jîna Emînî died in a hospital in Tehran, Iran, under suspicious circumstances. The Guidance Patrol, the religious mor ...
and the violent crackdown against human rights protesters in Iran. This was the first time a member had been expelled over its treatment of women in the history of the commission.


Session Reports


65th session
(2021)
64th session
Beijing+25 (2020)
63rd session
(2019)
62nd session
(2018)
61st session
(2017)
60th session
(2016)
59th session
(2015)
58th session
(2014)

(2013)

(2012)

(2011)

(2010)

(2009)

(2008)

(2007)

(2006)

(2005)

(2004)

(2003)

(2002)

(2001)

(2000)

(1999)

(1998)

(1997)

(1996)

(1995)

(1994)
37th session
(1993)
36th session
(1992)
35th session
(1991)
34th session
(1990)
33rd session
(1989)
32nd session
(1988)
1987 session
(1987)
31st session
(1986)
30th session
(1984)
29th session
(1982)
28th session
(1980)
27th session
(1978)
26th session
(1976)
25th session
(1974)
24th session
(1972)
23rd session
(1970)
22nd session
(1969)
21st session
(1968)
20th session
(1967)
19th session
(1966)
18th session
(1965)
17th session
(1964)
16th session
(1963)
15th session
(1962)
14th session
(1961)
13th session
(1960)
12th session
(1959)
11th session
(1956)
10th session
(1955)
9th session
(1954)
8th session
(1953)
7th session
(1952)
6th session
(1951)
5th session
(1950)
4th session
(1949)
3rd session
(1948)
2nd session
(1947)
1st session
(1946)


See also

*
Global Gender Gap Report The Global Gender Gap Report is an index designed to measure gender equality. It was first published in 2006 by the World Economic Forum. It "assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male an ...
* Women, Life, Freedom


Notes


References

*Alston, Phillip. ''The United Nations and human rights: a critical appraisal''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. *Riofrio Bueno Martha de los A. ''Gender Equality special report of discrimination against indigenous women''. UN Security Council, 1998
CSW March 1, 2010 meeting.
*Jain, Devaki. ''Women, Development, and the UN''. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2005
UN CSW 2010


External links

*
Short History of the Commission on the Status of Women
{{DEFAULTSORT:United Nations Commission On The Status Of Women
Commission on the Status of Women The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the main UN organs within the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gend ...
Organizations established in 1946