In 2011 the YWCA of Canberra once again had the privilege of participating in the World YWCA delegation to the 55th session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW).

This year Rebecca Vassarotti, YWCA of Canberra Executive Director lead the YWCA Australian Delegation and was able to share, and build on the experience of previous engagements in this forum.

During February 2011, YWCA of Canberra joined with approximately 20 YWCA women from around the World to participate in the event. In addition to observing the formal meetings of CSW, YWCA women hosted and participated in workshops as part of the parallel NGO program, participated in YWCA events including the World Services Council reception held each year and took the opportunity to meet and learn from our YWCA sisters in the United States.

This year, the YWCA of Canberra went to CSW with specific aims around our policy advocacy objectives and with a desire to make an impact in terms of our advocacy agenda. We continue to see engagements such as this in the global YWCA movement as an opportunity to increase the impact of the work we do locally, to build capacity across the movement and to create incredible professional development opportunities for YWCA staff and members.

What is the Commission on the Status of Women?

The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.

The Commission was established by ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946 with the aim to prepare recommendations and reports to the Council on promoting women's rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields. The Commission also makes recommendations to the Council on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women's rights.

The next session of the Commission (fifty-sixth session) will take place from 27 February - 9 March 2012.

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/

Please visit the UN Website to learn more about the history of CSW.

Fifteen-year review of the Beijing Platform for Action

The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, China in September, 1995. This conference was a formal meeting where Government members of the United Nations discussed steps to be taken to improve the status of women around the world. Their final task at the Beijing conference was to agree on a document describing those measures – this document is called the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA).

The BPFA is not a list of laws, but a set of principles and strategies for action. It explains twelve critical areas of concern that are considered as the main obstacles to women’s advancement. The BPFA not only provides guidelines for actions on the part of Governments, Non-Government Organisations and members of civil society, aiming towards eliminating these barriers to achieving gender equality worldwide, but is a powerful statement of the recognition of women’s unequal status globally.

In March 2010, the Commission on the Status of Women will undertake a fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. Emphasis will be placed on the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals.

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/critical.htm

As part of the process of ensuring Australian women had the opportunity to input into the review process, JERA International was funded to undertake extensive consultations across Australia. You can find out more about the process, and get a copy of the report which is aimed to assist non government organisations who will be participating in the 54th session of CSW, by visiting http://jerainternational.org/scope-of-services/projects/bpfa/beijing-plus-15  

YWCA at the Commission on the Status of Women

The World YWCA delegation will call on the Commission on the Status of Women to consider new approaches built from the accomplishments and challenges of the past 15 years to accelerate transformative actions for women's empowerment and gender equality.

"World YWCA has participated at CSW since the start of the Commission in 1948.  As the leading platform for advancing women's human rights, CSW continues to be an important event for the World YWCA," said World YWCA General Sercretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda who will lead the delegation of over 40 women and young women along with World YWCA President Susan Brennan.

http://www.worldywca.org/en/YWCA-News/World-YWCA-and-Member-Associations-News/World-YWCA-at-CSW-2010

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