The excitement is mounting as we welcome the start of the 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65), 15 – 26 March 2021. Please have a read below to see what events you can attend online – there is something for everyone!
At the annual Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations’ (UN) 193 Member States gather to negotiate a resolution which outlines their agreed position on the challenges facing women and girls, and the actions that need to be taken to achieve gender equality.
In the months leading up to CSW65, Member States consult and gather the views of NGO and civil society organisations, like Soroptimist International. This provides SI with the opportunity to impact the outcome of the CSW resolution. SI can provide its recommendations which are often based upon the experience of club projects. Soroptimists are also encouraged to meet with their state delegations, and the CSW65 Written Statement gets submitted to the Commission.
So, how can you get involved?
CSW UN Sessions
The CSW sessions will be broadcast by UN WebTV. During these sessions, Member States will present their views through statements and discussions. All official meetings may be observed through live webcast, which will be recorded. Live captioning will be available available with International Sign Language available at key meetings including the Opening of the session, and the Interactive Dialogues. Official meetings are translated into the six official UN Languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.
Side Events
There will be over 130 virtual interactive side events hosted by Member States, Intergovernmental Organisations and UN Entities, often in collaboration with civil society. Please find the calendar of side events here, where you must sign up for these events separately.
NGO CSW Parallel Events
The NGO CSW65 Virtual Forum Platform is hosting more than 700 NGO parallel events. See the calendar and sign up for events here. It is particularly helpful to attend the Civil Society Briefings which will provide information on what Member States are doing. Remember you have to be signed up as an Advocate to access events on the NGO CSW Virtual Forum – sign up here.
Once you’ve signed up as an Advocate, you can visit the SI Exhibit Booth. Remember to reserve your spot at SI’s Parallel Event: “The Road to Equality: Preparing Women and Girls to Lead” on 18 March, 10 – 11:30am EDT.
The Soroptimist Lab
The Soroptimist Lab is a private discussion platform only for Soroptimists. This link here will take you to the Lab and you will be asked to confirm that you are a Soroptimist. Discussions around CSW65 will take place in the teams section named, “Soroptimists Online in Action at CSW65″ which you can join.
Other things to look out for during CSW65:
- There will be a ‘Virtual Town Hall Meeting’ between the UN Secretary General António Guterres and civil society on 16 March, 10.15 – 11.15am EDT. Find out more here.
- Take a look at NGO CSW’s ‘Advocacy Training Guide’, available in five languages (English, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish), available here.
- If you think that you might want to come to CSW66 next year, and want to get prepared for being able to share SI’s views, then you might want to attend a Regional Caucus. The Regional Caucuses give you an opportunity to meet other organisations to discuss your region’s most pressing issues and to develop contacts for the next CSW. Sign up for your Regional Caucus here.
- Keep in the loop by following SI on social media as we will be sharing regular CSW65 updates. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Regularly check the CSW65 hub on the SI website for the latest news, blogs and updates.
We are also seeking writers to cover CSW65. If you are interested in writing blogs for SI, please contact Bev Bucur by clicking here.