The outcome of the Commission’s consideration of the priority theme during its 63rd session takes the form of agreed conclusions, negotiated by all Member States.
The Commission on the Status of Women adopted agreed conclusions on “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls” on 22 March 2019.
English: https://undocs.org/en/E/CN.6/2019/L.3
French: https://undocs.org/fr/E/CN.6/2019/L.3
Source: unwomen.org
Date & Time | Event Title | Venue | Convener |
11th March @12:30pm |
Wilting in Bloom: Lived Experiences of Women Workers (Flower Industry) | Church Center for the United Nations, 10th Floor | FEMNET and Hivos |
11th March @2:30pm |
Social Protection in a Privatized World: Gendered Impacts and Feminist Solutions | Salvation Army, Auditorium | AWID and FEMNET |
12th March @1:15pm |
Addressing the human rights implications of privatizations for women and girls | UN-Delegates Dining Room | PSI, APWLD & FEMNET |
13th March @6:15pm |
Making the Economy Work for Women; Rights & Realities | Church Center for the United Nations, 10th Floor | FEMNET & Woman Kind Worlwide |
14th March @12:30pm |
Development for Who? PPPs, Debt, and their Impact on the Lives of African Women and Girls | The Armenian Convention Center, Guild Hall | FEMNET |
16th March @ 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM |
Advocacy and Action to Expand Access to Safe Abortion | TBC | Ipas and FEMNET |
18th March @10:00 am |
PLANET 50/50: Achieving #VoiceandChoice through Social Protection | Conference Room A - Conference Building | Malawi, SADC Gender Protocol Alliance and FEMNET |
20th March @12:30pm |
Promoting Gender Equality & Women Empowerment through Inclusive WASH Services & Infrastructure | Church Center for the United Nations, 10th Floor | FEMNET, NGO Dimol & WaterAid International |
Date & Time | Event Title | Venue | Convener |
10th March @9:00am – 3:30pm |
NGO CSW63 Forum Consultation Day | Tribeca-Performing Arts Center (Borough of Manhattan Community College), 199 Chambers St, NY 10007 | NGO CSW/NY |
11th March @8:30am – 10:00am |
NGO CSW63 Forum Orientation Day *There will be Facebook live streaming *CSW63 Handbooks will be sold after the session |
Church Center for the United Nations, 2nd Floor | NGO CSW/NY |
11th March @4:30pm |
Africa Regional Advocacy Training Session for CSW63 | Church Center for the United Nations, 2nd Floor | NGO CSW/Africa |
12th March @12:30pm |
Unpaid work and social protection – a path to gender equality | The Armenian Convention Center, Vartan Hall | NGO CSW/Africa |
12th March @ 6:00pm – 8:00pm |
NGO CSW63 Forum Reception
*Remember to wear your native dress and proudly represent your culture! |
New Yorker Hotel | NGO CSW/NY |
14th March @12:30pm |
African Women’s Regional Caucus | Ford Foundation, 320 E, 43rd Street | NGO CSW/Africa |
19th March @9:00am |
African Women’s Regional Caucus | Ford Foundation, 320 East, 43rd Street | NGO CSW/Africa |
Date & Time | Event Title | Venue | Convener |
11th March @10:30am |
Women@Work: Promoting Women's Empowerment in the Workplace | 4 W 43rd Street, Green Room | Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Zambia & Hivos |
12th March @10:30am |
Maternity Protection to Advance Women's Rights to Work: Experiences from Horticulture Sector in EA | The Armenian Convention Center, Guild Hall | Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) |
12th March @2:30pm |
Social Protection for Women and Girls in Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations | The Armenian Convention Center, Guild Hall | Femmes Africa Soldarite (FAS) |
13th March @8:30am |
Gender Equality and Social Protection: Communities Driving Change | Church Center for the United Nations, 10th Floor | Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) |
13th March @12:30pm |
Shifting the Narrative: Financing Women's Rights Through Tax Justice | Church Center for the United Nations, 10th Floor | Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ) |
13th March @12:30pm |
Systèmes de protection social: handicaps ou atouts pour l’égalité des sexes | The Armenian Convention Center, Guild Hall | SERVITAS Cameroon |
13th March @12:30pm |
Strengthening Corporate Accountability and Decent Work for Women in Precarious Employment | The Armenian Convention Center, Vartan Hall | Kenya Human Rights Commission |
14th March @ 10:30am |
Address Illicit Financial Flows and Improve Public Services for Women | The Armenian Convention Center, Vartan Hall | Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (Fida-Uganda) |
14th March @ 12:30pm |
Leaving No One Behind: UHC and Access to Safe Abortion | The Armenian Convention Center, Vartan Hall | IPAS |
14th March @ 2:30pm |
Legal Mediation as a Social Protection Mechanism | Church Center for the United Nation, 8th Floor | Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance (CEWLA) |
15th March @ 8:30am |
Gender-Responsive Social Protection in Conflict Affected Settings | 4 W 43rd Street, Green Room | Isis-WICCE |
18th March @ 10:30am |
Influential Women's Movement Championing Social Protection Advocacy on Unpaid Care Work | Church Center for the United Nation, Drew Room | Uganda Women's Network (UWONET) |
19th March @ 8:30am |
Women in the Informal Economy: What Next? | Church Center for the United Nation, 8th Floor | Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) |
Check here for CSW63 Parallel Events and Side events on UN premises
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Twitter: @ngocswafrica Hashtags: #CSW63Africa and #CSW63
Priority Theme:
Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
Review Theme:
Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development. This is in line with the 60th session whose agreed conclusions can be found here.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the global inter-governmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The CSW discusses progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality as well emerging issues that affect gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. The outcomes of each session are forwarded to ECOSOC for follow up.
The principal output of the CSW is the agreed conclusions on the priority theme set for that year. The Agreed conclusions contain an analysis of the priority theme and provide concrete recommendations for Governments, intergovernmental bodies and other institutions, civil society actors and other relevant stakeholders, to be implemented at the international, national, regional and local level. Read more on the CSW here.
1.0 Key Dates to NOTE:
UN Members States have until to 15 February 2019 to give their inputs on the theme areas of CSW63. Click here to read the Draft Agreed Conclusions
Oral statements usually delivered during the general discussion by a limited number of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC, is subject to time availability. Preference will be given to NGOs speaking on behalf of groups of organizations, caucuses, or coalitions. Sign up for NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC to express interest in delivering an oral statement during the general discussion is open online until 18 February 2019. Oral statements should not exceed three minutes (approx. two pages double-spaced using font size 12). Click here to Sign-Up for delivering an Oral Statement.
A limited number of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC will be able to make oral interventions during the interactive panels. Interventions must be focused on the theme of the panel and not on any other issues. Interventions at interactive expert panels are NOT to be in the form of prepared statements; NGOs are therefore not required to submit copies of such interventions. These interventions must be in the form of comments or questions addressed to the panel experts. Interventions should not exceed three minutes. Instructions will be communicated via e-mail to each NGO representative requesting to make an intervention. Click here to Sign-Up for intervening from the floor during a dialogue or an interactive panel.
As with previous year’s FEMNET will continue to amplify African women’s contributions to the CSW. Kindly fill in this Google form with details of your side event to enable us share with other colleagues attending CSW. This table and coordinated list of side events is aimed at providing a platform for members to easily mobilize among each others for greater support. Feel free to email e-flyers and e-posters of your side events to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for wider sharing.
2.0 Useful Must Reads:
The African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with UN Women and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), convened the Pre-CSW63 Africa Expert meeting and the Ministerial Consultation meeting in February 3-6 2019 in Cairo Egypt. The Experts meeting was held on the 3-4 of February and the ministerial segment on 5-6 February. The objective of these meetings was to consolidate an African common position on the priority and review themes and build consensus on a coordinated Africa strategic advocacy to influence the Agreed Conclusions of CSW63 using the Africa key messages adopted at this meeting. Click here to Read the African Ministerial Outcome Document
FEMNET under the auspices of the NGO CSW/Africa will be organizing a Webinar (Friday 22nd February at 1200 EAT for Anglophone and Monday 25th February 1300 EAT for Francophone ) to refine the CSW63 Position Statement by African Women’s Rights Organization – with priority recommendations for influencing the final Agreed Conclusions. Click here to register and participate in the Webinar.
FEMNET in partnership with AWID submitted a written statement on Privatization of Public Services and on Multiple Discrimination, Intersecting Inequalities and Social Protection for Older Women in partnership with Help Age International.
FEMNET in partnership with Gender and Development Network developed a briefing on how social protection, public services and infrastructure impact women’s rights.
3.0 Advocacy and Policy influencing at CSW 63:
The Bureau of the Commission plays a crucial role in facilitating the preparation for, and in ensuring the successful outcome of the annual sessions of the Commission. The Bureau for the 63rd session (2019) of the Commission on the Status of Women comprises the following members:
TAKE ACTION
Below are actions you can take to start influencing the CSW63:-