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Program & Actions

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

The 53rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 2 to 13 March 2009. “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS” was the theme.

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. 

WG-USA at the 53rd Session
The following ten WG-USA members were approved to serve as representatives of IFUW to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to be held in New York March 2-11, 2009: Carolyn Cowgill, Alice Louise Dahle, Janet Louise Heinicke, Arlene Inglis, Shaila Hernant Mistry, Florine Swanson, Loretta James, Catherine Moore, Mary Purcell, and Polly Woodard.

Women Graduates-USA was well represented throughout the two weeks with 14 members attending. Reports and impressions of CSW from WG-USA will be available on this page as soon as they are received.

>> IFUW Statements Made at 2009 CSW Meeting
>> IFUW Leader of 2009 Delegation to CSW Provides Initial Report
>> Statement to CSW on Women in Decision-making in Finance

Agreed Conclusions of the CSW on the Critical Areas of Concern of the Beijing Platform for Action (1996 - 2008)
The principal output of the Commission on the Status of Women is the agreed conclusions on priority themes set for each year. Agreed conclusions contain an analysis of the priority theme and a set of 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.

The agreed conclusions adopted at the annual sessions of the Commission, held from 1996 to 2009, will be available as soon as the final wording is approved.

The theme of the 54th session will be the implementation of the Beijing Platform on the occasion of its 15th anniversary.

 

For more information about CSW please read:
UN Chart [PDF]
Beijing Platform for Action - 12 Critical Areas of Concern [PDF]
Mary Purcell Travelship Program for Girls [PDF]