report
Engaja at
CSW60
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credits who wrote it beatriz schaedler gava debora midori suguri motoki emerson luã ferreira da silva mariana fonseca monteiro melinda victória carvalho dos santos pedro paiva dias lacerda vitória de macedo buzzi
who translated it
icons
emerson luã ferreira da silva josé cláudio silva bezerra luiza melo maria eduarda martins mariana fonseca monteiro monique tassar renata koch alvarenga thales silva de oliveira
thenounproject.com luboš volkov parkjisun
support and love Engajamundo’s members crowdfunding contributors amanda segnini dariele santos débora leão débora souza raquel rosenberg lucas valente ionut cotan teona cotan jennifer liepin sandy patch
when april-july, 2016
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design debora midori suguri motoki
index engajamundo
4 appendix
gender
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csw
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the delegation
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logistics
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working teams
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lobby points
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csw youth forum
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meetings
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csw60
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- 60th CSW opening - participation with the Brazilian government delegation - main events that we attended on the first week - main events that we attended on the second week - parallel events that we attended - Engajamundo’s intiatives at the commision - the impacts of our mobilization on social media
- appendix 1: contributors - appendix 2: lobby points - appendix 3: declaration - appendix 4: agreed conclusions
37 37 38 40 49
14 15 15 20 25 28 32
agreed conclusions
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conclusions
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Engajamundo is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, created by young people determined to increase the participation of Brazilian youth internationally. The organization seeks to disseminate and create relevant content to inform, empower and engage young Brazilians between 15 and 29 years old so that they know the importance of the youth’s role at the international level, and so they go out there and work in many different ways towards greater interaction between the youth, the international negotiations and the actions and solutions for a more participatory, inclusive and sustainable world. “Engaja”, as it is affectionately known among the volunteers, emerged from the Rio + 20, when a group of young Brazilians found themselves unable to influence the negotiations in Rio de Janeiro due to a lack of cohesion and preparation from our youth. At the same time, several organizations from so called ‘’developed countries’’ reached out with specific goals and proposals, coordinating events and positioning themselves before the diplomats. It was then understood, that there is room for a youth organization that works with contemporary issues at an international level, as there is a demand from the Brazilian youth to make their participation in these areas more effectively. Among other results, Engajamundo has directly trained and mobilized over 2000 young people in 15 states, and has over 1000 volunteers in all of the country’s five regions. In addition, the organization has already brought youth delegations in three UN Conferences on Climate Change (COP 19, COP 20 and COP 21), two UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 58 and CSW 60, reported here) and two UN General Assemblies in 2014 (when a representative of Engajamundo was selected and spoke on behalf of global civil society in an event on Sustainable Development) and in 2015. The organization operates on four fronts: training, mobilizing, participation and activism. These fronts are all replicated in each of our Working Groups focused on five themes: Sustainable Development Goals, Gender, Climate, Housing and Urban Development, and Biodiversity.
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gender what is gender?
why should we care about it?
The concept of gender was first worked in the fields of anthropology and psychoanalysis, clearly placing being a woman and being a man as a social construction from what is established as male and female, and the social roles designed for each. Therefore, the word gender was chosen to differentiate the biological sex from the social construction of masculine and feminine.
Because we live in a world that does not treat all genders with equality and respect. Identifying with a certain gender (as well as having a particular sexual orientation) still means watching yourself undergo a series of psychological, moral and physical violence. We care about that because gender inequality in Brazil, as well as in the world, is still a factor that causes pain, suffering and death.
We can say, therefore, that gender is the set of social, cultural, political and psychological features attributed to people differently according to their sex. These characteristics are sociocultural constructions that vary throughout history and refer to the psychological and cultural roles that society assigns to each of what it considers “masculine” and “feminine.” To Joan Scott, famous American historian, “gender should be seen as a constitutive element of social relationships based on perceived differences between the sexes, and as a basic way of signifying power relations” (1990). Therefore, “gender” is a social category imposed on an asexual body (1995). To Judith Butler, one of the leading contemporary philosophers, gender are “cultural meanings assumed by the sexed body” (2003), it can not be said that it follows this or that sex. Thus, the sex / gender distinction suggests a radical discontinuity between sexed bodies and culturally constructed genders. Thus, in brief and simple way, we can say that gender is the way societies see the males and females. If sex is given by the biological characteristics (people born as male or as female of the human species), gender is the result of biological sex in a social organization.
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Far from being an exclusive “realm of ideas” problem, gender violence (as we call all violence motivated specifically by the victim’s gender) is a huge issue seriously faced by many states in the world. Changing this reality isn’t simple, and it requires the full cooperation of civil society, business enterprises, non-governmental organizations and the States. Therefore, we, young people belonging to Engajamundo, seek, at the UN, pressure governments, influence negotiators during international events, and work together as official delegations to find ways to achieve gender equality.
csw The Commission on the Status of Women In 1946, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established its Commission on the Status of Women as the main policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the empowerment of women. One of its first achievements was to ensure the neutrality of gender in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights project. Thus, the CSW, the Commission abbreviation, is the leading dedicated global intergovernmental body exclusively to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. From 1996 on, in addition to the promotion of women’s rights, CSW assumed the role of monitoring and analyzing the progresses and problems in the implementation process of the Beijing Platform for Action. Each year, Member States, civil society organizations and United Nations entities come together for two weeks at UN headquarters in New York to discuss the progress and gaps in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action from 1995, the world’s main policy document on gender equality, as well as emerging issues affecting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Member States agree on measures to accelerate progress in this field and to promote the rights of women in political, economic and social spheres. It is important to note that each session of the Commission (as each annual meeting is called) has a main theme for discussion and formulation of the international agreement, a subject of review, as discussed in previous year’s session, and a so-called pressing issue. In 2016, for example, the CSW 60 (so named for being the sixtieth session) had as its main theme the “Empowerment of women and its connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)”, as the subject of review, “Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls”, and as a pressing issue, “HIV and Palestinian Women” Every year, the outcome of discussions, meetings and negotiations leads to the development of a recommendatory international document, forwarded to ECOSOC for monitoring.
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the delegation selection of members for the CSW60 Through a partnership with the NGO Action Canada for Population and Development, Engajamundo had access to seven credentials to attend the CSW 60th as members of civil society (ie people who do not represent the government in the event). The members were chosen by a selection process made in two Working Groups (WG) of Engajamundo: Gender - which acts specifically with women’s rights and women’s empowerment - and Sustainable Development Goals - the main issue addressed by the Commission in the 2016 session. Only the coordinators of the Gender Working Group, Pedro and Debora were not chosen by election. The other members wrote letters narrating their personal and professional careers, listing the reasons why they should join the delegation that would represent Engajamundo in the CSW. All members of the study groups had access to those letters, and voted for their candidates through an online poll. With the results, five selected members remained for the delegation: Three Gender WG members and two Sustainable Development Goals WG members. All delegation members began to meet regularly in online meetings to discuss both logistical issues (fundraising, transportation, lodging, etc.) and strategic issues (our political position and the issues we’d be taking to the CSW60). It is important to highlight that specific criteria were observed in the delegation’s formation in such a way that we created the most diverse group possible. Factors such as regional plurality, racial plurality, plurality of sexual orientation and gender were respected during the election process, within the possibilities presented (diversity found within the own working groups).
selected members for the CSW60 delegation
From left to right: Beatriz Schaedler Gava, 20 years old, Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul state) Debora Midori Suguri Motoki, 28 years old, Vitória (Espírito Santo state) Emerson Luã Ferreira da Silva, 19 years old, São Paulo (São Paulo state) Mariana Fonseca Monteiro, 20 years old, Caruaru (Pernambuco state) Melinda Victória Carvalho dos Santos, 22 years old, Salvador (Bahia state) Pedro Paiva Dias Lacerda, 23 years old, Brasília (Brazilian Federal District) Vitória De Macedo Buzzi, 24 years old, Florianópolis (Santa Catarina state)
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logistics money To pay for all the delegation’s expenses (transport, accommodation, food, visa and passport for some members), we chose first to seek financing from private entities (companies, trade unions, etc.) and public entities (secretariats, coordinating, etc.) in our home states. However, in the period designed for raising the money (between November 2015 and February 2016), few entities had funds or interest in supporting our delegation. Unfortunately, we note that the debate on women’s rights does not generate great impact in the media, making it difficult for both public and private sectors to support events of that size and kind. At the end of January, only one member had obtained private funding from an institution in her state. It was then that our crowdfunding1 campaign took action. On January 26, 2016, we started an online proposal for public funding so we could cover basic expenses for our trip. In a total of 21 days, we reached 19% of our goal. Although it does not seem like much, this money helped us enormously, especially in transport and food issues. We had 47 contributions in the campaign, as well as off-site contributions.
screeshot from the crowdfunding site
accommodation As a way to cheapen our trip, we managed to get friendly hosting with members of Engajamundo and friends residing in New York. We greatly appreciate Lucas Valente, Ionut Cotan, Teona Cotan, Jennifer Liepin and Sandy Patch for opening their homes to our delegation. Moreover, we managed to raise a significant amount of money through the help of family, bazaars and dinners promoted by members of the delegation. Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, today often performed via Internet-mediated registries.
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working teams Aiming to have a better distribution of tasks to be performed during the CSW60, we divided the delegation into three working groups: communication, actions and positioning. The communication team, formed by Debora and Pedro, was responsible for the social networks, for the texts in Engaja’s blog and for taking pictures and recording videos. In summary, Facebook served as a channel for our communication with the Brazilian public, and Twitter as a mean of pressuring international negotiators. In this video we explain a little bit about our work: https://goo.gl/K3cxRa The action team, formed by Luã and Melinda, was responsible for planning, articulating and performing the actions, ie, performances and interventions that would be held during the event. As the first experience of Engajamundo within the UN headquarters, we arrived at CSW uncertain of what would be allowed at the event – careful not to violate any UN recommendation. Fortunately, during the two-week event we were able to perform actions, in addition to having participated in collaborative actions of other institutions and organizations. The lobby team, composed by Beatriz, Mariana and Vitória, was thought to follow closely the negotiations in order to know the position of the participating countries and to act with the negotiators to influence decisions and to ensure that our ideas as youth, were considered.
screenshots from the videos made in New York, during CSW60
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lobby points While we still were in Brazil, we elaborated our political position. It was based on the Brazilian and global socio-political context, as well as an online survey designed by Engajamundo, and held previously (access the full version of the survey here). At the end of the survey’s process, we listed six lobby points that we would take to the CSW60, and that would guide our participation during the event (the full version is attached): 1. Decriminalization and legalization of abortion: worldwide, 47 thousand of women die from unsafe abortions, and in Brazil, every hour 6 teenagers come into abortion process, most of them between the ages of 17 and 19 years. Therefore we want countries to decriminalize and legalize abortion, ensure greater access to contraception and sex education services, and train health workers who deal with such cases. 2. Fighting child and juvenile marriage: despite being internationally recognized as a violation of human rights, child and adolescent marriage is legal in 93 countries – although illegal, culturally accepted in several regions of the world. We want an agreement that commits countries to end the practice of child and juvenile marriage – both legally and culturally. As a demonstration of commitment, governments must provide annual reports with updated data on the children’s and adolescent’s marriage in the country.
encourage women’s insertion in labor market through quality training and, consequently, that they do not discriminate functions and possibilities according to gender. 5. Inclusion of gender education in the academic curriculum: to achieve this goal, we, young people, want the academic curriculum to address gender issues in schools and universities. This way it will be possible to empower girls and encourage their full potential, and expand knowledge and provide a safer environment for all youth. For this to become reality, it is still necessary to create and expand the network of daycare and supports for pregnant teenagers, ensuring that no one will really be left behind. 6. Encouraging youth participation: it’s the governments’ duty to empower and train youth for it to actively take decision spaces at CSW60, in order to ensure the plurality of ideas. Despite the broad participation of women in the Commission, the present youth find little training space and effective acting. We want governments to ensure official spaces of participation of youth organizations, with space of speech guaranteed in the UN negotiations and the creation of specific policies to encourage youth engagement in local, national, regional and global levels.
3. Public health care for transvestites and transsexuals: we want to depathologization of transsexuality (WHO - ICD F 64.0), treating the health and welfare bio-psycho-social and ensuring full access to procedures, therapies and medications needed. 4. Work as a form of financial empowerment: worldwide, women are paid less than men, even when doing the same type of service. In Brazil, for example, the wage gap between men and women is up to 29.7%. We want the countries to conduct public policies to 11
CSW youth forum Before the beginning of the 60th CSW, we had the opportunity to participate, as volunteers, of the First CSW Youth Forum, also held in New York. The event, held on March 11 and 12nd, was organized by UN Women, and brought together over 300 participants from all around the world. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, spoke a few words at the opening:
“The agenda for gender equality is for everyone, and it needs you. (...) This is a defining moment when women and youth make an alliance…
with the potential to change the world.” Besides giving them support for the execution of the event, we actively participate in the discussions of the working groups, divided into 13 themes, including gender equality and climate change, reproductive health and sexual rights, and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals based on gender equality. At the end of each individual discussion groups, the results were presented in the form of youth’s demands on that subject. Later, the whole discussion was synthesized in the “2016 Youth CSW Declaration on Gender Equality and the Human Rights of Young Women and Girls”, delivered to Ambassador Antonio Patriota, president of CSW60. On the last day of the forum, we had the opportunity to briefly chat with the Ambassador, and we took the opportunity to give him our lobby points, emphasizing how important it is that the Brazilian youth closely monitor the negotiations on the international stage. We believe that our participation on CSW’s First Youth Forum was extremely important to create connections with the people involved in the Commission longer, besides having occupied an important space for youth’s participation and activism at the UN. 12
the delegation with Antônio Patriota after delivering Engajamundo’s lobby points and button badges
However, we point out some significant shortcomings, such as the lack of female and young representation, which is an inconsistency within the theme of a youth forum that precedes the commission of women. What we saw, unfortunately, was an environment where most of the leadership roles were assumed by older men - a reflection of the society and the UN’s structure itself. Faced with this problem, we started using the hashtags #HeWITHShe and #SheFORShe in social networks, as opposed to UN’s #HeForShe campaign. We had the intention to convey that although men are important supporters of women’s rights, they should not act in the place of women, but along with them, and that women can and should act on their own, supporting each other. In addition to this, we took the opportunity to emphasize how our participation, as latin american youth in international events is difficult (thanks to financial, cultural and language barriers). We noticed that we were the only young Latin Americans present, and we pointed how this difficulty of representation meant that our demands rarely reach the international level.
meetings Brazilian delegation’s meeting and Women’s Rights Caucus On the Sunday before the opening of the CSW60, the delegation attended two important meetings: two members were at the meeting of the official Brazilian delegation to the CSW, the meeting between members of the government, held on the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations; and the other members of our delegation were at the meeting of Women’s Rights Caucus. At the meeting with the Brazilian delegation were present Ambassador Antonio Patriota, the Brazilian congresswoman Stela Farias (with whom Beatriz had made contact in Porto Alegre), the activist and member of the NGO “Gestos” Alessandra Nilo, the vice-secretary of Women’s Secretariat, Tatau Godinho, among other important female activists and politicians. In addition to organizing the work of the Brazilian delegation, the Ambassador tacitly said that the CSW60 would not be an event to revisit issues already signed on the 2030 agenda (which defined the Sustainable Development Goals) but to plan their application with a gender basis. He demonstrated a progressive attitude towards the negotiations that would begin the next day. In addition, Patriota suggested not to follow the “rule of law” (idea that the Law is absolute) in the draft of the recommendatory document, but to ensure instead the “access to justice”, since often laws are often unfair. The Ambassador also praised Engajamundo’s participation as fundamental, complimenting our proposals as progressive and well guided, seeking real results for a better world. At the same time, the first meeting of the Women’s Rights Caucus, discussed the role of civil society during the CSW60. Women from around the world gathered, dividing themselves into topics of interests, to exchange ideas and decide positions. We had the opportunity to meet women
activists from Latin America, with very similar ideas and positions to ours. As was noted during the Climate Conference (COP21), held in 2015 in Paris, we saw that the Latin American’s countries, because of the fact that they have similar problems and contexts, end up finding great alignment in their political and ideological positions during these international events, and share the same model of feminism (in general, intersectional, respecting different need and realities)2. During this meeting we realized how important it is that our delegation seek support and dialogue with our neighbor countries. Joining forces and interests in Latin America can positively influence the negotiations, making the final agreement mindful of our needs as well. In the next two weeks, every morning, we continued attending the meeting of the Women’s Rights Caucus, which happened before the time of the CSW, because we believed that it was an important area of information sharing, coordination and synthesis of what we followed during the negotiations between governments.
meeting of the official Brazilian delegation
In some of the workshops that we participated during the CSW Youth Forum, we were able to see how European women live in a completely different context: during an activity, women were asked to list places that were safe for them, and European women said the subway. But in Brazil, public transportations are places with frequent sexual harassment, one proof of it is the exclusive wagon for women in Rio de Janeiro.
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csw60 60th CSW opening On the first day, we watched the opening ceremony, which was attended by the SecretaryGeneral of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon. The Ambassador Antônio Patriota, president of the Sixty Commission on the Status of Women, led it. In his speech, Ban Ki-Moon pointed out situations when he, during his tenure, witnessed women’s oppression – the disappearance of women who were subjected to sexual slavery, the cultural genital mutilation, the stigmatization of women with HIV, etc. He also emphasized that he was the first man that signed the HeForShe campaign to engage men in pro-feminist goals, a fight which will continue until women’s rights are guaranteed and protected. The Ambassador Patriota emphasized that, until nowadays, there is no country which can say to have achieved gender equality. He also stressed out that this agenda has effects of huge dimensions, so it is crucial, for example, to eradicate poverty and to achieve the others Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For this to be achieved, he claimed that is necessary to guarantee the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action transversally to the 2030 Agenda. The panellist Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of the UN Women, lamented that the changes are not happening fast enough, not even in the adequate way because the diversity and the specific needs of each region are not being respected. She also pointed out that it is fundamental to guarantee the sexual and reproductive rights and the implementation of the Beijing Declaration to achieve the Goal 5 of the SDGs – the gender equality, reinforcing the position given by the Ambassador Antônio Patriota. Also in the opening ceremony, the representative of the CSW Youth Forum, Vanessa Anyoti, gave a speech about the recommendations elaborated by the youth, asking for them to be considered and respected during the negotiations. Here we 14
emphasize the importance of Anyoti reading the Youth Declaration, since young people do not have any other space to speak directly during the CSW. As long as they were finishing their speeches, some countries have asked some time to express their recommendations and concerns. The Dominican Republic, representing the Latin America and the Caribbean, spoke about the necessity for parity (equal number of men and women) in the decision-making processes, about the combat against the feminicide and the female genital mutilation, quality education promotion, access to health and economic independence, emphasizing the need for protection to migrant women and girls. Another important speech came from Kazakhstan, which proposed that 1% of each country’s budget should be reserved for the promotion of gender equality, as well as requesting the international community more attention to the terrorism against women because mainly them and the children are the ones who most die at the attacks, facing even more kidnapping and slavery. At the end of the ceremony, as Engajamundo we joined WEDO’s (Women’s Environment & Development Organization – organization in global defence which promotes and protect the human rights, gender equality and environment integrity) campaign denominated #WomanSG. The campaign requires a woman to be the next person to occupy the post of secretary general of the UN, for the first time in history.
csw60 participation with the Brazilian government delegation Our lobby team was responsible for the official meetings and negotiations. As long as we got closer to the Brazilian official government delegation, it recognized the necessity of a bigger youth representation during the negotiations, and then we obtained a credential for someone from our delegation to integrate the official government delegation. Our delegation got into a consensus that the young woman Vitória would receive the official credential. In this way, we could keep up with the negotiations from a closer place, something that could not be possible before, considering the fact that several meetings do not allow people accredited as “civil society” in the event.
main events that we attended on the first week On the first day of Commission, our lobby team attended four ministerial sessions, where the countries could express their positions about each one of the four proposed themes: Table A – improving national institutional arrangements for gender equality: There were launched three questions, each country could choose one two answer in two minutes: 1. Examples of institutional organizations that could influence on the goals of the 2030 agenda for women. 2. How technical strategies could be used to ensure women’s empowerment? 3. How to guarantee the equal attention to the objectives and goals from the 2030 Agenda in all the government power levels? Some of the elaborated answers have included: creation of institutions made exclusively to map the difficulties of implementation of the 2010 Agenda; encouragement of the participation of NGOs on the verification of the 2030 Agenda’s implementation; prohibition of more than 60% of only one gender to occupying any committee or organ (already made by South Korea); to check
how some measures affect men and women differently (this concept indicated by India); creation of a national system to produce specific data about gender reality; the guarantee of at least 30% of women at the parliament (made by Sri Lanka); to improve women’s representation in media (to end with the objectification); to guarantee a budget that considers the demands of the gender equality promotion (already applied by Morocco); to create specific laws on the combat of gender discrimination. Furthermore, Russia claimed to be committed with the goal set by G20 to increase women’s participation in the labour market in 20% until 2025. Table B – strengthening standards, laws and policies to gender equality and women’s empowerment. The moderator of the panel discussion reported that at least one law impedes women’s economic development in each country. Therefore, he reinforced the idea that governments should strive themselves, making it possible the compliance of the 2030 Agenda. Then were started the countries and governmental entities’ speeches. The Europe Union representative, in such a relevant speech, related that despite the huge advancements in gender equality, the local women are still suffering a lot. Therefore, she emphasized the union of the 2030 Agenda with the Beijing Platform for Action as a way to achieve the goal number 5 from the SDGs. She also pointed out, the need for countries to sign a document which would seal a real commitment to the cause; the fight against the stereotypes and the demand for every country to produce data about women’s reality. Table C – funding for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the 2030 Agenda: In his statement, the moderator of the panel discussion said that the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals is something every society must fight for, that’s why every sector need to get involved too. It was reinforced the need of a budget oriented for the social and governmental engagement so they become 15
csw60 a reality. In a simple way, resources should be distributed for the goals to be achieved. The countries, in turn, suggested partnerships between the private and governmental sectors (Italy); investments in women as a way to influence the whole society (Italy); international partnerships (Byelorussia and Tunisia); legal social obligation in all the investments made by the State on the private sector (United Kingdom); cooperation between the ministries (Ukraine); governmental help to finance women’s organizations (Liberia); initial investment considering women’s reality (urban, rural, sanitation lack/electricity, etc.) in the country (Guinea); gender equality as the key for poverty eradication (Botswana); focus in educational investments (Malawi); empower women economically as something directly involved with economy’s improvement (Mali); protection funding for migrant women in risk areas (Iraq); economic empowerment with a direct impact in women’s mental strength and physical health (Iraq) and taxing banks for a budget in support to the SDG 5 (Sudan). Table D – Promoting gender responsibility through the collection, analysis and production of data: The moderator starts the session stressing out the importance of having quality data in all the countries for the implementation of the SDGs monitoring. Therefore, the UN had already created a commission to help on the production of indicators even though it is still hard to have a gender separation in the data analysis approach. There were many countries which spoke about the subject, including China which it was developing a system where all the gender issues are included; the South Sudan, said that it needs to strengthen its public policies to enable data collection and to assist technical offices; Cuba, which reported that it makes investments in researches which results in data that could be used on the elaboration of public policies for women, the South Africa, which understands that is important, not only the data collection but that there are women able to interpret. Then, Switzerland, which emphasizes that the data interpretation must happen in a simple way and with easy access (internet) so it would provide a broad social comprehensive understanding about the covered topics, 16
therefore, useful data for the population to reflect; Uganda, that actually has plans to obtain data linked to gender issues in all its ministries and to the respective ministerial the for the politic practise to be easier; and them Finland, which reinforced the necessity to contextualize the gender perspective with all the others SDGs. On the second day of the Commission, took place during the morning and the afternoon, the exposition of the countries about their initiatives on the last three years. Initiatives which should have been made in order to combat all kinds of violence against girls and women – theme of the CSW57 and revision theme on the CSW60. In her report, Lackshmi Puri, secretary of the UN Women pointed out that the combat of the violence against women is one of the specific goals from the Objective 5 of the Objectives of Sustainable Development (Gender Equality) and that although 70% of the leaders have already committed with it, it is still necessary to include the subject on the recommendatory document of the CSW60. It was also announced that it was launched in 14th March, by UN Women, a monitoring database with statistics about violence against women and girls, in order to check on the relative results of the Objective 5. On her speech, representing the Brazilian government delegation, the secretary of women at CUT (Central Única dos Trabalhadores), Mara Fetz, stressed out the importance of the social movements and feminist groups in the construction of laws and policies for women in Brazil. This affirmation was justified by the fact that Brazil is living in a very conservative and fundamentalist (in special at the National Congress) moment, aiming to prohibit any discussion about gender and regress rights which were already conquered. Tatau Godinho, vice-secretary of Women’s Secretariat, first reinforced the difficulty of insertion of women in decision-making positions. She pointed out the public policies for women that has been occurring in Brazil, for example: the campaign “who loves doesn’t hurt”, the Maria da Penha Law (2006), the inclusion of feminicide as a crime on the Penal Code (2015) – which had the support of UN Women –, the advancement of
csw60 LGBT3 community rights, as the example of the officially recognized marriage and the possibility of the transsexuals which can now change their names. Also in her speech, Tatau cited the first “Brazilian Women’s House”, which was opened in Campo Grande (MT) in 2015 February, where have been occurring the provision of humanized services and provision of shelter, having as the main public, women who suffered physical and sexual violence. For this, it is integrated at the same space, specialized services for the most diverse types of violence against women: reception, psychosocial support, police stations, public defenders and promotion of economic autonomy and children’s care. Furthermore, she talked about the 180 Call Centre (Centro de Atendimento 180), where are received the complaints of Brazilian women in Brazil and even when they are in Spain and Portugal, what is essential considering the fact that violence against women is the fifth biggest cause of hospitalization on the Unified Health System. To help this reality, Tatau explained that the Women’s Department (Secretaria de Mulheres) works actively with the Health Ministry, training professionals in relation to the gender equity (concept which considers different needs). In the end of her speech, she affirmed that there is no sustainable development without gender equality, that’s why there is still a lot of work to be done by governments and feminist social movements.
As well as Brazil, many other countries had made speeches showing not only their positive points, leaving no space to civil society to claim anything critical. However, we believe that one of the most problematic speeches came from China, a country where are imposed the most diverse legal difficulties and cultural to women and that as a result of its state system, produced unreliable data about the subject. The Chinese representative affirmed that Chinese communities has women as representatives (however, without reporting any data), that there are many NGO’s which claims to raise gender equality awareness, informing women about their rights, he also said that it were created traumatology centres to deal with domestic violence (again, without any informed data). It was also mentioned the plans against the traffic of persons and an access program to the credit which benefits 5 million women – in a country with 664 million women. He concluded his speech saying that China is wanting help from UN Women to achieve the Goal 5, what means that, interpreting the speech and considering Chinese reality, that it is clear the lack of capacity and interest of the country to implement gender equality. It is also important to reinforce that, during the general discussion, there was also a parallel event which was discussing the revision theme happening. The Brazilian speech was very similar to the first one: it was only added the necessity to respect women’s diversity (rural, black, transsexuals and women with HIV, etc.) and the need to guarantee the reproductive and sexual rights, relating them to the Zika virus. We’ve noted, considering the mentioned speeches that, on the sessions opened to civil society – as the example of the Ministerial Session, the Revision Theme and the General Discussion –, the speeches of the countries were not necessarily correspondent to the local reality, not even to the real position during the closed doors negotiations. On the opened sessions, they are usually progressive and diplomatic but on the closed meetings, they showed positions which were more conservative.
from left to right: Mariana, Tatau Godinho and Beatriz 3
Acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transvestites and intersex 17
csw60 Considering all this, during our delegation meeting, we decided to change our action strategy, prioritizing events that would influence directly on the result of the recommendatory document. Then, we begun to dedicate ourselves directly to be lobbying with the delegations of the countries which were present. At the same day, we participated on the event of the project “Every Women Every Child”, #EWECisME. A global movement (similar to #HeForShe) launched by UN, which aims to intensify the global action of the governments, private sector and civil society to deal with the challenges faced by women, child and adolescents on the health sector. In this moment, Ban Ki-Moon, UN’s Secretary-General, declared that the project is going to have even more support, so it can help all the 40 countries that compromised themselves to take children and women away from vulnerability situation on the next 5 years. At the same meeting, David Nabarro, counsellor doctor of the UN, affirmed that the 2030 Agenda will only work in a feminist perspective, and if it also fights in favour of the sexual rights and reproductive rights and against the HIV.
On the Commission’s third day, there was the interactive session with ministers. As many countries refuse to interact with civil society in the event, what was initially a dialogue between the sectors has become a government exposure, followed by speeches from various NGOs. In the Brazilian government’s speech, Tatau Godinho praised the role of civil society, claiming that the formation of alliances between them and the government is essential for us to have an effective implementation of the Agenda 2030. She justified her speech saying that feminist movements boost the events we want, on behalf of women’s rights, because these organizations monitor and require changes. Several speeches called our attention, especially those that addressed the killing of the Honduran feminist Berta Caceres, emphasizing the need for protection of women fighting, even against governments, for a better world. In the fourth day, there was the last reading of the official document about HIV, which was negotiated by then. In closed-door meeting (but our lobby team had the opportunity to attend), the countries reached the “Resolution on Women, Children, Girl, HIV and AIDS” - a declaration that in its entirety, could have been more progressive. References to sexual rights, reproductive rights and sexual education were set aside, and there was a constant denial of entities such as the Holy See and the African Group in addressing topics about language related to sexual education, and the problems faced by some populations which include the LGBT population, sex workers and intravenous drug users, saying it would take away the focus of women and girls. After the adoption of the resolution, Sudan, on behalf of Algeria, Belarus, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen made a statement reserving their positions (in other words, not accepting the recommendation) in the language that refers to “sexuality” (OP9). Iran reserved its position in paragraphs / areas that are contrary to their national law, or sharia in the case of Mauritania. The Holy See had reservations on preambular paragraph 7 (sexual and reproductive
Ban Ki-Moon at CSW60 18
csw60 health and reproductive rights), Operative Paragraph 9 (sexuality) and other paragraphs. The US, Finland on behalf of the European Union, Liechtenstein on behalf of Australia, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Iceland made strong statements deploring the omission of direct reference to comprehensive sexuality education, and sexual rights and reproductive rights. The European Union and the United States also expressed disappointment with the fact that the text is not directed to the most vulnerable, including women and girls belonging to key populations. As mentioned, the resolution could have made major advances, especially considering that served as a first moment to debate before the High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, to be held from 8 to 10 June. Much effort still needs to be done to achieve a stronger document, but it must be recognized the work of delegations from different regions, such as the European Union and some Latin American countries (Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Paraguay , Panama, El Salvador, Uruguay) in bringing progressive positions during the negotiations. On this day, the delegation also took the opportunity to strengthen ties with UN Women, lobbying with their members.
lobbying at lucnch with Eunice, from UN Women, and some other members of the Brazilian delegation
On the last day of the first week, Beatriz had the opportunity to attend the negotiations about the second reading of the Agreed Conclusions’ document (in other words, the draft of the final agreement) as a companion of Mrs. Stela Farias, Brazilian delegate at CSW60. As we did not have the Brazilian government’s credential yet, it was a great opportunity to see which ideas the countries defended in meetings closed to civil society. The positions of conservative countries in gender equality issues were clear when we observed the words and expressions that they wanted to insert or remove from the documents. In international agreements, there are intense debates for each phrase, word and comma used in the final text. An example with resistance from many countries, was inserting the word “all” before being mentioned “women and girls”, which means to include all groups of women with their different needs (for example, transsexuals). Although that day the discussions were very shallow - because there was not “pressure” to finish the agreement yet and because of that, it still did not reached to most controversial points -, it was
PP são parágrafos preambulares, subs são os textos alternativos à redação inicial, e os OP são os parágrafos operatórios, extremamente importantes pois indicam ações práticas recomendadas aos países
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csw60 a great moment of an excellent Brazil’s placement in the paragraph that speaks about economic empowerment: while the original text spoke only about access to natural resources and technology, our country requested to add access to land. Outside, the day was also with intense lobby of the delegation with several countries, mainly from Latin America and Lusophones, such as Angola, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe. The summary of our first week in CSW60 can be accessed, in video, in this link: https://goo.gl/2OHDBu
main events that we attended on the second week During CSW’s second week, the official events opened for civil society come to an end and the negotiations between governments get stronger. Because of that, the majority of the civil sector returns to their country of origin, as they can no longer follow the steps towards the final agreement. This results in a lack of pressure from activists on the negotiators’ actions. Engajamundo, however, had the opportunity to keep participating in the meetings, due to the fact that the organization had one member in the official delegation of the Brazilian government. Consequently, we were even more active and sharp on our actions regarding our political stance in the second week. Considering the information we had about the ongoing negotiations of the Agreed Conclusions, on the first day of the second week and sixth day of CSW60, we decided to reorganize our strategy of political pressure. In order to do that, we first analyzed our lobbies and picked the ones that had more chances of being added to the draft, and then we rephrased them in the following way: 1) Even though our position on abortion prioritized its decriminalization and legalization in all cases, in a very broad way, we noted that this agenda was not open to discussion between the countries. Perceiving this context, we decided 20
to defend a first step towards the guarantee of abortion rights, with the inclusion of the term “safe abortion” in the final agreement, to be assured and implemented through national laws. From that, we noticed an opening to continue our defense of the legalization of abortion, in its different circumstances, just as we had imagined in the first version of our lobby. 2) Regarding our position on child marriage, we concluded that our stance could be even harsher, including on its wording, considering that the topic was constantly in the agenda and already set - despite not being agreed on - in the recommended document. Taking into account that the topic was approached as “forced marriage” in the draft of the final agreement, we started defending that the more suitable wording would be “legalized pedophilia” (in consideration to the campaign by NGO GESTOS). It is not possible to talk about consented marriage when we are dealing with girls in situations of social and economic vulnerability, for example. Besides, the simple “condemnation” mentioned in the draft and the classification of this inappropriate social contract as “harmful for the implementation of the SDGs” is a very permissive approach. Because of that, we reiterate our lobby that countries should compromise to the legal and cultural eradication of legalized pedophilia, as well as compromising to produce data on the topic. 3) Regarding our position on work as a form of financial empowerment, we were in line with the decisions made by the Commission to that point, as they fully reflected our own demands. Furthermore, the text defended the rights of women to access land, technology, natural resources and heritage, even including the appreciation of the informal and domestic work done by them. With that in mind, our position ended up being for the maintenance of the drafts PP10 and PP11, of March 21st, for the recommended document. 4) Regarding the lobby point on incentives for the youth participation, we maintained our initial position of youth empowerment and qualification, however, we added a request for the consideration of the recommendations that resulted from the first CSW Youth Forum, in
csw60 shared updates on important issues so that we could reach out to more young people, and we always tagged the online profiles of the users in UN Women and in the Mission of Brazil to the UN, as a way to communicate directly with these institutions. Many important points discussed by the negotiators were tackled in these online publications: a) The position of the African Group being contrary to the financial support from governments to civil society, stating that this would be a “civil serfdom”, and the counterargument of the USA, which stated that the fact that the United States gives money to various countries there present does not make these countries their serfs. Therefore, the mutual cooperation between State and civil society organizations does not make them only one entity.
“This is not child marriage” “It is legal pedophilia” - NGO Gestos’ campaign
which there was an attempt to guarantee that the youth voice was strengthened and taken to the Commission. The positions of including the study of gender in the academic curriculum and of public health for transsexuals and transvestites remained the same, because there were no relevant discussions from the Commission on these matters. We updated the people who were following us on the changes made through a video, released on social media, which can be watched here: https://goo.gl/wM3B7j. On the other hand, regarding our strategy of political pressure for the negotiators, we promptly found yet another way to demonstrate our demands and tell everyone about what was being discussed in the closed meetings of CSW60: the on-demand publications on our social media. We
b) The large probability of the inclusion, in the entire text, “all” before “women and girls” (meaning the span, in the agreement, of the rights of transsexual women, transvestites, indigenous women, black women, and the introduction of an intersectional resolution that is aware of the different necessities and realities. c) The fact that Russia, Yemen, Pakistan, Iran, the African Group, Nicaragua and the Holy See are countries that frequently oppose to the inclusion of “human rights” throughout the text, saying that the more adequate would be to add a paragraph only for that issue. These countries claim that the rights of women differ from human rights, denying numerous previous resolutions. Therefore, countries such as Brazil, Chile, the Philippines, the United States and others, attempted to underlie the use of the term with resolutions like CEDAW, the Vienna Conference and the Beijing Platform. Over the next two days, the 7th and 8th days, the negotiations continued and the countries’ positions still remained inflexible. On the paragraph that refers to climate changes (sub12), for an example, women are mentioned only as victims. The United States proposed, then, 21
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one of the CSW60’s sessions
that women should be referred, also, as agents and as an active part of changes and decisions. Russia, however, asked to delay the discussion regarding this issue. India, Pakistan and the African Group expressed themselves against the production of data regarding violence against women, claiming that it wouldn’t be possible to compute these informations. Russia, in the same discussion, said that they don’t divide data by race, sex, etc, as it is said on subdata2 and, therefore, wouldn’t agree with the requirement of these features on the data to be produced. Canada defended, in a proper way, the existence of different paragraphs when it comes to indian and rural women (different than what’s on sub23), since these two groups hold different realities and necessities that must not be mixed up. When it came to the PP13, which refers specifically about violence against women, Russia defended the removal of the violence against women’s list that would bring, for an example, feminicide, human trafficking, forced marriage, genital mutilation, among others. It’s important that the examples remain, or it would only be up for each country to treat, or not, a particular violence as violence against women.
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Fortunately, the PP21bis brought the CSW Youth Forum to the document, as a suggestion that came from the ambassador Antônio Patriota, with support from the European Union. The paragraph affirms that young people will be the main benefited from the 2030 agenda. Many countries, however, claimed that they didn’t know about the Youth Forum. Therefore, on social media, we made clear that the declaration of the youth had been read at the opening ceremony. On the last day of negotiations, the tension between the countries, inside the conference room, became even bigger. In general, on the last day of conferences, the pressure is much higher for the conclusion, on time, of the essay, and controversial issues that, until then, were being delayed should be discussed. Six paragraphs remained without an agreement: the PP2, which refers to previous resolutions; the PP3, which is about rights and women’s fundamental liberties; the PP13 and the sub20, which discuss violence against women, the subhealth, which is about health; and the sub25, which brings the role of the families as essential to the sustainable development. Those are extremely important and controversial paragraphs and, therefore, ended up left to the final portion of the negotiations. They talk about
csw60 the observance of previous agreements (not always ratified by all of the attending countries), of women’s fundamental rights, not recognized until then by many of the attending countries, of violence against women, reality that is denied by many negotiators; of women’s health and the sexual rights, a controversial issue for the conservative countries, and the acknowledgement regarding the existence of more than one type of family (therefore, the word families, on plural). Since the complexity of negotiations, we believe that the external pressure of the civil society is fundamental to give support to the progressist countries. Since we don’t have an active voice, as the youth, during negotiations, we decided to use social media to give visibility to the discussed issues, as long as to denounce the conservative attitude of many countries. That being said, in our Twitter, we published lots of tweets, such as: a) “We want, like the USA, the final text to have, at least, one PP and one OP about health, talking about SRHR and CSE in an incisive way #subhealth1&2” b) “For the maintenance of the fighting against violence on public and private environments! #sub20” c) “We want the list with the types of violence against women on PP13 to remain, besides the replacement of the term “forced marriage” to “legalized pedophilia”. d) “We’ve noticed that young women are not a specific subject. Has anyone ever thought that the demands are different? All that is talked about is the youth as a part of the civil society”. e) “Encouraging the participation of the youth inside of decision environments, such as the mentioning of the Youth Forum, was totally ignored”. f) “European Union, through Finland’s speech, represents us by supporting the inclusion of the SRHR on the resolution. SRHR = sexual rights and reproductive”
g) “Thanks, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia for remembering that the Beijing’s Platform talks about ALL kinds of families”. h) “We ask that the countries willing to adopt a progressist language on the document not to back out”. By analyzing the situation, we’ve concluded that the multiple exceptions that the conservative countries maintained regarding paragraphs that were important (in other words, by disagreeing with certain paragraph, they reserve the right to disobey it) ended up weakening the document. We would rather go with a much more progressist language than the one that was used (such as talking about families, on plural), because it would be much easier for the civil society to demand something and it would involve wider discussions - specially considering the fact that the document is recommendatory. Considering the difficulty in reaching an agreement on time, by the density of the discussions or by the large number of speech requests, the ambassador Antônio Patriota proposed a closed meeting between the countries that were still diverging on the six important paragraphs. It would be a better way to negotiate and to search, unfortunately, make some concessions to please one or another. Thus, Pakistan, Egypt, United States, Brazil, European Union, Mexico and Iran gathered to reach an agreement. At 22h15, the countries resumed the negotiations with the following agreement: the word “family” would remain on singular, a backlash that ignores the Beijing’s Platform. The same paragraph of the CSW58 regarding health would be re-used, with zero progress; it would be maintained, however, the types of violence against women’s list on the PP13, the fighting against violence inside public and private environments in the sub20 and the PP2 would be ratified, paying respect to the previous resolutions, and the PP3, about women’s rights and liberties, fully. Thereby, it was possible to find a balance between all the wishes. After long negotiations and many concessions maid, the recommendatory document was 23
csw60 adopted at 22h45, march 24th 2016. Less progressist that what was conceived - and, even so, with many exceptions sustained by institutions such as The Holy See, Trinidade and Tobago and the African Group – we consider the agreement, in general, an important advance towards gender equality, because it shows the opening to the conversation and to the questions of gender regarding the majority of the attending countries.
celebration of delegates and negotiators at the end of CSW60 and Engajamundo’s delegation with the Brazilian delegation 24
csw60 parallel events that we attended Beside the negotiations, hundreds of other events took place in parallel to the main event. Since we gathered a small delegation, we selected some events that would relate to our political positioning: •
Review SADC model law: Focus group discussions with SADC Young Women
The main goal was to discuss how to intervene on the second section of the law’s model by the prevention of child marriage in the member countries of the SADC (Southern African Development Community), because in may and june the Gender Summit would take place, where the first law to prevent child marriage in the member countries would be implemented. We talked about the girls’ situation and the child marriage in a global scale. At this time, the countries’ goal, regarding this issue, is to reach the Sustainable Development Goal n. 5 (gender equality and empowerment of women and girls). However, there was a debate over this goal being too bold in a world that 20 million girls are still forced, every year, to get married. While, in the world, the minimum age for marriage is around 18 years old, in countries of southern africa, such as Zimbabue, this age is only 16 years old. Besides that, in this area, there’s currently a discussion that sets a difference between the legal age to get married and the legal age to have sex. The reasons that leads to the child marriage (tradition, poverty, protection from violence) were discussed, as well as the prevention methods (education, laws, programs, etc) and some advice that the attending countries could give to the Community. We took advantage of this opportunity to
discuss Brazil’s situation, where there’s legalized pedophilia concerning religion, poverty and violence (which is different than the global context of getting married because of traditions). In the end, we got into the list of the organizations that contributed to revisioning the SADC’s law model. •
Which policies best respect sex worker’s rights?
On this panel, three activists defenders of sex workers rights shared their perspectives on the practical effects of various laws and policies on the rights, lives and experiences of sex workers in different regions of the world. With an intersectional, feminist, economic and of racial justice view, the discussion highlighted how policies that respect the rights of sex workers also promote the empowerment of women, sustainable development, self-determination, and economic and social justice. You can access the storify of the event here: https://goo.gl/lwKJq7. The panelists – a black American trans woman, a white Irish cis woman, and a black Ugandan cis woman5 – shared with the audience the difficulties faced by those who work as a sex worker, also the violences and prejudices they suffer regularly. The first woman reported the violence she suffered, and the neglect of the police in dealing with sex workers - assuming that having this profession is consenting to violence and risk situations. In Ireland, even though prostitution is legalized, the professionals can not work in pairs (it would be safer for them), because they would be criminalized for pimping each other. With a police record, it becomes impossible to get another job, and women don’t find other ways
Cis is the abbreviation for cisgender, which means “the same side”. It’s a term for people who have a gender identity that matches with their assigned sex. Trans means “beyond”, and is used by many people as an abbreviation for transsexual or transgender. Trans people are the ones who have a gender identity, or gender expression, that differs from their assigned sex.
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csw60 together a diverse panel of young people living with disabilities, trans, and with nonconforming gender perspectives to explore the gaps of the Sustainable Development Goals, in response to their need for access to safe and legal abortion.
panel with the three sex workers
of working beyond prostitution. In addition, rape and violence are frequent, but don’t arouse the police’s attention. To make matters worse, it was implemented in Ireland the Swiss Model, where prostitution is legal, but its consumption is illegal. What happens is that customers are arrested, so the prostitutes have to stay in very remote and desert locations to ensure the impunity, and are subject to greater risk of violence. In Uganda, prostitution is illegal, and since the entire community is against it, these women end up not having access to health services. When they are abused, the police is condescending, claiming that is normal for them, and community supports this negligence because they believe that prostitution is something of Western culture. As condoms are not given for free, many sex workers have HIV/AIDS, and are blamed by society as responsible for their own “bad luck”. The three agreed that prostitution in rare cases is something that women want or plan to do in life. The vast majority do not find other opportunities, because they have a criminal record, or don’t have other prospects for the future (when the community where they live in it is the profession of most women), etc. The American panelist cited Brazil as one of the worst countries for trans women, who often end up in prostitution thanks to prejudice and lack of opportunity. •
Bringing Abortion Back to the Advocacy Table: Erasure and Silencing in the Sustainable Development Goals
Organized by the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, the event brought 26
The panelists Axel Keating, intersex activist, educator and artist from New York, Lea Rivers, activist and fundraiser for OutRight Action International and Kate D’Adamo, national policy lawyer for Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center, discussed the fact that, if sexual rights were not included in the final document, the foundations of sexual health and reproductive right are weakened. These omissions hurt very marginalized minority groups, that already face multiple challenges in access to abortion rights. •
Women of African Descent in the Diaspora – Shaping Racial Identity
Organized by Brazil, in partnership with the United States, this side event looked to discuss strategies to combat racism and shape racial identity in light of the experience of Brazilian and North American women of African descent. With the support of the Gender, Race and Ethnicity Program of ONU Brazil and the Africa Center, the debate included the participation of government representatives as well as civil society members. Djamila Ribeiro, Brazilian political philosopher, talked about the double discrimination suffered by black women: the racial and the gender discrimination. “We need to have an intersectional look about the different forms of discrimination suffered by black women. We cannot deal with the categories in isolation - being black and women places us in an intersection of race and gender, and because of that, we need these spaces of empowerment to raise awareness of our reality”, claimed Djamila Ribeiro. The Brazilian activist Valdecir do Nascimento, coordinator of Odara - the Black Women Institute, highlighted the difficulty of access to education for black women, as well as access to the participation in quality labour force. Furthermore, she emphasized the issue of violence against the black youth, a problem in both Brazil and the USA.
csw60 The Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, ambassador Carlos Duarte, recalled that Brazil and the US share “a past of slavery, a reality of social challenges and they aim for a future with no racial and gender discrimination”. Partnering with this goal, Brazil support the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024)6. Fortunately, the young Melinda, member of our delegation, participated in the debate that followed the panel, and talked about the struggles she faced to get to CSW and how hard it was and still is for her, as a black woman, to face a world that disqualifies women, mainly black women; a world where black youth do not have a perspective in life and how great women lose themselves in this process. It was a touching speech, specially because a member of our delegation got to speak for the black community and talk about the importance of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) for this group, which is the most affected by the their non-compliance. To watch Melinda’s speech, click on this video link: https://goo.gl/9KFe9H •
Promoting the Empowerment of Women and Gender Equality on the Milestone of Agenda 2030
In this event, promoted by Brazil with the participation of Mozambique and the United Kingdom, partners in the implementation of SDG 5, strategies for women empowerment through their financial empowerment were discussed. The United Kingdom claimed it believed that the financial control/abuse from men is a very common way of domestic violence. The financial control is, therefore, a form to empower women on their lives and future. The UK defended the necessity of giving more attention to this issue, and emphasized that violence really is predictable, but for that, there needs to be
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Melinda’s speech moment and members of Engajamundo’s delegation with Djamila Ribeiro
an information sharing platform. Aiming for cooperation of activists from civil society, the UK representative finished by saying “keep using your influence and passion to make a difference in your households”. Mozambique, represented by Cidália Chaúque, used her speech time to highlight her recent accomplishments, such as, for example, the family law, which gives patrimonial rights for women, the change in the Criminal Code that allows women to manage financial businesses, the land law, which allows the right to succession and the acquisition of land. With this, she noted that all these laws relate to the fact that sustainable stability depends on the economic stability of women and that, in order to reach this level of development, it is important to have South-South cooperation. •
Empowerment of Indigenous Women
In this event, the only space in CSW60 reserved for the participation of indigenous women,
Text taken from the Facebook page of the Brazilian Mission to the UN. 27
csw60 representatives of communities from the whole world (from Latin America, North America, Africa, Oceania, etc.) came together to debate the current reality of indigenous women and the importance of including the participation of female indigenous leaders in the implementation of Agenda 2030. Through an exchange of experiences and knowledge, the panelists Valeire Kasaiyian, from Indigenous Information Network (Kenya), Ingeborg Larssen, from the Sami Parliament of Norway, Teresa Tepania-Ashton, from Mâori Women’s Development Inc. (New Zealand) and Nuvia Mayorga Delgado, director general of the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (Mexico) emphasized the situation of indigenous women worldwide, their successes and challenges, with the goal of touching people and recognizing the leadership of indigenous women as key agents in the political participation and the fight against violence, in the eradication of poverty, highlighting the importance of their empowerment in all levels. The indigenous representatives Nara Baré, from Amazonas, and Judite Ballério, from Maranhão, member of the Rede de Juventude Indígena (REJUIND), were present to take part in the panel, with support from UN-Women. Tarcila Rivera Zea, President of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI) emphasized the importance of a larger participation of indigenous communities’ leaders in governmental forums. Unfortunately, the chair for Brazil reserved for the Brazilian negotiator remained empty for the entire event. Thus, we decided to do our part as civil society and pressure. We launched a provocation on Twitter, stating that the Brazilian delegation had forgotten about indigenous women, attaching the picture of the empty chair. On the next day, a representative from ambassador Antônio Patriota approached us and the Brazilian indigenous women, apologizing for their absence. We explained this event in more detail in the topic “The social media”.
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Engajamundo’s initiatives at the commission The process of strategizing our initiatives started with brainstorming, conducting group dynamic analysis to create new ideas and stimulate creative thinking. We had an understanding of activist movement by civil society from the UN Climate Change Conference, where such activities are abundant both inside and outside of the venue. Based on this, we developed the creative and ‘sexify’ concept applied through our initiatives (sexify is our term to the strategy to inject excitement to a serious subject matter). At the UN headquarters, we were able to develop flyers for our “Looking For” campaign. The campaign was developed in Brazil, and it began to be disclosed before the delegation’s trip to New York, so everyone could follow the hashtag #EngajanaCSW60 (EngajaattheCSW60). We faced many challenges, such as the lack of financial resources to produce a big initiative, with media coverage. Unlike the Climate Conference, where there are specific authorizations for activist activities, media coverage, available working material, and meeting rooms for civil society etc, at the Commission on the Status of Women, we did not receive any resources or interest from media outlets to cover the event. Our creativity was put to the challenge due to the limited office supplies, all kindly provided by the facilitating committee of Engajamundo. There were 9 flyers, each one representing a different woman (cis women, from various ethnic groups, trans women, trans men and nonbinary trans), with three messages: “looking for representation”, “looking for gender equality” and “looking for someone who cares” As the CSW had only a few Portuguese speakers, the material were produced in English. We understood the difficulty of formally distributing our flyers at the UN (due to the uncertain and misguided information provided by the security team), we decided to randomly distribute the flyers through the building so
csw60 people could find it and see our message. We filmed the following video, playing on the messages used throughout our compaign: https://goo.gl/lAOEaU We also took pictures of the people passing through the UN headquarters, supporting our cause for more diversity (photos below):
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csw60 Our second initiative was to paint our eyes in black meaning “we are watching you.” Posting photos on social media platforms; we wanted to show that us, young people, are aware of all the negotiations and decision-making being made during the CSW 60.
Our last and most important initiative was “Do not Step on Women”. With the collaboration of several women whom we had contact with during the Commission, we placed signs across the UN sidewalk displaying the text “Do Not Step on Women” and “Respect Diversity”, with minority groups written on the sign (indigenous, trans, lesbians, immigrants etc.). The initiative was brief due to the time restriction placed by the UN security team, however the campaign mobilized many people, including on social media, and aroused the interest of pedestrians. Through this initiative, we understood that success can be achieved without pamphlet delivery, unlike many of other the campaigns during CSW.
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csw60 Berta Caceres, murdered earlier that month. Berta Caceres was a Honduran female human rights’ defender, indigenous and feminist leader. She was murdered in her house while she was sleeping, on March 3rd, 2016 in La Esperanza. Berta cofounded and directed the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), which was facing the construction of the hydroelectric AguaZarca, for the company Desarrollos Energy SA (DESA).
Our initiative was published internationally, including: twitter
A week before her death, Berta Caceres denounced the murder of four leaders of their community, and exposed threats made against other members of COPINH and communities struggling to protect Gualcarque river. Although the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had issued precautionary measures to protect Berta in 2009, she never received full protection and was continuously persecuted, threatened, arbitrarily detained and criminalized by people associated with DESA, by public officials and Honduran government entities. On social media, the campaign using the hashtags #JusticiaParaBerta, #NiUnaMås and #BertaPresente denounced the case. At the time of the act, the protester said that Berta’s death did not kill her, but multiplied her, because of the great commotion of women about the case. We wrote, with more details, about Berta and our requests made during the act: http://www. engajamundo. org/2016/03/18/justiciaparabertajustice4berta/
We also participated in some initiatives supporting other organizations. The first one was against legalized pedophilia, developed by Gestos: (go to page 21). The second, held with the leadership of several institutions of women in Latin America, consisted in an act in front of the Honduras Mission to the United Nations, to demand justice for the feminist 31
csw60 twitter
“Has @Brazil_UN_NY forgotten about indigenous women at #CSW60? Or was it just a lack of communication? #youthCSWForum #EngajaNaCSW60” photo of the act in front of the Honduras Mission on the previous page. Above, photo with Bertha, Berta Cáceres’ daughter
the impacts of our mobilization on social media As we’ve shown, Twitter has proved to be a great communication tool: besides the fact that it served as a way to pressure the negotiations, it was also one of the main ways to follow the work of different organizations and countries at CSW and discuss with our followers, interested in our performance in New York. It was through this platform that we’ve accomplished one of our greatest achievements during the session of 2016. During our work at New York, we approached Nara and Judith, who were in the CSW joining the Panel on indigenous women. It was in our best interests to understand their needs since our online form ended by not reaching this important part of the brazilian population. So, when the Brazilian permanent mission to the UN failed at sending a representative person to support them in the event of the indigenous women empowerment, we decided to denounce what happened on our Twitter account. With a picture of the indigenous delegate,Nara, and her young indigenous colleague, Judite, we published the following tweets:
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“Indigenous women are empowered! They came all by themsleves to show what they got in this panel @Brazil_UN_NY #CSW60”
In the following day, the mission apologized to Nara and Judite and took both of them to know more of their work with the UN. This dialogue between our indigenous representatives and the Brazilian Mission was very important and might not have happened without the pressure we did on Twitter. They told us that they were surprised by the lack of indigenous representatives, not only from Brazil: they said that in UN Climate Conference, indigenous people are visible all the time. Perhaps this is the most obvious connection: the environment – which the indigenous people depend of and consequently suffer from the climate change. But women are more affected by that, since when people can no longer get food from their land and they have to go to the city, the men are the ones to leave their tribes. And by doing that, they put women and children in a situation of risk.
agreed conclusions We can briefly point here, what happened at best and worst, and how the discussion related to our lobby points went on this CSW.
would be more than sufficient to intensificate this topic - but also on sustainable development that is fully related and linked to these rights.
We believe that one of the biggest drawbacks was the word “family” in the singular. The polemic between singular and plural lasted throughout the Commission, since when it was decided by the plural, during 20 years, approached to take in on a single-parent families, when there is only one responsible for the child and not a couple. Regressing to a singular not only discards the recognition of single-parent families, as disregards the existence of old and new family-children organizations created for grandparents, children with two fathers, with two mothers, etc.
As a significant step forward, we can mention that for the first time there is a paragraph to talk about indigenous women - which emphasizes that Brazilian Indians should continue representing our country on CSW since this paragraph may open more spaces of discussion about this subject.
Another point that we judge negatively was the disregard of the countries during the negotiations on dealing about the CSW Youth Forum, and the participation of youth as a whole during the CSW60. Despite the fact that Patriota emphasized the relevance of insert a unique conclusion to treat the youth, the negotiators ignored it. Still, the discussion around sexual and reproductive rights, although it has been debated a lot by civil society, did not advanced among the negotiators due to resistance from some countries, which brought this issue to the final negotiation that ended the CSW60. Following that, the paragraph which talk about reproductive and sexual health, two years later, has the same essay in CSW58. This, which is a theme of great depth, restricted itself to talk in a shallow way about the need for modern and safe contraceptive methods, to provide information and sexual and reproductive education, to promote “safe abortion where this service is permitted by law “, among others. We were extremely dissatisfied with this approach, because we believe that these topics demanded more attention and development in a Commission that was not only about women’s rights-that
For the first time, also, there is a unique paragraph to treat about the strength of the participation in the national human rights Institutions in CSW. However about what we expected with our lobby points and what remained decided by the Commission, we can say that, on regard of the decriminalization and legalization of abortion7, we considered the paragraph still too weak, because it does not talk directly about the abortion issue, but only the access to modern, safe and effective contraceptive methods. One of the biggest obstacles is the religious influence in decisions within the CSW: the Holy See, Vatican representative, contends the conservative ideas of the Catholic Church, which are supported by other Catholic countries. It’s best for all the policy environments to be laic, since religious arguments can be fuzzy, and not based on statistical and scientific data. It is true that Vatican City is a city-State, and therefore gain representation in the U.N., but its presence is unacceptable when their representatives are not only a place, but also a religion. About the fight against legalized pedophilia, we believe that there were not significant progress since the CSW58. The current Commission was limited to “strongly condemn” the child marriage, early and forced (PP3), without, however, elaborate on combating this practice, or guide the countries on how to act on this theme, which is
“Subhealth. Health systems that provide, universally, available and affordable sexual comprehension and reproductive care services, medical products, information and education, including modern, safe and effective contraceptive methods.”
7
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agreed conclusions often protected under the excuse of “tradition”. As for the public health to transvestites and transsexuals, we were sorry to find a very conservative environment at CSW, where LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people) issues were not even discussed openly. We knew some of the activists of this cause and we knew about parallel events that addressed this topic, but the negotiations, unfortunately, never brought the subject for discussion. A modest text on the discussion of health, talks about the right to free and responsible decision about sexuality, but does not express any mention about the existence of LGBT rights. About the work as a form of financial empowerment, we were very pleased with the final paper, which admits that the current division of labour in the world is based on gender. Still, in the preambular paragraph 9, which talks about the access for all girls and women to the opportunities to study and the equal access to quality education at all levels which is an important achievement of the new agreement, which also brings the promotion of the economic rights of women as a form of independence and empowerment. (PP9, PP11,sub17). When it comes to the inclusion of gender education in the student curriculum, we observed no significant advances. The word “gender” is not very used during the negotiations, which restricts a lot of the scope of the agreement. Education on gender issues was not part of the discussions - and if it did, it would find significant opposition from several conservative countries . Finally, when it comes to the encouragement of the youth’s participation, we were surprised to see that the youth simply has no voice, space and visibility in the Commission about the Status of Women. Our presence, sometimes seemed to disturb some negotiators, as if young people had not legitimacy to participate in these spaces – which, by the configuration of the delegations, seemed to be an idea shared among many countries.
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As we said earlier, there is not an exclusive paragraph about the youth that on the final document,and the CSW Youth Forum was ignored by most of the negotiators. It is important to highlight that young people are also part of the civil society, whose participation in these events is guaranteed by the UN.
conclusions Despite being the second largest UN event, the Commission on the Status of Women receives almost no attention from the media, and has no private financing for it to happen, which results in lack of spaces for work, lack of disclosure, poor infrastructure and limited participation of civil society in the processes. Being our first participation in the Commission on the Status of Women, our delegation sought a better understanding of its processes and its functioning. We found a participatory civil society, united and engaged, despite the many difficulties that an event hosted at the United Nations imposed: reduced mobility, a huge difficulty to access the spaces and to dialogue with the negotiators. Being held in one of the most expensive cities of the world, New York, participation in the event is a challenge for people living in countries of the global south. With linguistic, financial and logistical barriers to be able to stay for two week facing the city’s high costs - most of the time with their own financing - and facing the lack of interest of the institutions in financing the youth’s presence (and civil society in general too) in these type of events. The good exceptions we found along the way (to whom we will be forever grateful) relied on our words about the importance and even existence of the event, as the media almost doesn’t talk about the negotiations that took place during the CSW - very differently from what happens during the Climate Conference, for example, which has abundant private funding and media coverage. Institutions and people who believed in a group of young people willing to dare to change the world - from within the halls of negotiations or lying on the sidewalk. Because it is an event that discusses the rights of political minorities, who are already invisibilized, silenced and marginalized in the discussions that dominate the world stage, we can not say we were surprised to notice the poor visibility of
the CSW in international news. It was, however, disappointing to find so many conservative forces present at the event to ensure that political rights were not granted to those minorities, based on cultural and religious arguments. We also realized that there is a lack of intersectional perspective on the discussions inside the UN, considering that realities are very different between developed and developing countries, European and Latin American countries, white and black women, indigenous, muslins, etc. The intersectional perspective was strongly present in the events organized by civil society, however - which emphasizes the importance of their participation. Also, very important discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity remained out of the negotiations, that appeared to be centered in only one model of sexuality and identity. Thus, they ignore the existence and violence suffered by many political minorities worldwide. Finally, we consider that an event without interventions and manifestations, generally means an event that is not friendly for the youth. We found spaces made mostly by and for male and older people, without the presence of the transforming power of the young ones. So we took as our duty to promote more interventions and continue to conquer spaces for youth participation. We believe that there was, in fact, a setback in this session of the CSW, especially when compared to older and bolder agreements made by the UN, such as the Beijing Platform for Action. A lot of effort was made during this session, but the concessions made by conservative groups disabled the world’s chance to sign, in 2016, a milestone in the defense of women’s rights. Everything we saw, heard and experienced during the three weeks, however, allowed us to understand how the guarantees and responsibilities of the negotiations occur 35
conclusions in the international level, and the decisive role of countries to defend and expand the rights of women. Certainly, we are all ready to work on CSW61, aware that our role as youth present at this event is not only important, but also indispensable in the search for more representation on the international stage.
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appendix appendix 1: contributors Through crowdfunding site kickante.com.br Aimeê Ferreira Alda Cristina Rossetti Abreu Amanda Segnini Ana Luiza Rocha Santana André Noboru Siraiama Andrei Speridião Anna Beatriz Parlato de Lima Beatriz Azevedo Bruno Toshihisa Zaitsu Camila Moraes Carlos Eduardo Rittl Filho Clarice M Sant Anna Danilo Menon Leal Dari Santos Débora Leão Debora Souza Batista Douglas Higa Eduardo Bello Eduardo Ferreira Eliza Hamaji Elza Kazuko Motoki Tanikawa Emerson de Assis Emilia Motoki Evelyn de Oliveira Araripe Flavia Martinelli Francisco Manara Gabriela Esteves Ribeiro Ines Pimpao João Felipe Scapelini Jose Claudio Moreira Filho Juliana Russar Lorena Trindade Maisa Marques Marcos Kiyoto Matheus Ferreira Monica Fukace Nayara Castiglioni Amaral Pedro Ribeiro Telles Pedro Ungaretti Projero Narradores da Maré UFES Rafael Moura de Pontes Talita Tachibana Thales Silva de Oliveira Victor de Francisco Vitor Freire
Vivian Fernandes Marinho Ferreira Wagner Lourenco Donated in person Aline Moura Carla Gadelha Xavier Carlos Yoshio Motoki Cristina Paiva Pereira Gabriel Santos Garbulho Ivonina Paiva Jorge Miranda Mauro Lacerda Mônica Yurie Cabral Simone Miranda Friends from São Paulo’s Court of Justice
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appendix appendix 2: lobby points 1. Decriminalization and legalization of abortion (SDG3) Worldwide, 47 thousand of women die from unsafe abortions, and in Brazil, every hour 6 teenagers come into abortion process, most of them between the ages of 17 and 19 years. In countries where abortion is legal, maternal mortality is generally lower because abortions are performed by trained professionals and are safer and more affordable. As youth, we believe that governments should respect women’s right to make decisions about their reproductive life, including the decision to either carry a pregnancy to term or seek an abortion. For that reason, we want countries to decriminalize and legalize abortion, ensure greater access to contraception and sex education services, and train health workers who deal with such cases. 2. Fighting child and juvenile marriage (SDG3) Despite being internationally recognized as a violation of human rights, child and adolescent marriage is legal in 93 countries – although illegal, culturally accepted in several regions of the world. As a result, every day, 39,000 girls around the world become brides in childhood, having denied their rights to education, health and a better future. Isolated from society, without access to information and restricted to the world and the routine of their husbands, those children will become young wives without independence and autonomy, discouraged to think of a different reality for them. We want an agreement that commits countries to end the practice of child and juvenile marriage – both legally and culturally. As a demonstration of commitment, governments must provide annual reports with updated data on the children’s and adolescent’s marriage in the country. 3. Public health care for transvestites and transsexuals (SDG3) 38
As young, we want to depathologization of transsexuality (WHO - ICD F64.0), treating the health and welfare bio-psycho-social and ensuring full access to procedures, therapies and medications needed. We must emphasize the global need, especially from the Global South, to ensure access to the trans population and transvestites to public health resources – not only health resources, but also to information on issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation following the Yogyakarta Principles. We believe that the health issues of transgender people and transvestites should be addressed across the board and, therefore, should be involved in all areas of social life, that is, from the production of knowledge to social participation. Added to this, we want the commitment to an official report on transphobia and travestiphobia, separate cases of homophobia because they are different realities. 4. Work as a form of financial empowerment (SDG8) Nowadays in the world, women receive less than men when compared average wage – for example, in Brazil, women receive 29,7% less. This data represent the difficulty of women have access to quality training, which enable them in the best jobs and achieve full financial independence. We, young, want the countries conduct public policies to encourage women insertion in labor market by quality training and, consequently, stop discrimination of functions and possibilities based on gender. This change in reality of insertion of women in labor market aims to empower them by enhancing their financial autonomy. 5. Inclusion of gender education in the academic curriculum (SDG4) The SDG number 4 aims to ensure that all young people complete the basic education and have
appendix appendix 2: lobby points its maximum capacity developed. Despite the increased presence of women and girls in schools, there are still much to be done: girls, pregnant teenagers, mothers, transsexuals, homosexuals, among others, are still excluded from school and academic environment, either by legal prohibitions, cultural limitations, local violence or by dedication to domestic life. To achieve this goal, we, young people, want the academic curriculum to address gender issues in schools and universities. This way it will be possible to empower girls and encourage their full potential, and expand knowledge and provide a safer environment for all youth. For this to become reality, it is still necessary to create and expand the network of daycare and supports for pregnant teenagers, ensuring that no one will really be left behind. 6. Encouraging youth participation To empower and train youth for it to actively take decision spaces at CSW60 is a duty of the present governments, in order to ensure the plurality of ideas. Despite the broad participation of women in the Commission, the present youth find little training space and effective acting. We want governments to ensure official spaces of participation of youth organizations, with space of speech guaranteed in the UN negotiations and the creation of specific policies to encourage youth engagement in local, national, regional and global levels.
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appendix appendix 3: declaration New York City, USA 11-12, March 2016 2016 YouthCSW Declaration on Gender Equality and the Human Rights of Young Women and Girls Preamble In 2030, we, the youth, in all our diversities, want to see a fully inclusive world where.... • • • • • • • • • • • • •
We lead gender-just implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Young women and girls are at the table, making decisions on issues that affect us. We are the last generation who can solve climate change. We choose what happens to our bodies. Youth of all genders live free from violence. Young women and girls have built a peaceful world with other generations. Opportunities, responsibilities and resources are equally shared. Migrants are not victims of systemic injustice. We are not sexual objects. Faith leaders act upon faith principles to uphold our dignity. We are not told who can play which sports. Young men and boys are partners in sustaining gender equality. Youth are civil society leaders at all levels.
Delegates between the ages of 10-30 at the Youth Forum of the 60th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) celebrate all work toward gender equality and all human rights of all young women and girls. Knowing that gender equality is necessary to reach all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the 2016 YouthCSW Forum joins the United Nations in calling on Member States to ensure gender-just and youth-accountable implementation of the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Delegates of the Youth Forum note that while leaders worldwide speak to the need for young women’s and girls’ empowerment and leadership to achieve sustainable development, youth voices are nevertheless marginalized within, and excluded from, official CSW and SDG processes. The 2016 YouthCSW Forum calls on the 60th 40
Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women to fully resource and implement UN Women’s LEAPs framework and formally adopt the following gender-just and youth-centric policy recommendations into the Agreed Conclusions: Gender-Just Implementation of the SDGs 1. Recognize that ‘gender’ refers to a socially constructed system of classification that ascribes qualities of masculinity and femininity, that gender characteristics can change over time and are different between cultures, and that this is how individuals perceive their identity as male, female, both or neither, regardless of our physical bodies. Recognize that gender is separate from biological sex which is also socially constructed and that genders include Trans, gender nonconforming, agender, genderqueer, women and men (based on Yogyakarta Principles Article 3B). 2. Act for and achieve gender equality and all human rights of all young women and girls as an integral part of achieving sustainable development and the SDGs, including transforming discriminatory social structures, norms and practices that perpetuate and deepen gender inequality and human rights violations. 3. Take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to fully respect and legally recognize each person’s self-defined gender identity. 4. Make baseline data and data on implementation of the SDGs accessible and available to everyone so that citizens can hold governments accountable, maintaining confidentiality and anonymity, and ensure data disaggregation by sex, gender, age (including for the age group 10-14), income, race, ethnicity, caste, migration status, disability, geographical location, HIV and AIDS status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and other relevant variables necessary for monitoring inequalities and discrimination in order to
appendix appendix 3: declaration understand and respond to the specific needs and priorities of young women and girls and to ensure no one is left behind. 5. Actively participate in mutually-respectful partnerships between governments, NGOs, civil society, the UN and the private sector so that there can be collective ownership of and action on implementation, monitoring and evaluation. 6. Take ownership of implementing, monitoring and evaluating to promote gender equality and the human rights of young women and girls through targeted domestic reforms in areas such as policy, laws and budgets. 7. Respect that Indigenous peoples and individuals, including youth, have the right to practise and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs, including the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature and the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture (based on UNDRIP Articles 8.1 and 11.1). Youth Right to Participation in Leadership and Decision-Making 8. Institutionalize and adequately resource an annual Youth CSW Forum on Gender Equality and the Rights of Young Women and Girls as an integrated component of the Commission on the Status of Women, ensure that a young woman delegate is able to present the Youth Declaration to the Commission and that the priorities outlined herein are included in the decisions of the Commission, and ensure that every high-level panel, side and parallel event at every CSW includes at least one young women. 9. Share power and create space to ensure - beyond tokenism - full and meaningful participation of young people in all their
diversities in leadership and decision-making at all levels and across all sectors, including in governments and parliaments. Youth in all their diversities include young women and girls; Indigenous youth; Afro-descendant youth; youth of all castes, ethnicities and communities; LGBTQI youth; youth of all gender identities; youth members of language minorities; youth living with disabilities; youth living without economic security; youth who have been displaced from their homes; youth migrants; youth living in the context of war and humanitarian crisis; youth who do sex work; youth living with HIV; youth who have left school early; youth who use drugs; and youth who have been incarcerated (based on the Bali Declaration and CEDAW General Recommendation 28, para 18). 10. Fulfill women’s and girls’ right to full and equal participation in leadership and decisionmaking at all levels and in all spaces by implementing gender-just and youth- accountable policy, laws, national action plans, programs and budgets. 11. Respect that Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination and that by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development (UNDRIP Article 3). 12. Partner and collaborate with youth human rights defenders and gender equality and feminist activists and their organizations to transform social, cultural, economic and political structures and norms to ensure meaningful participation of youth in all their diversities. 13. Ensure and support political participation of youth, including through information about and access to voting, the right to run for political office at all levels, and Youth Parliaments. 14. Ensure that government policies on citizen registration and identification include youth, leveraging grassroots youth advocacy and particularly young women’s leadership to 41
appendix appendix 3: declaration incentivize youth identification. 15. Partner with and resource youth-led human rights and feminist organizations to ensure leadership, mentorship, skills development and paid employment opportunities, which are reflective of their lived realities, for young agents of change in all their diversities, particularly young women and girls, to further strengthen youth leadership in the implementation of the SDGs. 16. Assign a quota at all levels of government of at least 33% youth as equal participants in national policy-making processes. 17. Ensure that youth gender equality advocates have the support and resources to participate fully and equally in international forums for advocacy and policy-making, and remove barriers to meaningful participation including visa refusals, lack of financial support, and lack of access to leadership skill development and mentorship opportunities. Gender Equality and Climate Change 18. Recognize - with alarm - that today’s youth are the last generation who can solve climate change, a systematic cause of gender inequality. 19. Recognize that young women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change. 20. Include leadership of young women and girls in climate change decision- making processes, including policymaking and scientific research. 21. Equally include young women and girls in education, training, awareness- raising and decision-making for emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction. 22. Achieve equal access to clean water for young women and girls, with urgency (based on A/ Res/70/69). 42
23. Enable young women and girls to participate in commerce, social entrepreneurship, and capital investments for renewable energy. 24. Strengthen resources for implementing Article 12 of the Paris Agreement, which calls for the enhancement of climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information for youth. 25. Strengthen systematically gender-just national public health measures for communicable diseases accelerated by the changing climate. 26. Engage young men and boys to act in solidarity to end gender-based violence (GBV) worsened and spread by the changing climate and agricultural patterns. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and HIV and AIDS 27. Recognize that the behaviors and identities of youth in all of their diversity do not make them at risk or vulnerable, but stigma and discrimination do. 28. Ensure the promotion and protection of the human rights of youth in all their diversities to have control over their lives and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) (based on the Bali Youth Forum Declaration and the Beijing PFA, para 96). 29. Strengthen health systems to make comprehensive and youth-friendly, universally accessible, high quality, and confidential sexual and reproductive healthcare services, commodities, information, and education tailored to the needs, rights, and desires of youth in all their diversities delivered by ethical and welltrained healthcare providers (based on CSW58, para 42(o)). 30. Address the sexual health needs of Trans youth by ensuring that comprehensive sexuality
appendix appendix 3: declaration education addresses their realities, that specifically-tailored commodities are available and affordable, and eliminate all forms of discrimination against Trans youth. 31. Ensure universal access to a range of reproductive health services, including safe and effective voluntary contraceptives, maternal health care, safe and legal abortion and postabortion care free from coercion, discrimination and violence (based on CSW58 AC, para 42(o)) 32. Develop and implement comprehensive evidence-based sexuality education, including information on all sexual orientations and gender identities, that is free of religious intolerance, based on gender equality and human rights, that promotes a positive, healthy and pleasurable, sex life, for youth in all their diversities delivered in a manner consistent with their individual needs and evolving capacities (based on CSW58, para 42(x) and ICPD Review Bali Global Youth Declaration, para 3.11). 33. Provide unrestricted access to affordable, youth-centered, high quality HIV and STI prevention and treatment tools, and prioritize and ensure funding for research to expand the evidence base on youth-centered and young women-controlled HIV and other STI prevention methods, and SRHR and HIV programming. 34. Ensure unrestricted access to youth-centered HIV and AIDS information, care, and support services, including mental health services, free from coercion and discrimination, to guarantee informed consent for all youth to make decisions on whether and when to get tested, begin treatment, and receive care and support. 35. Ensure the meaningful participation of youth in the decision-making forums that dictate laws, funding, programs and policies on their SRHR, and ensure that youth and adolescents are involved at all levels across design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
36. Repeal and reform all discriminatory laws and provisions, including laws that criminalize drug use, sex work, HIV transmission, abortion, and diverse sexual or gender identities, and remove legal barriers to ensure that youth in all their diversities are able to access SRHR, including repealing the age of consent and parental consent laws. Ending Gender-Based and Sexual Violence, Which Particularly Impacts Young Women and Girls 37. Recognize that gender inequality is the root cause of GBV. Therefore, gender equality and ending violence against youth in all their diversities must be achieved simultaneously. 38. Recognize the links between poverty and violence as drivers of systemic and structural inequality, and ensure economic justice by economically empowering young women and girls through access to resources, housing, land and property ownership, and economic decisionmaking at all levels. 39. Work with all people, peoples and groups, including young women and girls, young men and boys, youth-led and feminist organizations, and community and faith leaders, to co-create new social norms and structures that ensure an end to violence against young women and girls, including sexual violence, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, the sexualization of young women and girls; female genital mutilation and cutting; child, early and forced marriage (CEFM); and forced and coerced sterilization including of young women living with HIV. 40. Take all necessary policing and other measures to prevent and provide protection from all forms of violence and harassment related to sexual orientation and gender identity (Yogyakarta Principles Article 5A). 41. Ensure accountability of health and justice systems to young women and girls impacted by 43
appendix appendix 3: declaration gender-based and sexual violence, including children born as a result of rape. 42. Actively work to create safe spaces in which young women and girls in all their diversities can learn about and begin to claim their rights, recognizing that creating safe spaces is an ongoing process and that no space is guaranteed to be safe at all times or for all people. 43. Respect, support, partner with, and resource grassroots movements to end GBV, which disproportionately affects young women and girls. 44. Support and resource formal, non-formal and informal education, beginning in early childhood, that tackles the root causes of GBV, prmotes positive masculinities and femininities, challenges social structures and norms that perpetuate and deepen violence against young women and girls, gives young women and girls a voice, and serves as a prevention tool. 45. Engage community and faith leaders in partnership with young women and girls to end CEFM and female genital mutilation, through action such as addressing gender inequality as a root cause and ensuring accountability of police and justice systems, including ending police brutality, to realize young women’s and girls’ rights. 46. Prevent and eliminate all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse by ensuring, inter alia, respectful gender-just and personcentred assistance and support for youth with disabilities, including through the provision of information and education on how to avoid, recognize and report instances of exploitation, violence and abuse (CRPD Article 16.2). Young Women and Girls, Peace and Security 47. Recognize and fully implement UNSCR 1325 and all UNSCR resolutions on women, peace and security, UNSCR 2250 and the Amman Youth Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security developed by young peacebuilders. 44
48. Recognize and support the agency, actions, and leadership of young peacebuilders on sexual and GBV in conflict as a result of patriarchal power, which disproportionately affects women and girls. 49. Recognize that conflict catalyzes an increase in child, early and forced marriage and in all other forms of gender-based and sexual violence, and work alongside young women and girls who are leading the movement to end violence against young women and girls. 50. Recognize and respect that Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples, acknowledge that Indigenous peoples continue to be subjected to acts of genocide and violence, including forcible removal of children, and ensure that all human rights of all Indigenous peoples are upheld (based on UNDRIP Article 7.2). 51. Recognize that growing militarization and violent fundamentalisms disproportionately affect young women and girls including through targeted recruitment, human trafficking, sexual exploitation and violence, and create spaces for women to thrive as leaders in peacemaking and peacebuilding. 52. Recognize and address the links between economic injustices, insecurity and conflict, which disproportionately affect young women and girls. Ensure that peace- building processes include young women and girls’ equal access to economic resources and land and property ownership. 53. Ensure young women and girls are part of peacekeeping negotiations through full and equal participation in leadership and decision-making. 54. Provide support and resources for intergenerational collaboration on peace, security and an end to occupation to acknowledge the contributions, creativity, innovation and actions of all generations.
appendix appendix 3: declaration 55. Actively monitor women’s safety in UN peacekeeping operations and end impunity by upholding a zero-tolerance policy for gender and sexual based violence by peacekeepers. 56. Support and resource youth in all their diversities to strengthen their leadership skills and meaningfully engage in prevention and response efforts related to violent extremism. Ensure that a portion of all funds dedicated to addressing violent extremism are committed to youth-led, youth-centric projects, encouraging international financial institutions, foundations and other donors to provide small grant funding mechanisms to women and young social entrepreneurs to enable them to develop their own ideas on strengthening community resilience against violent extremism (based on A/70/674 para 52 (f)). Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship of All Young Women 57. Realize the rights of youth in their diversities to decent work through effective policies and programmes that ensure stable, safe, secure, nondiscriminatory employment, decent wages and opportunities for career development (based on the Bali Declaration, Article 4.1) 58. Transform global economic systems that deepen and perpetuate global inequalities and poverty, which particularly affect young women and girls and are thus an impediment to sustainable development. Partner with youthled human rights and feminist organizations to implement economic policies, laws, norms and practices based on respect for human rights, gender equality and empowerment of all young women and girls, Indigenous peoples, and the planet. 59. Strongly encourage national governments to provide women access to and control of personal finances, bank accounts, and lending through legislative reform and public-private partnerships 60. Promote and achieve the dignity, quality of
life, equal recognition and leadership of youth of all genders across all forms of work, empowering sectors of the workforce often subject to exploitation and discrimination especially in work traditionally done by young women, youth with disabilities, youth who do sex work, youth living with HIV and AIDS, youth migrant workers, and other groups (based on the Colombo Declaration, Article 30) 61. Respect, create space for, and support young women’s leadership in the workforce by eliminating gender disparities in all sectors and at all levels of the workforce and implementing and enforcing policies that address discrimination against young women, providing quality accessible affordable child care, and ensuring equal pay for work of equal value (based on the Bali Declaration, Article 4.8) 62. Provide human rights education to ensure that youth in all their diversities know their human rights and eliminate institutional and social barriers to ensure that youth can claim human rights in employment. 63. Implement policies and programs that increase the number of young women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in secondary and tertiary education and employment. 64. Enable youth entrepreneurship through policy and financing that focuses on young women-led businesses, including start-ups, apprenticeship and alternative models of enterprise such as cooperatives and business incubators (based on the Colombo Declaration, Article 27). 65. Ensure the rights of all youth in all types of employment and entrepreneurship including rights to fair hiring and organizing labour unions (based on the Bali Declaration, Article 4.2). 66. Support and robustly resource UN-Women’s LEAPs framework to support young women’s economic empowerment as well as leadership and decision-making on economic policies, laws, 45
appendix appendix 3: declaration programs and budgets. Youth Migration amidst Global Inequality and Humanitarian Crisis 67. Recognize and take urgent action to address the root causes of intraregional and interregional migration including military occupation; climate injustice; and poverty rooted in systemic colonialism and global capitalism that treats young women as labourers and commodities rather than as rights holders. 68. Hold authorities accountable for empowering youth migrants in their new communities (based on E/CN.5/2007/8). 69. Support and fund youth-led and civil society organizations to implement programs that connect migrant young women and girls with resources in their new communities. 70. Ensure that Indigenous peoples, including youth, are not forcibly removed from their lands or territories, and that no relocation takes place without the free, prior and informed consent of the Indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of return (based on UNDRIP Article 10). Social and Traditional Media and Technological Solutions for Achieving the Human Rights of All Young Women and Girls 71. Facilitate access to social media in youth movements, recognizing that it amplifies the voices of youth in all their diversities within their larger communities. 72. Implement strong, concrete policies and laws that protect digital spaces from cyber-bullying, harassment, threats, and violence, especially for young women and girls, and prevent sharing without informed consent of pictures, videos, and other content, including revenge pornography. 73. Ensure accountability of the private sector 46
for creating safe digital spaces that empower all youth, including by reporting, blocking, muting mechanisms and newsfeed algorithms. 74. Resource and support formal, non-formal, and informal education to promote media and technology literacy and access across all generations, including within marginalized communities. 75. End the objectification and sexualization of young women and girls in digital spaces, combat the disempowering content in the media, and support and resource young women’s and girl’s leadership as users and creators of technology in order to promote and support positive media representations of gender equality and young women’s and girls’ rights from the point of view of young women and girls. 76. Support technology that encourages intergenerational learning so that everyone can access the power and value of social media and technology. 77. Protect free and open internet and close the digital divide, with special attention to underserved and remote communities and the disproportionate impact on young women and girls. Youth, Faith, Feminism, and Gender Equality 78. Recognize that faith principles are sources of inspiration and motivation for promoting gender equality and the rights of all young women and girls. 79. Recognize that gender equality and the rights of all young women and girls cannot be achieved without the support, commitment, and action by all faith communities. 80. Recognize further that irresponsible use of religion perpetuates patriarchal and colonial social norms and violates the rights of youth in all their diversities.
appendix appendix 3: declaration 81. Strongly urge faith-based leaders to intentionally reassess culturally religious practices that do not match up to the faith principles, degrading the dignity of young women and girls.
88. Ensure that young women and girls are not involuntarily segregated into different types of sports, events and competitions based on genderdiscriminatory social norms.
82. Support and resource youth-led organizations that are working at the intersection of faith and feminism.
89. Adequately resource and implement policies and programs to raise awareness about and transform the relationship between perceptions of men’s dominance, physical strength and power traditionally portrayed in men’s sports with exploitation, harassment and violence against young women, girls and Trans youth.
83. Create space for people of all generations from faith-based and spiritual communities and feminist social justice movements to define a new narrative on faith and feminism. 84. Support young women of faith to speak out and be heard, including through social media platforms, within their faith communities and collaborate with young men, intergenerational and interfaith partners, faith leaders, and feminists to reclaim faith that affirms, promotes and protects the human rights of young women, girls, and youth of all genders. Young Women and Girls in Sport 85. Recognize that the potential of sport to further gender equality and the human rights of all young women and girls is limited by gender-based discrimination. 86. Ensure young women’s and girls’ full and equal participation in sport, which contributes to the realization of sustainable development, gender equality, human rights and the empowerment of all young women and girls including by promoting respect and facilitating social inclusion, conflict prevention and peacebuilding (based on A/Res/69/6, para 4 and Agenda 2030 para 37). 87. Ensure opportunities and adequate resources for young women’s and girls’ full and equal participation in sport, athletics and physical activities at the national, regional and international levels including training, competition, wages and prizes (based on Beijing PfA para 95 (h), 280 (a)).
90. Ensure that young women and girls in all their diversity are able to fully and equally participate in leadership and decision-making in sport at all levels (based on Beijing PfA para 183). Engaging Young Men and Boys in Solidarity Work for Gender Equality and the Human Rights of Young Women and Girls 91. Recognize that young men and boys can use and share their power and privilege to end patriarchy, shift socio-cultural norms, and adopt, promote and respect an intersectional approach to gender equality that recognizes the intersecting nature of racism, sexism, colonialism, patriarchy, ableism and gender inequality in order to achieve gender equality, social justice, and the human rights of all young women and girls. 92. Encourage young men and boys to take joint responsibility for and participate fully in all actions towards gender equality including changing social norms to achieve shared power and responsibility between people of all genders at home, in the community, in the workplace and in the wider national and international communities (based on CSW48, para 1). 93. Support and resource formal, non-formal, and informal education that supports all young men and boys to act in solidarity to achieve gender equality and all human rights of all young women and girls, to practice healthy relationships based on consent (Consent is a mutual verbal, physical 47
appendix appendix 3: declaration and emotional agreement between partners that happens without manipulation, coercion or force. Consent must be continuous – just because a person said yes to one thing doesn’t mean they have consented to anything else and just because a person said yes once doesn’t mean they have consented forever) and end genderbased and sexual violence in all its forms, and to promote positive masculinities and femininities. Take the example from youth-led and feminist organizations that are doing this work and ensure meaningful mentorship for young men and boys who are engaged in solidarity work for gender equality. 94. Create safe spaces beginning in early childhood for young men and boys to learn about and engage deeply in the work of promoting, respecting and supporting efforts to achieve gender equality and the rights of young women and girls. Youth-led Civil Society for Gender Equality and the Human Rights of All Young Women and Girls 95. Support and ensure robust resources for gender-just youth-led organizations and networks, young women’s and girls’ human rights groups, and young gender equality advocates at the local, national, regional and global levels (based on E/ CN.6/2016/3, para 49 (s) and CSW58 AC, para 42 ddd). 96. Respect, support and resource grassroots movements for gender equality and the human rights of young women and girls. 97. Support and invest directly in youth at the grassroots, including young women and girls who have experienced CEFM, youth living with HIV and AIDS, and survivors of violence, because they are powerful leaders mobilizing their communities to achieve human rights, gender equality and sustainable development. 98. Create a safe and enabling environment at all levels for youth-led civil society - including 48
gender-just and feminist youth-led organizations and groups as well as young women’s and girls’ human rights groups - to fully and equally participate national, regional and global followup and review and accountability processes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (based on E/CN.6/2016/3, para 49 (r) and (v)). 99. Respect, support and resource young women’s full and equal participation in leadership and decision-making at all levels and in all areas of sustainable development; social, political and economic (based on E/CN.6/2016/3, para 49 (q)).
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Commission on the Status of Women Report on the sixtieth session (20 March 2015 and 14-24 March 2016)
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Note Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document.
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Summary At its sixtieth session, the Commission on the Status of Women, in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 2013/18, considered as its priority theme “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development”. It also considered as its review theme “The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls”, evaluating progress in the implementation of the agreed conclusions from its fifty-seventh session. Based on its new methods of work, adopted by the Economic and Social Council in resolution 2015/6, the session included a ministerial segment comprised of four ministerial round tables, one interactive dialogue among ministers, consideration of the review theme and a general discussion. As called for in its new meth ods of work, the consideration of the review theme included, for the first time, presentations, on a voluntary basis, by 10 member States from different regions on lessons learned, challenges and best practices, and means for accelerated implementation to eliminate and prevent all forms of violence against women and girls. In addition, 11 Member States presented their efforts on the implementation of the agreed conclusions through short interventions. The Commission also held two interactive expert panel discussions on the priority theme, one of which focused on key strategies for gender responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the other on participation and partnerships for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda. An expert panel discussion held in conjunction with the review theme reflected on ways to support and achieve accelerated implementation, including through addressing data gaps and challenges in the enhanced collection, reporting, use and analysis of data with regard to the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. The Commission did not discuss emerging issues, trends, focus areas and new approaches to questions affecting the situation of women, including equality between women and men. The Commission adopted agreed conclusions on the priority theme. They included references to existing commitments and areas and issues, as well as actors, of importance in the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Commission urges all stakeholders to take action in the following five areas: (a)
Strengthening normative, legal and policy frameworks;
(b) Fostering enabling environments for financing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; (c) Strengthening women’s leadership and women’s full and participation in decision-making in all areas of sustainable development;
equal
(d) Strengthening gender-responsive data collection, follow-up and review processes; (e)
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Enhancing national institutional arrangements.
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The Commission called on the United Nations system and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women to support gender responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also affirmed that it will contribute to the thematic reviews of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals taking place in the context of the high -level political forum on sustainable development and exercise its catalytic role for gend er mainstreaming, so as to ensure that follow-up and review processes benefit all women and girls and contribute to the full realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by 2030. The work of the Commission on the priority the me and its agreed conclusions constitute an input to the work of the Economic and Social Council and the high level political forum. In addition, the Commission adopted the following: (a) A resolution entitled “Multi-year programme of work of the Commission on the Status of Women”, for action by the Economic and Social Council; (b) By a recorded vote, a resolution entitled “Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women”, for action by the Economic and Social Council; (c) A decision for adoption by the Council, entitled “Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its sixtieth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the sixty-first session of the Commission”; (d) A resolution entitled “Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts ”; (e)
A resolution entitled “Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS”.
The Commission further decided to take note of the report of its Working Group on Communications and to include it in the present report in its entirety.
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Contents Chapter
I.
Page
Matters calling for action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention . . . A.
Agreed conclusions on women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development
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B.
Draft resolutions for adoption by the Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Multi-year programme of work of the Commission on the Status of Women . . . . . . . . . .
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Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Draft decision for adoption by the Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its sixtieth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the sixty-first session of the Commission . . .
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Matters brought to the attention of the Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Resolution 60/1. Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Resolution 60/2. Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Decision 60/101. Documents considered by the Commission on the Status of Women . .
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II.
Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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III.
Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C.
D.
A.
Agenda item 3 (a) (i) Implementation of strategic objectives and action in critical areas of concern and further actions and initiatives: priority theme: women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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B.
Agenda item 3 (a) (ii) Implementation of strategic objectives and action in critical areas of concern and further actions and initiatives: review theme: the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C.
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Action taken by the Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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IV.
Communications concerning the status of women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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V.
Follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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VI.
Provisional agenda for the sixty-first session of the Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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VII.
Adoption of the report of the Commission on its sixtieth session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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VIII.
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Organization of the session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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A.
Opening and duration of the session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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B.
Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C.
Election of officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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D.
Agenda and organization of work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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E.
Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Chapter I
A.
Matters calling for action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention Agreed conclusions on women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development 1. The following agreed conclusions adopted by the Commission are transmitted to the Economic and Social Council, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 68/1 of 20 September 2013 and 70/1 of 21 October 2015, as an input to the work of the Council. Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development* 1. The Commission on the Status of Women reaffirms the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1 the outcome documents of the twentythird special session of the General Assembly 2 and the declarations adopted by the Commission on the occasions of the tenth, fifteenth and twentieth anniversaries of the Fourth World Conference on Women. 3 2. The Commission reaffirms that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 4 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 5 and the Optional Protocols thereto, 6 as well as other relevant conventions and treaties, provide an international legal framework and a comprehensive set of measures for realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all women and girls throughout their life cycle. 3. The Commission reaffirms that the promotion and protection of, and respect for, the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, including the right to development, which are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, should be mainstreamed into all policies and programmes aimed at the eradication of poverty, and also reaffirms the need to take measures to ensure that every person is entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development and that equal attention and urgent consideration should be given to the promotion, protec tion and full realization of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
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* For the discussion, see chap. III. 1 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4 -15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution I, annexes I and II. 2 General Assembly resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex. 3 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2005, Supplement No. 7 and corrigendum (E/2005/27 and Corr.1-E/CN.6/2005/11 and Corr.1), chap. I, sect. A; ibid., 2010, Supplement No. 7 and corrigendum (E/2010/27 and Corr.1-E/CN.6/2010/11 and Corr.1), chap. I, sect. A; and ibid., 2015, Supplement No. 7 (E/2015/27-E/CN.6/2015/10), chap. I, sect. C, resolution 59/1. 4 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378. 5 Ibid., vol. 1577, No. 27531. 6 Ibid., vol. 2131, No. 20378; and vols. 2171 and 2173, No. 27531; and resolu tion 66/138, annex.
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4. The Commission reaffirms the commitments to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls made at relevant United Nations summits and conferences, including the International Conference on Population and Development and its Programme of Action 7 and the key actions for its further implementation. The Commission also reaffirms commitments to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls made at the Un ited Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, as well as the recognition of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, the Third International Conference on Financing for Development and the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and recalls the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Commitment to Action, held on 27 September 2015, and the meeting of the Security Council, held on 13 October 2015, on women and peace and security. 5. The Commission reaffirms that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome documents of its reviews, and the outcomes of relevant major United Nations conferences and summits and the follow -up to those conferences and summits, have laid a solid foundation for sustainable development and that the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action will make a crucial contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 8 that will leave no one behind. 6. The Commission acknowledges the important role played by regional conventions, instruments and initiatives in their respective regions and countries in the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, including for sustainable development. 7. The Commission welcomes the commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls contained in the 2030 Agenda, recognizes that women play a vital role as agents of development and acknowledges that realizing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is crucial to making progress across all Sustainable Development Goals and targets. The Commission stresses that the achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development is not possible if women and girls continue to be denied the full realization of their human rights and opportunities. 8. The Commission expresses concern that the feminization of poverty persists, and emphasizes that the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. The Commission acknowledges the mutually reinforcing links between the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the eradication of poverty, and the need to ensure an adequate standard of living for women and girls throughout the life cycle, including through social protection systems. __________________ 7 8
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Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5 -13 September 1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1, annex. General Assembly resolution 70/1.
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9. The Commission reaffirms that the realization of the right to education contributes to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, human rights, sustainable development and poverty eradication. The Commission notes with concern the lack of progress in closing gender gaps in access to, retention in, and completion of secondary education, which is key to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and the realization of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as enabling other positive social and economic outcomes. All women and girls must therefore enjoy access to lifelong learning opportunities and equal access to quality educati on at all levels, including early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary education and technical and vocational training. 10. The Commission recognizes that women’s equal economic rights, economic empowerment and independence are essential to the achi evement of the 2030 Agenda. It underlines the importance of undertaking legislative and other reforms to realize the equal rights of women and men, as well as girls and boys where applicable, to access economic and productive resources, including land and natural resources, property and inheritance rights, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance, and equal opportunities for women for full and productive employment and decent work, and equal pay for equal work or work of equal value. The Commission acknowledges the positive contribution of migrant women workers to inclusive growth and sustainable development. 11. The Commission further recognizes that achievement of the 2030 Agenda requires the full integration of women into the formal economy, including through their effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life and through changing the current gender-based division of labour to ensure that unpaid care and domestic work is equally shared and recognized, reduced and redistributed. 12. The Commission recognizes that conflicts, trafficking in persons, terrorism, violent extremism, natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies and other emergency situations disproportionately affect women and girls. It therefore recognizes that it is essential to ensure that women are empowered to effectively and meaningfully participate in leadership and decision -making processes, that their needs and interests are prioritized in strategies and responses and that the human rights of women and girls are promoted and protected in all development efforts, as well as in conflict, humanitarian emergencies and other emergency situations. 13. The Commission stresses the need to ensure that no one is left behind in implementing the 2030 Agenda and in this regard recognizes the challenges faced by refugee women and girls and the need to protect and empower them, including in countries in conflict and post-conflict situations, and the need to strengthen the resilience of communities hosting refugees, and underscores the importance of development support for those communities, particularly in developing countries. 14. The Commission reiterates its concern over the challeng e climate change poses to the achievement of sustainable development and that women and
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girls, who face inequality and discrimination, are often disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change and other environmental issues, including, inter alia, desertification, deforestation, dust storms, natural disasters, persistent drought, extreme weather events, sea level rise, coastal erosion and ocean acidification. Furthermore, the Commission recognizes, in line with the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 9 that countries should, when taking action to address climate change, respect, promote, and consider gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. 15. The Commission strongly condemns all forms of violence against all women and girls. It expresses deep concern that discrimination and violence against women and girls, in particular against those who are most vulnerable, continues in all parts of the world and that all forms of violence against women and girls, including, inter alia, sexual and gender -based violence, domestic violence, trafficking in persons and femicide, among others, as well as harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation, are impediments to the full achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all women and girls and the development of their full potential as equal partners with men and boys, as well as the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. 16. The Commission, while welcoming progress made towards gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, emphasizes that no country has fully achieved gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, that significant levels of inequality between women and men, girls and boys persist globally and that many women and girls experience vulnerability and marginalization owing to, inter alia, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination throughout their life cycle. 17. The Commission recognizes that gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda requires the acceleration of action on both recent and long standing commitments to realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and the equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. 18. The Commission reaffirms the importance of significantly increased investment to close resource gaps for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including through the mobilization of financial resources from all sources, including domestic and international resource mobilization and allocation, the full implementation of official development assistance commitments and by combatting illicit financial flows, to build on progress achieved and strengthen international cooperation, including the role of North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, bearing in mind that South-South cooperation is not a substitute for, but rather a complement to, North-South cooperation. 19. The Commission stresses the urgency of the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action __________________ 9
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See FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1.
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and recalls that the systematic mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is crucial. 20. The Commission notes that the 2030 Agenda is of unprecedented scope and significance. It is accepted by all countries, is applicable to all and will be implemented within countries and at the regional and global levels, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policy space for sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, in particular for developing States, while remaining consistent with relevant international rules and commitments. The Commission affirms that Governments have the primary responsibility for the follow-up to and review of the 2030 Agenda at the national, regional and global levels with regard to progress made. 21. The Commission welcomes the major contributions made by civil society, including women’s and community-based organizations, feminist groups, women human rights defenders and girls’ and youth-led organizations, in placing the interests, needs and visions of women and girls on local, national, regional and international agendas, including the 2030 Agenda, and recognizes the importance of having an open, inclusive and transparent engagement with them in the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 22. The Commission recognizes the importance of fully engaging men and boys as agents and beneficiaries of change in the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and as allies in the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, as well as in the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and in the gender -responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 23. The Commission, in order to continue working towards the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which will make a crucial contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, urges Governments, at all levels and as appropriate, with the relevant entities of the United Nations system and international and regional organizations, within their respective mandates and bearing in mind national priorities, and invites national human rights institutions where they exist, civil society, including non-governmental organizations, inter alia, women’s and community-based organizations, feminist groups, youth-led organizations, faith-based organizations, the private sector, employer organizations, trade unions, the media and other relevant actors, as applicable, to take the following actions: Strengthening normative, legal and policy frameworks (a) Consider ratifying or acceding to, as a matter of particular priority, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Optional Protocols thereto, limit the extent of any reservations, formulate any such reservations as precisely and as narrowly as possible to ensure that no reservations are incompatible with the object and purpose of the C onventions, review their reservations regularly with a view to withdrawing them, withdraw
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reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the relevant Convention and implement the Conventions fully by, inter alia, putting in place effective national legislation and policies; (b) Accelerate the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the outcomes of their review conferences as a foundation for sustainable development, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and compliance of States Parties with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, as well as other relevant conventions and treaties; (c) Implement all goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in a comprehensive manner, reflecting its universal, integ rated and indivisible nature while respecting each country’s policy space and leadership while remaining consistent with relevant international rules and commitments, including by developing cohesive sustainable development strategies to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and by mainstreaming a gender perspective in all government policies and programs at all levels; (d) Eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls through the development, where needed, adoption and accelerated and effective implementation and monitoring of laws and comprehensive policy measures, the removal, where they exist, of discriminatory provisions in legal frameworks, including punitive provisions, and setting up legal, policy, administrative and other comprehensive measures, including temporary special measures as appropriate, to ensure women’s and girls’ equal and effective access to justice and accountability for violations of the human rights of women and girls; (e) Enact legislation and undertake reforms to realize the equal rights of women and men, and where applicable girls and boys, to access economic and productive resources, including access to, ownership of, and control over land, property and inheritance rights, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance, and equal opportunities for women for full and productive employment and decent work; (f) Promote women’s economic rights and independence, women’s right to work and rights at work through gender -responsive policies and programmes that promote decent work for all, ensure equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, protect women against discrimination and abuse in the workplace, invest in and empower women in all sectors in the economy by supporting women-led businesses, including by tailoring a range of approaches and instruments which facilitate access to universal public services, finance, training, technology, markets, sustainable and affordable energy and transport and trade; (g) Undertake all appropriate measures to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work by prioritizing social protection policies, including accessible and affordable quality social services, and care services
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for children, persons with disabilities, older persons, persons living with HIV and AIDS and all others in need of care, and promote the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men; (h) Promote a socially responsible and accountable private sector that acts in line with, among others, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework, 10 the International Labour Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, labour, environmental and health standards, and the Women’s Empowerment Principles established by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the Global Compact, in order to achieve gender equality an d the empowerment of women and girls and the realization of their full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms; (i) Recognize the contribution of migrants, including women migrant workers, to sustainable development, and acknowledge the need to eliminate violence and discrimination against women migrant workers and to promote their empowerment, including through international, regional or bilateral cooperation among all stakeholders, in particular countries of origin, transit and destination; (j) Take concrete steps towards eliminating the practice of gender based price differentiation, also known as the “pink tax”, whereby goods and services intended for or marketed to women and girls cost more than similar goods and services intended for or marketed to men and boys; (k) Urges governments to provide universal and equitable access for all to safe and affordable drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene, in particular in schools, public facilities and buildings, paying s pecial attention to the specific needs of all women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by inadequate water and sanitation facilities, are at greater risk of violence and harassment when practising open defecation and have specific needs for menstrual hygiene management, and to improve water management and wastewater treatment with the active participation of women; (l) Recognize the critical role of women as agents of change and leaders in addressing climate change, and promote a gender -responsive approach, the integration of a gender perspective and the empowerment of women and girls in environmental, climate change and disaster risk reduction strategies, financing, policies and processes, towards achieving the meaningful and equal participation of women in decision-making at all levels on environmental issues and towards building the resilience of women and girls to the adverse effects of climate change; (m) Ensure that the rights and specific needs of women and girls affected and displaced by conflicts, trafficking in persons, terrorism, violent extremism, natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies and other emergency situations are addressed in national and international plans, strategies and responses, and also ensure the participation of women and girls at all levels of decision-making in emergency, recovery, reconstruction, conflict resolution __________________ 10
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and peacebuilding processes, provide education for all, especially girls, to contribute to a smooth transition from relief to development and addr ess sexual and gender-based violence as an integral and prioritized part of every humanitarian response, and in this respect, the Commission encourages the World Humanitarian Summit, to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on 23 and 24 May 2016, to give due consideration to integrating a gender perspective into its deliberations; (n) Refrain from promulgating and applying any unilateral economic, financial or trade measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations that impede the full achievement of economic and social development, particularly in developing countries; (o) Ensure the promotion and protection of the human rights of all women and their sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences, including through the development and enforcement of policies and legal frameworks and the strengthening of health systems that make universally accessible and available quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive health-care services, commodities, information and education, including, inter alia, safe and effective methods of modern contraception, emergency contraception, prevention programmes for adolescent pregnancy, maternal health care such as skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care which will reduce obstetric fistula and other complications of pregnancy and delivery, safe abortion where such services are permitted by national law, and prevention and treatment of reproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and reproductive cancers, recognizing that human rights include the right to have contro l over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free from coercion, discrimination and violence; (p) Promote and respect women’s and girls’ right to education throughout their life cycle at all levels, especially for those who are the most left behind, by providing universal access to quality education, ensuring inclusive, equal and non-discriminatory quality education, promoting learning opportunities for all, ensuring completion of primary and secondary education and eliminating gender disparities in access to all areas of secondary and tertiary education, promoting financial literacy, ensuring that women and girls have equal access to career development, training, scholarships and fellowships, and adopting positive action to build women ’s and girls’ leadership skills and influence, and adopt measures that promote, respect and guarantee the safety of women and girls in the school environment and that support women and girls with disabilities at all levels of education and training; (q) Mainstream a gender perspective into education and training programmes, including science and technology, eradicate female illiteracy and support school-to-work transition through skills development to enable women’s and girls’ active participation in economic, social and cultural
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development, governance and decision-making, and create conditions that facilitate women’s full participation and integration in the formal economy; (r) Adopt, review and ensure the accelerated and effective implementation of laws that criminalize violence against women and girls, as well as comprehensive, multidisciplinary and gender-sensitive preventive, protective and prosecutorial measures and services to eliminate and prevent all forms of violence against all women and girls, in public and private spaces, as well as harmful practices; (s) Design and implement appropriate domestic policies at all levels that aim to transform discriminatory social attitudes and gender stereotypes and to promote gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; (t) Fully engage men and boys, including community leaders, as strategic partners and allies in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls in both the public and private spheres, design and implement national policies and programmes that address the role and responsibility of men and boys and aim to ensure the eq ual sharing of responsibilities between women and men in caregiving and domestic work, transform with the aim to eliminate those social norms that condone violence against women and girls and attitudes and social norms by which women and girls are regarded as subordinate to men and boys, including by understanding and addressing the root causes of gender inequality, such as unequal power relations, social norms, practices and stereotypes that perpetuate discrimination against women and girls, and engage the m in efforts to promote and achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls for the benefit of both women and men, girls and boys; (u) Recognize the important role and contribution of rural women and girls, as well as local communities, to food security, poverty eradication, environmental sustainability and sustainable development and commit to supporting their empowerment, and ensure rural women ’s full, equal and effective participation in society, the economy and political decision -making; (v) Formulate and implement, in collaboration with indigenous peoples, in particular indigenous women and their organizations, policies and programmes designed to promote capacity-building and strengthen their leadership while recognizing the distinct and important role of indigenous women and girls in sustainable development, and prevent and eliminate discrimination and violence against indigenous women and girls, which has a negative impact on their human rights and fundamental freedoms, to which they are disproportionately vulnerable and which constitutes a major impediment to indigenous women’s full, equal and effective participation in society, the economy, and political decision-making; (w) Take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social, educational, employment and other measures to protect and promote the rights of all women and girls with disabilities, ensuring their full and effective participation and inclusion in society, and to address the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination they face;
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(x) Recognize the family as a contributor to development, including in the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals for women and girls, that gender equality and women’s empowerment improve the wellbeing of the family, and in this regard stress the need for elaborating and implementing family policies aimed at achieving gender equality and women ’s empowerment and at enhancing the full participation of women in society; Fostering enabling environments for financing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (y) Promote gender equality and the empowerment of women by reaffirming the commitments made in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, 11 pursuing policy coherence and an enabling environment for sustainable development at all levels and by all actors and reinvigorating the global partnership for sustainable development; (z) Reiterate the need for gender mainstreaming, including targeted actions and investments in the formulation and implementation of all financial, economic, environmental and social policies, and adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation and transformative actions for the promotion of gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment at all levels; (aa) Support and institutionalize a gender-responsive approach to public financial management, including gender-responsive budgeting and tracking across all sectors of public expenditure, to address gaps i n resourcing for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and ensure that all national and sectoral plans and policies for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are fully costed and adequately resourced to ensure their effective implementation; (bb) Take steps to significantly increase investment to close resource gaps, including through the mobilization of financial resources from all sources, including public, private, domestic and international resource mobilization and allocation, including by enhancing revenue administration through modernized, progressive tax systems, improved tax policy, more efficient tax collection and increased priority on gender equality and the empowerment of women in official development assistance to build on progress achieved, and ensure that official development assistance is used effectively; (cc) Urge developed countries to fully implement their respective official development assistance commitments, including the commitment made by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of their gross national income for official development assistance to developing countries and the target of 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of their gross national income for official development assistance to least developed countries, and encourage developing countries to build on the progress achieved in ensuring that official development assistance is used effectively to help meet development goals and __________________ 11
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targets and help them, inter alia, to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women; (dd) Strengthen international cooperation, including the role of North South, South-South and triangular cooperation, bearing in mind that South South cooperation is not a substitute for, but rather a complement to, North South cooperation, and the Commission invites all States to enhance SouthSouth and triangular cooperation, focusing on shared development priorities, with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders in government, civil society and the private sector, while noting that national ownership and leadership in this regard are indispensable for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; (ee) Implement macroeconomic, labour and social policies that promote full and productive employment and decent work for all in order to benefit women and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, as well as to enhance economic efficiency and optimize the contribution of women to economic growth and poverty reduction, promote processes to develop and facilitate the availability of appropriate knowledge and technologies globally, and increase awareness among decision-makers, the private sector and employers of the necessity of women’s economic empowerment and their important contribution; Strengthening women’s leadership and women’s full and equal participation in decision-making in all areas of sustainable development (ff) Take measures to ensure women’s full, equal and effective participation in all fields and in leadership at all levels of decision -making in the public and private sectors and in public, social, economic and political life and in all areas of sustainable development; (gg) Take measures to ensure women’s full, equal and effective participation, including through temporary special mea sures as appropriate, by setting and working to achieve concrete goals, targets and benchmarks, including by providing education and training, and by removing all barriers that directly and indirectly hinder the participation of women, and girls where applicable, in decision-making roles in all sectors and at all levels, such as lack of access to quality and inclusive education and training, as well as such barriers as violence, poverty, unequal distribution of unpaid care and domestic work, and gender stereotypes; (hh) Take measures to ensure women’s effective participation at all levels and at all stages in peace processes and mediation efforts, conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and recovery, as set out in relevant Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security; (ii) Encourages States to recognize shared work and parental responsibilities between women and men in order to promote women ’s increased participation in public life, and take appropriate measures to ach ieve this, including measures to reconcile family, private and professional life; (jj) Promote a safe and enabling environment for all civil society actors so that they can fully contribute to the gender-responsive implementation,
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follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda in line with the relevant provisions of the Agenda; (kk) Increase resources and support for grass-roots, local, national, regional and global women’s and civil society organizations to advance and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and the human rights of women and girls; Strengthening gender-responsive data collection, follow-up and review processes (ll) Include a gender-responsive approach in the national follow-up to and review of the 2030 Agenda, taking into account, where applicable, the agreed global indicator framework, 12 and strengthen national statistical capacity, including by enhancing technical and financial assistance to developing countries, to systematically design, collect and ensure access to high-quality, reliable and timely data disaggregated by sex, age and income and other characteristics relevant in national contexts; (mm) Develop and enhance standards and methodologies at the national and international levels to improve the collection, analysis and dissemination of gender statistics on, inter alia, poverty, income distribution within households, unpaid care work, women’s access to, control and ownership of assets and productive resources, participation at all levels of decision -making and violence against women, to measure progress for women and girls with regard to sustainable development in the context of the 2030 Agenda; (nn) Enhance technical and financial collaboration between countries, with the support of United Nations entities, within their mandates, and the participation of civil society organizations as appropriate, with the aim of collecting data and statistics to follow up on and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda from a gender equality perspective. Enhancing national institutional arrangements 24. The Commission calls upon Governments to strengthen the authority and capacity, including through funding where possible, of national mechanisms for promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, at all levels, including to support the mainstreaming of a gender perspective across all policies and programmes in all sectors of government in the context of the 2030 Agenda, and promote the visibility of and support for these mechanisms. 25. The Commission also calls upon Governments to enhance coherence and coordination of national mechanisms for promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, with relevant government agencies and other stakeholders, where appropriate, to ensure that national planning, decision-making, policy formulation and implementation, budgeting processes and institutional structures contribute to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
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26. The Commission calls upon the United Nations system entities, within their respective mandates, to support States, upon their request, in their gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 27. The Commission recognizes its primary role for the follow -up to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in which its work is grounded and stresses that it is critical to address and integrate gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls throughout national, regional and global reviews of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to ensure synergies between the follow-up to the Beijing Platform for Action and the gender responsive follow-up to the 2030 Agenda. 28. The Commission calls upon UN-Women to continue to play a central role in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and in supporting Member States, upon their request, in coordinating the United Nations system and in mobilizing civil society, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders, at all levels, in support of the full, effective an d accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda. 29. The Commission recalls General Assembly resolution 70/163 and encourages the secretariat to consider how to enhance the participation, including at the sixty-first session of the Commission, of national human rights institutions that are fully compliant with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles), where they exist, in compliance with the rules of procedure of the Economic and Social Council. 30. The Commission affirms that it will contribute to the thematic reviews of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals taking place at the high -level political forum on sustainable development and will exercise its catalytic role for gender mainstreaming so as to ensure that follow -up and review processes benefit all women and girls and contribute to the full realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by 2030.
B.
Draft resolutions for adoption by the Council 2. The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft resolutions: Draft resolution I Multi-year programme of work of the Commission on the Status of Women* The Economic and Social Council, Recalling that, in its resolutions 1987/24 of 26 May 1987, 1990/15 of 24 May 1990, 1996/6 of 22 July 1996, 2001/4 of 24 July 2001, 2006/9 of 25 July 2006, 2009/15 of 28 July 2009 and 2013/18 of 24 July 2013, the Council adopted multi-year programmes of work for a focused and thematic approach for the Commission on the Status of Women, * For the discussion, see chap. II.
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Recalling also that in its resolution 2013/18 the Council requested the Commission at its sixtieth session to decide on its future multi -year programme of work, Recalling further its resolution 2015/6 of 8 June 2015, in which the Council requested the Commission to continue to apply a thematic approach to its work and to adopt a multi-year programme of work to allow predictability and adequate time for preparation; in selecting its priority theme, taking into consideration, in addition to the Beijing Platform for Action 13 and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, 14 the programme of work of the Council, as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 15 so as to build synergies and contribute to the work of the Council and the high-level political forum on sustainable development, according to the modalities to be established by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in the context of the high-level political forum, Recalling that the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on the Status of Women, in accordance with their respective mandates and in accordance with Assembly resolution 48/162 of 20 December 1993 and other relevant resolutions, should constitute a three tiered intergovernmental mechanism that would play the primary role in the overall policymaking and follow-up, and in coordinating the implementation and monitoring of the Beijing Platform for Action and reaffirming the catalytic role of the Commission in mainstreaming a gender perspective in policies and programmes, Acknowledging the centrality of the Beijing Platform for Action to the work of the Commission on the Status of Women, and recognizing that a robust, voluntary, effective, participatory, transparent and integrated follow -up and review framework of the 2030 Agenda will make a vital contribution to the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and help countries to maximize and track progress in order to ensure that no one is left behind, Recalling the invitation to the Commission on the Status of Women to consider the issue of the empowerment of indigenous women at a future session, as stated in paragraph 19 of General Assembly resolution 69/2 of 22 September 2014, and acknowledging the intention to place this issue as a focus area of its sixty-first session, Themes for 2017-2019 1. Decides that the Commission’s multi-year programme of work for the sixty-first, sixty-second and sixty-third sessions will be as follows: (a)
Sixty-first session (2017): (i) Priority theme: women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work;
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Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4 -15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II. General Assembly resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex. General Assembly resolution 70/1.
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(ii) Review theme: challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls (agreed conclusions of the fifty-eighth session); (b)
Sixty-second session (2018): (i) Priority theme: challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls; (ii) Review theme: participation in and access of women to the media, and information and communications technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women (agreed conclusions of the forty-seventh session);
(c)
Sixty-third session (2019): (i) Priority theme: social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; (ii) Review theme: women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session);
2. Requests the Commission, in order to achieve concrete results in each review cycle, to consider and make a recommendation at its sixty-second session on how best to utilize the year 2020, on the occasion of the twenty -fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, so as to accelerate the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; 3. Affirms that the Commission will contribute to the thematic reviews of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals 3 taking place at the high-level political forum. Draft resolution II Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women* The Economic and Social Council, Having considered with appreciation the report of the SecretaryGeneral, 1 Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 2 in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, 3 and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session __________________
* For the discussion, see chap. III. 1 E/CN.6/2016/6. 2 Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 15 -26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.IV.10), chap. I, sect. A. 3 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.
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Stressing also the importance of providing assistance, especially emergency assistance, to alleviate the dire socioeconomic and humanitarian situation being faced by Palestinian wo men and their families, and recognizing the essential efforts and support being provided by the United Nations agencies and other humanitarian aid organizations on the ground, particularly in response to the grave humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Recalling the convening of the Cairo International Conference on Palestine: Reconstructing Gaza, on 12 October 2014, and urging the timely and full disbursement of pledges for expediting the provision of humanitarian assistance and the reconstruction process, which is essential for alleviating the distress of Palestinian women and their families, Expressing grave concern that Palestinian women and girls continue to be held in Israeli prisons or detention centres under harsh conditions including, inter alia, unhygienic conditions, solitary confinement, extensive use of administrative detention of excessive duration without charge and denial of due process, and noting that women and girls also face gender -specific challenges, including inadequate access to medical care, risks associated with pregnancy and giving birth in prison and sexual harassment, Reiterating the importance of increasing the role of women in peacebuilding and decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and the peaceful resolution of conflicts as part of efforts to ensure the safety and well being of all women in the region, and stressing the importance of women ’s equal participation and involvement in all efforts for the achievement, maintenance and promotion of peace and security, 1. Reaffirms that the Israeli occupation remains the major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development of their society, and stresses the importance of efforts to increase their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution and to ensure their equal participation and involvement in all efforts for the achievement, maintenance and promotion of peace and security; 2. Calls upon the international community, in this regard, to continue to provide urgently needed assistance, especially emergency assistance, and services, bearing in mind, inter alia, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 9 and national priorities, in an effort to alleviate the dire humanitari an crisis being faced by Palestinian women and their families, in particular for addressing the humanitarian crisis and immense reconstruction and recovery needs in the Gaza Strip, and to help in the reconstruction of relevant Palestinian institutions, wit h the integration of a gender perspective into all of its international assistance programmes, commends the achievements of the Palestinian Government in constructing the institutions of an independent Palestinian State, as confirmed by international institutions, including by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations, and calls for continued support of these efforts; 3. Calls upon international donors to fulfil without delay all pledges made on 12 October 2014 at the Cairo International Conference on Palestine: Reconstructing Gaza, in order to expedite the provision of humanitarian assistance __________________ 9
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and the reconstruction process, which is essential for alleviating the distress of Palestinian women and their families; 4. Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the provisions and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 the Regulations annexed to the Hague Convention IV of 18 October 1907, the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949 11 and all other relevant rules, principles and instruments of international law, including the International Covenants on Human Rights, 6 in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families; 5. Urges the international community to continue to give special attention to the promotion and protection of the human rights of Palestinian women and girls and to intensify its measures to improve the difficult conditions being faced by Palestinian women and their families living under Israeli occupation; 6. Calls upon Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties, in compliance with the relevant United Nations resolutions; 7. Urges the international community to make renewed efforts aimed at advancing and accelerating the conclusion of a peace treaty based on clear parameters and with a defined time frame to attain without delay an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 b y resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues, without exception, for a just, lasting and peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in accordance with the internationally recognized basis of the two-State solution, and of the Arab-Israeli conflict as a whole, for the realization of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East; 8. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to continue to monitor and take action with regard to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward -looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 2 in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action 3 and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century�; 4 9. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to review the situation, to assist Palestinian women by all available means, including those laid out in his 1 report, and to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women at its sixty-first session a report, including information provided by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, on the progress made in the implement ation of the present resolution.
C.
Draft decision for adoption by the Council 3. The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Council the adoption of the following draft decision:
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Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its sixtieth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the sixty-first session of the Commission* The Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its sixtieth session and approves the provisional agenda and documentation for the sixty -first session of the Commission set out below: 1.
Election of officers.
2.
Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters. Documentation Annotated provisional agenda and proposed organization of work of the Commission on the Status of Women
3.
Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”: (a)
Implementation of strategic objectives and action in critical areas of concern and further actions and initiatives: (i)
Priority theme: women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work;
(ii)
Review theme: challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls (agreed conclusions of the fiftyeighth session);
Documentation Report of the Secretary-General on women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work Report of the Secretary-General on the challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls (agreed conclusions of the fifty eighth session) Report of the Under-Secretary-General/Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women Note by the Secretariat containing a discussion guide for the ministerial round tables (b)
Emerging issues, trends, focus areas and new approaches to questions affecting the situation of women, including equality between women and men;
(c)
Gender mainstreaming, situations and programmatic matters.
* For the discussion, see chaps. VI and VII.
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Documentation Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women Report of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on the activities of the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women Note by the Secretariat transmitting the outcome of relevant sessions of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women 4.
Communications concerning the status of women. Documentation Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the list of confidential communications concerning the status of women and responses thereto
5.
Follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions. Documentation Letter from the President of the Economic and Social Council to the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women Note by the Secretariat serving as a contribution to the work of the Economic and Social Council
D.
6.
Provisional agenda for the sixty-second session of the Commission.
7.
Adoption of the report of the Commission on its sixty-first session.
Matters brought to the attention of the Council 4. The following resolutions and decision adopted by the Commission are brought to the attention of the Economic and Social Council: Resolution 60/1 Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts The Commission on the Status of Women, Guided by the purposes, principles and provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, Guided also by the principles and norms of international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 1 and the Additional Protocols thereto of 1977, 2 as well as relevant international standards of human rights, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human
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* For the discussion, see chap. III. 1 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, Nos. 970-973. 2 Ibid., vol. 1125, Nos. 17512 and 17513.
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Rights, 3 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 4 the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 4 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 5 the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 6 the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 7 and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 25 June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights, 8 Taking duly into account the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 61/177 of 20 December 2006, 9 Recalling all its previous resolutions on the release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts, 10 as well as all relevant resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council concerning hostage -taking and General Assembly resolution 61/172 of 19 December 2006, Recognizing that women and children bear particular vulnerabilities when taken hostage, including sexual violence and reproductive health concerns, Recognizing also that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person and that the taking of hostages is an offence of grave concern to the international community, Recalling the relevant provisions contained in the instruments of international humanitarian law relative to the protection of the civilian population as such, Reaffirming the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 11 as well as the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”, 12 and the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on children, entitled “A world fit for children”, 13 including the provisions therein regarding violence against women and children, and further reaffirming the declarations of the Commission on the Status of Women on the tenth, fifteenth and twentieth anniversaries of the Fourth World Conference on Women, 14 __________________ 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
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General Assembly resolution 217 A (III). See General Assembly resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378. Ibid., vol. 1577. No. 27531. Ibid., vol. 1465, No. 24841. A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2716, No. 48088. Resolutions 39/2, 40/1, 41/1, 42/2, 43/1, 44/1, 45/1, 46/1, 48/1, 50/1, 52/1, 54/3, 56/1 and 58/1. Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4 -15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution I, annexes I and II. General Assembly resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex. General Assembly resolution S-27/2, annex. Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2005, Supplement No. 7 and corrigendum (E/2005/27 and Corr.1-E/CN.6/2005/11 and Corr.1), chap. I, sect. A; ibid., 2010, Supplement No. 7 and corrigendum (E/2010/27 and Corr.1-E/CN.6/2010/11 and Corr.1), chap. I, sect. A; and ibid., 2015, Supplement No. 7 (E/2015/27-E/CN.6/2015/10), chap. I, sect. C, resolution 59/1.
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Recalling General Assembly resolution 57/337 of 3 July 2003 on the prevention of armed conflict, and Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000, 1828 (2008) of 31 July 2008, 1888 (2009) of 30 September 2009, 1889 (2009) of 5 October 2009, 1960 (2010) of 16 December 2010, 2106 (2013) of 24 June 2013, 2122 (2013) of 18 October 2013 and 2242 (2015) of 13 October 2015 on women, peace and security, as well as Council resolutions 1314 (2000) of 11 August 2000, 1379 (2001) of 20 November 2001, 1460 (2003) of 30 January 2003, 1539 (2004) of 22 April 2004, 1612 (2005) of 26 July 2005, 1882 (2009) of 4 August 2009, 1998 (2011) of 12 July 2011, 2068 (2012) of 19 September 2012, 2143 (2014) of 7 March 2014 and 2225 (2015) of 18 June 2015 on children and armed conflict, and Council resolutions 2133 (2014) of 27 January 2014, 2249 (2015) of 20 November 2015, 2253 (2015) of 17 December 2015 and 2255 (2015) of 21 December 2015 on kidnapping for ransom and hostage-taking by terrorists, Expressing grave concern at the continuation of armed conflicts in many regions throughout the world and the human suffering and humanitarian emergencies they cause, Noting the particular impact that trafficking in persons in situations of armed conflict has on women and children, including their increased vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence, and expressing solidarity with and compassion for women and children who are trafficked, as noted in the statement of 16 December 2015 by the President of the Security Council, 15 Noting also that women and children who are taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, including in armed conflicts, whether international or non-international, are victims of serious violations or abuses of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law, which continues to have a negative impact on efforts to put an end to those conflicts and causes suffering to the families of those women and children, and stressing, in this regard, the need to address the issue from a humanitarian perspective, among others, Emphasizing that all forms of violence in areas of armed conflict committed against the civilian population as such, including taking women and children hostage, seriously contravene international humanitarian law, in particular as set out in the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, Cognizant that States that are parties to an armed conflict have a responsibility not to take hostage and subsequently imprison women and children in armed conflicts and to ensure accountability as regards the implementation of relevant mechanisms, policies and laws in order to protect them, bearing in mind that all parties to a conflict must refrain from hostage taking, Concerned that, despite the efforts of the international community, acts of hostage-taking in different forms and manifestations, including those committed by terrorists and armed groups, continue to take place and have even increased in many regions of the world, __________________ 15
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Noting with concern the serious threats posed by transnational organized crime in some regions and its increasing links, in some cases, with terrorism, and strongly condemning the incidents of kidnapping and hostage-taking committed for any purpose, including raising funds or gaining political concessions, Recognizing that addressing the problem of hostage-taking calls for resolute, firm and concerted efforts on the part of the interna tional community, in accordance with humanitarian law and international human rights law, in order to bring such abhorrent practices to an end and hold perpetrators accountable, Expressing its strong belief that the rapid and unconditional release of women and children taken hostage in areas of armed conflict will promote the implementation of the noble goals enshrined in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the outcomes of the twenty -third special session of the General Assembly and the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on children, including the provisions therein regarding violence against women and children, Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General, 16 1. Reaffirms that hostage-taking, wherever and by whomever committed, is an illegal act aimed at the destruction of human rights and is, under any circumstances, unjustifiable; 2. Condemns all violent acts committed against the civilian population as such, in violation of international humanitarian law in situations of armed conflict, and calls for an effective response to such acts, in particular the immediate release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts, including by strengthening international cooperation in the field; 3. Also condemns the acts committed in the context of hostage -taking, in particular torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, murder, rape, slavery and trafficking in women and children, a nd deplores their consequences; 4. Urges States that are parties to an armed conflict to take all measures necessary, in a timely manner, to determine the identity, fate and whereabouts of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts, and to the greatest possible extent, to provide their family members, through the appropriate channels, with all relevant information they have on their fate and whereabouts; 5. Invites States, in this regard, to adopt a comprehensive approach, including all appropriate legal and practical measures and coordination mechanisms; 6. Recognizes the need for the collection, protection and management of information on women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts, according to international and national legal norms and standards, and urges States to cooperate with each __________________ 16
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other and with other appropriate actors working in this area by, inter alia, providing all relevant and appropriate information; 7. Strongly urges all parties to armed conflicts to respect fully the norms of international humanitarian law and to take all measures necessary for the protection of the civilian population as such, including measures to prevent and combat acts of hostage-taking; 8. Urges all parties to armed conflicts to provide safe, unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance for those women and children, in accordance with international humanitarian law; 9. Also urges all parties to armed conflicts to cooperate fully with the International Committee of the Red Cross and, where relevant, with national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, in establishing the fate and whereabouts of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned; 10. Stresses both the need for increased accountability and the responsibility of all States to prosecute or bring to justice, in accordance with international law, those responsible for war crimes, including hostage -taking and sexual violence; 11. Also stresses the need to address the issue of the release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts, also as part of peace processes, with reference to all justice and rule of-law mechanisms, on the basis of transparency, accountability and public involvement and participation; 12. Emphasizes the importance of exchanging objective, reliable and impartial information, including through improved analysis and dissemination of data disaggregated by sex and age, on hostages, verifiable by relevant international organizations, in facilitating their release, and calls for assistance, as appropriate, to those organizations in this regard; 13. Highlights the importance of the rehabilitation of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts, recognizing their particular vulnerability to violence, including sexual violence, in those situations, and urges the co ncerned States to take all measures practically possible to this end; 14. Requests the Secretary-General, in the context of the present resolution, to continue to widely disseminate information, in particular relating to Security Council resolution 1325 (2000); 15. Requests the Secretary-General and all relevant international organizations to use their capabilities and undertake efforts to facilitate the immediate release of women and children who have been taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned; 16. Invites the Special Rapporteurs of the Human Rights Council, within their respective mandates, as well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, to
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continue to address the issue of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts and its consequences; 17. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women at its sixty-second session a report on the implementation of the present resolution, including relevant practical recommendations, taking into account the information provided by States and relevant international organizations; 18.
Decides to consider the question at its sixty-second session.
Resolution 60/2 Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS* The Commission on the Status of Women, Reaffirming the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1 and the outcomes of its reviews, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, 2 the outcome documents of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, 3 the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 4 and the key actions for its further implementation and the outcomes of its reviews, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 5 the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women; 6 the 2011 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Intensifying Our Efforts to Eliminate HIV and AIDS, 7 Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 on women and peace and security and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 8 including the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the resolve of Member States to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, Noting with deep concern that the global HIV epidemic disproportionately affects women and girls and acknowledging the progress achieved in the realization of Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals, halting and reversing the spread of HIV where the global response to HIV has averted millions of new HIV infections and AIDS -related deaths since 2000, when the Goals were set, Recognizing the need to intensify efforts to end the AIDS epidemic through fast-tracking the HIV response across the prevention and treatment continuum, including in the context of the 90-90-90 targets of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and acknowledging the specific vulnerabilities of adolescent and young girls and women owing to, inter alia, unequal power relations in society between women and men, boys and girls,
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* For the discussion, see chap. III. 1 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annexes I and II. 2 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378. 3 General Assembly resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex. 4 Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5 -13 September 1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1, annex. 5 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531. 6 General Assembly resolution 48/104. 7 General Assembly resolution 65/277, annex. 8 General Assembly resolution 70/1.
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Acknowledging that prevention, treatment, care and support for people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS are mutually reinforcing elements of an effective response that must be integrated into a comprehensive multisectoral gender responsive approach to end the AIDS epidemic, Noting with concern that regulations, policies and practices, including those that limit the legitimate trade in generic medicines, may seriously limit access to affordable HIV treatment and other pharmaceutical products in low and middle-income countries, recognizing that improvements can be made, inter alia through national legislation, regulatory policy and supply chain management, and noting that reductions in barriers to affordable products could be explored in order to expand access to affordable and good -quality HIV prevention products, diagnostics, medicine and treatment commodities for HIV, including for opportunistic infections and co -infections, Stressing that gender equality and the political, civil, social, economic and cultural empowerment of women and girls, as well as the full and equal enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, are fundamental in the eradication of poverty and the achievement of sustainable development, Stressing also that the lack of protection and promotion of the human rights of all women and their sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences, and insufficient access to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, aggravates the impact of the AIDS epidemic especially among women and girls, increasing their vulnerability and endangering the survival of prese nt and future generations, Recognizing that children and adolescents are more likely to be lost to care and that those on antiretroviral medication are less likely than adults to reach viral load suppression and that there are many challenges in diagnosi ng and treating infants, children and adolescents, Stressing the value and importance of social protection for the most vulnerable in achieving universal health coverage that comprises universal and equitable access to quality health services and ensures affordable and quality service delivery to people living with HIV, including women and children, and making sure that universal health coverage also promotes HIV/AIDS responses, Recognizing that over 13.3 million children have lost one or two parents to HIV and AIDS and that those children have complex needs pertaining to protection, care and support and that they may be at increased risk of infection, as well as at increased risk of violence, including sexual and gender based violence, Noting with appreciation the efforts of Member States and the United Nations system to end all forms of violence against women and children, in particular the girl child, including the Secretary General’s campaign “UNiTE to End Violence against Women” and the “HeForShe” campaign,
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Deeply concerned that all forms of violence against women and girls, discrimination and harmful practices are among key c ontributing factors to the spread of HIV among women and girls, Deeply concerned also by the increased vulnerability to HIV infection faced by women and girls living with disabilities resulting from, inter alia, legal and economic inequalities, sexual and gender-based violence, discrimination and violations of their rights, Noting with concern that populations destabilized by armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters, internally displaced persons, refugees and, in particular, women and children, especially girls, are at increased risk of HIV infection, Recognizing that women and girls are more vulnerable to HIV infection and that they bear a disproportionate burden of the impact of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, including the care of and support for those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS, and that this negatively affects the enjoyment of their human rights, including the right to health, Recognizing also that access to quality education and information and the retention of girls in school are critical elements in the prevention of HIV infection among women and girls, Acknowledging the leadership of governments, in cooperation with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and other specialized agencies of the United Nations, the international donor community and financing mechanisms, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, in increasing domestic and international resources to support programmes that promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls to address HIV and AIDS, Welcoming the leadership and commitment shown in all aspects of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, including in the HIV and AIDS response, by governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and people living with HIV, including through the African Union road map on shared responsibility and global solidarity for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria response in Africa, 1. Calls upon governments, international partners and civil society to give full attention to the high levels of new HIV infections among y oung women and adolescent girls and its root causes, bearing in mind that women and girls are physiologically more vulnerable to HIV, especially at an earlier age, than men and boys, and that this is increased by discrimination and all forms of violence against women, girls and adolescents, including sexual exploitation and harmful practices; 2. Calls upon Member States to intensify efforts to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all spheres of life, recognizing that structural gender inequalities, discrimination, violence against women and girls and harmful masculinities undermine effective HIV responses and the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by women and girls;
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3. Calls upon all governments to enact and intensify the implementation of laws, policies and strategies to eliminate all forms of gender-based violence and discrimination against women and girls in the public and private spheres and harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, female genital mutilation and trafficking in persons, and ensure the full engagement of men and boys in order to reduce the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV; 4. Also calls upon all governments to intensify efforts to reduce the particularly high levels of HIV infection among women and girls, who epidemiological evidence shows are at higher risk, by reducing barriers to their participation in HIV prevention and care, where possible, as well as removing barriers to their full participation in society, and by addressing practices such as trafficking in persons that contribute to HIV risk and the social marginalization of women and girls; 5. Further calls upon all governments to ensure a just and equitable world for women and girls, including through partnering with men and boys, as an important strategy for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; 6. Calls upon all governments to promote universal health coverage, as part of a comprehensive social protection package, which implies that all people have equal access, without discrimination of any kind, to nationally determined sets of the quality promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative basic health services needed and to essential, safe, affo rdable, effective and quality medicines, especially through the promotion of primary health care, while ensuring that the use of those services does not expose the users to financial hardship, with a specific emphasis on women, children and the poor, vulnerable and marginalized segments of the population; 7. Urges Member States to adopt and implement measures that promote access to, retention in and completion of education by girls, including catch-up and literacy education for those who did not receive formal education, special initiatives for keeping girls in school through post -primary education, including those who are already married or pregnant, or caring for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, and adopt social protection measures as protective strategies to reduce new HIV infections among young women and girls; 8. Calls upon Member States to address gender-based HIV-related stigma and discrimination against and among women and girls, so as to ensure the dignity, rights and privacy of women and girls living with and affected by HIV and AIDS, including in education, training and informal education and the workplace; 9. Urges governments to eliminate gender inequalities and genderbased abuse and violence, increase the capacity of women and adolescent girls to protect themselves from the risk of HIV infection, principally through the provision of health care and services, including, inter alia, sexual and reproductive health care, as well as full access to comprehensive information and education, ensure that women can exercise their right to have control over, and decide freely and responsibly on, matters related to their sexuality,
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including their sexual and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence, in order to increase their ability to protect themselves from HIV infection, and take all necessary measures to create an enabling environment for the empowerment of women and strengthen their economic independence and, in that context, reiterates the importance of the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality; 10. Calls upon Member States to recognize women’s contribution to the economy and their active participation in caring for people living with HIV and AIDS and recognize, redistribute and value women’s unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure, the promotion of equal sharing of responsibilities with men and boys, and social protection targeted at women and girls who are vulnerable; 11. Calls upon governments to accelerate efforts to scale up scientifically accurate age-appropriate comprehensive education, relevant to cultural contexts, that provides adolescent girls and boys and young women and men, in and out of school, consistent with their evolving capacities , with information on sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention, gender equality and women’s empowerment, human rights, physical, psychological and pubertal development and power in relationships between women and men, to enable them to build self-esteem, informed decision-making, communication and risk reduction skills and develop respectful relationships, in full partnership with young persons, parents, legal guardians, caregivers, educators and health-care providers, in order to enable them to protect themselves from HIV infection; 12. Also calls upon governments to take concrete long-term measures to achieve universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, programmes, treatment, care and support for all women and girls and to remove all barrie rs to achieving universal health coverage and improve access to integrated sexual reproductive health-care services, information, voluntary counselling and testing and commodities, while building the capacity of adolescent girls and boys, young women and men to protect themselves from HIV infection and enabling their use of available commodities, including female and male condoms, post-exposure prophylaxis and pre-exposure prophylaxis, while seeking to avoid risk-taking behaviour and encouraging responsible sexual behaviour; 13. Urges governments to commit to remove before 2030, obstacles that limit the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to provide affordable and effective HIV prevention and treatment products, diagnostics, medicines and commodities and other pharmaceutical products, as well as treatment for opportunistic infections and co-infections, and to reduce the costs associated with lifelong chronic care, including by amending national laws and regulations, so as to: (a) Optimize the use to the full extent of existing flexibilities under the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights specifically geared to promoting access to and trade in medicines and, while recognizing the importance of the intellectual property rights regime in contributing to a more effective AIDS response, ensure that intellectual property rights provisions in trade agreements do not undermine those existing flexibilities, as confirmed in
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the Doha Declaration on the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and Public Health, and call for early acceptance of the amendment to article 31 of the Agreement adopted by the General Council of the World Trade Organization in its decision of 6 December 2005; (b) Address barriers, regulations, policies and practices that prevent access to affordable HIV treatment by promoting generic competition, in order to help to reduce the costs associated with lifelong chronic care and by encouraging all States to apply measures and proced ures for enforcing intellectual property rights in such a manner as to avoid creating barriers to the legitimate trade in medicines and to provide for safeguards against the abuse of such measures and procedures; (c) Encourage the voluntary use, where appropriate, of new mechanisms such as partnerships, tiered pricing, open -source sharing of patents and patent pools benefiting all developing countries, including through entities such as the Medicines Patent Pool, to help to reduce treatment costs and encourage development of new HIV treatment formulations, including HIV medicines and point-of-care diagnostics, in particular for children; 14. Calls upon governments and stakeholders to uphold commitments to eliminate mother-to-child transmission and keep mothers alive, including through integrating HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, including confidential voluntary counselling and testing and elimination of mother-tochild/vertical transmission, with other primary health-care services, especially sexual and reproductive health-care services, and through means to prevent new infections among women and adolescent girls of reproductive age and the provision of sexual and reproductive health-care services and lifelong antiretroviral medication for women and girls living with HIV; 15. Also calls upon governments and stakeholders to intensify combination prevention initiatives for women and girls for the prevention of new infections and to reverse the spread of HIV and reduce maternal mortality; 16. Urges governments and stakeholders to address the increased vulnerability to HIV faced by older women and women and girls with disabilities, ensuring their equal access to prevention, treatment, care and support, as an integral part of their HIV and AIDS response; 17. Stresses the importance of governments, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and other United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes in developing and implementing strategies to improve infant HIV diagnosis, including through access to diagnostics at the point of care, significantly increasing and improving access to treatment for children and adolescents living with HIV, including access to prophylaxis and treatments for opportunistic infections, and promoting a smooth transition from paediatric to adult treatment and related support and services, while taking into account the need to put in place programmes focused on delivering services to HIV-negative children born to women living with HIV, as they are still at high risk of morbidity and mortality, and developing actions to limit post-delivery transmission through breastfeeding through the provision of information and education;
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18. Calls upon governments and stakeholders to prioritize gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in all policies and programmes related to populations destabilized by armed conflict, including refugees, internally displaced persons and, in particular, women and children, who are at increased risk of HIV infection; 19. Urges governments to increase political commitment and domestic financing to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through national HIV and AIDS responses targeting women and girls that respect, promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms for women and girls, including in the context of the HIV epidemic, and promote equal economic opportunities and decent work for wo men and girls; 20. Also urges governments to promote the active and meaningful participation, contribution and leadership of women and girls living with HIV, civil society actors, the private sector, youth and young men and women ’s organizations, in addressing the problem of HIV and AIDS in all its aspects, including promoting a gender-responsive approach to the national response; 21. Requests governments, the private sector, the international donor community and funds, programmes and agencies of the United Nations to intensify financial and technical support for national efforts to end AIDS and achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, focused on women and girls affected by the HIV and AIDS epidemic, and also to intensify financial and technical support for mainstreaming gender and human rights perspectives in policies, planning, programmes, monitoring and evaluation; 22. Requests governments to make available comprehensive data disaggregated by age, sex and other characteristics relevant in national contexts to inform targeted responses to the gender dimensions of HIV and AIDS; 23. Stresses the importance of building up national competence and capacity to provide an assessment of the drivers and impact of the epidemic, which should be used in HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support and for mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS; 24. Encourages the international community and research institutions to support action-oriented research on gender and HIV and AIDS including on female-controlled prevention commodities; 25. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a progress report on the implementation of the present resolution to the sixty-second session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Decision 60/101 Documents considered by the Commission on the Status of Women* 5. At its 14th and 15th meetings, on 24 March, the Commission on the Status of Women decided to take note of the following documents and to bring to the attention of the Economic and Social Council the Chairs’ summaries of the four ministerial round tables, the ministerial dialogue and the two expert panel * For the discussion, see chap. III and chap. V.
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discussions on the priority theme: Under agenda item 3 Report of the Under-Secretary-General/Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on the normative aspects of the work of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women; 1 Report of the Secretary-General on women’s empowerment and the links to sustainable development; 2 Report of the Secretary-General on the review of the implementation of the agreed conclusions from the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women; 3 Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on the activities of the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women; 4 Report of the Secretary-General on women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS; 5 Report of the Secretary-General on proposals for priority themes for future sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women; 6 Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimi nation against Women on its fifty-eighth, fifty-ninth and sixtieth sessions; 7 Note by the Secretariat on the results of the sixty-first and sixty-second sessions of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; 8 Chair’s summary of the ministerial round table on enhancing national institutional arrangements for gender equality and women’s empowerment; 9 Chair’s summary of the ministerial round table on strengthening normative, legal and policy frameworks for gender equality and women’s empowerment; 10 Chair’s summary of the ministerial round table on financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 11 Chair’s summary of the ministerial round table on fostering gender -responsive data design, collection and analysis, and building the knowledge base; 12
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Chair’s summary of the interactive dialogue among ministers on building alliances for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 13 Chair’s summary of a panel discussion on the priority theme of women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development on the sub -topic of key strategies for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 14 Chair’s summary of a panel discussion on the priority theme of women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development on the sub -topic of participation and partnerships for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 15 Chair’s summary of the discussions on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”. 16 Under agenda item 5 Letter dated 8 December 2015 from the President of the Economic and Social Council to the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women; 17 Note by the Secretariat on the contribution by the Commission on the Status of Women to the work of the Economic and Social Council. 18
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Chapter II Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters 6. The Commission considered agenda item 2 at its 2nd and 14th meetings, on 14 and 24 March. It had before it the following documents: (a) Annotated provisional agenda and proposed organization of work (E/CN.6/2016/1); (b)
Proposed organization of work (E/CN.6/2016/1/Add.1).
7. At its 2nd meeting, on 14 March, the Commission adopted its provisional agenda and approved its organization of work (see chap. VIII, sect. D), on the understanding that further adjustments would be made, as necessary, during the course of the session.
Action taken by the Commission 8. At its 14th meeting, on 24 March, the Commission had before it a draft resolution entitled “Multi-year programme of work of the Commission on the Status of Women� (E/CN.6/2016/L.6), submitted by the Chair of the Commission, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota (Brazil), on the basis of informal consultations. 9. At the same meeting, the Commission was informed that the draft resolution contained no programme budget implications. 10. Also at the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution and recommended it to the Economic and Social Council for its adoption (see chap. I, sect. B, draft resolution I).
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Chapter III Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century” 11. The Commission considered item 3 of its agenda at its 2nd to 14th meetings, from 14 to 24 March 2016. It held general discussions at its 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 11th, 12th and 13th meetings. It had before it the following documents: (a) Report of the Under-Secretary-General/Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on the normative aspects of the work of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (E/CN.6/2016/2); (b) Report of the Secretary-General on women’s empowerment and the links to sustainable development (E/CN.6/2016/3); (c) Report of the Secretary-General on the review of the implementation of the agreed conclusions from the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women (E/CN.6/2016/4); (d) Note by the Secretariat on the discussion guide for the ministerial round tables to be held under the priority theme “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development” (E/CN.6/2016/5); (e) Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women (E/CN.6/2016/6); (f) Report of the Secretary-General on the release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts (E/CN.6/2016/7); (g) Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on the activities of the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women (A/HRC/32/3-E/CN.6/2016/8); (h) Report of the Secretary-General on women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS (E/CN.6/2016/9); (i) Report of the Secretary-General on proposals for priority themes for future sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women ( E/CN.6/2016/10); (j) Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its fifty-eighth, fifty-ninth and sixtieth sessions (A/70/38); (k) Note by the Secretariat on the results of the sixty-first and sixty-second sessions of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (E/CN.6/2016/13); (l) Statements submitted by non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (E/CN.6/2016/NGO/1-179).
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12. At the 2nd meeting, on 14 March, the President of the General Assembly at its seventieth session, Mogens Lykketoft (Denmark), and the Secretary-General addressed the Commission. 13. At the same meeting, a statement was made by the Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council, Jürg Lauber (Switzerland). 14. Also at the same meeting, introductory statements were made by the UnderSecretary-General/Executive Director for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Special Rapporteur of the Human Ri ghts Council on violence against women, its causes and consequences. 15. Also at the 2nd meeting, statements were made by the representatives of the United Republic of Tanzania (on behalf of the African Group), the Dominican Republic (on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) and Guyana (on behalf of the Caribbean Community). 16. At the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of Thailand (on behalf of the Group of 77 and China), the Netherlands (on behalf of the European Union), Viet Nam (on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Honduras (also on behalf of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, comprising the Central American Integration System), Slovenia (also on behalf of Austria, Chile, Costa Rica, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, Norway, Panama, Switzerland, South Africa and Thailand, comprising the Human Security Network), Nauru (on behalf of the Pacific small island developing States), the Gambia, Nepal, Kazakhstan and Denmark. 17. At the 4th meeting, on 15 March, statements were made by the representatives of Japan, Israel, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, Cuba, Paraguay and Belgium. 18. At the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of Botswana (on behalf of the Southern African Development Community), Papua New Guinea (on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum), Canada, Morocco, Angola, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Peru, Poland, Kuwait, Iceland, Austria, Mozambique, South Africa, Bahrain, Côte d’Ivoire, Norway, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Costa Rica, Madagascar, Mali, Latvia, Sweden and Nigeria. 19. At the 5th meeting, on 15 March, statements were made by the representatives of Indonesia, Malawi, India, Liberia, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, Mongo lia, El Salvador, Kenya, Liechtenstein, China and Uganda. 20. At the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of the Philippines, Tunisia, Trinidad and Tobago, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Honduras, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Viet Nam, Estonia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Jordan, Afghanistan, Suriname, Zambia, Mauritius, the Republic of Moldova, Sri Lanka, Mauritania and South Sudan. 21. At the 6th meeting, on 15 March, statements were made by the representative s of the United Republic of Tanzania, Pakistan, Egypt, Switzerland, the Russian Federation, the Congo and Spain. 22. At the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of Botswana, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Mexico, Argentina, Turkmenistan, Hungary, Bahamas, Chile,
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the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Portugal, Tonga and Solomon Islands. 23. At the 7th meeting, on 16 March, statements were made by the representatives of El Salvador (also on behalf of Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), C hile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and Uruguay, comprising the Group of Friends of Older Persons), Burkina Faso, Germany and Finland. 24. At the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Kuwait, the Netherlands and Nicaragua. 25. Also at the same meeting, statements were made by the observer of the State of Palestine. 26. Also at the 7th meeting, the representative of Israel made a statement in exercise of the right of reply. 27. At the 11th meeting, on 18 March, statements were made by the representatives of the Niger, Lesotho, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador and the Sudan. 28. At the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of Romania, Sierra Leone, Georgia, Australia, Greece, Malaysia, Burundi, Italy, New Zealand, Samoa, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Eritrea, the Marshall Islands, Slovakia, Turkey, Panama, Seychelles, Rwanda, Malta, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Cameroon and Cyprus. 29. Also at the same meeting, a statement was made by the representative of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN -Habitat). 30. At the 12th meeting, on 18 March, statements were made by the representatives of Iran (Islamic Republic of), Tajikistan and the United States of America. 31. At the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of Armenia, Bulgaria, Myanmar, Cabo Verde, Jamaica, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Croa tia, Iraq, Andorra, Ireland, Togo, Tuvalu and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. 32.
Also at the same meeting, a statement was made by the observer of the Holy See.
33. Also at the 12th meeting, statements were made by the observers of the League of Arab States, the African Union, the International Olympic Committee and the International Development Law Organization. 34. At the same meeting, statements were made by the representatives of the World Health Organization and the Economic Commission for Afric a (also on behalf of the Economic Commission for Europe, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia). 35. Also at the same meeting, statements were made by the representatives of the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: International Association for Media and Communication Research, Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer, International Trade Union Confederation, the Presbyterian Church, the International Federation for Home Economics, Women for Women’s Human Rights: New Ways, Association for
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Women’s Rights in Development, Widows for Peace through Demo cracy and the Pacific Disability Forum. 36. At the 13th meeting, on 23 March, statements were made by the representatives of Albania and Bangladesh. 37. At the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of Senegal, Barbados, Guatemala, Algeria, Benin, Kiribati and Fiji. 38. Also at the same meeting, statements were made by the observers of the Union for the Mediterranean, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Inter -Parliamentary Union and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 39. Also at the 13th meeting, statements were made by the representatives of the International Trade Centre, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International Labour Organization. 40. At the same meeting, statements were made by the representatives of the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: ACT Alliance, Amnesty International, Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, Baha’i International Community, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, International Federation of University Women, International Planned Parenthood Federation, International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific, Solar Cookers International, United Nations Association of the United States of America, Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Género, Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Young Women’s Christian Association and The Grail.
A.
1.
Agenda item 3 (a) (i) Implementation of strategic objectives and action in critical areas of concern and further actions and initiatives: priority theme: women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development * Ministerial segment: parallel ministerial round tables 41. At its 3rd meeting, on 14 March, under the ministerial segment, the Commission held four ministerial round tables in parallel meetings on the priority theme “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development”. Round table A: enhancing national institutional arrangements for gender equality and women’s empowerment 42. Ministerial round table A was chaired by the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yoji Muto, who made an opening statement. 43. The Special Envoy for Gender Equality of the African Development Bank, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, served as moderator. * See the Chairs’ summaries of the ministerial round tables (E/CN.6/2016/14-17) and the Chairs’ summaries of the panel discussions (E/CN.6/2016/19 and 20).
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44. The representatives of the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Ghana and the Dominican Republic took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue. 45. The observers of Sweden, India, Mexico, Poland, the Gambia, Hungary, Jordan, Peru, the Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Argentina, Nepal, Estonia, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, Cambodia, Zambia, Georgia and Costa Rica also took part, as did the observer of the State of Palestine. Round table B: strengthening normative, legal and policy frameworks for gender equality and women’s empowerment 46. Ministerial round table B was chaired by the Secretary of Policies for Women’s Work and Economic Autonomy of Brazil, Tatau Godinho, who made an opening statement. 47. The Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, David Nabarro, served as mod erator. 48. The representatives of Japan, the Niger, Belgium, Ecuador, the Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, Pakistan, Egypt, Colombia and Spain took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue. 49. The observers of Mozambique, Nigeria, Austria, Luxembo urg, Chile, France, Norway, Honduras, Lithuania, Slovenia, Portugal, Greece, Burundi, Samoa and Turkey also took part, as did the observer of the European Union. 50. The Assistant Secretary-General/Deputy Executive Director, Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships Bureau, UN-Women, made a statement. Round table C: Financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 51. Ministerial round table C was chaired by the President of the National Council for Women of Egypt, Maya Morsy, who made an opening statement. 52. The Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Conference, Rebecca Grynspan, served as moderator. 53. The representatives of Indonesia, Burkina Faso, Belarus, Paraguay, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi and the Sudan took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue. 54. The observers of Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the Philippines, Guinea, South Africa, South Sudan, Tunisia, Botswana, Namibia, Mali, Iraq and Zimbabwe also took part. Round table D: Fostering gender-responsive data design, collection and analysis, and building the knowledge base 55. Ministerial round table D was chaired by the Parliamentary State Secretary for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germa ny, Elke Ferner, who made an opening statement. 56. The National Statistician and Civil Registrar General of the Philippines, Lisa Grace Bersales, served as moderator.
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57. The representatives of China, Cuba, the Congo, Switzerland, Uruguay, Uganda, Finland and Egypt took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue. 58. The observers of South Sudan, Mauritania, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Eritrea, Canada and Senegal also took part. 59. The Assistant Secretary-General/Deputy Executive Director, Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships Bureau, UN-Women, made a statement. 2.
Ministerial segment: panel discussion on key strategies for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 60. At its 8th meeting, on 16 March, under the ministerial segment, the Commission held a panel discussion on key strategies for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was chaired and moderated by the Vice-Chair of the Commission (Bosnia and Herzegovina). 61. Following an opening statement by the Chair/moderator, presentations were made by the following panellists: economist and current Director for Social Development of the National Planning Department, Colombia, Alejandra Corchuelo; the Andrew Glyn Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, James Heintz; the Government Statistician and Chief Executive of the Ghana Statistical Service, Philomena Efua Nyarko; the Director of Regions Refocus, Anita Nayar; and the Principal Sector Specialist for Gender Equality of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia, Sally Moyle. 62. The representatives of Switzerland, Uganda, China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Indonesia and Japan took part. 63. The observers of Italy, Nigeria and Rwanda also took part, as did the observer of the European Union. 64. The representatives of the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council also took part in the discussion: Centre for Environment Education Society, Soroptimist International and International Trade Union Confederation.
3.
Panel discussion on participation and partnerships for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 65. At its 9th meeting, on 17 March, the Commission held a panel discussion on participation and partnerships for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was chaired and moderated by the Vice-Chair of the Commission (Japan). 66. Following an opening statement by the Chair/moderator, presentations were made by the following panellists: a Member of the Parliament of Tunisia, Olfa Soukri Cherif; the Mayor of Kingston, Jamaica, Angela Brown -Burke; the Chief Counsellor for Social Issues and Director of Gender of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Michaela Bergman; the Chair of the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), Emma Kaliya; and the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.
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67. The representatives of Switzerland, Uganda, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Egypt, the Niger, Japan and the Sudan took part in the ensuing discussion. 68. The observers of Italy, Norway, Estonia, Tunisia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Honduras, Mexico and South Sudan also took part, as did the observer of the European Union. 69. The representatives of the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council also participated in the discussion: Federación Española de Mujeres Directivas, Ejecutivas, Profesionales y Empresarias; Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women; Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights; Education International; and Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Género.
B.
1.
Agenda item 3 (a) (ii) Implementation of strategic objectives and action in critical areas of concern and further actions and initiatives: review theme: the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls ** Ministerial segment: national voluntary presentations 70. At its 4th and 5th meetings, on 15 March, under the ministerial segment, the Commission heard national voluntary presentations o n the review theme, “The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women”, which were held in parallel with the general discussions. 71. At its 4th meeting, the Vice-Chair of the Commission (Germany) made opening remarks. 72. At the same meeting, the Assistant Secretary-General/Deputy Executive Director, Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships Bureau, UN -Women, presented the findings from the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the agreed conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women at its fiftyseventh session (E/CN.6/2016/4). 73. At the 5th meeting, the Vice-Chair of the Commission (Egypt) made opening remarks. National voluntary presentations by Brazil, China and Turkey 74. At its 4th meeting, presentations were made by the Secretary of Policies for Women’s Work and Economic Autonomy, Brazil, Tatau Godinho; a repr esentative of the National Council for the Rights of Women, Brazil, Mara Luzia Feltes, Brazil; the Vice-Chair of the National Working Committee on Children and Women, China, Meng Xiaosi; the Deputy Director General of the Legal Department, All China Women’s Federation, China, Lan Qing; the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Turkey, Sema Ramazanoğlu; and the Director General, General Directorate on the Status of Women, Ministry of Family and Social Policies, Turkey, Gülser Ustaoğlu.
** See the Chair’s summaries of the national voluntary presentations and the panel discussion (E/CN.6/2016/21) and of the interactive dialogue with ministers (E/CN.6/2016/18), available from the website of the Commission. 48/62
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75. The representatives of the United States, India, Switzerland, Indonesia and Belgium took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue. 76.
The observers of Nepal and the Philippines also took part.
National voluntary presentations by Egypt, Japan and Estonia 77. At the same meeting, presentations were made by the President of the National Council for Women of Egypt, Maya Morsy; the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan, Yoji Muto; the Professor Emeritus of Gender Studies and Principal, Jumonji University, Japan, Hiroko Hashimoto; the Minister of Social Protection, Estonia, Margus Tsahkna; and the Head of the Equality Policies Department, Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia, Katri Eespere. 78. The representatives of Spain and Egypt took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue. 79.
The observer of the Philippines also took part.
80. The representative of the Association nigérienne des scouts de l’environnement, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, also took part in the dialogue. National voluntary presentations by Costa Rica and Romania 81. At its 5th meeting, presentations were made by the Minister of Women ’s Condition, Costa Rica, Alejandra Mora Mora; the Head of the National Agency for Gender Equality, Romania, Ioana Liana Cazacu; and the national coordinator of activities related to domestic violence in Romania, Adrian Chesnoiu. 82. The representatives of Colombia, Pakistan, Uganda, the Dominican Republic, Bangladesh and Egypt took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue. 83.
The observers for Senegal and the Gambia also took part.
National voluntary presentations by Sweden and Tunisia 84. At the same meeting, presentations were made by the Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality, Sweden, Åsa Regnér; specialist in clinical psychology and Director of Alternative to Violence, Marius Råkil; the Secretary-General of Unizon (association of women’s shelters and young women’s empowerment centres), Sweden, Olga Persson; the Minister for Women, Family and Children, Tunisia, Samira Merai Friâa; and the Director General of the Centre for Research, Studies, Documentation and Information on Women, Tunisia, Dalenda Larguèche. 85.
The representative of Ecuador took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue .
86.
The observer of the United Kingdom also took part.
87. The representative of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, also took part in the dialogue. 88. Also at the same meeting, the Commission heard statements by the representatives of India, Finland and the Republic of Korea and by the observers of Morocco, Georgia, Argentina, Eritrea, Slovakia, Mexico and the United Kingdom on lessons learned and best practices in the implementation of the review theme.
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Ministerial segment: interactive dialogue with ministers on building alliances for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 89. At its 7th meeting, on 16 March, under the ministerial segment, the Commission held an interactive dialogue with ministers on building alliances for gender responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, chaired by the Secretary of Policies for Women’s Work and Economic Autonomy of Brazil, Tatau Godinho, and moderated by the Chair of the Commission. 90. The representatives of the Republic of Korea, Uganda, Indonesia, Colombia, Liechtenstein, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Egypt, Liberia, Japan and Pakistan took part in the ensuing interactive dialogue. 91. The observers of Norway, South Sudan, Poland, Jordan, France, Argentina, Portugal, South Africa, Mexico and Ecuador also took part. 92. The representatives of the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council also participated in the dialogue: Centro de Culturas Indígenas del Perú, Sveriges Kvinnolobby, Association of War-Affected Women, Bahrain Women Society, International Women ’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific, Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer, Center for Women’s Global Leadership, International Federation of Business and Professional Women, Women against Violence (Europe) and International Alliance of Women. 2.
Panel discussion on addressing data gaps and methodology issues 93. At its 10th meeting, on 17 March, the Commission held a panel discussion on addressing data gaps and methodology issues, moderated by the Vice -Chair of the Commission (Bosnia and Herzegovina). 94. Following a statement by the moderator, presentations were made by the following panellists: the Chief of the Social and Housing Statistics Section, Statistics Division; a researcher at the Regional Center for Multidisciplinary Studies, National Autonomous University, Mexico, Irene Casique Rodríguez; and the Chief Expert of the Division of Social and Demographic Statistics of the Committee for Statistics, Ministry of National Economy, Kazakhstan, Ainur Dossanova. 95. The representatives of Switzerland, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Japan and the United States took part in the ensuing discussion. 96. The observers of Chad, Morocco, Italy, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines, Mexico, South Sudan and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic also took part, as did the observer of the European Union. 97. The representatives of the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council also took p art in the discussion: HelpAge International, Amnesty International and the Global Vision India Foundation. 98. The Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on violence against women, its causes and consequences made a statement.
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C. 1.
Action taken by the Commission Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women 99. At the 13th meeting, on 23 March, the observer of Thailand, on behalf of the States that are members of the Group of 77 and China, taking into account also the provisions of General Assembly resolution 52/250 of 7 July 1998, introduced a draft resolution entitled “Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women” (E/CN.6/2016/L.3). 100. At the 14th meeting, on 24 March, the Commission was informed that the draft resolution contained no programme budget implications. 101. At the same meeting, Turkey joined in sponsoring the draft resolution. 102. Also at the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution by a recorded vote of 20 to 2, with 11 abstentions, and recommended it to the Economic and Social Council for its final adoption (see chap. I, sect. B, draft resolution II). The voting was as follows: In favour: Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russian Federation, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uruguay. Against: Israel, United States of America. Abstaining: Albania, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Finland, Germany, Japan, Liechtenstein, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland. 103. Before the vote, statements were made by the representatives of Israel, Finland (also on behalf of the Member States of the European Union), Kaza khstan, Indonesia and Switzerland. 104. After the vote, statements were made by the representatives of the United States of America and Japan. 105. After the vote, a statement was also made by the observer of the State of Palestine.
2.
Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts 106. At the 14th meeting, on 24 March, the Commission had before it a draft resolution entitled “Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts” (E/CN.6/2016/L.4), submitted by Argentina,* Azerbaijan,* Belarus, Georgia,* Turkey* and the United States of America. 107. At the same meeting, the Commission was informed that the draft resolution contained no programme budget implications. * In accordance with rule 69 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council.
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108. Also at the same meeting, the observer of Azerbaijan, al so on behalf of Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Turkey and the United States of America, made a statement and announced that Armenia and Ukraine had joined in sponsoring the draft resolution. 109. Also at the 14th meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution (see chap. I, section D, resolution 60/1). 3.
Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS 110. At the 15th meeting, on 24 March, the Commission had before it a draft resolution entitled “Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS” ( E/CN.6/2016/L.5), submitted by Botswana,* on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Southern African Development Community. 111. At the same meeting, the observer of Botswana made a statement and orally revised the draft resolution. 112. Also at the same meeting, the Commission was informed that the draft resolution, as orally revised, contained no programme budget implications. 113. Also at the 15th meeting, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia, the Philippines, Thailand and Uganda joined in sponsoring the draft resolution, as orally revised. 114. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap. I, section D, resolution 60/2). 115. After the adoption, statements were made by the representatives of the United States, the Sudan (also on behalf of Algeria, Belarus, Libya, the Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen), Finland (on behalf of the European Union), the Islamic Republic of Iran and Liechtenstein (also on behalf of Australia, Iceland, New Zealand and Norway) and by the observer of Mauritania. 116. The observer of the Holy See also made a statement.
4.
Agreed conclusions on women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development 117. At the 15th meeting, on 24 March, the Commission had before it the draft agreed conclusions entitled “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development”, as contained in an informal paper and submitted by the Cha ir of the Commission, on the basis of informal consultations. 118. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the agreed conclusions and decided to transmit them to the Economic and Social Council, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 68/1 of 20 September 2013 and 70/1 of 21 October 2015 (see chap. I, sect. A). 119. After the adoption, statements were made by the representatives of the United States, Finland (on behalf of the European Union), Egypt (on behalf of the African Group), the Sudan (also on behalf of Libya, the Niger and Nigeria), the Islamic Republic of Iran and Colombia and by the observers of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago (also on behalf of Guyana and Nicaragua), Turkey, Canada (also on behalf of Australia, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Mauritania. 120. The observer of the Holy See also made a statement.
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5.
Documents considered by the Commission on the Status of Women 121. At its 15th meeting, on 24 March, the Commission decided to take note of a number of documents before it under agenda items 3 and 5 (see chap. I, sect. D, decision 60/101).
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Chapter IV Communications concerning the status of women 122. The Commission considered item 4 of its agenda at its 13th (closed) meeting, on 23 March. It had before it the following documents: (a) Report of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women (see para. 124 below); 1 (b) Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the list of confidential communications and replies by governments concerning the status of women (E/CN.6/2016/R.1 and Add.1).
Action taken by the Commission Report of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women 123. At its 13th meeting (closed), on 23 March, the Commission considered the report of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women. 1 124. At the same meeting (closed), the Commission decided to take note of the report of the Working Group and to incorporate it in the report of the Commission on its sixtieth session. The report of the Working Group read as follows: 1. The Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women met in closed meetings before the sixtieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women in accordance with Economic and Social Council decision 2002/235 and was guided in its deliberations by the mandate given to it by the Council in its resolution 76 (V), as amended by the Council in its resolutions 304 I (XI), 1983/27, 1992/19, 1993/11 and 2009/16. 2. The Working Group considered the list of confidential communications and the replies by Governments thereon (E/CN.6/2016/R.1 and Add.1). There was no list of non-confidential communications concerning the status of women, no such communications having been received by the Secretary General. 3. The Working Group considered the 66 confidential communications, addressed to 49 States, received directly by the United Nations Enti ty for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The Working Group noted that no confidential communications concerning the status of women had been received from other United Nations bodies or the specialized agencies. 4. The Working Group noted that there were 28 replies from 21 Governments. 5. The Working Group recalled its mandate as defined in paragraph 4 of Economic and Social Council resolution 1983/27, which stated that the Working Group should perform the following functions: (a) Consideration of all communications, including the replies of Governments thereon, if any, with a view to bringing to the attention of the __________________ 1
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The report was also circulated internally under document symbol E/CN.6/2015/R.2.
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Commission those communications, including the replies of Governments, which appeared to reveal a consistent pattern of reliabl y attested injustice and discriminatory practices against women; (b) Preparation of a report, based on its analysis of the confidential and non-confidential communications, which would indicate the categories in which communications were most frequently submitted to the Commission. 6. The Working Group noted that a number of communications of a general nature had been submitted, as had communications alleging specific cases of discrimination against individual women and girls. 7. The Working Group discerned the following categories in which communications had most frequently been submitted to the Commission: (a) Sexual violence against women and girls, including rape and rape within the family, sexual abuse, including sexual abuse of minors and incest, and sexual harassment, including in the workplace and in schools and universities, committed by private individuals and military and law enforcement personnel; (b) Other forms of violence against women and girls, including targeted killings of women, such as so-called “honour� killings, domestic violence, physical assault, harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation and child and forced marriage, abduction for the purpose of marriage, forced sterilization, including of HIV-positive women, sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation; (c) Abuse of power by law enforcement officials and military personnel, lack of due process and delays in proceedings, arbitrary arrest and detention and failure to grant a fair trial and prevent impunity; (d) Pressure exerted on victims of violence and their fear of reporting cases due to anticipated stigma and reprisals from family, the community and employers, often preventing them from filing complaints; (e) Inadequate conditions for women in detention and penitentiary systems and degrading treatment and torture of and physical and sexual violence against those women; (f) Serious and systematic violations of the human rights of women and girls, some of which target vulnerable and marginalized groups, including discrimination, harassment, degrading treatment and sexual violence; (g) Intimidation, harassment, including judicial and sexual harassment, and detention of and violence and sexual violence against women human rights defenders as a means of exerting pressure on them to stop their activities; (h) Violations of the right to health, including sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights as stipulated in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, of women and girls, including in detention, and restricted access to health -care services; (i) Discrimination against women resulting in the loss of child cust ody to abusive fathers;
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(j) Inadequate institutions, and implementation and/or enforcement of laws aimed at promoting and protecting women’s human rights that is ineffective or lacking; (k) Legislation, policies and/or stereotypical practices and attit udes that discriminate against women in the areas of: (i) Civil and political rights, including freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of movement, and participation in decision -making processes and in public life on an equal basis with men; (ii)
Economic, social and cultural rights;
(iii) Right to property and inheritance; (iv) Personal status, nationality, citizenship, family, marriage and divorce; (v)
Employment;
(vi) Taxation and austerity policies; (vii) Education; (viii) Health care; (ix) Access to justice; (x)
Penal codes and punishment for rape and abduction;
(l)
Failure by States, potentially leading to revictimization, to:
(i) Combat stereotypes of women and exercise due diligence to prevent violence and discrimination against women and girls; (ii) Investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators adequately and in a timely manner, resulting in impunity; (iii) Provide adequate protection and support for victims; (iv) Ensure access to justice. 8. During its consideration of all communications, including the replies of Governments thereon, and its consideration of the question of whether any of those appeared to reveal a consistent pattern of reliably attested injustice and discriminatory practices against women, the Working Group expressed its concern about: (a) Violence against women and girls, including torture, targeted killings, rape and other forms of sexual violence, including sexual harassment and sexual abuse of minors, as well as harassment and detention of women human rights defenders; (b) Harmful practices, including child and forced marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting, and their adverse effects on the full enjoyment by women and girls of their fundamental rights; (c) Violations of the right of women to health, including sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights as stipulated in the Programme of
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Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, and discrimination against women in access to health care; (d) The persistence of gender stereotypes, including in laws, policies and practices; (e) The continued existence of legislation and/or practices in many areas that discriminated against women or had the effect of discriminating against women, implementation of existing laws aimed at protecting and promoting the human rights of women that was ineffective or lacking, and lack of such laws, notwithstanding States’ international obligations and commitments; (f) Discrimination and violence against vulnerable and marginalized groups of women and girls; (g) Persisting impunity and abuse of power, including where discrimination and violence against women, including sexual violence, were perpetrated or condoned by law enforcement personnel; (h) The failure by States to exercise due diligence to prevent all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls and adequately investigate and prosecute such crimes, punish perpetrators and provide protection and assistance to victims and avoid their revictimization. 9. The Working Group expressed appreciation for the cooperation extended by the Governments that had submitted replies or clarifying observations with regard to the communications received, recognizing their importance. Expressing concern about the continuing gap between the number of communications and the number of replies received, the Working Group called upon all Governments that had not done so to make such submissions in the future. The Working Group considered such cooperation e ssential for it to discharge its duties effectively. From the replies received, the Working Group was encouraged to note that some Governments had carried out investigations into the allegations made, explained their positions or taken measures, including improving the enforcement of existing legislation, introducing programmes and services to better protect and assist women, including women victims of violence, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators of violence and making efforts to guarantee the full enjo yment of human rights by women, in accordance with relevant international standards.
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Chapter V Follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions 125. The Commission considered item 5 of its agenda at its 14th meeting on 24 March. It had before it the following documents: (a) Letter dated 8 December 2015 from the President of the Economic and Social Council to the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (E/CN.6/2016/11); (b) Note by the Secretariat on the contribution by the Commission on the Status of Women to the work of the Economic and Social Council ( E/CN.6/2016/12). 126. At the same meeting, upon the proposal of the Chair, the Commission took note of the documents (see chap. I, sect. D, decision 60/101).
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Chapter VI Provisional agenda for the sixty-first session of the Commission 127. The Commission considered item 6 of its agenda at its 15th meeting, on 24 March. It had before it the provisional agenda and documentation for the sixty first session of the Commission (E/CN.6/2016/L.1). 128. At the same meeting, the Commission approved the provisional agenda and documentation for its sixty-first session and recommended them to the Economic and Social Council for adoption (see chap. I, sect. C).
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Chapter VII Adoption of the report of the Commission on its sixtieth session 129. At the 15th meeting, on 24 March, the Vice-Chair-cum-Rapporteur, Šejla Ðurbuzović (Bosnia and Herzegovina), introduced the draft report of the Commission on its sixtieth session, as contained in document E/CN.6/2016/L.2. 130. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft report on its sixtieth session and entrusted the Rapporteur with its finalization.
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Chapter VIII Organization of the session A.
Opening and duration of the session 131. The Commission on the Status of Women held its sixtieth session at United Nations Headquarters on 20 March 2015 and from 14 to 24 March 2016. The Commission held 15 meetings (1st to 15th).
B.
Attendance 132. The session was attended by representatives of 45 States members of the Commission. Observers for other States Members of the United Nations and for non-Member States, representatives of organizations of the United Nations system and observers for intergovernmental, non-governmental and other organizations also attended.
C.
Election of Officers 133. The following officers were elected at the 1st and 2nd meetings of the sixtieth session, on 20 March 2015 and 14 March 2016, to serve on the Bureau of th e Commission at its sixtieth session: Chair: Antonio de Aguiar Patriota (Brazil) Vice-Chairs: Fatmaalzahraa Hassan Abdelaziz Abdelkawy (Egypt) Jun Saito (Japan) Andreas Glossner (Germany) Vice-Chair-cum-Rapporteur: Šejla Đurbuzović (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
D.
Agenda and organization of work 134. At its 2nd meeting, on 14 March 2016, the Commission adopted its agenda as contained in document E/CN.6/2016/1. The agenda read as follows: 1.
Election of officers.
2.
Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.
3.
Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twentythird special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”: (a)
Implementation of strategic objectives and action in critical areas of concern and further actions and initiatives: (i)
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Priority theme: women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development;
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(ii)
4.
Review theme: the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls;
(b)
Emerging issues, trends and new approaches to issues affecting the situation of women or equality between women and men;
(c)
Gender mainstreaming, situations and programmatic matters.
Communications concerning the status of women.
5.
Follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions.
6.
Provisional agenda for the sixty-first session of the Commission.
7.
Adoption of the report of the Commission on its sixtieth session.
135. At the same meeting, the Commission approved its organization of work, as contained in document E/CN.6/2016/1/Add.1.
E.
Documentation 136. The list of documents before the Commission at its sixtieth session is available from www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw60-2016/official-documents.
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