What is the CSW

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a functional commission of the UN, dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide. This year the Commission will focus on two thematic issues:

• 15 year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly, with an emphasis on the sharing of experiences and good practices with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges; and
• Review of its contribution to shaping a gender perspective towards the full realization of the Millennium Development Goals.

Membership and composition

Forty-five Member States of the United Nations serve as members of the Commission at any one time. The Commission consists of one representative from each of the 45 Member States elected by the Council on the basis of equitable geographical distribution: thirteen members from Africa; eleven from Asia; nine from Latin America and Caribbean; eight from Western Europe and other States and four from Eastern Europe. Members are elected for a period of four years.

54th Session 

At its fifty-third session in 2009, the Commission on the Status of Women decided to review the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000), at its fifty-fourth session in 2010, emphasizing the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action was signed in 1995 and states in Section L that ‘all barriers must be eliminated to enable girls without exception to develop their full potential and skills through equal access to education and training, nutrition, physical and mental health care and related information.’