The 65th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) was held in March and with the pandemic still happening, it was in a hybrid format with most meetings and events held virtually. The Priority Theme was “Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.” The commission also reviewed the agreed conclusions of the 60th session, “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development.”
It is important that the issues faced by girls, which in most instances are very different to women, are also addressed by the commission and UN member states. Together with the other NGO members of Working Group on Girls we submitted our Written Statement calling to attention the issues faced by girls.
The statement highlighted that “Girls are increasingly at-risk, not only due to the COVID pandemic and the climate crisis, but by the unwillingness of adults to prioritize girls’ rights to equality and commit to addressing all the ways girls continue to be left behind. Progress that has been made is backsliding, and girls suffer inequities on all fronts.”
Read the Working Group on Girls Written Statement here.
