CSW 64 / BEIJING +25 - 2020

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Progress toward Beijing +25 in New York

Civil Society Perspectives 

A Resource Guide for Activists, Re Searchers, and Leaders

by Susan O'Malley, UN Representative, IFBPW, NGO CSW/NY, Chair, and others

This report was made possible by feminists, legal experts, policy leaders and program implementers from nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and civil society who have dedicated their expertise to improving the lives of women and girls, LGBTQ, transgender and gender nonconforming people. 

April 1, 2020

Beijing + 25 and the Coronavirus

by Susan O’Malley, UN Representative, IFBPW, NGO CSW/NY, Chair ex officio

The cancellation of CSW64 was heartbreaking for NGO CSW/NY.  We had been working on NGOCSW Forum 64 since October.  Houry Geudelekian, the new Chair of NGO CSW/NY, and the Executive Committee of which I am an ex officio member and the Planning Committee, had planned all kinds of new things: …

> read more (pdf)

Jan 6, 2020

Conversation Circles Space at NGO CSW64 Forum

From Monday, 9 March to Wednesday, 11 March from 10am to 6pm, participants from around the globe are welcome at the Armenian Convention Center Auditorium as we host a culturally rich experience.

The main auditorium area will provide DISCUSSION space and another smaller area will be designated as RELAXATION space. Please come join us to learn more. Come make a new friend, join a new network, learn something new and make your voice heard  and give input into civil society's Beijing+25 priorities by participating in the fwMAP and fwMACs! 

Check out the schedule here!

Dec 8, 2019

News by Zarin Hainsworth

A limited number of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC will be able to make oral interventions during the interactive panels. Interventions must be focused on the theme of the panel and not on any other issues.

Interventions at interactive expert panels are NOT to be in the form of prepared statements; NGOs are therefore not required to submit copies of such interventions. These interventions must be in the form of comments or questions addressed to the panel experts. Interventions should not exceed three minutes. Instructions will be communicated via e-mail to each NGO representative requesting to make an intervention.

Sign up for NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC wishing to express interest in intervening from the floor during a dialogue or an interactive panel at CSW64 will be open online from 22 January to 11 February 2020.

B+25

For all the information we need on B+25 – here is a link

https://ngocsw.org/beijing25/

Themes

As you are aware there is no review or emerging issue this year.  However we continue to press for Widows to be made the emerging issue in future years.

Also the theme for CSW64 is very wide as it includes the review of the last 25 years, challenges and the link to Agenda 2030. 

In past review years (every 5 years) there has been discussion about the work of CSW and thus it’s mandate alters a bit de facto. 

For the full document from B+20 0 CSW59 – please find the working methods resolution here  https://undocs.org/E/RES/2015/6

This was supposed to be reviewed in CSW60, but this didn't happen  - at least there appears to be no record of the resolution enhanced or progressed.

In 2018, a resolution was put forward by the Bureau, through Ireland which can be found here -  https://undocs.org/E/CN.6/2018/L.6

It is important to take note of the working methods resolution from csw59 as there are many elements in it that we can seek for implementation from, especially this csw – 5  years on

The Political Declaration gives an indication of the kind of document we might get this time.

For CSW64 there will also be a political declaration negotiated before hand.

Preparation for CSW

The Prep for CSW includes Gov reports – can be found online; UN regional events – info also on line; and expert meeting

The expert meeting took place in September and the report is not yet uploaded, but the background papers are found at the end of this email - fyi

SISTAS

This is a musical about human rights written by Dorothy Marcic.  It is at St Lukes Theatre just off Broadway. There is a group going on Sunday 8 March 4.30.  It would be great if the whole theatre was CSW attendees. We are hoping to get a discount but this will only work if there is a good size group.  Please indicate if you are interested.  Rather than email the whole group – please email chairnawo@gmail.com  - subject heading “SISTAS"

Jazz club

There is a great jazz club

Tues night 8-10 on E11th street

Usually big band the first week of CSW

Tickets on the door ( $20 - $10 for students)

Expert papers

Anita Gurumurthy, IT for Change

A feminist manifesto for digitality: Issues in the frame

Anne Marie Goetz, Center for Global Affairs, NYU

Rob Jenkins, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)

The WPS Agenda 25 Years After Beijing

Cai Yiping, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)

The rise of the South: Implications for women's rights

Felogene Anumo, Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)

Our Ancestors Wildest Dreams? Young feminists uphold the visionary potential of Beijing!

Flávia Biroli, University of Brasilia

The crisis of democracy and the backlash against gender

G. Arunima, Centre for Women's Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Gendering Democracy: Necessity and Challenges

Gita Sen, Public Health Foundation of India

The changing landscape of feminist organizing since Beijing

Hanan Tabbara, Women, Peace, and Security and Humanitarian Action Independent Consultant

What Invisibility Reveals: Reflections on Women’s Participation in Peace, Security, and Humanitarian Action in West Asia

Jacqui True, Monash GPS Centre, Monash University

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda 25 years After Beijing: What Difference Could a Feminist Political Economy Perspective Make?

Joni Seager, Bentley University

Gender Equality and Environmental Sustainability in the Age of Crisis

Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The use of biometric technology in social protection systems. A gender perspective

Ruth Milkman, The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)

Gender, Intersectionality and Social Movements in the USA: A New Political Generation

Sibongile Ndashe, Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa

Opportunities, challenges and strategies for progress on gender equality from the perspective of human rights activism in sub-Saharan Africa, and reflections on growing inequalities between different groups of women 

Yasmine Ergas, Columbia University

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: The Pushback and Its Implications

Nov 15, 2019

CSW64 / Beijing+25 - Summary by Zarin Hainsworth

1. Governments sent their reports to UN.  They were supposed to engage with civil society – many did not
2. Civil society can submit parallel reports geographically and by theme – to UN women – on website and considered as much as States Party reports
3. CSO consultations have or are taking place more or less the same time as those undertaken by governments in the UN geographical zones.  For us this was North America and Europe – which took place in Geneva in October.  (Futher info to follow under separate email) The government and the CSO outputs are provided to the UN who will take them into consideration when looking at B+25
4. CSW64 is looking at B+25.  States Parties will negotiate a statement/declaration that will be made on the first day of CSW.  CSO can be engaged with this through lobbying with their own Government.
5. A special session at the General Assembly in September.  At the moment it is unclear as to how much civil society can be involved as passes for the GA are challenging to obtain. The purpose of the special session is to raise the profile of the issues, although as it will be at the GA, the asks might not be as robust as we might wish for.  Hence CSW is the place where we need to raise the bar in terms of highlighting best practice – what works as well as make robust demands.

1. The primary activity of CSW will be to raise awareness of the gaps and challenges still remaining but also the achievements that have been made and suggestions for positive actions that will make a difference.  
2. CSW 64 will also negotiate the themes for the next few years for CSW.  These need to be linked to Agenda 2030 and CEDAW in order to keep governments on track with their existing commitements.  Therefore we need to be consulting together on what we would like to see as the themes – priority, review and emerging issues for the next 5 years
3. Accreditation closes 27 Jan
4. Registration for events within the ngo forum closes today
5. Our caucus will have at least one meeting in the first week and one meeting in the second week.  We are also trying to find other spaces where we can meet to have meaningful conversations.
6. NGOCSW NY holds on line training for CSW64 and is sending out newsletters and other information.  Some links are below.

• UN Women has a vision that 2020 will be the year to make a difference.  
• Celebrating B+25 and engaging both with new communications technologies, and with young people, but also reaching out to achieve the widest engagement possible. 
• All of us can be involved in this process – to raise awareness of our rights, hard won, and enshrined in Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (which we need to read), CEDAW (which we need to know) and Agenda 2030 (which we need to know and understand)
• This is callled Generation Equality.
• There will be two major events – Mexico in May and Paris in July.  
• Numbers will be limited for those attending and the process has yet to be decided.  There will be some funding provided by the private sector and how to ensure that this funding has no strings is being discussed at the moment. 
• The events will be tri-partite ie UN and Governments, civil society, business. Civil society should be 2/3 of the participants
• Countries are encouraged to hold national events at the same time, to increase participation and to decrease carbon footprint
• We are encouraged to hold as many events as possible including conversations, awareness raising in our homes, bigger events etc – in order to raise awareness of the already won rights, and the best way to implement them.
• There are many ways in which we can be involved and the advisory working group is open to anyone who wishes to join
• There are thematic working groups which are also open to anyone who would like to sign up 
• Everyone is encouraged to joint the Feminist and Women’s Movent action plan
• 2020 is also anniversaries of: 5 years Agenda2030, 10 years UN Women, 20 years 1325.

May 24, 2019

The sixty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women is planned to take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 9 to 20 March 2020. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs)from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session.

In 2020, the global community will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). A five-year milestone will be reached towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 2020 is therefore a pivotal year for the accelerated realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, everywhere.

The main focus of the session will be on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

August 23, 2019

Regional contacts for inputs and reporting Beijing +25

• Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) TBD November 2019 in Addis Ababa
• Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) 28 October 2019 in Geneva  >read more: Events
• Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) 4-8 November 2019 in Santiago >read more: Conference Website
• Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)  23-24 November 2019 in Bangkok
• Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) TBD February 2020 in Beirut