GWL Voices on CSW69 Political Declaration: 7 Key Takeaways on a Renewed Commitment to Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership

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During the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) the global community adopted a strong Political Declaration that reaffirms the commitments made 30 years ago in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This declaration not only celebrates the progress made over the past three decades but also reinforces the urgent need to ensure the rights, equality, and empowerment of women and girls everywhere, as we continue to face challenges in gender equality.

Key Points from the Political Declaration:

  1. Commitment to Human Rights and Equality The Declaration reaffirms the foundational commitments made in the 1995 Beijing Declaration, emphasizing that all women and girls, regardless of background or circumstance, are entitled to full human rights and fundamental freedoms. This includes the right to live free from violence, discrimination, and inequality.
  2. Women in Peace and Security A significant portion of the Declaration focuses on the role of women in peace and security. It stresses the importance of integrating women’s voices and leadership in all stages of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution. The need to ensure that women are involved in shaping peace processes is central to the global vision for a more peaceful and just world.
  3. Poverty Eradication and Education The Declaration underscores the need to eradicate poverty in all its forms, a task that requires targeted efforts towards ensuring access to quality education for women and girls. The emphasis on STEM education is key, as it opens pathways for women to break barriers in technology and innovation. Furthermore, the Declaration calls for increased investments in care systems, which are crucial to supporting women’s participation in the workforce and ensuring a fairer distribution of unpaid care work.
  4. Closing the Gender Digital Divide Recognizing the transformative power of technology, the Declaration calls for efforts to close the gender digital divide. This involves ensuring equal access to technology and digital tools for women and girls and leveraging technology to accelerate gender equality. It also calls for renewed investment in gender-responsive data and statistics to inform policymaking and track progress in gender equality.
  5. Ending Violence Against Women and Girls The Political Declaration makes a bold commitment to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. This includes traditional forms of violence, as well as emerging forms like digital violence, online harassment, and cyberbullying. The Declaration stresses that substantial financial resources and investments in systems to combat violence are critical to achieving these goals.
  6. Strengthening National and International Mechanisms The Declaration emphasizes the importance of strengthening national systems and women’s machineries to advance gender equality. It calls for the revitalization of international mechanisms like the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which is tasked with monitoring progress and pushing for global commitments to gender equality.
  7. Leadership in Global Governance A key moment in the Declaration is Paragraph 20, which calls on Member States to consider nominating women for high-level UN leadership positions. This includes urging countries to nominate women as candidates for the role of Secretary-General and President of the General Assembly in future selection processes. This call reinforces the drive for greater gender representation in global governance and is a significant step towards ensuring women's voices are heard at the highest levels, which aligns perfectly with GWL Voices campaigns #MadamSecretaryGeneral and #Rotation4Equality.

In conclusion, the Political Declaration adopted during CSW69 serves as a powerful reminder that, while progress has been made, the work to achieve gender equality is far from over. The Declaration provides a clear roadmap for Member States to follow, emphasizing the need for collective action, greater investment, and the active participation of women in all spheres of life. The call for women to be nominated for leadership positions, as outlined in Paragraph 20, is a testament to the growing momentum for gender equality in global governance and a critical step toward a more inclusive and just world.

This resonates deeply with GWL Voices' statement for CSW and aligns with our mission and vision to achieve a gender-equal multilateral system. By advocating for women's leadership at the highest levels and pushing for structural changes, we remain committed to ensuring that the voices of women and girls are heard and represented in all areas of global governance. The Declaration marks a significant moment in our ongoing effort to create a world where gender equality is not just a goal, but a reality.

Review the CSW Political Declaration here.