60th Anniversary
of the UN Commission on the Status of Women -
CSW
Roundtable: The role of the United Nations in promoting gender equality and
empowerment of women: Progress made and future opportunities.
2006 marks the 60th anniversary of the Commission on the Status of Women. This important milestone in the work of the United Nations to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women is an occasion to assess the achievements of the United Nations in this area over the past 60 years. Important examples include the four world conferences on women, the establishment of the treaty on women’s human rights - the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the adoption of the global policy framework – the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and, more recently, the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.
The commemoration of the 60 years of work of the CSW also provides a key opportunity to look forward, and to examine how the United Nations can better deliver on commitments to gender equality as the organization adapts to the 21st century. At the World Summit in September 2005, world leaders reiterated their commitment to promote gender equality and to eliminate pervasive gender discrimination. They stressed that “progress for women is progress for all”. In recognizing the need for increased efforts to achieve gender equality, they undertook to “strengthen the capabilities of the United Nations system in the area of gender”.
The roundtable discussion will provide an opportunity for a broad exchange of views between experts and practitioners on the indispensable role of the United Nations in achieving progress over the last 60 years. It will also examine how the current reform rocess underway in the United Nations offers a unique opportunity to discuss the vision for the future and accelerate efforts to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The roundtable will be held in the ECOSOC Chamber on Friday 10 November from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. It will be chaired by the President of the General Assembly and moderated by the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Secretary-General will be invited to make introductory remarks. High-level participants, representing Government, Parliament, the UN system and NGOs, will make presentations.
A summary of the discussion and outcome will be prepared by the Division for the Advancement of Women and posted on the Division’s website.
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