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Outright at CSW68

Date

Type

In-Person

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the main global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. The CSW convenes in New York for two weeks each year and is the largest annual gathering of representatives from UN Member States, civil society organizations, and UN entities to develop the global agenda concerning progress for women and girls and push for gender equality and collaborate around written Agreed Conclusions to an annually chosen theme. 

This year, CSW is the 68th session and will take place from March 11 to 22, 2024, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York under the priority theme Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.

Outright International will be collaborating with other organizations to have meaningful parallel events on the priority theme and the upcoming Summit of the Future. We also plan for meetings with some UN agencies, UN member state delegations, and other relevant stakeholders throughout the CSW period.

More events to be announced soon.

Outright International, through its UN Program, engages at the UN level annually and participates at CSW through the Women's Rights Caucus and the LBTI Caucus utilizing our ECOSOC status by bringing human rights defenders and activists with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and sex characteristics from all around the world to push for more inclusion of our issues.

    Join us on:

    • Tuesday, March 12

      Unveiling Healthcare Challenges for LBT Women, 1:15 - 2:30 pm, UN HQ Conference Room F, Sponsored by the World Bank. Register here to hear from the Outright team and activists. 

       

    • Friday, March 15

      Eradicating Poverty and Advancing Economic Inclusion for the LBTI Community, LBTI Caucus Event Co-sponsored by the UN LGBTI Core Group. 12:30 - 2:00 pm, ACC Guild Hall (630 Second Avenue). Open invite. No registration is required.
       

    • Monday, March 18

    1. An Inclusive Future: LBTI perspectives for the Summit of the Future, LBTI Caucus Event, 8:30 - 10 am, Church Center 8th Floor. Open invite. No registration is required.
       
    2. The challenge of poverty faced by lesbian and trans women, Outright International and Fundación Arcoiris, 2:30 - 4 pm, Church Center Drew Room. Open invite. No registration is required.
       
    3. Linking Agendas, Bridging Silos: Comprehensive Sexuality Education and the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence - UNFPA, Outright International, Canada, World Bank, and the Global Partnership Forum on CSE. UN Secretariat Conference Room 6, 4:45 - 6 pm. Registration link.

    The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the main global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment and finds its roots in the language of the UN Charter. The CSW – 45 Member States elected by the Economic and Social Council on the basis of equitable geographical distribution: first met at Lake Success, New York, in February 1947, soon after the founding of the United Nations. The CSW forged a close relationship with non-governmental organizations, with those in consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) invited to participate as observers and almost 8,000 NGO representatives participate in CSW each year, as well as contributions from UN Member States and numerous UN entities. The CSW is led by a body called the Bureau of the Commission which plays a crucial role in facilitating the preparation for, and in ensuring the successful outcome of the annual sessions of the Commission its specific mandate is to prepare recommendations and reports to the Economic and Social Council on promoting women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields and to make recommendations on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women’s rights through the Agreed Conclusions drafting and the negotiations between member States.

    The Bureau for this 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (2024) comprises the following members:

    • H.E. Mr. Antonio Manuel Revilla Lagdameo (Philippines), Chair (Asia and Pacific States Group)
    • H.E. Ms. María del Carmen Squeff (Argentina), Vice-Chair (Latin American and Caribbean States Group)
    • Mr. Māris Burbergs (Latvia), Vice-Chair (Eastern European States Group)
    • H.E. Ms. Yoka Brandt (Netherlands), Vice-Chair designate (Western European and Other States Group)
    • Ms. Dúnia Eloisa Pires do Canto (Cabo Verde), Vice-Chair designate, African States Group)
       

    For many years, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has been a safe space for the LGBTIQ community issues to be brought at a global level and have specific attention and this while the fight for equal rights continues. The advocacy agenda for people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and sex characteristics issues has had a broader platform to highlight its concerns, participate in promoting gender equality, defend universal human rights, and celebrate victories.

    This 2024 CSW session will continue to promote the importance of CSOs participation through side and parallel events. The commission continues to believe that activities organized outside the formal program of the Commission session provide a huge platform for Member States, UN entities, NGOs, and other stakeholders to discuss themes of the Commission and other critical gender equality issues such as the Summit of the Future.

    This CSW68 will convene at a crucial moment where the member States are discussing the restructuring of the Commission to have a more peer-to-peer review format under the ECOSOC and the launch of UN Women Pushing forward the achievement of Gender Equality for all women’s strategy.

    Explore our last year's CSW guides below: 

    News & Commentaries

    We bring in LGBTIQ news, commentaries, and announcements from movement leaders and experts from an international lens.

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