WUNRN
Website Link which includes the 325 organizations that
signed on to this Statement:
BACKGROUND ON STATEMENT OF WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS’ CONCERNS ABOUT CSW METHODS OF WORK & LACK OF NGO ACCESS
The 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
recently took place in New York, from 9-21 March 2015. As each year, the
session provided a global platform for exchange and networking for women's
organizations working on furthering women's rights all across the world.
But this year's session was also the occasion to present
the 'Future organization and methods of work of the Commission on the
Status of Women' (access the draft document)
providing the framework for contribution to the annual CSW
by participating CSOs, among aspects of the working methods. With less space
provided to feminist and women's organizations to influence the outcomes of the
session, through increasingly limited access to official negotiations and space
to contribute to outcome documents, an international coalition of women's
organizations has produced the following 'Statement on the CSW Methods of World
Resolution':
NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US!
STATEMENT ON CSW METHODS OF WORK RESOLUTIONS
As
representatives of feminist and women's organizations and organizations working
to promote the full realization of the human rights of women and girls, we
express our outrage at the way that we have been excluded from both the
negotiation of the political declaration and the Commission on the Status of
Women (CSW) Methods of Work resolution.
In a context of increasing attacks on the human rights of women
and girls and closing space for civil society at all levels, from the national
to the global, we had held up the CSW as a place where we could express our
views and influence the development of critical policies that affect our lives
and futures.
Instead, it seems that governments are intent on closing even
that door by trying to limit the robust participation of non-governmental
organizations, restrict recognition of the human rights of women and girls and
the norm-setting role of the CSW in this regard and skirt responsibility for
implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. It seems they are intent on
discussing everything about us, without us.
Let us be clear: we do not come to the CSW to attend side
events. We come to the CSW to hold our governments to account to the
commitments they have made to guarantee gender equality, eliminate all forms of
discrimination and violence against us and achieve the full realization of all
of our human rights. We come to the CSW to advance progressive policies that,
if implemented, will make a meaningful difference in our lives. If the CSW no
longer provides us with a forum for policy change and accountability that fully
involves us, we will stay at home.
To ensure the continued relevance of the CSW to women's lives,
we demande that the Methods of Work resolution:
·
Recognize the role of the CSW in fully realizing the human
rights of women and girls, including through its norm-setting role.
·
Ensure collaboration with the CEDAW Committee and the Working
Group on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in Law and in
Practice.
·
Enhance the role of civil society in the Commission, including
by making negotiations of the agreed conclusions open to observation by NGOs
(and not just a select few); ensuring that NGO interventions are interspersed
with those of governments in the general debate; and increasing participation
of NGOs in panels, roundtables and other interactive dialogues;
·
Ensure that the CSW plays a role in monitoring the
implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which contain robust
commitments to gender equality and will be a critical tool for advancing gender
equality and the human rights of women and girls in the coming years.
Women's
organizations and feminist organizations fought for the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action, for the creation of UN Women, and for every change at the
local and national level that has led to improvements in gender equality and
the enjoyment of our human rights.
We
count on UN Women and member states to stand with us in ensuring our seat at
the decision-making table so that we can make sure that nothing is discussed
about us without us.