In light of the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Commission on the Status of Women(CSW) will be shortened to one day.

Despite the fact that all speakers expressed disappointment about reducing the length of CSW64, they agreed that we cannot let COVID-19 spread.

CSW decided that only one day meeting will be held, and all side events will be cancelled. The 11-day meeting, the largest single gathering of women delegates from 193 countries, is significantly scaled down.

In 2020, it is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). 2020 is therefore a pivotal year for the accelerated realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

So CSW was 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 were invited to attend the session. About 12,000 people were supposed to attend.

More than 550 feminist organizations worldwide submitted a letter to UN Women calling for the postponement of CSW. But it was not accepted.

International Women’s health Coalition (IWHC) President Françoise Girard expressed concern “The global feminist movement has been clear that a one-day, New York-based diplomat only session on March 9 would be inadequate and would shut the voices of women’s groups out of the world’s largest annual meeting on gender equality.”

Meeting: Commission on the Status of Women

Date/Location: March 2nd, 2020; 10:00-13:00; Conference Room 2

Speakers:H.E. Mr. Mher Margaryan (Armenia), Chair (Eastern European States Group)

Ms. Zahraa Nassrullah (Iraq), Vice-Chair designate (Asia-Pacific States Group)

Ms. Jo Feldman (Australia), Vice-Chair (Western European and other States Group)

Ms. Ahlem Sara Charikhi (Algeria), Vice-Chair designate (African States Group)

Ms. Devita Abraham (Trinidad and Tobago), Vice-Chair designate (Latin American and Caribbean States Group)

Written By: WIT Representative Sehee OH