The 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) came to a close on March 26 after pushback from regressive governments caused negotiations to stretch into the final day. The CSW65 Agreed Conclusions were adopted at the eleventh hour after a marathon of difficult negotiations. You can watch the Closing Session and hear Member States' statements here.
While the reconfirmation of commitment to gender equality was encouraging, progress was limited. Civil society activists were generally disappointed that despite sustained and substantial efforts by civil society and progressive Member States, no progress was made on strengthening language on women human rights defenders. The problem of shrinking civil society participation was even more visible due to the virtual nature of CSW. Activists are concerned about increasing challenges to civil society participation, amplified by COVID-19 restrictions.
Some Member States and anti-rights actors disrupted negotiations, attacking human rights language and opposing steps to advance gender equality. In a formal European Union statement at the close of CSW, the deputy permanent representative of Germany to the UN said, “The EU would have preferred to see more ambitious language in these agreed conclusions... Systematic attempts by some delegations to derail the process and question international commitments and obligations on gender equality show that the pushback against women’s rights continues. We must all remain vigilant . . . .”
Courtney Nemroff, the US Deputy Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council explained her concerns in her statement on behalf of the US delegation to CSW65 at the Closing Session adopting the Agreed Conclusions: "...we have a text that barely squeaked by on a very tepid consensus. Frankly, it is alarming that this Commission nearly sunk below the benchmark of previously agreed language on issues central to the main themes and at the core of the work of this Commission: language on women human rights defenders, the role on women in peace and security, and the efforts needed to combat sexual and gender-based violence. This Commission must endeavor to do better than treading water if we are truly to build back better for all of our citizens."