by Laureen Scharps, AIWC Frankfurt
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) session takes place annually at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The 69th session took place March 10 to 21, 2025. Twenty-four FAWCO delegates participated. This session marked the 30th anniversary of the 1995 World Conference on Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Closing Session on March 21, 2025 – Adoption of the Draft Resolutions
I attended the Closing Session of the CSW69 with my guests Gernot Warmuth, my husband, and Dr. Tildabeth Doscher, my longtime friend. We sat in the balcony overlooking the Closing Session for the Adoption of the Draft Resolutions. Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al-Wasil, the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia, chaired the closing session.
CSW69 was attended by 106 member states, 13,000 participants and 5,800 NGOs
Summary of my impressions
Some countries such as Mexico, Namibia, Tunisia and Tonga have recently elected women as their heads of state. However, no Secretary General presiding over CSW for the last 30 years has ever been a woman. A number of delegates voiced their disappointment about this and called for the appointment of a female Secretary General. This will hopefully happen in the near future.
The representative from the US was against supporting the adoption of the Draft Resolutions for several reasons, including how gender is defined. He stated that “a male is a male and a female is a female.” Under the current administration, the US is against DEI including but not limited to LGBTQ+ rights. They outright reject the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and they reject gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. This sentiment is shared by countries such as Russia and Belarus. Many delegates reacted with booing to the USA’s position.
In contrast, the Colombia delegate noted that diversity is critical whether it is ethnic, sexual orientation, race, etc. The Tonga delegate also advocated for meaningful participation of people with disabilities. In addition, the Tonga delegate noted that climate change is the greatest threat and that all women and girls deserve quality and affordable sexual and reproductive healthcare as well as life-long learning.
Interestingly, Mexico’s first female president appointed their CSW delegation. One of their delegates said, “All humans are born equal and free,” but noted that change in society is not apparent. She added, “The human rights of women should not be held hostage to politics.” The Samoan delegate concurred: “Human rights are not negotiable.”
Besides the references to gender, which the Argentinian delegate noted was mentioned in the Draft Resolution 43 times, a number of delegates made reference to violence against women and women in armed conflict. The UAE delegate voiced the need to protect women and girls. The delegate from Azerbaijan addressed the fate of women and children taken hostage and the need to safeguard their safety and to confront acts of hostage-taking. The Israeli delegate also focused on hostage-taking in her country.
Immediately following the Israeli delegate, the Egyptian delegate voiced concerns about Palestinian women and children in Gaza being denied healthcare and basic needs.
In conclusion, gender equality for all women and girls is essential for development. In my opinion, representatives from different countries should work together to find consensus, and every decision should align with the core goals of gender equality, education, healthcare, economic empowerment, human rights, sharing of power and peace.
Reference:
Beijing Platform for Action and the 12 critical areas of concern