(annually)

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) takes place at the United Nations in New York every year around February / March.  This is the largest global gender equality policy  space and each year draws over 5,000 attendees from Governments, Civil Society and International Non Government Organisations. 

Each year there is a Priority Theme that is discussed and a consensus outcomes document results from the discussions. This Outcomes Document not only measures the changes that have occurred since the last review, it also provides the platform for global policy and legislative action that needs to take place to further advance the area under discussion. As well as the Priority Theme, there is a Review Theme. The Review Theme monitors and evaluates a previous policy area.

NRWC participation in CSW starts through local discussions with members and member organisations to develop a submission to the Australian Government on the Priority Theme. The submission clearly states the advance, areas for consideration and recommendations needed to improve the situation of women and girls from Rural, Regional and Remote areas of Australia. The submissions from NRWC and other submissions submitted by Women’s Alliances, organisations, and feminist groups support the Office for Women (OfW) in Australia and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) in developing their Country Statements and reviewing their own policy / legislative and programmatic situations. Since 2019 NRWC has worked collectively with a small group of technical specialists to assist in drafting of language supporting the issues of rural regional and remote women from Australia in for the Outcomes Document.

At CSW each year, there is the opportunity to present in Side Events and / or Parallel Sessions.

For more information on CSW and it’s programme of work visit https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw.

The sixty – eighth session of the Commission for the Status of Women will take place in New York City, USA from 11 to 22 March 2024. The event will see more that 500 civil society attendee and more than 700 separate event take place over the 10 days. Participation is possible in person and many parallel events will be held virtually.

• 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
• Review theme: Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-third session)

Prior to the commencement of CSW68 the NRWC will be hosting opportunities for rural, regional and remote women and girls to participate and contribute to discussions and draft updates through a number of consultation opportunities. The NRWC will also be hosting two parallel events at CSW68 and has a delegation of three in attendance, Directors Jo Stewart Rattray and Jacquelene Brotherton and CEO Keli McDonald.

The sixty-Seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place in New York, USA from the 6 to 17 March 2023.

• Priority theme: Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls
• Review theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-second session)

The United Nations opened their doors to Civil Society post COVID-19 but offered Parallel events and Side event in both virtual and face-to-face formats. The NRWC presented a face-to-face parallel event in the first week called: ‘Rural Conversation Circles’ which covered four thematic areas of Rural Women’s Reproductive Health Care, Rural Women’s Experiences during Disasters, Rural women’s experience with Climate change – esp. marine and Rural Women’s Access to telecommunications. The NRWC also provided Keli McDonald as a presenter on the Settlement Services International – Australia’s parallel event to discuss the issues facing rural, regional and remote women.

The National Rural Women’s delegation included President Leonie Noble, CEO Keli McDonald and Director Jo Stewart Rattray and thematic experts Anna Noonan, Dr Jenny Shaw and Kelly Cox. The National Rural women’s Coalition would like to thank the support of Women With Disabilities Australia, Harmony Alliance and Asia Pacific Women’s Watch in obtaining ECOSOC passes for its delegation.

The sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place from 14 to 25 March 2022. Due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, CSW66 took place in a hybrid format. All side events and parallel events were fully virtual.

• Priority theme: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes;
• Review theme: Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work (agreed conclusions of the sixty-first session).

Leading up to this event the NRWC ran consultations with rural regional and remote women on the impacts of Climate Change to ensure the experiences and concern of rural, regional and remote women had direct access to input into our focus areas.

Communities from the Rural, Regional and Remote parts of Australia sit at the nexus of climate, sustainability and development. Whether it is a good harvest, floods, natural disaster, it is those outside of the urban sprawl that are impacted most harshly. In times of climate stress, natural disaster or Climate change the systemic disadvantages suffered by rural and regional communities, are likely to worsen and further widen the gap between rural and urban areas.

The NRWC held two virtual parallel events during the CSW66. The first was themed : ‘Climate Change - Impacts on Australian Rural, Regional & Remote Women’ and was held virtually on 20th March and the second was themed ‘Australian Rural Women - The Power to Work Flexibly’ and was held on Monday, March 21, 2022 – please see video attached.

The sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place from 15 to 26 March 2021.

In light of the evolving COVID-19 situation, and taking into account the latest guidance from the United Nations Secretary-General and the World Health Organization (WHO), the CSW65 Ministerial Meeting took place in a hybrid format with mostly virtual meetings.

• Priority theme: Women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
• Review theme: Women's empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session)

All Side Events, and Parallel Sessions were undertaken virtually. NRWC presented two virtual parallel sessions : ‘Rural Women Addressing Communication Barriers’ & ‘How to Improve the Lives of Rural Women, an Australian approach’.

The sixty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place from 9th to 20th March 2020

• Priority Theme: Beijing + 25 Review : Realizing Gender Equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

Leading into this review NRWC members participated in the Australian National NGO Review, the NGO Asia Pacific Regional Forum on Beijing + 25 and the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Beijing+25 Asia Pacific Beijing+25 Review held in ESCAP Bangkok, Thailand. For more information click here.

Attendance at CSW 64th Session was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

All parallel events and side events were cancelled due to COVID-19.

The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place from 11th to 22nd March 2029

• Priority theme: Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls;
• Review theme: Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session);

NRWC presented two parallel sessions: ‘What Australian Women Want’ & ‘Australian Women’s Leadership’.

• Priority Theme: Empowering Rural Women and Girls (12 to 23 March 2018). NRWC member Jo Stewart-Rattray worked as Technical Advisor with the Australian Government Delegation in the lead up to CSW and during CSW in New York.

The National Rural Women’s Coalition presented a parallel session: “Participation in and access of women to the media, and information and communications technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women” on 14 March 2018.

The National Rural Women’s Coalition was represented at CSW Alwyn Friedersdorff, Keli McDonald, Lisa Shipley, Rechelle Leahy, Leonie Noble, Dorothy Coombe, Sarah Parker, Dr Kim Webber, Hannah Wandel and NRWC supported delegates Donna Digby and Angela Powditch to attend.