The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
This is your invitation to one of the biggest events in the gender equality calendar
Apply to be an official UN Women UK delegate to the Commission on the Status of women, the 2-week annual global United Nations conference
11 to 22 March 2024 | Online
Every year, world leaders, governments and NGOs gather to discuss a key priority theme impacting gender equality across the globe
This is CSW (the Commission on the Status of Women). Taking place each year in March, live from the United Nations Headquarters in New York, CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights.
The annual event sees leaders from the gender equality space come together to document the reality of women’s lives around the world. Whilst shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
It’s where change begins.
We’re still centuries away from gender equality
Monumental progress has been made to integrate gender equality into mainstream international thought and action.
Yet, women and girls around the world continue to face disproportionate burdens, gender biases and systemic discrimination. These hinder their autonomy, impede their access to justice and obstruct their fundamental human rights.
Globally, we’re still centuries away from gender equality.
Estimates say it will take up to 286 years to close legal gaps and remove discriminatory laws. 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership at work. And at least 40 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.
This is why CSW is needed.
Our Goals
What happens at CSW?
Two weeks of discussions, debates and action
Throughout the two-week annual session of CSW, representatives from across UN Member States, civil society organisations and other UN entities come together at UN headquarters in New York.
Each CSW is focused around a priority theme that links to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, whilst prioritising an often neglected area of women’s rights and empowerment.
They’ll discuss:
- Progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality
- Emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women
- Member States will then come together to agree on actions to accelerate progress and promote women’s rights across political, economic and social fields. These are known as the Agreed Conclusions.
You’re invited to attend CSW as a delegate
Join the schedule of live sessions, streamed from the UN’s Headquarters in New York, from wherever you are in the UK
Here’s what you’ll get out of CSW:
Discover endless ways to empower women
Become more confident speaking on gender equality
Meet like-minded women and allies
Listen in on insightful sessions, straight from the experts
Interact with decision-makers, supporters and professionals from around the world
Learn about other cultures and their experiences of gender (in)equality
Find a space where you belong, as part of your Community
Experience discussions on women’s equality on the global stage
Hear different views
Access UN sessions, from wherever you are in the UK
Renew your optimism for the future
Be surrounded by people who are as passionate and concerned about gender equality as you are
Feel a sense of belonging
Discuss key issues with like-minded people, who may have different lived experiences to you
Expose yourself to new ideas
Hear from grassroots organisations and activists
Start making a positive change, together
Gain unparalleled access to the latest leading conversations on gender equality
Please note: you need to be based in the UK to apply through UN Women UK
Apply to be a CSW delegate for the next session. And be part of building the future of gender equality.
The 68th session of CSW will take place from 11th to 22nd March 2024, around the 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”.
Applications to become a CSW delegate are now OPEN!
Click the button below to apply
Meet some of our past CSW delegates. Here’s what they loved about their CSW experience:
| “I felt like I belonged which was the best feeling I’d ever felt in a while.”
Oyindamola |
“Being in the presence of powerful, educated women that are changing the world and making history.”
Zoe |
| “Meeting other passionate, trail-blazing women and non-binary people to connect with. And to hear the state of affairs from a range of perspectives, and together make plans for our collective future.” Amy |
“My best experience is meeting young, old and mid-age female professionals nailing it in their various fields. The diversity of the delegates was also satisfying for me!” Amarachi |
All these events, available at the click of a button
You’re in control of how you engage with CSW. There are a whole host of events on the agenda each day. It’s up to you to pick the ones that match your interests and areas of expertise!
When CSW is over, what happens next? The work doesn’t end there
We launched our UN Women UK delegation to CSW back in 2021 and were astounded by the response. Thousands of you applied, got involved and joined us in working towards a more equal future for all.
But what happens after CSW is over? You had an appetite for long-term action and we wanted to make it happen.
Enter: the CSW Working Groups. An idea that came out of our 2023 CSW Idea Hackathon event.
These three Working Groups are focused on developing three core solutions around an area relating to that year’s priority theme.
Take a look at what they’ve achieved so far.
CSW67 (2023): Three solutions to address the gender digital divide
| Safety | Choice | Voice |
| Coming soon | Click to view | Click to view |
