Research Guides: Gender and the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): A Quick Guide

Commission on the Status of Women CSW68 (2024)

The sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 11 to 22 March 2024.

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)

About the Commission on the Status of Women

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by UN Economic and Social Council resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946. The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

In 1996, ECOSOC in resolution 1996/6 expanded the Commission’s mandate and decided that it should take a leading role in monitoring and reviewing progress and problems in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and in mainstreaming a gender perspective in UN activities.

Membership

Each year, ECOSOC issues a document entitled "Election of members of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council" that lists the current members of all the functional commissions in the annex [document symbol: E/YYYY/9].

Membership information of the CSW is also annexed in the Annotated provisional agenda and proposed organization of work for each session (document symbol: E/CN.6/YYYY/1). In 1984-1985, the documents were issued in A/CONF.116/PC/INF.3 and A/CONF.116/PC/INF.5 respectively.

CSW membership comprises 45 States elected by ECOSOC on the basis of equitable geographical distribution as follows:

13 members from Africa,
11 from Asia,
9 from Latin America and Caribbean,
8 from Western Europe and other States,
4 from Eastern Europe.

New members are elected for a four-year term when the term of the incumbent expires.

UN Official Documents on Women

Commission on the Status of Women Historical Documents

A short history of the Commission on the Status of Women. UN Women. 2019
This publication summarizes the work of the Commission in drafting international legal instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol, and the global normative and policy framework, such as the Beijing Platform for Action
21 May 1946: Sub-commission dedicated to the Status of Women was established under the Commission on Human Rights (E/38/Rev.1)
25 February 1947: Report of the 1st session of the Commission on the Status of Women to the Economic and Social Council (E/281/Rev.1)
3 March 1948: Report of the 2nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women. (E/RES/120(VI))

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women documents

UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
The CEDAW Committee is a body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW (1979) (A/RES/34/180)
The convention was adopted by General Assembly resolution A/RES/34/180 in 1979, entered into force on 3 September 1981.
Optional Protocol to the Convention (1999) (A/RES/54/4)
The Protocol was adopted by General Assembly resolution A/RES/54/4 of 6 October 1999, entered into force on 22 December 2000.
Ratification and Signatory status of CEDAW
UN Treaties database provides information on the ratification and signature of the treaty.
Ratification and signatory status of the Optional Protocol to the convention
The UN treaties database provides information on the status of ratification and signature.
Procedural History of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
The UN Audiovisual Library of International Law documents the procedural history of the convention.

Other Conventions and International Instruments on Women

Convention on the Nationality of Married Women (1957) (A/RES/1040 (XI))
The Convention was opened for signature pursuant to resolution 1040 (XI), adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 29 January 1957.
Convention concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation (1958)
Adopted by the General Conference of the International Labour Organisation on 25 June 1958, entered into force on 15 June 1960
Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960) (pdf)
Adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 14 December 1960, entered into force on 22 May 1962.
Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages (1962) (A/RES/1763 (XVII))
The Convention was opened for signature pursuant to resolution 1763 (XVII), adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 7 November 1962.
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2003) (A/RES/55/25)
Adopted by General Assembly resolution A/RES/55/25 of 15 November 2000, entered into force on 25 December 2003.

Major UN Conferences on Women

The United Nations has organized four major conferences on women:

1st, 1975: The World Conference of the International Women's Year was held in Mexico City on 19 June-2 July 1975. The report is issued as document E/CONF.66/34.
2nd, 1980: The World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace was held in Copenhagen on 14-30 July 1980. The report is issued as document A/CONF.94/35.
3rd, 1985: The World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace was held on 15-26 June 1985 in Nairobi. The report is issued as document A/CONF.116/28/Rev.1.
4th, 1995: The World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace was held in Beijing on 4-15 Sept. 1995. The report is issued as document: A/CONF.177/20/Rev.1.

Since the Beijing conference in 1995, the General Assembly and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) have held several sessions to review the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

2000: The Five-year Review: A/55/341.
2005: The Ten-year Review: E/CN.6/2005/11.
2010: The 15-year Review: E/2010/27.
2015: Beijing+20: E/2015/2.
2020: The 25-year Review: E/2020/27.

Featured Databases and Statistical Resources

UN Statistical Division
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Statistical Division databases, including commodity trade statistics, disability statistics, demographic yearbook, millennium data indicators, population, and social indicators.

UN Data
UNdata brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point. Users can now search and download a variety of statistical resources of the UN system from a wide range of departments and subject matter.
ECE - Statistical Database
Statistical database of ECE, the Economic and Social Commission for Europe. Includes country overviews and statistics on economics, forestry, gender, transport, and other areas.
ECLAC - CEPALSTAT
Statistical database of ECLAC, the Economic and Social Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Includes social, demographic, economic, environmental, and other statistics.
UN-Women Constitutional Database
UN-Women maintains this database that compiles all the different provisions related to gender contained in constitutions in countries around the world. Searchable by keywords, provisions, regions or countries.

Women in National Parliament | IPU
This data is compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union with information provided by National Parliaments.
World Bank Gender Data Portal
The World Bank Group’s comprehensive source for the latest sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics.
InfoGuide on Child Marriage (Council on Foreign Relations)
InfoGuide presents an overview of the issue, statistical data, and links to key resources for further reading.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

CSW Sessions & Quick Links

Programmes of Work / Themes

Since 1987, the CSW has been adopting multi-year programmes of work that contain priority themes for discussion and action at its annual sessions.

2025: E/RES/2022/5 of 8 June 2022
2021-2024: E/RES/2020/15 of 17 July 2020
2020: E/RES/2018/8 of 12 June 2018
2017-2019: E/RES/2016/3 of 2 June 2016
2015-2016: E/RES/2013/8 of 24 July2013
2010-2014: E/RES/2009/15 of 2009
2007-2009: E/RES/2006/9 (in: E/2006/99, pages 24-28)
2002-2006: E/RES/2001/4 (in: E/2001/99, pages 20-21)
2001: E/2000/27 (page 4)
1997-2000: E/RES/1996/6 (in: E/1996/96, page 20)
1993-1996: E/RES/1990/15
1988-1992: E/RES/1987/24

Agreed Conclusions (Outcomes)

The CSW makes recommendations in the form of negotiated agreed conclusions on the priority themes. These are issued annually. They contain an analysis of the priority theme and a set of concrete recommendations for governments, intergovernmental bodies, other institutions, civil society actors, and other relevant stakeholders.

Agreed conclusions are available from the UN Women website and searchable from the United Nations Digital Library.

The Story of Resolution 1325 | Women, Peace and Security (Dur:3:12)

The first Security Council resolution on Women, Peace and Security was adopted as S/RES/1325 on 31 October 2000. This video tells the story of the resolution.

Selected Books and Reports

Generation Equality Accountability Report 2023 / UN Women
Date: 2023
Launched in 2021 in Mexico City and Paris, Generation Equality is the world’s leading effort to unlock political will and accelerate investment and implementation on gender equality. This second accountability report demonstrates, through compelling analysis of new data, case studies, and inspiring examples, that Generation Equality is gaining momentum and providing a common platform to address the key gender equality issues of our time.
Gender-related killings of women and girls (femicide/feminicide): Global estimates of female intimate partner/family-related homicides in 2022 / UNODC and UN WOMEN
Date: 2023
This year recorded the highest yearly number of intentional killings of women and girls in the past two decades, and women and girls in all regions across the world are affected by this type of gender-based violence. This publication features policy recommendations to prevent gender-related killings, including through risk assessments and protective measures, the establishment of femicide observatories, the criminalization of femicide as specific offenses, or in-depth multisectoral reviews of deaths.
Together for prevention: Handbook on multisectoral national action plans to prevent violence against women and girls / UN WOMEN
Date: 2023
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) has significant and lasting physical, economic, and psychological consequences on women and girls, which hinder their full participation in society. This handbook is designed to strengthen national, multisectoral efforts for VAWG prevention and to inspire governments and stakeholders to prioritize, fund, and commit to preventing and ending VAWG in our lifetime.
Handbook on gender mainstreaming for gender equality results / UN WOMEN
Date: 2022
This handbook identifies the key concepts, principles, and approaches underlying gender mainstreaming. It outlines opportunities to apply gender analyses across different contexts and manage for gender equality results
Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls. / OECD
Date: 2022
Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are prerequisites to the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This Guidance is a practical handbook for development partners supporting those global ambitions.
Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2022 / UN WOMEN
Date: 2022
The latest available Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 data show that the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030.
Gender Analysis in Technical Areas: Digital Inclusion / UN WOMEN
Date: 2022
The focus in this guide is the thematic area of digital inclusion, an area in which gender analysis has been less widely implemented than in some other sectors. Moreover, research reveals that despite unprecedented advances in digital technologies, women across the world continue to face unique barriers that prevent them from fully benefiting from digital inclusion..
Gender Equality and Policy Implementation in the Corporate World / Engeli, Isabelle, editor.; Mazur, Amy, editor.
Date: 2022
This book takes a unique approach to the issue of gender equality in corporations in the 21st century. It examines the implementation of specific policies that seek to promote women's presence on corporate boards in 15 democracies in Western and Central Eastern Europe, North America, and Australasia through the lens of the Gender Equality Policy in Practice Approach.
Transitioning to Gender Equality / Binswanger, Christa; Zimmermann, Andrea
Date: 2021
This volume focus on three main areas of inquiry, ‘Sexuality’, ‘Politics of Difference’ and ‘Care, Work and Family’.
The Oxford Handbook of Women, Peace, and Security
Call Number: UNX.396 O98
Date: 2019
This book offers an outlook by experts on what works to promote women's participation in peace and security.
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
Call Number: Main: 396 C928
Date: 2019
This book provides an analysis of data bias about women in almost every aspect of life.
Progress of the World's Women 2019-2020
Date: 2019
This landmark report proposes a comprehensive agenda for laws, economic and social policies, and public action to ensure gender equality within families and to accelerate women's rights and empowerment, which benefits all.
Measuring Gender Equality
Date: 2017
This book by world bank overs gender differences in outcomes in three primary dimensions of gender equality: human capital (or endowments), economic opportunities, and voice and agency.
Gender, peace and security : implementing UNSCR 1325
Call Number: 396 G327
Date: 2015
This volume explores the implementation of key gender policies in international peace and security, following the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1325 in October 2000, the first thematic resolution on Women, Peace and Security.

Books and articles on women and gender available at the Library
Available for loan UN staff at UNHQ
World Bank i-Library resources on women and gender
UN Women Publications
Access more books on gender issues .

Other Research Guides and Websites on Women and Gender

Extensive Guide on Women and Gender Equality
This guide by the UN Library in Geneva presents United Nations resources and selected materials from other sources covering issues related to women's rights and gender equality.
Gender in Africa Research Guide
This research guide, put together by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) library, documents useful information resources on Gender in Africa.

Gender and the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): A Quick Guide

Commission on the Status of Women CSW68 (2024)

About the Commission on the Status of Women

Membership

UN Official Documents on Women

Commission on the Status of Women Historical Documents

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women documents

Other Conventions and International Instruments on Women

Major UN Conferences on Women

Featured Databases and Statistical Resources

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

CSW Sessions & Quick Links

Programmes of Work / Themes

Agreed Conclusions (Outcomes)

The Story of Resolution 1325 | Women, Peace and Security (Dur:3:12)

Selected Books and Reports

Other Research Guides and Websites on Women and Gender

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