Advocacy In Action: Lessons from CSW70

The biggest gender equity event of the year has come and gone. I trust you all had a fruitful CSW and were able to join events either in person or virtually. This was a historic year as CSW70 was the first in history to ever be concluded by a vote on the Agreed Conclusions.

There have been two years out of 70 in which there were no Agreed Conclusions, 2003 and 2012, but never before an adoption by vote. The vote was called by the United States which was the only country to vote no. The Agreed Conclusions were adopted - 37 in favor, 6 abstentions, 1 against.

Many experts, and government representatives alike, are concerned by this departure from adoption by consensus as it is seen to undermine multilateral cooperation. Many country delegates remarked their concern for lack of consensus during the closing session of CSW70.

As has been discussed before, CSW70 was also different in the way negotiations were handled. This was the first year that negotiations occurred prior to CSW, starting in November, and the Agreed Conclusions were adopted during the beginning. Traditionally, negotiations occur throughout the two weeks of CSW allowing civil society members to advocate for changes with their country representatives. This change was an outcome of the CSW Revitalization process and the desire to have a short, concise, action-oriented Agreed Conclusions document.

Despite the challenges to attain the document, the Agreed Conclusions did have notable wins including sustained and substantial funding for women’s issues, reparations for survivors and survivor-centered programs, and the first ever mention of women in detention in agreed conclusions.

You can read the entire document here.

I know the magazine will be featuring many people’s experiences from CSW, and I hope you enjoy reading them. CSW is an amazing time to be in community with fellow advocates, network, and gather inspiration - but now is when the work begins. NGO CSW/NY will be hosting their CSW debrief meeting on April 21st, I encourage you all to attend. IFBPW will also be hosting a CSW debrief, date and time TBD.

It has already been announced that the CSW71 priority theme will be focused on accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and progress towards the SDGs. It is never too early to start planning for next year. As always, do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Emily VanVleck
National VP Advocacy
2024-2026
vpadvocacy@nfbpwc.org