UN session on gender equality – CSW68
From March 11 to 23, 2024, the UN will focus on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls worldwide for two weeks. The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) will discuss the following themes in its 68th session:
- poverty
- strengthening institutions & financing from a gender perspective
On January 22, Atria and WO=MEN presented the recommendations of civil society organizations for this UN session to the Dutch government delegation that will go to New York in March.
Impact poverty and gender inequality in financing & institutions
The global ‘cost of living crisis’ in which subsistence, fuel, energy, transport, education, (mental) health care and social security, among other things, becomes unaffordable for many people, has an unequal impact on girls and women in all their diversity. Increasing poverty is related to climate change, disasters and humanitarian crises. (Marginalized) women and girls are particularly affected by this. Dutch civil society organizations indicate a number of priorities, related to:
- The large number of women worldwide living in poverty
- The inequality in access to financial resources and services, resources, education, employment and good working conditions
- The underrepresentation of women and girls in financial institutions and decision-making
Priorities for CSW68
Recommendations from the Dutch NGOs in brief:
- Ensure a fair economic system, with a gender-transformative and intersectional approach to combating poverty
- Increase the financial self-reliance, independence, autonomy and inclusion of women and girls in all their diversity
- Eliminate (online and technology-facilitated) sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination
- Increase the visibility of poverty by collecting, analyzing and reporting high-quality, gender-disaggregated and intersectional representative data
- Involve young people in decision-making, policy and implementation at all levels in the fight against poverty and gender inequality