Each year, the Commission on the Status of Women aims to
deliver a set of agreed conclusions on the priority theme for the year; this
outcome document includes an assessment of progress and a set of concrete
recommendations for action by Governments, intergovernmental bodies and others.  Member States meet at a series of high-level
panels and other meetings throughout the two-week session to devise the final
outcome document.

For the first time this year, the CSW Bureau is officially
allowing civil society organisations (CSOs) to see the drafts of the agreed
conclusions during the negotiation process. This is an important step towards transparency
and gives CSOs the chance to identify key areas to lobby national Governments
to ensure the best possible outcome for women and girls.

Some of the key points to emerge from this draft are:

• A clear agenda to strengthen rights-based language and reference to
  existing legally binding human rights agreements. As SI asserted in a
  joint statement with several human rights and development organisations in
  June 2013: “a post-2015 framework anchored in human
  rights moves from a model of charity to one of justice, based on the inherent
  dignity of people as human rights-holders, domestic governments as primary
  duty-bearers, and all development actors sharing common but differentiated
  responsibilities”. 

• Unpaid care work is emerging as an area of
  concern and has been inserted into the document in several places. In a report
  to the 68th session of the UN General Assembly on 23 October 2013, the
  United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights,
  Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona  argued that
  heavy and unequal care responsibilities are a major barrier to gender equality
  and to women’s equal enjoyment of human rights. Estimates reveal that unpaid
  care work would constitute between 10 and 50 per cent of GDP if it was assigned
  a monetary value. Estimates
  reveal that unpaid care work would constitute between 10 and 50 per cent of GDP
  if it was assigned a monetary value

• As reported in yesterday’s update, the latest text
  reflects widespread support for a standalone
  goal on gender equality in the Post-2015 agenda, alongside mainstreaming
  via targets and indicators.

• SI welcomes the inclusion of more language around
  finance and specific reference to gender-sensitive
  budgeting, as this was a major area of concern identified in our written
  statement.

• The addition of language around violence against women and girls and the
  inclusion of a reference to “child,
  early and forced marriage”.

• Some promising language around men and boys in the context of shared responsibilities has been
  included, but SI is concerned that the final text must promote working with men
  and boys in a positive light; they are beneficiaries of gender equality and key
  actors in achieving it!

Soroptimist International Side Events

 

Day 2 of CSW saw two Soroptimist side-events. “Pink is the
new Blue – Opening Doors for Women and Girls” focussed on women and girls entering
into careers in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as promoting
leadership skills. There was a full-house in the audience, with plenty of
energy, interaction and discussion about gender-stereotypes and how to
eliminate them! Read more in Hilary Ratcliffe’s blog about the event, co-hosted
by SI, WAGGGs and the World YWCA.

SI President Ann Garvie was part of a panel of five Presidents
of women’s organisations at an event by Zonta International.  President Ann spoke about SI’s vision for a
Post-2015 agenda, with particular emphasis on violence against women.

For the latest
photos and reports from the SI delegation at CSW, visit www.soroptimistinternational.org/CSW58