The 67th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, will take place this year from 6 – 17 March under the theme, “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.
The digital age is creating new and unprecedented opportunities to improve the lives of women and girls around the world. Digital technologies are rapidly transforming all spheres of life, including our economic, social and political systems—establishing new entrance points and platforms for historically marginalized groups.
It is also creating unprecedented threats to their wellbeing. Online spaces provide new venues for violence against women, offering perpetrators increased anonymity and impunity. Discrimination in the tech sector and bias in automated systems themselves perpetuate and further entrench gender inequalities. And a lack of global laws and regulations leaves vulnerable groups further exposed to rights and privacy violations.
In the context of COVID-19 and numerous other intersecting global crises, access to online spaces has become even more crucial. As we move into the future, we must ensure we don’t leave women and girls in the past.
CSW67 provides a unique chance to shape our digital future for the better. Over the next two weeks, governments, civil society organizations, experts and activists from around the world will unite to face the challenges—and further the enormous potential—held by technology for the empowerment of all women and girls.
Watch this space for all the latest updates.
In focus: UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67)
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Opening of the Session
6 March, 10 am – 1 pm
The Commission’s first day will open with the election of officers, the adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters, and the introduction of documents. It will lead into a general discussion, focused on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly.
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Open, Safe and Equal – Shaping a Feminist Digital Future
7 March, 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
This event will bring together leaders from governments, CSOs, youth and UN agencies to bring attention to the CSW67 priority theme and the once-in-a-generation opportunity to place gender equality at the heart of the digital revolution. The discussion will focus on reaffirming Generation Equality’s shared principles for a feminist digital future, on the role of multi-stakeholder partnership cooperation in advancing gender equality in technology and on demonstrating how technology and innovation can provide transformative solutions to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
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Youth Forum
11 March, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
This in-person Youth Forum will spotlight youth and adolescent recommendations on innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality, with a particular focus on grassroots and community voices. The recommendations were compiled from 103 community consultations, which engaged over 2500 young people across 60 countries. UN Women’s Executive Director, Sima Bahous, Member States, Private Sector and Member States will be in conversation with youth and adolescent activists.
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Interactive dialogue with youth representatives on the priority theme
13 March, 10 am – 1 pm
This interactive dialogue will be focused on the exchange of experiences, lessons learned and good practices in relation to the CSW67 Priority theme. It will highlight the key issues affecting young people, including girls, in the digital age. It will encourage youth representatives to share their country’s technology policies, learn from positive experiences, and highlight how their countries can address digital transformation challenges. The in-person dialogue will be webcast on UN WebTV. The session will take place in English but will include interpretation services in all other official UN languages.
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Solutions to Strengthen Civic Space & Women’s Digital Rights: Addressing the pushback against Gender Equality
13 March, 1:15 – 2:30 pm
In line with the priority theme of CSW67 focusing on technology and gender equality, UN Women is convening a high-level side event on Solutions to Strengthen Civic Space and Women’s Digital Rights: Addressing the Pushback Against Gender Equality. The high-level side event will be in collaboration with the Generation Equality Action Coalitions on Feminist Movement and Leadership and Gender-Based Violence. The side event will be a 75-minute, in-person event.
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Secretary General Townhall with Civil Society
15 March, 10:00 – 11:15 am
The Townhall will be the UN Secretary-General’s annual consultation with women’s and feminist civil society on the margins of the Commission on the Status of Women. The townhall will be a 75-minute, in-person event and will be webcast on UN WebTV.
UN Women’s Executive Director, Sima Bahous, will moderate the event. The session will take place in English but will include interpretation services in all other official UN languages, ISL and live closed captioning in English.
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Closing of the Session
17 March, 10 am – 1 pm
The final day of the Commission will begin with follow-up to the Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions, including action on draft proposals and agreed conclusions. It will proceed with the drafting of a provisional agenda for the 68th session of CSW, and will close following the adoption of the report on the 67th session.
