UN Women: Carolyn Handschin - When Citizens are Included from the Start, Their Commitment is Strong - UN Women Europe and Central Asia
2025-05-21 · Source: tparents.org
Carolyn Handschin: Engaging the youth is important.
New York - In an interview by the UN Women Europe-Central Asia, WFWP key leader Carolyn Handschin-Moser underscored the importance of collaboration of governments and civil society and the continuous support for women empowerment at the grassroots. She elaborated on the significance of expanding civil society representation in official negotiations and ensuring that grassroots women’s organizations and young activists play a central role in shaping global commitments.
Handschin is the President of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women at the United Nations and Director of WFWPI Office for UN Relations in Geneva.
The full text of the interview published on May 21, 2025 by the UN Women ECA:
As a participant in the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) - the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women – held in March 2025 in New York, Handschin-Moser reflects on key takeaways from CSW69 and explains why cooperation between civil society, governments, and international organizations can make a significant difference in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
How was CSW69 different this year, and why does it matter for gender equality and women’s empowerment?
What stood out in this year’s CSW was that we collectively looked back to a positive, uplifting, and unifying moment in our history – Beijing 1995. This milestone represents a shared achievement between the UN and governments, so our reflection comes from a place of responsibility, not criticism from the outside.
We asked ourselves how we can do better - as networks of civil society organizations - and how we can work more closely with governments and UN mechanisms. This spirit of collaboration is one of the essential yet often under-referenced elements in discussions around revitalizing CSW.
As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, governments have adopted the Political Declaration, which stands as a testament to what can be achieved even in challenging times. In your opinion, what are three takeaways from the Political Declaration?
One key takeaway is the strength of consensus. Ideally, this should extend to include both governments and civil society, engaging and working together.
Another essential element is commitment. Long-term commitment is critical, along with mechanisms to measure progress. Commitment becomes much easier when individuals are part of the decision-making process and know that their circumstances are being taken into account. Peer review, supported by models of good practice, is one way to strengthen this. Each step, including peer review, should involve open interaction with civil society, NGOs, and the private sector.
Finally, leadership plays a crucial role – not only in achieving gender equality but also in promoting peace. For women to reach the highest levels of influence, they must be supported early on. Families,
teachers – particularly through STEM and leadership training -, and both secular and religious leaders must contribute to developing character, knowledge, and skills. The best approach is a self-reflective, bottom-up system where peer support encourages people to shift norms – much like within a family environment.
Carolyn Handschin Moser speaks at the WFWPI Advocacy Training in NYC.
Why is it important to expand civil society representation in official negotiations?
The bottom line is that even the best government intentions can fall short if local knowledge isn’t tapped into. Decisions will require external artificial enforcement if they are not aligned with the will of broader society, including women, youth, and elders.
Conversely, when citizens are invited to participate from the planning stage onward, their commitment is strong. They become a resource. Leadership and vision are needed to create innovative ways to “harness civil society voices” and build a more efficient and participatory civic life.
What are your reflections on the impact of civil society in the gender equality movement?
Governments follow strict rules; civil society organizations often create their own. When trust is established among partners, we’re more willing to invest in one another. That trust – and the responsibility to maintain it – is ours to nurture.
Gender equality campaigns must be driven by a vision that serves the great good - “for the sake of a better world”. The success of these efforts also depends on us holding ourselves to the same standards we expect from governments. Forced solutions never work.
A healthy society is measured by how it treats its most estranged members – not just by healing their wounds, but by seeking out and valuing their perspective.
How can we ensure that grassroots organizations, young activists, and women’s rights groups play a central role in shaping global gender equality commitments?
It is a cycle of cause and effect. The best results will come when international organizations, governments, and citizens understand one another through respectful, ongoing interaction. The circle must stay open and the commitment must be mutual. Each stakeholder is essential to the global framework.
Women make up half of humanity - but beyond the numbers, women have a unique and irreplaceable role in the fabric of society, just as in their families. International organizations and institutions can collect data, analyze it, and make proposals about these issues.
We must also creatively engage young minds in shaping solutions to global problems. This is not only exciting – it gives purpose and direction. Girls want to envision their future without limits.
It’s clear that recent UN administrations have made progress. Not long ago, youth - especially girls - were excluded even from family decision-making. Today, continued conversations with youth and respect for their historically overlooked opinions are accelerating change. Those with greater awareness also bear greater responsibility. That means us! We must support youth through town hall meetings, creative mentorship programs, science exhibitions, and grants for innovative ideas and programs.
FOR ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS
Commission on the Status of Women f in
CSW63 - Opening of the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Photo: UN Women/ Ryan Brown
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global in- tergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality, the rights and the empowerment of women. A functional commis- sion of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by ECOSOC resolution 11 (11) of 21 June 1946.
The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s and girls’ rights, document- ing the reality of their lives throughout the world, and shaping global stan- dards on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
In 1996, ECOSOC in resolution 1996/6 (see R- 20). 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.
During the Commission’s annual two-week session, representatives of UN Member States, civil society organizations and UN entities gather at UN headquarters in New York. They discuss progress and gaps in the imple- mentation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality, and the 23rd SRecial session of the General AssemblY. held in 2000 (Beijing+S), as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Member States agree on further actions to accelerate progress and pro- mote women’s and girls’ enjoyment of their rights in political, economic, and
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warded to ECOSOC for follow-up.
The UN Commission on the Status of Women in focus Discover the key moments shaping gender equality at CSW69. Explore the latest UN report on progress and challenges, dive into stories that inspire, and trace the fight for women’s rights from 1848 to today.
- Upcoming and previous CSW sessions
csw 70 (2026) /\
Priority theme: Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discrimina- tory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers.
Review theme: Women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the em- powerment of all women and girls (srnreed conclusions of the sixtY.-fifth session).
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CSW 69/Beijing+30 (2025) /\
The main focus of the sixty-ninth session was the review and appraisal of the imple- mentation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd Sf2ecial session of the General AssemblY.. The review included an assess- ment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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csw 68 (2024) /\
Priority theme: Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empower- ment 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 (2 greed conclusions of the sixty-third session).
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csw 67 (2023) /\
Priority theme: Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
Review theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (sgreed conclusions of the sixty-second session).
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csw 66 (2022) /\
Priority theme: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction poli- cies and programmes.
Review theme: Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work (2 greed conclusions of the sixty-first session).
GO TO SESSION
Previous sessions /\
Access all information on previous sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women, including official documents and videos of panel discussions.
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CSW revitalization The revitalization of the Commission on the Status of Women is a Member State-led process aimed at strengthen- ing the Commission to ensure that it is fit-for-purpose in ad- vancing gender equality and the rights and empowerment of all women and girls.
Other relevant information for participants
MEMBER STATES NGO PARTICIPATION
Forty-five Member States of the United Nations serve as Registration for CSW69 will be open from 4 October 2024 members of the CSW till 24 January 2025
COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURE OUTCOMES
The deadline to submit communications is 1 August 2024 Agreed conclusions, resolutions and other declarations
I… \. Snapshot: What is CSW? Your guide to CSW68 A brief history of the Commission on the Status of Women
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FOR ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS
8 CSW69 / Beijing+30 (2025) In 2025, the global community will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995).
The sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 21 March 2025.
Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session.
Themes The main focus of the sixty-ninth session will be on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Bureau The Bureau of the Commission on the Status of Women plays a crucial role in facilitating the preparation for, and in ensuring the successful outcome of the annual sessions of the Commission.
The Bureau for the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (2025) comprises the following members:
• H.E. Mr. Abdulaziz M. Alwasil (Saudi Arabia), Chair, Asia and Pacific States Group • H.E. Ms. Maritza Chan Valverde (Costa Rica), Vice-Chair, Latin American and Caribbean States Group • Ms. Robin Maria de Vogel (Netherlands), Vice-Chair Designate, Western European and Other States Group • Ms. Dunia Eloisa Pires do Canto (Cabo Verde), Vice-Chair, African States Group • Ms. Nataliia Mudrenko (Ukraine), Vice-Chair, Eastern European States Group
Preparations States are called upon to undertake comprehensive national-level reviews of the progress made and challenges encountered.
• National-level reviews
The regional commissions of the United Nations are invited to undertake regional reviews and convene regiona l intergovernmental meetings. These will feed into the sixty-ninth session of the Commission.
• Regional 30-year review processes
In this section
Preparations
Offi cial meetings
Offi cial documentation
Session outcomes
Member States
NGO Participation
Communications procedure
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Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Beijing +5 Political Declaration and Outcome
Publication year: 2015 f X
Considered the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women’s rights, the Beij ing Declaration and Plat form for Action has been reprinted in this special edition, which also includes a copy of the political declaration reached at the 23rd special session of the General Assembly in 2000, which reviewed progress towards the Platform for Act ion five years after its adoption.
Additional documents English. ~12anish. French, Russian. Arabic. Chinese
Bibliographic information Resource type(s): PolicyJl§Rers
UN Women office publishing: UN Women Headquarters Office
Number of pages: 269
Publishing entities: United Nations EntitY. for Gender EgualitY. and the Em12owerment of Women (UN Women).
Beijing Platform for Action Intergovernmental processes
Related publications
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United Nations E/CN.6/2025/L.1 Economic and Social Council Distr.: Limited 6 March 2025
Original: English
Commission on the Status of Women Sixty-ninth session New York, 10–21 March 2025 Item 3 of the provisional agenda* Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”
Draft resolution submitted by the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women on the basis of informal consultations
Political declaration on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women
The Commission on the Status of Women Adopts the political declaration annexed to the present resolution.
* E/CN.6/2025/1.
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Annex Political declaration on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women
We, the Ministers and representatives of Governments, Having gathered at the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, in New York, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, to undertake a review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1 and the outcome documents of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”, 2 including an assessment of current challenges and gaps that affect the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all women and girls throughout their life course and its contribution towards the gender- responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 3 as well as to ensure the acceleration of the implementation of the Platform for Action, with a commitment to ensuring the mainstreaming of a gender perspective into the preparations for and the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to all the major United Nations conferences and summits in the development, economic, social, environmental, humanitarian and related fields so that they effectively contribute to the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, 1. Reaffirm the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the outcome documents of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly and the declarations of the Commission on the Status of Women on the tenth, fifteenth, twentieth and twenty-fifth anniversaries of the Fourth World Conference on Women 4 and commit to their full, effective and accelerated implementation; 2. Emphasize that the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the fulfilment of the obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 5 are mutually reinforcing in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the full and equal enjoyment of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and call upon States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying or acceding to the Convention and the Optional Protocol thereto; 6 3. Recognize that 2025 provides a momentous opportunity to bring Member States together to intensify action to achieve the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, with the convergence of the thirtieth __________________ 1 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4 –15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annexes I and II. 2 General Assembly resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex. 3 General Assembly resolution 70/1. 4 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2005, Supplement No. 7 and corrigendum (E/2005/27 and E/2005/27/Corr.1), chap. I, sect. A, and Economic and Social Council decision 2005/232; Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2010, Supplement No. 7 and corrigendum (E/2010/27 and E/2010/27/Corr.1), chap. I, sect. A, and Economic and Social Council decision 2010/232; Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2015, Supplement No. 7 (E/2015/27), chap. I, sect. C, resolution 59/1, annex; and ibid., 2020, Supplement No. 7 (E/2020/27), chap. I, sect. A. 5 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378. 6 Ibid., vol. 2131, No. 20378.
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anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and other major platforms and processes; 4. Reiterate that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 7 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, 8 as well as other relevant conventions and treaties, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 9 the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,10 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 11 the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 12 and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 13 provide an enabling international legal framework for realizing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the full and equal enjoyment of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout their life course; 5. Reaffirm the need to respect, protect and promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms, civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, including the right to development, for all women and girls throughout their life course, without distinction of any kind, while upholding the rule of law, the principles of equality, non-discrimination, and ensuring equal access to justice, freedom from violence and removal of all structural barriers to the empowerment of all women and girls, taking into consideration the diverse situations, contexts and conditions of women and girls; 6. Also reaffirm that gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls are essential for sustainable development and fulfilling our pledge to leave no one behind, and emphasize the mutually reinforcing relationship between the achievement of gender equality and the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and the outcomes of major United Nations conferences and summits; 7. Welcome the progress made towards the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action through concerted policy action at the national, regional and global levels and the review activities undertaken by Governments in this context, further welcome the convening of the regional reviews undertaken by the United Nations regional commissions, in the context of the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, acknowledging the important contributions made by civil society and all other relevant stakeholders, such as national human rights institutions where they exist, and look forward to the high-level meeting of the General Assembly at its eightieth session as an opportunity to identify concrete actions for further accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; 8. Recognize that, 30 years after the Fourth World Conference on Women, no country has fully achieved gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and express concern that, overall, progress in the implementation of commitments under the 12 critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action has been slow and uneven, that major gaps and obstacles remain, inter alia, structural barriers, discriminatory laws and practices, gender stereotypes and negative social norms, all __________________ 7 General Assembly resolution 217 A (III). 8 United Nations, Treaty Series, vols. 1577, 2171, 2173 and 2983, No. 27531. 9 See General Assembly resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. 10 Ibid. 11 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2515, No. 44910. 12 Ibid., vol. 660, No. 9464. 13 Ibid., vol. 2220, No. 39481.
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forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls, including domestic violence, armed conflict and the feminization of poverty, and that significant levels of inequality persist globally, including underrepresentation in decision-making at all levels, and that many women and girls experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, vulnerability and marginalization throughout their life course, which may affect, inter alia, African women and girls and women and girls of African descent, women and girls living with HIV and AIDS, women and girls living with rare diseases, rural women and girls and those living in remote and maritime areas, Indigenous women and girls, women and girls belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, women and girls living in situations of armed conflict, pregnant women, women and girls with disabilities, migrant, internally displaced and refugee women and girls and older women ; 9. Also recognize poverty, global economic inequality and the lack of equitable distribution of development gains within and among countries as fundamental challenges to the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; 10. Further recognize that women and girls play a vital role as agents of change and that the achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development is not possible if one half of humanity continues to be denied its full human rights and opportunities; 11. Recognize the contributions of all women and girls, including adolescent girls, to their societies, and the opportunities to strengthen these contributions in decision-making processes and as agents of change, as well as ensure their equal access to safe, accessible and affordable digital technology and to inclusive and equitable quality education, including physical education and sports, and promote lifelong learning as well as access to healthcare services and to empower them and fulfil all their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and end all forms of violence and discrimination against them; 12. Also recognize the positive role of young women as leaders, peer influencers, mentors and innovators and their full, equal and meaningful participation and engagement in policy and decision-making processes, and the need for intergenerational dialogue in order to safeguard the needs and interests of current and future generations, in a free and just society in which all women and girls can fulfil their full potential, free from discrimination, harassment, violence and harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage; 13. Further recognize the importance of men and boys fully engaging as strategic partners and allies, as well as agents and beneficiaries of change for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including their economic empowerment, and the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the need to design and implement national policies and programmes to fully engage men and boys in efforts to achieve the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including by addressing the root causes of gender inequality, such as negative social norms and gender stereotypes, and eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls; 14. Reaffirm the need to ensure adequate, predictable, sustainable and long- term funding, including transparent and impactful allocation of resources, as a means to eliminate structural inequalities as fundamental challenges to the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including by creating and providing meaningful opportunities for all women and girls, women’s inclusion in formal financial systems as well as investments in decent work for women, universal, accessible and sustainable social protection systems and public services and fostering
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sustainable development, and recognize the urgent need to mobilize domestic and international resources to empower all women and girls through innovative, equitable and effective mechanisms, such as improving tax systems, increasing public investments, strengthening North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, as well as public-private partnerships, and meeting official development assistance commitments, and by reorienting fiscal and monetary policies and adopting systematic gender-responsive budgeting and developing disaggregated and gender- sensitive measures of progress on sustainable development; 15. Recognize that new challenges have emerged, and strongly reaffirm our political will and firm commitment to tackle the existing and emerging challenges and remaining implementation gaps in all 12 critical areas of concern, namely, women and poverty, education and training of women, women and health, violence against women, women and armed conflict, women and the economy, women in power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, human rights of women, women and the media, women and the environment, and the girl child, and recommit to taking further concrete action to ensure the full, effective and accelerated implementation and resourcing of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, which can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including by: (a) Ensuring women’s economic empowerment by promoting women’s access to credit and entrepreneurship as well as capacity-building, financial inclusion and financial literacy for women and girls, and enhancing cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, and by promoting, respecting, protecting and fulfilling women’s rights to work and rights at work, taking into account obligations under relevant International Labour Organization conventions, enhancing women’s full access to and equal opportunities in the labour market and decent work, taking effective action against discrimination, including based on maternity, as well as violence and harassment in the world of work, enforcing labour rights, including the right to organize and bargain collectively, promoting equal pay for work of equal value, providing social security, supporting the transition from informal to formal work in all sectors, adopting all necessary measures to reduce labour market segregation, and closing the pay and pension inequality; (b) Recognizing, reducing and redistributing women’s and girls’ disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work by promoting the equal sharing of responsibilities between men and women within the household and promoting work-life balance, inter alia, through prioritizing public investments to develop and expand integrated care systems, including care leave policies, the provision of universal care and support services throughout the life course and the proper recognition, representation, remuneration and reward of care workers; (c) Harnessing the potential of technology and innovation and closing the digital divides within and between countries, including the gender digital divide, as well as expanding digital learning, literacy and capacity-building opportunities and addressing the risks and challenges emerging from the use of technologies, with full respect for the human rights of all women and girls, both online and offline, and mainstreaming a gender perspective in policy decisions and the frameworks that guide the development of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence; (d) Recognizing that women and girls are at greater risk of poverty, and therefore taking comprehensive and targeted measures to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, the feminization of poverty, multidimensional and intergenerational poverty, as well as structural inequalities among and within countries in the distribution of and access to services, resources
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and infrastructure, as well as access to food, water, health, quality education, training and opportunities for employment and decent work in urban and rural, remote and maritime areas and other human settlements in order to break the cycle of poverty and vulnerability, and removing structural barriers in this regard; (e) Ensuring that all women throughout their life course, including women working in the informal economy and in precarious work and low-paid sectors and women heads of households, enjoy equal access, both in law and in practice, to gender-responsive comprehensive and universal social protection systems, including floors, public and financial services, productive resources, sustainable infrastructures, markets and networks, as well as affordable technologies; (f) Promoting, respecting and protecting the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for all women and girls, throughout their life course and without distinction of any kind, towards the achievement of universal health coverage, including safe, available, affordable, accessible, quality and inclusive healthcare services, as well as maternal and neonatal health, menstrual health and hygiene management and all communicable and noncommunicable diseases; (g) Promoting, protecting and fulfilling the right to education as a key driver of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the achievement of sustainable development, by ensuring access to inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all women and girls through, inter alia, eliminating structural barriers that hinder their participation, strengthening international cooperation, investing in public education systems and infrastructure, and providing training and skills development, including in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and in information and communications technologies; (h) Ensuring women’s and girls’ food security, nutrition and well-being, including through engaging with grassroots women’s organizations, and supporting women and girls in rural areas, Indigenous women, women smallholders and farmers, accelerating efforts towards the eradication of poverty, hunger and inequality and supporting the transition to more sustainable agrifood systems; (i) Adopting, funding and implementing national action plans to prevent, eliminate and respond to violence against all women and girls in all its forms and manifestations, in public and private spaces, online and offline, including through multisectoral and coordinated approaches to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of violence and end impunity, and taking appropriate measures to create a safe, enabling and violence-free environment for women and girls; (j) Adopting a comprehensive approach to eliminating violence that occurs through or is amplified by the use of technology, including in its design, development and deployment, by combating the use of digital tools, such as social media and online platforms and artificial intelligence, for the purpose of harassment, racism, trafficking in persons and all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls; (k) Ensuring victims and survivors of all forms of violence against women and girls, including sexual and gender-based violence and sexual violence in conflict, have prompt and universal access to quality social and healthcare services such as psychological and counselling services, as well as access to justice, including legal services, to end impunity; (l) Mobilizing and strengthening communities, institutions and all relevant stakeholders to prevent, eliminate and respond to all forms of violence against all women and girls as well as its underlying root causes;
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(m) Accelerating progress towards women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in leadership and decision-making, across sectors and at all levels, including through, as appropriate, temporary special measures, and ensuring a safe and enabling environment for women and girls and removing any structural barriers that prevent their participation; (n) Ensuring effective and well-resourced national machineries to promote, coordinate, implement and evaluate policies and programmes to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the full and equal enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms; (o) Adopting and implementing a comprehensive approach to mainstreaming a gender perspective in planning, budgeting and funding processes, including through gender-responsive budgeting and tracking across all sectors; (p) Promoting safe and enabling environments for civil society actors, especially women’s, young women’s, girls’, grass-roots and community-based organizations, rural, Indigenous and feminist groups, women of African descent, women journalists and media professionals and trade unions, for the defence, protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and prevent discrimination, violations and abuses against these actors, and, in accordance with national priorities, promoting access to flexible, sustainable and long-term funding and capacity-building, to promote close cooperation between civil society and decision makers, in the context of promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; (q) Strengthening the protection of all women and girls in armed conflict and ensuring women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership at all levels of decision-making and in all stages of peace processes and mediation efforts, prevention and resolution of armed conflicts, peacebuilding, post-conflict reconstruction, and in humanitarian action, as an essential factor for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and encouraging the development, implementation and financing of national action plans, as well as support for local women’s organizations and peacebuilders, in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and sustaining peace; (r) Mainstreaming a gender perspective into environmental, climate change and disaster risk reduction policies, recognizing the disproportionate effect of climate change and natural disasters on women and girls, in particular those in vulnerable situations, strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacities of women and girls to respond to the adverse impacts of climate change and natural disasters, and promoting women’s participation and leadership in decision-making on environmental and climate change issues; 16. Reaffirm the primary responsibility of the Commission on the Status of Women for the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and the outcome documents of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly and recall the follow-up work of the Commission in that regard, also reaffirm its catalytic role in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, in promoting and monitoring gender mainstreaming within the United Nations system, and in coordinating the implementation and monitoring of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, in which it is recognized that the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all women and girls is essential for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and take note of the commitment in the Pact for the Future 14 to explore options to revitalize the Commission on the Status of Women, through an inclusive intergovernmental __________________ 14 General Assembly resolution 79/1.
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process with the participation of all Member States, while reaffirming the mandate of the Commission; 17. Strengthen the capacity and coordination of national statistics and data production offices, government institutions and other research organizations by providing financial, technical and human resources, including for developing countries, to improve the ethical collection, analysis, production, dissemination and use of gender statistics and data disaggregated on the basis of income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, migration status, disability, geographical location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts, while safeguarding privacy rights and data protection, to inform the conception, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes that are evidence-based, and to identify gaps, inform actions, monitor and evaluate progress on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; 18. Acknowledge the fifteenth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and reaffirm its important role in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and in supporting Member States and coordinating the United Nations system and mobilizing civil society, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders, at all levels, in support of the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the gender- responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ; 19. Call upon the United Nations system to continue to support the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including through systematic gender mainstreaming, multi-stakeholder partnerships, the mobilization of resources to deliver results and the monitoring and assessment of progress with disaggregated data and robust accountability systems, and in this regard take note of the Secretary-General’s system-wide strategy on gender parity, the United Nations System-wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan and the zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment; 20. Encourage Member States to consider nominating women as candidates during the next and in subsequent selection processes for the Secretary-General position and as candidates for the position of President of the General Assembly; 21. Welcome the contributions made by civil society, including non-governmental organizations and women’s and community-based organizations, youth-led organizations and all other stakeholders such as national human rights institutions where they exist to the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and pledge to continue supporting with increased, flexible and sustainable resources, at the local, national, regional and global levels, civil society efforts for the advancement and promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all women and girls, including by promoting and ensuring a safe and enabling environment for them, and recognize the importance of having an open, inclusive and transparent engagement with civil society as a contribution to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; 22. Renew our commitment to the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the outcome documents of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly and the declarations of the Commission on the Status of Women, which can contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by strengthening our collective efforts towards achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including full enjoyment of their human rights.
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