Annually, the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York host a two-week session dedicated to one of the largest gatherings on women’s rights in the world – the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Due to the ongoing restrictions affiliated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the 65th CSW was hosted in a hybrid format with mostly virtual events seeing hundreds of panel discussions, workshops, talks, and much more take place from the 15th through to the 26th of March. In 2021 the priority theme was women’s full and effective participation, decision-making in public life, the elimination of violence for achieving gender equality, and the empowerment of all women and girls. The review theme was women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development.
The two-week period of CSW saw hundreds of side and parallel events. To gain some clarity, the International Gender Champions Secretariat analysed the over one hundred official CSW65 side events to illustrate the main topics fellow Champions addressed in panel events.
Out of the 140 officially listed events here, 19 Champions spoke across 23 different side events.
The top three themes covered by Champions during CSW65 were:
- Ending Violence Against Women (7 Champions)
- Women’s Leadership, Effective Participation, and Decision-Making (7 Champions)
- Women’s Economic Empowerment (5 Champions)
Champions also spoke at various events beyond the top three themes listed above, such as Youth, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in the Context of COVID-19, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
Underneath, you will find information on Champions who spoke at CSW65 events, sorted by topic and the three overarching themes.
