CSW65 Update: Update for NGOs in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Please see this message from UN Women below: 

Dear ECOSOC-accredited NGOs, 

We hope that this message finds you and your loved ones healthy and well. We would first like to thank you for your understanding and patience regarding details around the format and arrangements for participation at the sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. 

The sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 15-26 March 2021 and will consider the priority theme of "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 empowerment of all women and girls". The session will also review the agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session, "Women's empowerment and the link to sustainable development". 

As you are all aware, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are living in unprecedented times. It is due to this global crisis that the sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women is scheduled to take place on a virtual platform (including the general discussion, ministerial round tables and interactive events), with the exception of two in-person meetings (opening and closing) that will take place with the participation of New York-based delegates. Negotiations of Agreed Conclusions would likewise take place virtually. This format takes into account the constraints and opportunities as they might present themselves in the changing and evolving environment of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related safety and health guidelines implemented at the United Nations Headquarters. There is no expectation of travel to UNHQ in New York. All side events and parallel events will take place fully virtually.

At this time, it is anticipated that representatives of organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC will be invited to register for the session via the United Nations Indico platform from 28 December 2020 until 22 February 2021. An invitation letter will be shared with all ECOSOC accredited NGOs prior to the opening of the registration system. 

As in previous sessions, a limited number of registered representatives from non-governmental organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC will be able to speak during the general discussion and to make oral interventions during the interactive panels, subject to time availability. Due to the virtual manner of the session, these contributions will be through virtual modalities. All registered representatives will be able to follow the proceedings of the session via live webcast which will provide interpretation in official UN languages.

Registration on the Indico platform will enable participants to receive information about preparatory activities as well as information about virtual formal and informal meetings and opportunities for interaction, including social media mobilization, directly to their registered email addresses.

The proposed organization of work has been posted on the CSW65 website, and additional information about the session will be available at http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw65-2021 closer to the session. The Chair of CSW will brief representatives of civil society about preparations for the session in January—the date will be announced in due course. More information on NGO participation in the session will be published on the CSW website at http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/ngo-participation as soon as it becomes available.

If you have any questions, please contact us at csw@unwomen.org . We encourage you to follow CSW on Twitter and Facebook for updates: https://twitter.com/UN_CSW and https://facebook.com/UNCSW

Kind regards,
UN Women CSW team