The Commission on the Status of Women (or CSW) is a commission under the parent organization of one of the 6 main UN organs: the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The CSW is focused on promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Commission gathers once a year in New York for two weeks. There, the members, elected for a four-year term by ECOSOC, discuss the progress made so far. The CSW was first established by the ECOSOC via the ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946. 

 

The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women. The CSW also discusses the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most important global policy document on gender equality. The outcomes and recommendations of each CSW session are sent to ECOSOC for advisement.

 

The 2023 CSW priority theme will be: Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. The 2023 CSW review theme will be: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.

 

At this year’s Haarlem Model United Nations, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will consist of 30 nations that are all important parties in the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women trough out the world.