In 2025, the international community will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the establishment of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which took place in 1995. The sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 10 to 21, 2025. Representatives of Member States, U.N. entities, WILPF US, and various ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the globe will participate in the session.

The yearly Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the most significant international assembly that evaluates advancements in gender equality, addresses urgent topics, and reaches a consensus on measures to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide. WILPF US members will be active at the CSW through our Local to Global Program and the attendance of several other interested members.

This year’s primary focus will be reviewing and evaluating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. We are excited to be part of the programming with our presentation, “Thirty Years of Insights from the Peace Train to Beijing.” Robin Lloyd will discuss the Peace Train, sponsored by WILPF, which brought 230 women and 10 men from 42 countries across Europe and Asia to Beijing for the 1995 Conference. Along with Jan Corderman, Eva Egozi, and Tara Vassefi, Robin will highlight other issues addressed in the Platform for Action, including Women and the Environment and Women and Armed Conflict. We’re pleased to have two sponsors: Food & Water Watch and the Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture. To learn more about the Beijing conference, go to Robin’s website, scroll down to Peace Train (long version), and click and scroll to 43:44-47:54 for three minutes about food rights, free trade, global corporations, and Vandana Shiva. 

Our Local to Global Delegation includes WILPF US Board members Julie Leak and Tina Shelton, Cynthia Roberts from the Cuba and Bolivarian Alliance Issue Committee, Virginia Pratt from the Boston Branch, and Kim Poole from the DC-MD-VA Branch. Let them know if you or your branch would like to hear about their experiences and how they related to the many presentations, networking, and other opportunities at the CSW event.

In 1948, WILPF became one of the first NGOs–and the first women’s peace organization–to be granted consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This status gives us access to all U.N. bodies open to NGOs, including the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

For over 75 years, we have lobbied the U.N. on several peace-related issues. Long before the U.N. was established, WILPF had found methods to engage with and impact the League of Nations, which lacked official protocols for granting consultative status to NGOs. For a long time, our advocacy at the U.N. primarily focused on disarmament. In the past several years, we have expanded our focus and can now proudly claim successes on various issues, including guns and gender-based violence.

Our delegation will be thoughtful about how we can advocate for our work at this year’s CSW. Hear from our Local to Global Coordinator and Participants from CSW 68 (2024).

WILPF Reception, CSW 68 (2024). Photo submitted by Jan Corderman.