Start Making Contacts Now for the 2023 Commission on the Status of Women

by Shilpa Pandey
Membership Development Chair

September 2022

I am very excited to announce that we are starting to prepare for next year’s Commission on Status of Women (CSW) 67 in spring 2023.  Many of you may already be aware that every year our WILPF US section organizes a Local to Global and UN Practicum in Advocacy geared toward our members and university students. We are announcing our plans for this upcoming CSW now, since we realize that our student community and other members may need that much lead time to plan their participation for the week-long practicum.

Since WILPF International has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) we have the ability to attend the annual CSW, and we offer a week-long program for two different groups during the annual March CSW meetings. These programs are specially designed to broaden and deepen the understanding of the work of the CSW, the UN, and last but not least, how we in WILPF connect with this important work at the global level.

Both of these programs offer a great opportunity for participants to better understand the CSW activities by being able to attend various presentations and events, including special discussions and programs pertaining to the UN’s action on women's rights and issues.

CSW meetings are typically attended by thousands of women affiliated with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world. Alongside the official discussions and reports, these NGOs sponsor hundreds of "side events" such as panels, presentations and workshops as well as performances addressing various local and international issues affecting women.

This is a wonderful opportunity for peer-to-peer learning or even exploring a career in international relations and advocacy work!

For now, we urge you to reach out to local colleges and universities to spread the word, and to inform fellow members and students who may benefit from attending this event.

We are still in the process of updating some of the information available on our website. Look for more updates in the coming weeks and months.

In 2020, this program was canceled at the last minute due to the pandemic. Since then, it has been held virtually and otherwise scaled down to a great degree. However, as we now see the reduction in restrictions the world over and gradually and slowly things seem to be returning to a somewhat pre-pandemic phase, we are thrilled to note that the CSW 67 to be held in 2023 in New York will be a hybrid meeting, which is a combination of virtual and in-person meetings.

In the year 2023, these meetings are scheduled to take place March 6-17.

Please keep checking our website CSW programs page for more details or reach out to me at emailtoshilpa@yahoo.com.

Looking forward to your enthusiastic response!