The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives around the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Public Services International (PSI), Education International (EI) and other global unions, as well as national trade union centres from Canada, Italy, United Kingdom, Norway, Senegal, Brazil and many other countries participate annually in the Sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women.
The UNCSW provides a unique opportunity for coalition-building with other progressive organizations, and for influencing global policies on gender equality. In 2017, the main theme of the 61st Session of the UNCSW will be “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work”. This is an important opportunity for the trade union movement to make our demands visible, to influence this global body and to strengthen and consolidate our alliances with major civil society organizations (CSOs). The labour delegations that will be present at UNCSW61 will coordinate actions at the national, regional and global levels, to ensure key labour priorities are included in the UNCSW61 outcome document (commonly referred to as the ‘Agreed Conclusions’).
The jointly organised PSI/EI/ITUC and FES UNCSW61 preparatory meeting aims to develop a strategy for trade union representation in the UNCSW61 and ensure high-level participation of trade unions in panels and official side-events.
More information:
- Download the concept note and programme (PDF)
- Follow the trade union delegation blog
- See the Trade Union Guide to UNCSW
- More about UNCSW61 on the UNWomen website
- PSI Gender Equality pages
- PSI campaign for women’s economic empowerment
- EI Gender Equality pages
- ITUC Gender Equality pages