The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 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 throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The 67th session of the CSW will take place from 6th to 17th March 2023. It will consider the priority theme of “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.
The CW67 session will also highlight online violence, other dangers women and girls face, and the need for quality education in the digital age.
Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to contribute to the session.
During her introductory statement, Mathu Joyini, Chair of CSW67, remarked that while digital technologies are quickly revolutionising societies, they are also creating significant new obstacles that could maintain and worsen current gender disparities.
“Gender-based discrimination is a systemic problem that has been interwoven into the fabric of our political, social and economic lives, and the technology sector is no different,” she said.
“However, this is compounded when you consider the multiple factors that impact and exacerbate this inherent discrimination.”
The CSW has met annually since 1946, but this is the first in-person gathering since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A special segment will be held where young people discuss the priority themes, marking another first in the Commission’s history.
Ms. Joyini, the CSW Chair, also outlined some of the objectives of this latest session in her opening remarks.
“We will consider the responsibilities of governments and the private sector in ensuring that adequate safeguards, norms and standards exist, and women and girls’ fundamental rights are not violated while using digital technologies,” she said.
Additionally, there will be demands to increase opportunities for women in innovation, financing, and investment and to eradicate algorithms that reinforce and intensify prevailing forms of discrimination and biases.
The CSW67 is set to end on Friday, 17 March, with several other events planned. These include the UN Secretary-General’s annual dialogue with women’s and feminist civil society groups, a youth forum where the particular focus will be given to community voices, and a discussion on promoting women’s and girls’ equal social, economic and political rights in Afghanistan.