Commission on the Status of Women
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the United Nations’ principal global policy-making body on gender equality and the advancement of women.
As such, it is very important that national human rights institutions (NHRIs) are able to contribute their independent knowledge and expertise on the human rights issues facing women and girls in their country.
Unlike the Human Rights Council, NHRIs do not have standing in their own right to participate in meetings of the CSW and can only attend as part of their country’s government delegation, if they are invited.
In March 2009, five APF member institutions, in conjunction with the APF Secretariat, attended the 53rd Session of the CSW to advocate for the independent participation of NHRIs in the UN body.
The initiative, endorsed unanimously by the APF in July 2008, was also adopted by the International Conference on National Institutions held in October 2008.
During the two-week session, the human rights commissions of Australia, Indonesia, Korea, Philippines and Thailand, as well as the APF Secretariat, held meetings with their government representatives, other government delegations, UN agencies and national, regional and international NGOs.
The advocacy efforts of APF member institutions resulted in the following positive outcomes:
- formal statements promoting the role of NHRIs in CSW from the Governments of Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines and Thailand
- a statement by the Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women strongly encouraging CSW to consider how NHRIs could be fully integrated into its work
- NHRIs participating in three side events
- inclusion of specific text in the formal 'Agreed Conclusions' of CSW referring to the role of NHRIs.
The APF is currently working with the International Coordinating Committee and NHRIs from the other regional groupings – Europe, Africa and the Americas – to ensure that its advocacy campaign at the 2010 session of the CSW is broader and more international in its scope.
