CSW 57:Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace
The fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 4 to 15 March 2013.This years session will focus on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conferenceon Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”: Implementation of strategic objectives andaction in critical areas of concern and further actions and initiatives. The Priority theme:elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.
Documents at the 57th Session
UN Resources and Previous Sessions
- Annual Reports
- Sessional Meetings -GA
- Sessional Meetings-ECOSOC
- Historical List of CSW Reports
Other UN Resources:
Other Blogs on Women Related issues
A Collection of HIV & Sex-Worker Statistics
This Study, which is funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations AIDS Program (UNAIDS), provides eleven detailed case studies on HIV and sex work programs and advocacy from seven countries in the Asia Pacific region: Bangladesh, China, Fiji, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand. It also provides an analysis of the key lessons learned for delivering and scaling up evidence and rights-based responses.
Some Important Findings on Community Empowerment:
- Effective models for peer outreach, holistic education and social mobilisation, so that sex workers can address the challenges they face in their lives;
- Addressing the barriers to access HIV, SRH and other health services, including addressing the stigma and discrimination, building community demand and confidence to access services;
- Encouraging innovative approaches to preventing and addressing violence against sec workers; tackle law enforcement practices that violate sex workers’ rights and undermine effective HIV responses, and expand choices for economic empowerment.
Related UN Resources:
- UNAIDS World Epidemiological Statistics: AIDS
- Women Out Loud: How Women with HIV will help the world end AIDS
- UNDP Criminalization of HIV Transmission: Policy Brief
- UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS epidemic: 2012
- State of the World Population: 2012
- United Nations Documents pertaining to: Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS & the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS
Sexual Violence in Conflict: Engaging Men and Guidance for Mediators
ENGAGING MEN
Through joint collaboration, the organisations ‘Men Engage’ and the ‘United Nations Population Fund’ (UNFPA) have produced an Advocacy Brief, “Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict: Engaging Men and Boys”, that explores how to engage men and boys in preventing and responding to sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings.
The Brief explains that this issue is particularly complicated because men and boys are victims, perpetrators, witnesses and are central in the solution.


It is divided into three topical parts:
- “Sexual Violence, Peace, Conflict and Post-Conflict”: which discusses the context of sexual violence in conflict, and in both war and peace.
- “The Place of Men and Boys in Relation to Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict”:which discusses the varied roles of men and boys as perpetrators, survivors, witnesses, peacekeepers, police and soldiers, service providers and change makers.
- “Engaging Men and Boys on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict Settings”: which outlines a range of policy and programmatic proposals focused on engaging men.
GUIDANCE FOR MEDIATORS
The use of sexual violence to degrade and intimidate men, women or children in war is an intolerable practice, our mediators must be sensitized to the problem and have the know-how to push for agreements at the peace table that can help stop it and to prevent its recurrence. —- Lynn Pascoe, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs

Since 2008, the UN Security Council has considered sexual violence a threat to security and an impediment to peace. If left unaddressed, this risks undermining ceasefire agreements and possibly the mediation process itself. The UN Department of Political Affairs (UNDPA) has released new guidelines containing key principles for mediators, for instance:
- to engage parties in discussion on this issue and to work towards firm commitments in peace accords to cease all acts of conflict-related sexual violence;
- to include sexual violence in the definition of acts covered by a ceasefire.
Resources on conflict related sexual violence
- Guidance for Mediators on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
- Latest Secretary-General’s report entitled: Conflict Related Sexual Violence
- Security Council Resolutions and Presidential Statements
- Various UN reports
- Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict (@margotwallstrom) - website
- MenEngage Website
- Involving Men & boys in gender-based violence prevention: Research Papers
Women, Peace and Security
Following this morning’s meeting on Sierra Leone, the Security Council will meet to discuss the latest report from the Secretary General on Women and Peace and Security (S/2012/732), and the Permanent UN Representative of Guatemala’s letter dated October 2nd (S/2012/774).

UN Resources
- Security Council Resolutions
- Security Council Meeting Records
- Statements by the President of the Security Council
- Reports from the UN Secretary General
Additional UN Resources:
- UNWomen’s Annual Report 2011-2012
- UNite - to End Violence Against Women
- UN Peace Building Support Strategy 2012-2013
Non-UN Resources:
International Day for Disaster Reduction- 13th October

This year’s theme is Theme Women and Girls - the [in]Visible Force of Resilience.
UN Resources:
Additional Resources
UNFPA:Contraceptive Commodities for Women’s Health

UNFPA has released a report titled Contraceptive Commodities for Women’s Health:Key data and findings.This report, prepared for the United Nations Commission on Commodities for Women and Children’s Health, provides a review of three contraceptive commodities that are considered to be overlooked or underutilized: the female condom, hormonal implants and emergency contraception.
Related Resources:
- Medicines for Maternal Health
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Framework: A reality for All
International Women’s Day 2012


Today is International Womens day.
- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Remarks to International Women’s.
- Empowering rural women
- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on International Women’s Day
The official United Nations theme for International Women’s Day 2012 is “Empower Rural Women — End Hunger and Poverty.
UN RESOURCES:
Other Related Days
15 October - International Day of Rural Women [observed pursuant to A/RES/62/136
25 November - International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women designated by A/RES/54/134
World Atlas to Gender Equality in Education
Although access to education remains a challenge in many countries, girls enrolled in primary school tend to outperform boys. Dropout rates are higher for boys than girls in 63% of countries with data.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the World Atlas to Gender Equality in Education.
The atlas illustrates the educational pathways of girls and boys and the changes in gender disparities over time. Some key findings shows that:
- Although access to education remains a challenge in many countries, girls enrolled in primary school tend to outperform boys. Dropout rates are higher for boys than girls in 63% of countries with data.
- Countries with high proportions of girls enrolled in secondary education have more women teaching primary education than men.
- Women are the majority of tertiary students in two-thirds of countries with available data. However, men continue to dominate the highest levels of study, accounting for 56% of PhD graduates and 71% of researchers.
Africa Renewal: Special Edition on Women

The print versions of Africa Renewal’s Special Edition on Women are now available The electronic versions are available online: http://www.un.org/AfricaRenewal . Previous issues of the magazine maybe accessed through the online archives.
UNEP:Women at the frontline of climate change - Gender risks and hopes

The United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) has published a report titled Women at the frontline of climate change - Gender risks and hopes. This report states that women are often in the frontline in respect to the impacts of a changing climate. Globally the world is seeing increasingly frequent droughts and floods which are having economic but also profound social consequences. The women and people of Asia are currently at greatest risk with over 100 million people affected in this region annually.
UNEP:Women at the frontline of climate change - Gender risks and hopes

The United Nations Environment Programme has published a new report titled; Women at the frontline of climate change - Gender risks and hopes. The reports focuses on women, gender issues and climate change. Women are often in the frontline in respect to the impacts of a changing climate. Globally the world is seeing increasingly frequent droughts and floods which are having economic but also profound social consequences. The women and people of Asia are currently at greatest risk with over 100 million people affected in this region annually.
UN Women-Second Regular Session

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women will hold its Second Regular Session of the UN Women Executive Board, 5–7 December 2011.
UN Resources:
High-level Meeting on Integrating Women Into Economic Recovery

The Peacebuilding Commission and the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) will hold a high-level meeting tomorrow, Friday, 18 November 2011, on “Integrating women into economic recovery”.
Related links
- UN News Centre: “UN official stresses need for empowerment and political participation of women” 10 June 2011
UN Resources
Photo: Women in Côte d’Ivoire Celebrate International Women’s Day. UN Photo/Ky Chung
Resources on UN Secretary-General’s “Every Woman, Every Child” Event

UN Secretary-General is hosting the “Every Woman, Every Child” event Tuesday (20 September), a global effort bringing together governments, philanthropic institutions and other funders, the United Nations and multilateral organizations, civil society and non-governmental organizations, the business community, health-care workers and professionals, and academic and research institutions around the world that support the “Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health”
*Photo - A Somali woman and a malnourished child exit from the medical tent after the child receives emergency medical treatment from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), an active regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations… (July 2011) - UN Photo/Stuart Price


