Not all of us made it to the CSW

By Flor Aydeé Rodríguez Campos

The 69thThe 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) is taking place from March 10-21 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. This is considered the largest annual UN meeting dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment, but it is important to mention that this year will mark a milestone as it will review the progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which remains the most revolutionary instrument of international cooperation in terms of gender equality.

During this first week of the CSW, António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, welcomed civil society organizations with a welcome message in which he recognized that it is civil society organizations, not governments, who strive to make our societies more just, more equitable, more representative and, consequently, more resilient and more prosperous for all people. She also emphasized that women's rights are currently under siege as the poison of patriarchy has returned, and has done so with force and as a consequence progress has been shattered and invited civil society to join efforts to pressure all parties to ensure women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peacebuilding to create more durable solutions.

The UN continues to represent the promotion of peace, development, international cooperation and equality for all people without distinction, however, not all women who are fighting and working every day for the defense of our rights have the privilege to access and attend such meetings as the CSW where the reality is that their voices are missing and have no presence at the discussion tables or in the speeches. There is still a huge gap regarding the participation and inclusion of women in their diversity, although many of the issues that have been put on the table in this edition 69 have been digital violence, the rights of migrant women and indigenous women, the narrative continues to segment women. 

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