CSW 57: Watered down conclusions raise questions of commitment

New York, March 19: After two weeks of discussion and deliberation, Friday 15 March saw the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 57) come to a close with the much- anticipated but watered down Agreed Conclusions.

UN Women welcomed the outcome of CSW 57 saying, “The Agreed Conclusions are a testimony to the commitment of Member States to do the right thing, to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls”.

The Commission was under pressure to ensure that conclusions were agreed upon considering CSW56 came to nearly nothing and especially against the backdrop of cautionary statements released by a number of organisations prior to the closing of CSW57.

But 282 Organisations and 127 individuals under the Statement of feminist and women’s organisations on the very alarming trends in the negotiations of outcome document of the 57th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, made their widespread frustration apparent;

“We, the undersigned organisations and individuals across the globe, are again concerned that the United Nations CSW is wavering in its commitment to advance women’s human rights… considering the lack of an outcome document last year we hope that this is not the pattern when it comes to advancing women’s human rights agenda. Women’s human rights are not to be negotiated away. “

The African Women’s Caucus, which represents all the five sub regions of Africa, released a statement before the end of CSW57 expressing concern that some Member States were making attempts to go back on commitments already made on the rights of women and girls. They called on Member States to reaffirm commitments to resolutions and conventions such as Beijing Platform for Action; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

According to UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet’s closing statement, only 45 Member States of this Commission reached agreement to prevent and end violence against women and girls. Although the final document is unavailable and it is not clear which Member States agreed to what conclusions, the draft document seems to meet African Women’s Caucus recommendations.

The Agreed Conclusions place emphasis on gender inequalities in the political, economic and social spheres also focusing on prevention through formal and non-formal education as well as the role the media and communities play in the elimination of gender stereotypes.

There is an establishment of multi-sectoral services for survivors of violence, including psychological support and protection of sexual and reproductive health rights. The document also urges Member States to accelerate efforts in addressing the intersection of HIV and AIDS as well as strategies to address domestic and sexual violence.

The draft also condemns violence against women and girls committed in armed conflict and post-conflict situations and emphasises the need to end impunity by punishing perpetrators, along with improving collection of evidence and responding to victims. A new proposal by South Africa and the US, urges Governments to recognise the serious risk of violence women face because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
Finally, the Commission strongly recommends that the elimination of violence against women and is made a priority area in the post-2015 development framework.

In a five-country survey conducted in Southern Africa by Gender Links, research found that 90% of women in Zambia, 69% in Zimbabwe, 60% in Botswana, 49% in South Africa and 24% in Mauritius experience some form of gender based Violence in their lifetime.

Will these conclusions attend to daily life of these women?

The draft document itself states that implementation and fulfilling commitments remains a challenge. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also released a statement saying, “The Secretary-General hopes that all the partners who came together at this historic session and others around the world will now translate this agreement into concrete action to prevent and end violence against women and girls”.

Bachelet echoed this sentiment expressing the need for commitment, implementation and accountability. She also pledged to advance gender equality by ensuring “ending violence against women is prioritized in the post-2015 development framework”.

The UN Secretary-General has taken several initiatives to advancing the Post-2015 Development Agenda by establishing the UN System Task Team, launching a High-level Panel of Eminent Persons and appointed his own Special Advisor on Post-2015 Development Planning.

The High Level Panel is holding its fourth meeting in Bali, March 25-27 2013 and will include a full day of outreach events to enable dialogue between civil society, the private sector, academic institutions, youth, parliamentarians and other elected representatives. This process is part of eleven global thematic and national consultations in over 60 countries facilitated by the United Nations Development Group.

Let us hope that these Agreed Conclusions, the COMMIT initiative, all the existing conventions and the post 2015 development framework move beyond paper and lip service to the political, to the personal and to the women that matter; like those in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. Let us hope that the positive reference made about assisting Palestinian women was not merely a passing one.

As South Africa celebrates Human Rights Day this week, we must remember that women’s human rights are non-negotiable and women should not have to justify their humanity. As Bachelet said, “We must keep pace with social transformations in attitudes, beliefs, and values …our hope is to see gender equality become reality in this, our 21st century”.

Katherine Robinson is the communications manager for Gender Links. This article is part of GL’s special coverage of CSW 57.