Governments Agree to Step Up Action to Achieve Gender Equality at Opening Ceremony of CSW59

GFDD was present as the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status (CSW59) opened today before a packed General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters. With record attendance by civil society, the conference hall was rapidly filled to capacity, forcing CSW59 organizers to send the remaining participants to two extra overflow rooms from which they could view the opening ceremony. During the event, governments also agreed to step up action to achieve gender
equality.

The session began with the election by acclamation of its Chair, Ms. Kanda Vajrabhaya, former Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security of The Kingdom of Thailand. Her election was followed by the election by acclamation for the position of Vice Chair of H.E. Mr. Rubén Ignacio Zamora Rivas, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of El Salvador to the United Nations. Thanking UN Delegates for her
election, Ms. Vajrabhaya reflected on the importance of this 59th session and its role in the run up to the adoption of the Post 2015 Development Agenda. She stressed the need for UN Delegates to ensure that the agenda is truly inclusive with gender equality at its core.

Following adoption of the official agenda (UN Document E/CN.6/2015/1*) the Chair proceeded to invite key note speakers to make their interventions. His Excellency UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
concurred with Ms. Vajrabhaya’s position stating that if we are to make the Sustainable Development Goals (the successor framework to the Millennium Development Goals) “truly transformative then women need to be at the forefront of this agenda”. Viewing women as agents of progress and change, the Secretary General stressed that women are the best buffer against the radicalization of youth. UNDP Administrator, Ms. Helen Clarke, concurred with this focus on the
role of women by confirmed that the agency UNDP remains committed to prioritizing gender equality across its work.

Related Links:
http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw59-2015
http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/about/mdg.shtml