52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women

The 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place from February 25 to March 7, 2008 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

In accordance with its multi-year programme of work for 2007–2009, the Commission will consider the following themes at its 52nd session:

• Priority Theme : ‘Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women’
• Emerging Issue : ‘Gender Perspectives on Climate Change’
• Review Theme : ‘Women’s Equal Participation in Conflict Prevention, Management and Conflict Resolution and in Post-Conflict Peace building’ — review of the agreed conclusions on this theme adopted by the Commission at its 48th session in 2004

As one of the first organisations to play a part in the global women’s movement, the World YWCA will actively participate at the 52nd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

The World YWCA will challenge member states to increase funding for specific issues not fully addressed by the Commission, particularly financing women’s empowerment in the context of HIV and AIDS; allocate adequate resources through flexible and accessible financing mechanisms for the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security; and to acknowledge women’s investment in their own movement by committing to match contributions to and for women’s organisations.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) dedicated to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. It meets every year for 10 days in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.