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Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN | New York

Commission on the Status of Women

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason chairs the opening session of the sixty-second session of Commission on the Status of Women. Photo credit: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason chairs the opening session of the sixty-second session of Commission on the Status of Women. Photo credit: UN Women/Ryan Brown

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, will act as Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for 2018 and 2019. This is the first time that an Irish person has taken on this role.

One of Ireland’s foreign policy priorities is to make a positive contribution to the work of the United Nations. Ireland has a long and proud history of taking on prominent roles within the United Nations dating back to when we assumed membership in 1955. The role of Chair of the CSW follows that tradition and as Chair we will aim to ensure that the CSW is instrumental in promoting women and girls’ rights, documenting the reality of their lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

During the Commission’s annual two-week session in March each year, representatives of UN Member States, civil society organizations and UN entities gather at UN headquarters in New York. They discuss progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women. Member States agree on further actions to accelerate progress and promote women’s enjoyment of their rights in political, economic and social fields.

The agreed conclusions of CSW 62 (2018) addressed “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”. CSW 63 (2019) focuses on "Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls".

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