Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696590595019.pdf (United States)
Congress of the United States Washington D.C. 20515 March 8, 2022 The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield 799 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017 Dear Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, As leaders of the Pro-Choice Caucus and Democratic Women’s Caucus committed to advancing gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate justice, and the empowerment of women globally, we write to express our support for the United States’ meaningful participation in the sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), taking place between March 14-25, 2022.
Each year, the CSW is the primary global forum to establish international norms, advance policies, and assess progress or challenges to achieving the full rights of women and girls.
This year, Member States will focus on building consensus around the priority theme of: “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes.” Women, girls, and gender- expansive people are often disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation, yet underrepresented in the development and implementation of climate and risk reduction policy at all levels.
Women and young people are not just disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis; they are also critical knowledge-holders and leaders in building policies that advance gender, climate, and environmental justice.

We urge the U.S. to work with other Member States toward actionable policies that address the full spectrum of all women’s and girls’ human rights, especially in the context of this year’s CSW theme and the crucial intersections between gender equality and climate action.
This includes ensuring robust climate financing is directed towards women’s organizations and climate adaptation initiatives, a commitment to advancing a just and equitable energy transition, and upholding a strong human rights based framework in ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights1 (SRHR), including abortion, for all.
The impacts of climate change and 1 Achieving the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health and rights is based on the fundamental human rights of all individuals to: have their bodily integrity, privacy, and personal autonomy respected; freely define their own sexuality; decide whether and when to be sexually active; choose their sexual partners; have safe and pleasurable sexual experiences; decide whether, when, and whom to marry; decide whether, when, and by what means to have a child or children, and how many children to environmental degradation on SRHR are significant including but not limited to, the impacts of worsening heat and environmental pollutants and toxins on pregnant people, increases in gender- based violence and the exacerbated challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care and services in the aftermath of climate-related disasters.
Additionally, we ask that the U.S. delegation to the CSW reflect these priorities and include subject matter experts specializing in gender equality, climate, and environmental justice, including experts from civil society organizations who work at the intersection of gender equality, climate, and environmental justice.
Given the virtual nature of civil society engagement around CSW again this year, we ask that the U.S. Mission emphasize the importance of ensuring diverse and representative civil society participation, including access to the negotiations around the Agreed Conclusions for civil society representatives who officially serve as part of the U.S. delegation at the CSW.
We were pleased that you were able to attend the CSW in 2021 within days of your confirmation and seize that early moment in the Biden-Harris Administration to firmly reestablish U.S. engagement with the world, renew its commitment to multilateralism and working with broader civil society and human rights advocates.

We hope you will build on this work and the U.S.’s commitments to the Generation Equality Forum at this year’s CSW and continue to champion SRHR on the global stage.
The CSW is strongest when Member States are able to negotiate a robust outcome that considers the complete and diverse experiences of women and girls around the world.

We urge you to support comprehensive policies that account for the full range of challenges and opportunities that face women and girls globally.

We welcome any opportunity to discuss U.S. engagement at the CSW with you further.

Thank you for your consideration.


Sincerely, Barbara Lee Member of Congress Diana DeGette Member of Congress have; and have access over their lifetimes to the information, resources, services, and support necessary to achieve all the above, free from discrimination, coercion, exploitation, and violence.
Julia Brownley Member of Congress Lois Frankel Member of Congress Judy Chu Member of Congress Sara Jacobs Member of Congress Katherine Clark Member of Congress Sylvia Garcia Member of Congress Suzan DelBene Member of Congress Brenda L. Lawrence Member of Congress Ted Deutch Member of Congress Ayanna Pressley Member of Congress Veronica Escobar Member of Congress Jan Schakowsky Member of Congress Jackie Speier Member of Congress Norma Torres Member of Congress Marilyn Strickland Member of Congress CC: The Honorable Michele Sison, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Katrina Fotovat, Senior Official, Office of Global Women’s Issues Jennifer Klein, Executive Director, White House Gender Policy Council