GWI United Nation Representative
Advocacy Report
2024
GWI advocacy goals•

100% of United Nations Member States commit to policy, legislation, budget and infrastructure tofacilitate transition of girls from primary to secondary school and ensure gender parity and genderequality throughout secondary education by 2030.

•By 2030 100% of United Nations low-income Member States have increased access to tertiary education
for girls and women by 50%.

•

100% of United Nations Member States commit to and implement policies for continuing education toempower women throughout the life course, within the formal and informal economies.
Influence the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.
All 17 SDGs will include girls’ education targets.

••Please bear in mind these five overarching, long-term goals during any United Nations intervention that you
make on behalf of GWI. Any intervention should push these five goals further.
NB: Although these goals represent GWI’s mission, UN Reps are also invited to promote GWI key messages onareas where especially relevant e.g., women in STEM, securing investment in women teachers, addressing barriers
to girls’ education such as child marriage.
________________________________________________________________________________NGO CSW NY Debriefing on CSW68 & An Update on Summit of the Future (SOTF)
April 16, 2024
Salvation Army (Victoria Edwards)
Over 600 people affiliated with the above organization attended in-person, online, or hybrid. A feedback survey
indicated that they found the morning briefings and the Conversation Circles very informative, although they
wished the latter were in person. A number, particularly first-time attendees, reported that they would benefit
from knowing how to make a statement and found navigating the online site difficult. In addition, they would
have liked an opportunity to go to their missions.
UN Women (Erika Dupuis) Ms. Dupuis reported that UN Women put a lot of emphasis on youth engagement; oncapacity strengthening in preparation for CSW68. Toward that end, they provided in-person trainings as well as
online global trainings. When asked for youth recommendations, they received 8,100 responses, a 237% increaseover CSW67. Among the categories most frequently mentioned were gender-responsive budgeting, community
decision making, labour rights including for unpaid care, equitable resource distribution, and redistribution offinancing for gender equality. During CSW68 there was a virtual youth forum and 1 official youth session. Youthreported on the need for a ‘care/safe’ space during CSW but, most importantly, they want to influence theimplementation of the Agreed Conclusions. They want to know how to support accountability andhow to incorporate youth recommendations into CSW69 BPfA+30 and SOTF. To see the youth recommendations,
go to https://bit.ly/CSW68YouthPriorities
CSW69 will be held March 10-21, 2025. An appraisal of BPfA+30 will occur at this time.
Netherlands Bureau Member and Delegate (Robin DeVogel)
The UN liquidity crisis was a serious challenge for negotiators as they could not convene after hours. As a result,whereas 90 hours were needed to reach the outcome document for CSW67, this year’s Agreed Conclusions
document was completed in 60 hours. To address the lack of time, some subtopics were assigned to small
groups. Further, the final document went from Zero Draft (11pp) to Revised Agreed Conclusions (42pp) to Final
Agreed Conclusions (26pp). The Bureau wanted an action-oriented document with concrete recommendations;the operational part (80 paragraphs) of the Agreed Conclusions is what matters to member states and what isimplemented. In her view there were new concepts introduced this year including financial independence,
gender-focused bond issuances, the need to address discriminatory financing laws such as the pink tax, and aredistribution and re-evaluation of unpaid care. In addition, this outcome document has clear links to theupcoming calendar in terms of the Financing for Development Forum (FDF) and SOTF. Ms. DeVogel did, however,ask - How do we build on the Agreed Conclusions? What do we do with the pushback on sexual reproductive
health language? How do we keep what we had, since some member states want to go back? She mentioned that
one major take-away from CSW68 was how important it is to have a strong Bureau Chair. This year’s Chair
made it clear there was to be no backtracking on previously agreed language, i.e., do not renegotiate language
from previous years.
Netherlands Youth Delegate (Fenna Timsi)
Young people want to see (1) that governments are kept accountable (2) the UN give real representation to Civil
Society and Youth Delegates (3) the link made between family planning and poverty (4) changes in financing
language, an area that was a very divisive topic in the room (5) debt relief and (6) trade reform. Positive
movement was seen on taxes – the need for progressive tax structures, a focus on addressing tax evasion,combatting the pink tax, and dealing with debt relief and restructuring. However, we did not see a strong link withclimate change and climate justice and there was not enough progress made on unpaid work, on care as a cost ofeconomic inequality, and on care recipients. In terms of gender-based violence against women and girls, she
noted the positive inclusion of the role of men and boys in combatting it. However, youth want an additional
focus on the role of economic abuse/financial control of women and girls. In addition, partner violence wasomitted from the document and there was insufficient language on the conditions faced by women and girls living
under occupation. During negotiations there was significant pushback on the terms ‘gender-based violence’,‘multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination’, and ‘nonbinary’. In terms of data, positive changes werenoted in terms of recommendations to measure disaggregated data on individuals as well as households but theoutcome document needed a stronger intersectional focus.

Summit of the Future (Dan Perell).
Pre-SOTF events for Civil Society will occur on Saturday (9/21) and perhaps half of Friday (9/20) prior to thesummit on Sunday and Monday, September 22-23. A three-part outcome is expected from the summit – a Pact
for the Future document and 2 annexes. The Pact for the Future has approximately 5 chapters currently: (1)Development and Financing for Development (2) Peace & Security (3) Science, Technology & Digital Compact (4)Youth (5) Global Governance Innovation. In addition, there will be two annexes – one to Chapter 3 and one toChapter 4. The two cross-cutting themes are human rights and gender equality.
Preparatory to SOTF it has been challenging for Civil Society to engage with member states. It has been madeabundantly clear that this summit will be member states only. In contrast to previous summits, Civil Society will
not even be allowed in the room to listen to the discussions. As a result, SOFT will be a closed process with littlechance for agreement between member states and Civil Society. However, the Co-Facilitators to SOTF (Germanyand Namibia) have set up some virtual meetings with Civil Society to occur prior to SOTF (I have no details on
when these meetings). The upcoming Nairobi Conference (FDF) will look at Pact for the Future on Day 1 andLooking at Next Step on Day 2. Following the conference coalitions will be formed and attempts will be made to
get their recommendations into any SOTF outcome documents. It is essential, however, that these coalitions
focus on a specific line of action such as an upgrade of CSW from a Commission to a Council. NGO-CSW NY is, infact, leading on one of those coalitions (reform or reimagining of CSW).

Submitted by : Maureen E. Byrne, Ph.D.
April 30, 2024
United Nations (UN) Representative/NY; Graduate Women International (GWI)

Empowering women and girls through lifelong, quality education and training. GWI, formerly International
Federation of University Women (IFUW), in special consultative status with ECOSOC since 1947 and an NGO
maintaining official relations with UNESCO and ILO.