Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN and Chair of the 68^th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), H.E. Antonio M. Lagdameo gavels the adoption of the Agreed Conclusion of the CSW68 on 22 March 2023.

 

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 22 March 2024 — After more than two (2) weeks of intense negotiations, the 68^th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) adopted by consensus on 22 March 2024 its outcome document, known as the Agreed Conclusions, which puts forth concrete measures to accelerate empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty.

Through the outcome document, the Commission expressed concern that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and that the feminization of poverty persists. It also recognized with deep concern that women and girls experience higher poverty risks and rates than men and boys and that the gender-poverty gap is projected to persist. It acknowledges that currently, 10.3 per cent of women are living in extreme poverty.

Key recommendations from the Agreed Conclusions include the following:

• Ensure women's participation and leadership in public life, economic policy, and poverty eradication to address gender biases.
• Strengthen national and local planning and budgeting to address challenges for impoverished women and girls.
• Allocate adequate resources and integrate a gender perspective into development financing, policies, and evaluations.
• Safeguard women's right to work, ensuring fair treatment and access to decent work.
• Foster partnerships to combat poverty through improved tax systems, financial inclusion, and employment opportunities.
• Ensure equal access to credit, social security, and resources, and eliminate legal barriers to women's economic rights.
• Develop financial literacy programs and promote women's access to formal financial services.
• Ensure access to quality healthcare without financial burden.
• Facilitate equal access to technology and digital spaces for women and girls.
• Promote safe transfer of migrants' remittances.
• Enhance international tax cooperation, prevent regressive taxation, and eliminate gender-based price differentiation (pink tax).
• Improve multidimensional poverty data and statistics.

 

CSW68 delegates and experts during small group discussions ironing out the draft outcome document during the remaining hours prior the consideration of the Agreed Conclusions on 22 March 2024. (Photo credit: Philippine Mission to the U.N.)

Chair of the CSW68 and Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, H.E. Antonio M. Lagdameo, expressed his appreciation to his Vice-Chair, H.E. Amb. Yoka Brandt, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands, for her tireless efforts and outstanding facilitation skills in guiding the negotiations to a successful conclusion. He also thanked all delegations for their collaborative contributions to the negotiations.

CSW68 Chair, H.E. Mr. Antonio M.Lagdameo (Philippines), and Vice-Chair and Facilitator of the CSW68 Agreed Conclusions, H.E. Ms. Yoka Brandt (Netherlands), celebrates the adoption of the consensus CSW68 outcome document. (Photo credit: Philippine Mission to the U.N.)

The CSW68 Agreed Conclusions offers a comprehensive analysis of this year’s priority theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective,” and presents a set of recommendations intended for governments, intergovernmental bodies, civil society actors, and other stakeholders be implemented at the international, national, regional, and local level. The Agreed Conclusions will soon be accessible at  https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw68-2024.

Adoption of the Agreed Conclusions of the 68^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women during its 17^th plenary meeting on 22 March 2024 (Photo credit: Philippine Mission to the U.N.)

Held in New York every year for two weeks, CSW is the largest global gathering of government officials, policy makers, experts and civil society representatives to take stock of progress on gender equality, discuss pressing issues and agree on actions to transform the lives of women and girls everywhere. The CSW consists of a wide range of meetings, general discussions, ministerial round tables, interactive dialogues, panel discussions, intergovernmental negotiations, and numerous side events focused on key gender equality issues.

The 68^th session took place from 11 to 22 March 2024 under the priority theme, “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” Due to time constraints, the closing segment of the session was suspended after the adoption of the Agreed Conclusions on 22 May 2024. The Commission will reconvene on Wednesday, 27 March 2024 to hear post-adoption statements, officially close the 68^th session, and open the 69^th session. END.