CSW59 Orientation7 March 2015

Zonta International is a leading global organization of professionals empowering women through service and advocacy.

Mission Statement

Zonta International envisions a world in which women's rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able

to achieve her full potential.

In such a world, women have access to all resources and are represented in decision

making positions on an equal basis with men.

In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence.

Vision

• Basic introduction to the UN structure

• The UN Commission on the Status of Women

• Your role at the UN CSW in New York

Purpose of this Training

Remembering the UN

6

Remember the Number 6

• 6 official languagesEnglish, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese,

Arabic

• 6 main organs of the UN

• 6 Committees of the General Assembly

Emergency phone # in New York Headquarters +1 212-963-6666

6 Principle Organs of the UN

• Security Council• Secretariat• General Assembly (GA)• Economic and Social Council

(ECOSOC)• International Court of Justice• Trusteeship Council

6 Committees of the GA

• First - Disarmament/Security• Second - Economic/Financial• Third - Social, Humanitarian, Cultural• Fourth - Special political• Fifth - Administrative and Budget• Sixth - Legal

Functional Commissions of ECOSOC

Where the UN Committee Works

• New York UN Headquarters, Unicef, UN Women, UNFPA, Department of Public Information (DPI), special meetings

• Geneva UN office and International Labour Organization (ILO), Human Rights

• Vienna UN office• Council of Europe• Unesco - United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization (Paris)

Regional Commissions of ECOSOC

Other Bodies of ECOSOC

Specialized Agencies - coordinating body of interest to Zonta International:

Questions

?

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

• 1945 UN charter

• 1946 Commission on Human Rights

• 1947 CSW established

• 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights

• 1948 – 58 UN Decade for Human Rights

Women’s Conferences

• Mexico City - 1975 - Helvi Sipilä, Secretary General - World Plan of Action

• Copenhagen - 1980 - Programme of Action• Nairobi - 1985 - Forward Looking Strategies

for the Advancement of Women• Beijing - 1995 - Beijing Declaration and

Platform for Action• New York - 2000 - 23rd Special Session of

the General Assembly - • Five-year review process:

2005, 2010, 2015

CSW59

• Theme: review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly

• Methods of Work

• Post 2015 Agenda

Beijing Platform for Action

12 Critical Areas of Concern12 Critical Areas of Concern12 Critical Areas of ConcernWomen and poverty Education and training of womenWomen and healthViolence against womenWomen and armed conflictWomen and the economy Women in power and decision-makingInstitutional mechanisms for the advancement of womenHuman rights of womenWomen and the mediaWomen and the environmentThe girl child

Methods of Work

• How and what they will work on

• Our interests include:• Strong role for the CSW• NGO speaking opportunities• NGO access to rooms• NGO access to negotiations• NGO participation

Post-2015 Agenda

• SDGs (Sustainable Development process)

• Women’s Major Group; NGO Major Group• Assuring that women’s agenda is met

before 2030• 17 Goals - Goal 5 for women, and

mainstreaming all the rest through targets and indicators

• Secretary General’s report• High Level Political Forum

Official Meetings of the CSW

• Not a conference, but a meeting of governments

• Limited ability to be in the room• Webcast on unwebtv• Organized by the Bureau• 45 member states participating with large

delegations• Supported by UN Women

Bureau of the CSW59

• Ms. Kanda Vajrabhaya (Thailand), Chair-designate (Asia-Pacific States Group)

• Mr. Mohamed Elbahi (Sudan), Vice-Chair (African States Group)

• Ms. Pille Kesler (Estonia), Vice-Chair (Eastern European States Group)

• H.E. Mr. Rubén Ignacio Zamora Rivas (El Salvador), Vice-Chair designate (Latin American and Caribbean States Group)

• Ms. Christine Löw (Switzerland), Vice-Chair (Western European and other States Group)

Member States of the CSW

• 45 Members

• Elected by region– 13 members from Africa – 11 from Asia – 9 from Latin America and Caribbean – 8 from Western Europe and other States – 4 from Eastern Europe

• 1/3 elected each year

Member States of the CSW

Outcome Document vs. Political Declaration

• 5-year reviews with political declarations• Outcome documents in other years• Resolutions• Negotiated process - time consuming, but

there is a need to start in your country• Caucuses keep NGOs informed

Who are the government delegates?

• Head of Delegation - Minister from the Capital

• Other ministers, public delegates, experts, other government officials

• Supported by staff from the Mission

What is UN Women?

• 1976 Unifem and Instraw formed• Office of the Assistant Secretary General for

Women’s Issues• Division for the Advancement of Women• Combined in 2012 to form UN Women,

Secretariat to CSW• Executive Committee, Ambassador Ib

Petersen, Denmark, President

Questions

?

How to Prepare Yourself for CSW

• Read documents - UN Women website• Sign up for events• Learn - plan to attend caucuses, training

sessions• Network - bring cards to exchange,

promote Zonta• Share information with the UN

Committee

NGO Participation

• 20-member delegation - grounds pass• Official meetings - Conference room,

overflow room, webcast• Side events - on the UN Campus -

tickets/special events pass• Parallel events - off campus, organized

by NGOs and coordinated by NGOCSWNY

• Zonta events• Visiting delegations or missions

NGO CSW NY

• 3 Committees (NY, Geneva, Vienna)• Arrangements for NGO Forum• Produces Booklet of information• Organized Consultation Day at the

Apollo• Collaborated on the March and Rally in

Times Square• Organized reception for NGOs• Organizes morning briefings

Things to Remember• Follow the UN rules – e.g. NO cell phone conversations in

conferences, NO demonstrations

• NO food or beverages in conference rooms

• Computers are for UN delegates only. You may bring in your own laptop.

• Encourage government delegates to attend the NGO the events

• Be a bridge of information between the UN CSW and NGOs

• Update NGOs back home on progress at the CSW – blog and tweet

• Ask permission to take videos and photos; you must get written consent for children’s photos

• NEVER sit at a Member State’s seat. Please sit in areas designated for NGOs

• NEVER LET ANYONE ELSE USE YOUR UN BADGE

Represent Zonta!

Meeting your Minister / Delegation / Ambassador / Mission Staff

1. Be clear about the message(s)2. Be short and concise3. Leave behind your information4. Be sure to thank the official - also send

a note!

Take the Zonta Message

• Strong Proclamation: emphasize gender equality and women’s human rights

• Strong Methods of Work: give CSW authority to review and voice to NGOs

• Post 2015 Agenda: - emphasize Goal 5 - mainstreaming women human rights and gender equality - indicators that can track success- strong role for ALL stakeholders

Have Fun!

• Dress appropriately for the meeting• Bring your business cards and literature• Speak only about authorized positions

of the organization• Listen carefully and take notes• Do not argue with the official, but do

take note of any official positions• Share your information with Megan

Radavich at Zonta Headquarters – mradavich@zonta.org

Representing Zonta

• Meet new people and make the most of it!

• Spread the Zonta message - be part of the common voice of all Zontians

• Report back to your club the main outcomes of the negotiations and propose actions at local level

www.zonta.org