Committee Introduction 

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The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), established by ECOSOC Resolution 11 (II) in 1946, is the UN’s first dedicated body for women’s rights, working to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Composed of 45 Member States elected for four-year terms, CSW has played a central role in shaping major global gender frameworks, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and SDG 5. Each March, it convenes a two-week session at UN Headquarters in New York to negotiate policies and adopt agreed conclusions, working closely with governments, UN agencies, civil society, and the private sector. CSW also ensures continuity by following up on previous commitments and reporting outcomes to ECOSOC. In times of crisis—such as wars, recessions, climate disasters, or the COVID-19 pandemic—CSW safeguards gender equality by providing data and guiding national responses; during COVID-19, for instance, it conducted Rapid Gender Assessments in over 100 countries, shaping 85 UN Country Team plans, and launched global awareness campaigns like #ShadowPandemic. Today, CSW prioritizes strengthening digital inclusion, streamlining outcome documents, and integrating public care systems.

 

 

Agenda Introduction 

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Agenda A | 

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Instability and militarization in conflict zones intensify pre-existing gender inequalities, leading to widespread sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South Asia. According to the UN Secretary-General’s 2024 report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, cases have surged due to prolonged conflicts and post-pandemic instability, disproportionately affecting women and girls—especially refugees, internally displaced persons, and racial minorities. Rooted in patriarchal power structures that historically normalized male dominance and weaponized women’s bodies, SGBV is further enabled by weakened institutions and militarized environments that foster impunity. Survivors often face stigma, fear of retaliation, and justice systems lacking gender-sensitive mechanisms or reliable sex-disaggregated data, as highlighted in UN Women’s Gender Data Outlook 2024. Because sexual violence in conflicts is not incidental but deliberately used to terrorize populations and displace communities, humanitarian aid alone is insufficient. CSW therefore emphasizes the need for strong legal and structural prevention, coordinated action with UN Women and UNFPA, and long-term investments in human rights, justice, health and psychosocial support, education, and sustainable peacebuilding.

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Agenda B | 

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Education is a fundamental human right that enables women and girls to realize their full potential, yet deep-rooted gender discrimination continues to limit their access to quality learning. Social norms such as early marriage, household labor expectations, and cultural stigma—combined with structural barriers like unsafe classrooms, a lack of female teachers, and gender-insensitive curricula—keep 119 million girls out of school, according to UNICEF, with girls in conflict zones more than twice as likely to be excluded. Even when access is granted, discriminatory content in textbooks and school environments reinforces patriarchal ideologies that restrict women’s roles and leadership, as seen in South Asian curricula and in the extremist attacks on girls’ education highlighted by the European Parliament’s 2012 resolution on Malala Yousafzai. Because education is a right—not a privilege—delegates must propose comprehensive solutions that address both access and content, ensuring safe learning environments, gender-responsive policies, and the elimination of harmful practices to advance SDG 5 on gender equality.