United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
48th Session, 1-12 March 2004

FINAL DOCUMENTS

• Agreed Conclusions on the Role of Men and Boys

• Agreed Conclusions on Women's Equal Participation

• CSW Monitor- NGO Newsletter

• Compromising Women’s Equal Participation in Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution and in Post-Conflict Peace-Building: A Review of the Language Negotiations and Agreed Conclusions of the 48th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
An analysis by the PeaceWomen Project, WILPF UN Office, March 2004

• Letter from the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security to the Bureau and Members of the CSW Concerning "Code of Conduct" Language in the CSW Agreed Conclusions

• Existing Language Compendium on Women’s Equal Participation in Achieving Peace and Security

• Photos from UN DPI briefing: Prevention, Protection and Particpation: Where are the Women? 4 March 2004

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) held its forty-eighth session from 1 to 12 March 2004 at New York Headquarters. The
Commission focused on two thematic issues as outlined in its multi-year programme of work:

Provisional Agenda for the 48th Session | Program of Work of the Bureau of CSW: Theme of High-Level Events, 12 January 2004

Note by the Secretariat on the Comprehensive Review and Appraisal of the 4th World Conference and the Special Session of the General Assembly: Preparations for the next session (49th), 21 January 2004

1. The role of men and boys in achieving gender equality
Essential Documents:
Expert Group Meeting Report • UN Secretary-General's Report • Draft Agreed Conclusions • NGO Recommendations ( from NGO Consultation, 29 Feb)

2. Women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building
Essential Documents:
Expert Group Meeting Report (Peace Agreements)• Expert Group Meeting Report (Elections) • UN Secretary- General's Report • Draft Agreed Conclusions • Draft Agreed Conclusions (11 March 2004) • NGO Recommendations (from NGO Consultation, 29 Feb)

Online NGO Advocacy Toolbox | NGO Side Events Calendar l Statements made in General Debate (1-2 March 2004) 
Background meetings and documents of the 48th Session l Media/Press | NGO Side Events

NGO Recommendations on the Draft Agreed Conclusions

The NGO Thematic Caucus on Theme #2, as well as a number of individual organizations participating in the Thematic Caucus, followed the governmental language negotiations and their draft Agreed Conclusions, and, in response, produced and circulated to governments their own recommendations based on the drafts being used in the official negotiations. The four drafts of recommendations are attached below (as word documents):

First Draft: 3 March 2004

Second Draft: 8 March 2004

Third Draft: 9 March 2004

Fourth Draft: 10 March 2004

CSW Resolutions and Decisions
• Situation of women and girls in Afghanistan
• Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women
• Revitalization and strengthening of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women
• Women, the girl child and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS)
• Release of Women and Children taken hostage, including those subsequestly imprisoned, in armed conflicts
• Mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system
• Preparation for the Forty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women
• Working methods of the Commission on the Status of Women

The Commission is comprised of 45 Member States, which serve in their national capacity. Click here for the important roles and responsibilities of the members of the Commission (html). The Bureau of the CSW is the executive body of the Commission. The members of the Bureau for the 48th and 49th Sessions of the Commission are:
Ms. Kyung-wha Kang, Chairperson (Republic of Korea); Ms. Lala Ibrahimova, Vice-Chairperson (Azerbaijan, for a term of one year); Ms. Tebatso Future Baleseng, Vice-Chairperson (Botswana); Ms. Beatrice Maille, Vice-Chairperson (Canada); Ms. Carmen-Rosa Arias, Vice Chairperson (Peru)

General Debate

For a compilation of references made to Resolution 1325 in statements presented during the General Debate, CLICK HERE.

Governmental and Inter-Governmental Statements

H.E. Abdallah Baali, Algeria
3 March 2004

Filomena Delgado, Republic of Angola *1325
3 March 2004

Juliana di Tullio, Representante Especial para temas del la Mujer en el ámbito International del Ministeri de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto, Argentina
el 3 de marzo de 2004

Marine Davtyan, Armenia
4 March 2004

Kerry Flanagan, First Assistant Secretary, Office of the Status of Women, Australia *1325
4 March 2004

Mominat Omarova, Deputy Chairperson of the State Committee on Women's Issues, Azerbaijan *1325
4 March 2004

H.E. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Bangladesh *1325
4 March 2004

Ruth Blackman, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Transformation, Barbados
4 March 2004

Moeng R. Pheto, Republic of Botswana
3 March 2004

Fati Ouedraogo, Burkina Faso
le 4 mars 2004

H.E. Martin Belinga Eboutou, Cameroon *1325
3 March 2004

Jean Augustine, Minister of State (Multiculturalism and Status of Women)/Ministre D'Etat (Multiculturalisme et Situation de la Femme), Canada *1325
3 March 2004/ le 3 mars 2004

Dubravka Simonovic, Head of the Department for Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Croatia *1325
3 March 2004

Magalys Arocha Dominguez, Cuba
el 4 de marzo de 2004

Anne Marie Makombo, Democratic Republic of Congo *1325
4 March 2004

H.E. Marino Villanueva Callot, Dominican Republic
4 March 2004

Hailesellasie Getachew, Ethiopia
4 March 2004

Mr. William O'Dea, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform of Ireland, on behalf of the European Union *1325
1 March 2004

H.E. Tarja Filatov, Minister of Labor, Head of Delegation, Finland
1 March 2004

Madame Nicole Ameline, Ministre deleguee de la France a la parite et a l'egalite professionnelle *1325
1 March 2004

Lili Caravantes Tobias, Secretariat for Woman Affairs of the Presidency, Guatemala
el 4 de marzo de 2004

Paul Goa Zoumanigui, Conseiller a la Mission permanente, Guinea *1325
le 3 mars 2004

George Talbot, Republic of Guyana *1325
3 March 2004

Holy See
4 March 2004

Hjalmar W. Hannesson, Permanent Representative, Iceland *1325
3 March 2004

Michal Modai, Israel
4 March 2004

H.E. Aldo Mantovani, Italy
4 March 2004

Mutaz Hyassat, Jordan
4 March 2004

H.E. Kamil Baialinov, Kyrgyz Republic *1325
4 March 2004

Christian Wenaweser, Permanent Representative, Liechtenstein *1325
3 March 2004

Penelopa Gjurcilova, Macedonia
4 March 2004

Sharifah Zarah Syed Ahmad, Malaysia *1325
4 March 2004

Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Morocco
1 March 2004

Eduardo J. Sevilla Somoza, Nicaragua
el 4 de marzo de 2004

Adekunbi Abibat Sonaike, Nigeria *1325
4 March 2004

Nilofar Bakhtiar, Ministry of Women, Development, Social Welfare and Special Education, Pakistan
3 March 2004

Aurora Javate-De Dios, Chairperson of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, Philippines
4 March 2004

Abdulla Eid Salman Al-Sulaiti, First Secretary, Qatar, on behalf of G77 and China
3 March 2004

Rio Group
4 March 2004

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, South Africa *1325
3 March 2004

Lise Bergh, State Secretary, Sweden *1325
3 March 2004

Syrian Arab Republic
4 March 2004

Asha Rose Migrio, Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children, United Republic of Tanzania
4 March 2004

H.E. Laxanachantorn Laohaphan, Permanent Representative of Thailand
4 March 2004

Samir Koubaa, Tunisia
le 4 mars 2004

Ellen Sauerbrey, United States of America
4 March 2004

Tran Thi Mai Huong, Vietnam
4 March 2004

Dr. A.B. Ponga, Permanent Secretary, Gender in Development Division, Republic of Zambia
4 March 2004

UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) *1325
4 March 2004

Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive Director, UN-HABITAT
4 March 2004

Salwa Damen-Masri, Inter-Parliamentary Union
4 March 2004

Desmond Johns, Director, UNAIDS New York Office
4 March 2004

Ndioro Ndiaye, Deputy Director General, IOM (English and French) *1325
4 March 2004

World Health Organization
4 March 2004

Vincent McClean, UNODC
4 March 2004

Carolyn Hannan, Director, Division the Advancement of Women (DAW)
1 March 2004

Jose Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
1 March 2004

Angela E.V. King, SG Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women *1325
1 March 2004

H.E. Mrs. Marjatta Rasi, President, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
1 March 2004

Ms. Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) *1325
1 March 2004

Feride Acar, Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
1 March 2004

Karen Mason, Director, Gender and Development, World Bank
3 March 2004

NGO Statements Made During General Debate

All official NGO statements on the CSW themes

African Women's Caucus
4 March 2004

Ana Maria Jimenez, Comision Colombiana de Juristas
el 4 de marzo de 2004

Bineta Diop, Executive Director, Femmes Africa Solidarite
4 March 2004

NGO Caucus on Women’s Equal Participation in Conflict Prevention; Management and Conflict Resolution; and in Post-Conflict Peace Building
3 March 2004

Nancy Tapias Torrado, Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Peace Program at Javeriana University, Colombia
2 March 2004

Ariane Brunet, Women’s Rights Coordinator, Rights and Democracy/Droits et Democratie, Montreal, Canada
2 March 2004

Amal Sabbagh, Secretary-General of the Jordanian National Committee for Women, Jordan
2 March 2004

Lois Lewis Bruthus, Director General, Organization for Children and Adolescent Mothers and Association of Female Lawyers of Africa-Liberia chapter, Monrovia, Liberia
2 March 2004

NGO Side events

1325 on Trial: A tribunal investigating the implemenation of UN SC Resolution 1325
3 March 2004

- Biography of Speakers

- Testimony by Lily Thapa, Women For Human Rights, Nepal

- Testimony by Angela Patricia Guerrero, WILPF and La Liga de Mujeres Desplazadas, Columbia

International Women's Day: Women and HIV/AIDS

Ndioro Ndiaye, Deputy Director General, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
8 March 2004

Click here for all statements

Press/Media

Report on the 48th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
Suzanne Membe Matale, Gender Desk, Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Lusaka, AfricaFiles, 15 May 2004

NGOs Lobby at U.N. Meeting For Women’s Equal Participation
Suzanne Kindervatter, Director, Commission on the Advancement of Women, Monday Developments, 12 April 2004

Women's Commission Adopts Agreed Conclusions; Concludes 48th Session
WOM/1447, UN Press Release, 12 March 2004

UNIFEM on International Women's Day

UN Wants More Women Peace Builders
Thalif Deen, Inter-Press Service (IPS), International Women's Day, 8 March 2004

Prevention, Participation, Protection: Where Are The Women?”
DPI/NGO Link, 4 March 2004

For more CSW news stories, visit our International News Index



Background Meetings and Documents in Preparation for the 48th Session

Civil Society Participation

• NGO Committee on the Status of Women

The NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY was created in 1972 as a Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO.) Committees were later formed in Geneva and Vienna. These three Committees have worked together over the years to bring a positive presence to women’s issues globally for over 30 years.

It is our goal to help NGO representatives link with those who are like-minded to bring the issues of women from around the world to the attention of decision-makers at the United Nations. We provide space for NGO meetings and side events, and facilitate training and the sharing of information through an annual consultation. We work closely with the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women to assist NGO representatives in giving voice to their concerns.

Register for CSW 2004 events hosted by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women html pdf


• Taskforces of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women

There are currently two taskforces helping to organize NGO events and strategy and working with the UN community so as to prepare for the CSW. Both taskforces meet in New York, but seek to be inclusive of all those wanting to be involved in the planning stages.

The taskforce on women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building (theme #2) holds a meeting every Wednesday at the Church Center New York City. Hague Appeal for Peace and the PeaceWomen Project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom are co-facilitating the taskforce. The tasks of the taskforce include the following:

1. NGO Taskforce on Theme #2: Existing Language Document

Concerned by the hostility shown toward the development of progressive language on both violence against women and women and armed conflict, members of the NGO Taskforce on Theme #2 are developing an advocacy tool for women to use in preparation for CSW and during the language negotiations over the 2-week session.

This advocacy tool is a comprehensive document of all existing language – both agreed and non-agreed – on the CSW theme of women's equal participation in conflict prevention, conflict management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building. The document is a compilation of language from such documents as UNSC Resolution 1325, the Beijing Platform for Action, UN Commission on Human Rights resolutions, and the Windhoek Declaration and the Namibia Plan of Action On Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in Multidimensional Peace Support Operations.

For the final version of the Existing Language Document (html)

Final version of the Existing Language Document (PDF):
Cover letter/Contents  Language Advocacy Tool (20 pages)  Full Compendium (40 pages)

If you are interested in working with the taskforce, email Kara@peacewomen.org .

2. NGO Committee on the Status of Women Roundtable

No Women, No Peace: Sustainable Peace, Human Security and Gender Equality: Moving the International Security Agenda Forward
23 January 2004, 1:15-2:45 pm, UN Headquarters, Economic and Social Council Chamber

For the Roundtable list of speakers (pdf)
For the report from the Roundtable (html)


3. Preparations for the NGO Consultation: Peace and Partnership
29 February 2004, 8:30 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.
New School University ~ Tishman Auditorium
66 West 12th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, Manhattan, New York, New York, USA
Sponsored by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women and Altria Corporate Services, Inc.
Registration fee of $40 includes Consultation and information packet.
This event will be conducted in English, with interpretation in French and Spanish


• Mixed Panel, 2 March 2004, 10am

The following women and man will speak before the Commission on the theme women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building. The first two speakers, Nancy and Ariane, were suggested by governments, Colombia and Canada, respectively, and then, chosen by the Bureau of the CSW. Amal and Lois were chosen as representatives from the Exper Group Meetings (EGMs) that were held in preparation for this particular CSW theme. Amal participated in the EGM on women's participation in electoral processes (Jan 2004) and Lois in the EGM on peace agreements as a means to promote gender equality (Nov 2003). Danilo will represent the UN system.

Nancy Tapias Torrado, Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Peace Program at Javeriana University, Colombia
Ariane Brunet, Women’s Rights Coordinator, Rights and Democracy/Droits et Democratie, Montreal, Canada
Amal Sabbagh, Secretary-General of the Jordanian National Committee for Women, Jordan
Lois Lewis Bruthus, Director General, Organization for Children and Adolescent Mothers and Association of Female Lawyers of Africa-Liberia chapter, Monrovia, Liberia
Youssef Mahmoud, Director, Africa II, UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA)

United Nations and Civil Society Participation in the Formulation of the Commission's Agreed Conclusions

Expert Group Meetings (EGMs)

Theme #1: The role of men and boys in achieving gender equality

The Division for the Advancement of Women, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), concluded an Expert Group in Brasilia, Brazil on 24 October 2003.

For more information on the meeting
For the final report from the meeting

Theme #2: Women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building

Peace Agreements as a Means for Promoting Gender Equality and Ensuring Participation of Women – A Framework of Model Provisions
The UN Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), in collaboration with the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI) and the UN Department of Political Affairs, recently concluded an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on peace agreements as a means for promoting gender equality. The EGM was hosted by the Canadian government in Ottawa from 10-13 November.

For the final report from the meeting (html)
For the final report from the meeting (pdf)
For more information on the meeting

Enhancing the Role of Women in Electoral Processes in Post-Conflict Countries
The Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI) in collaboration with the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), as well as several intergovernmental organizations supporting electoral processes will host the EGM 20-22 January 2004 in Glen Cove, New York.

For the final report from the meeting (html)
For more information on the meeting

CALENDAR FOR FIRST WEEK CSW

Important dates to note

Saturday, 31 December 2003   Last day to register for CSW

Friday, 30 January 2004          Last day to register CSW side events- panels, workshops, etc.

Wednesday, 14 January 2004  Last day to submit NGO statements on the CSW themes to UN DAW

Sunday, 29 February 2004       NGO Consultation on both themes
8:30 am – 6:00 pm

Monday, 1 March 2004             ‘First time to the CSW’ Orientation
1:15 pm – 2:45 pm

Saturday, 6 March 2004           Women’s dialogue on the Beijing Review, the next Women’s
9:30 am – 3:00 pm                World Conference and the Review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

* In order to participate in the Commission, women and men must register for the CSW with a non-governmental organization that has UN ECOSOC accreditation.