The CSW, the annual UN meeting on the status of women, will unfortunately not have its usual impact in 2015. In the coming months, however, it will be important for states to reiterate that it is crucial
to defend the rights of adolescent girls, which are still largely denied today, but which are one of the keys to the success of tomorrow's policies.
Equilibres & Populations encourages countries such as France to take firm and clear positions in favor of women's and girls' rights, starting with the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), but especially in the final stages of negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Monday, March 9 marked the start of the 59th Session of the CSW at the United Nations headquarters in New York. This is an opportunity to assess the progress made and the challenges faced in the past and those that lie ahead in terms of gender equality.
In 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing marked a turning point for gender equality. But as we approach its 20th anniversary, United Nations member states do not seem ready to unite in promoting the rights of women and girls.
Some conservative states continually refuse to move forward on strategic objectives such as sexual and reproductive rights; others fear the diplomatic tensions that would result. The result of this stalemate is that sensitivities are being spared, and CSW 2015 will not leave a particularly lasting impression. Worse still, it will not even be the subject of a negotiated text, as is usually the case every year.
With final decisions on the SDGs just a few months or even weeks away, this sends a clear negative signal for girls' rights. Countries, including France, must therefore take action to defend the rights of women and girls now.
