APC at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and to the rights and empowerment of women. This year’s session of the Commission, the 70th (CSW70), is taking place in person and online from 9 to 19 March at United Nations headquarters in New York. 

The priority theme for discussion at CSW70 is ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and addressing structural barriers. The review theme, which evaluates the progress made, is women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. 

Like previous years, APC will be participating online in CSW70 through its Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) status, taking part in co-created spaces as well as hosting online civil society spaces that advance our focus on issues relating to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), gendered misinformation and disinformation, technology and war, and cross-issue feminist solidarity building. 

Unlike previous years, APC decided to only participate remotely in this year’s CSW70. This decision is grounded in shared politics and solidarity with a number of feminist and human rights organisations and collectives that are using this moment to draw attention to the increasing volatility of social justice and human rights work and movements within the same structures created to enforce these rights. APC’s physical absence from CSW70 is also a means of standing in solidarity with feminists and activists in South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) who are speaking up against the violence that continues to target civilian women, children and men, with the recent escalation of attacks on Iran and Lebanon, and further destabilisation in Sudan. At a critical moment of escalating violations, violence and war afflicting so many people, refraining from being physically present, and therefore economically engaged, in this year’s session has become more in line with the expression of our solidarity. In addition, APC’s pre-travel risk assessment determined that online participation in CSW70 would be safer and better aligned with our duty of care. 

Below is the schedule of the online spaces where the APC team will be speaking during CSW70. APC’s members and partners are also engaging throughout this year’s session by hosting, presenting and participating in numerous events, so please note that this schedule may be updated as we receive details on events involving the APC community. 

Kindly check back here or on our socials for updates, and for any additional questions or information, please contact communications@apc.org.

APC CSW70 schedule 

Tuesday 10 March, 17 UTC  
Setting Global Standards on Tech-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls: A Multistakeholder Discussion   
Spain, UK, Kenya, Australia, Global Partnership, UN Women, UNFPA, StopNCII   Registration

Wednesday 11 March, 14 UTC 
CSW70 WSIS Side Event: Empowering Women and Girls in the Digital Age – Action Toward WSIS 2035  
ITU, UNDP, UN Women, WSIS Action Line Facilitators, Albania, Switzerland, South Africa, Women at the Table, APC 
Registration

Monday 16 March, 10:30 UTC 
From Punishment to Power: Gender-Based Violence, Criminalisation and Access to Justice 
Just Futures Collaborative and APC
Church Center of the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York (in-person participation only) 

Wednesday 18 March, 12 UTC 
Where Are We Now? What Have We Learned? Reflecting on 20 Years of Research and Action against Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) 
APC 
Registration

Useful resources

• Researching ourselves: A decolonial feminist analysis on tech-facilitated gender-based violence
• In focus: Weaponised technologies and human rights under digital siege
• Looking forward: Feminist futures beyond Beijing+30
• Placing "gender" in disinformation