PRESS RELEASE
New York, March 16, 2021. The 65th Edition of the Commission on the Status of Women – CSW65 has begun at the UN Headquarters, the largest platform for the discussion on women’s rights of the UN System, with the participation of Member States, organizations and civil society actors.
Ambassador Mariangela Zappia, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, took part in the inaugural ceremony, in the presence of UN Secretary-General Guterres, ECOSOC President Akram, President of the General Assembly Bozkir, and the Executive Director of UN Women Mlambo-Ngcuka.
The Italian delegation is led by Minister for Equal Opportunity and Family, Prof. Elena Bonetti, who intervened today at the first of the ministerial roundtables and will speak again on Friday during the general debate. The Minister underscored, “The direction given by Prime Minister Draghi, since the inception of his administration, is clear: women’s empowerment is key to achieving true gender equality and the full participation of women in public life.” Recalling Italy’s leadership role this year as President of the G20, Minister Bonetti then highlighted that “for the first time a ministerial-level conference within the G20 will be dedicated solely to the issue of women’s empowerment.”
The CSW schedule of events continues today with one of two Italian side events, organized by the Department for Equal Opportunities with the support of the Italian Mission to the UN, entitled, “Women’s Empowerment at the UN and in the G20: Policies to Support Women’s Leadership and Talent and to Fight Gender-based Violence” (16 March 2021 – 1:00-2:30pm EST). Among the statements put forth by Italy, besides that of Minister Bonetti, there will also be statements from Sen. Valeria Valente, Chair of the Committee of Parliamentary Inquiry on Femicide, from Hon. Maria Elena Boschi, member of the Committee on Gender Equality of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and Hon. Maria Edera Spadoni, Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies. You can follow the event in live streaming on the United Nations WebTV channel, on the website http://pariopportunita.gov.it , or on the social media channels of the Department for Equal Opportunities, using hashtag #CSW65.
Tomorrow, March 17 2021, Italy will be hosting its second side event, to be opened by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Marina Sereni, entitled, “Violence against Girl Children in Armed Conflicts and the Role of the International Criminal Justice System” (11:15am-12:45pm EST). This can also be viewed through live streaming on the United Nations WebTV channel.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The CSW is one of the functional commissions of ECOSOC, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Founded in 1946, as a parallel body of the Commission on Human Rights, the CSW throughout the years has made an important contribution to the development of issues regarding equality and the human rights of women, as can be seen with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocol.
The two priority themes of CSW65 are:
– “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.”
– This edition’s review theme is “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development.”
