IIED at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69)

The Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality, the rights and the empowerment of women. It plays a crucial role in advocating for the rights of women and girls, documenting their lived experiences worldwide, and establishing global standards for gender equality and empowerment.

The 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 21 March 2025. This year, CSW69 coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, providing an opportunity to reflect on progress and address ongoing challenges in achieving gender equality.

CSW69 aims to review the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly, addressing the challenges that still remain in enforcing gender-responsive policies that reflect the lived realities of women and girls globally.

Throughout the two weeks, IIED and partners will lead on and participate in a range of online and in-person events, building on IIED's work to highlight current gaps in gender-blind, one-size-fits-all policies that fail to serve women, gender-diverse, and marginalised groups.

There is a web of interconnected problems that are stopping effective decision-making and policies. IIED is actively working with partners to support the visibility of marginalised experiences and advance data-informed decisions through analysing existing gender data knowledge and partnering with and supporting local actors in their efforts in advocating for data sovereignty and owning and managing their own data.

To see IIED's main events at CSW69, click on the following quick links:

Friday, 21 March

Fulfilling the true vision of Beijing (and Rio): a whole-of-society approach to gender and environment data

Side event (in person)

Time: 3.30-4.45pm GMT (11.30-12.45pm EST)
Venue: UN Headquarters, Conference Room E, GA Building, New York
Hosted by: IIED, Permanent Missions of Chile, Canada, Colombia, Ireland (TBC) and Mexico to the UN, CBD Women’s Caucus, UNFCCC, UN Women, Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Gender and Environment Data Alliance (GEDA)
Speakers: Natalie Cleveland, Data2X; First Secretary Andrés Alejandro Borlone Diaz, Permanent Mission of Chile to the UN; Nuala Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN; Karen Wong Pérez, IIED; Amelia Arreguín Prado, CBD Women’s Caucus; Rosalind Helfand, UN Women; Immaculata Casimero, Wapichan Wiizi Women’s Movement; Jessamyn Encarnacion, Inter-Regional Advisor on Gender Statistics and Technical Lead, UN Women / Women Count Programme; Alice Morris, Working Group for Women and Land Ownership (WGWLO) in India/International Land Coalition; Fleur Newman, UNFCCC; Ambassador Juan José Quintana, Permanent Mission of Colombia to the UN

The impacts of intertwined crises, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, vary widely among women and girls and reveal deep inequalities that affect them differently. Recognising and addressing this is essential for effective policymaking and moving towards gender justice.

This official side event will explain why a ‘whole-of-society approach’ to data is vital for better informed decision-making. This approach requires collaboration between state actors, private sector and civil society in order to contribute complementary data across different times and scales, enriching decision-making processes.

Recognising the contributions of non-state actors, including community-led or grassroot actors, in collecting, owning and analysing data is crucial in enabling conditions for gender-responsive implementation of the Rio Conventions.

This event will feature perspectives from member states, UN agencies, and organisations that are part of the Gender and Environment Data Alliance (GEDA) and the CBD Women's Caucus.

Past events

Advancing data for synergies between gender, climate and environment

NGO parallel event (online)

Hosted by: IIED, CBD Women’s Caucus, UNFCCC, UN Women, Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Gender and Environment Data Alliance (GEDA)
Speakers: Rachel Kagoiya, GROOTS Kenya; Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo, Women for Change; Sadia Satti, Sustainable Development Policy Institute; Ketty Marcelo, Organización Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas Andinas y Amazónicas del Perú (ONAMIAP); Tahnee Prior, Women of the Arctic; Jessamyn Encarnacion, UN Women; Amelia Arreguín Prado, CBD Women's Caucus; Khiddir Iddris, GEDA; Karen Wong Pérez, IIED

This NGO CSW69 parallel event focused on the data challenges hindering the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, specifically exploring opportunities for synergy between gender, climate and environment. 

Significant progress has been made in closing the data gap at the gender-environment-climate nexus, but power imbalances still remain. By recognising the contributions of non-state actors in the collection and generation of valuable data and evidence, and integrating this with information from state actors, we can support better informed decision-making.

This event brought together state and non-state actors to showcase best practice for addressing the data gap and call on CSW member states to recognise gender data and evidence collected by non-state actors, including community-led or grassroot actors, and integrate this into decision making at all levels of government and society.

Event coverage

You can watch a recording of the event below or on IIED's YouTube channel, where individual links to the start of each speaker's contribution are also provided. The recording is available in English, Spanish and French.