UN Commission on the Status of Women

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was established as a commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to prepare recommendations and reports on “promoting women's rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields” and to implement the principles of equal rights between men and women.  The Commission on the Status of Women also makes recommendations on urgent issues of women’s human rights.  Since 2000, the Commission’s mandate has also included review of the progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.  The Commission currently consists of 45 members, elected by the Economic and Social Council

The Division for the Advancement of Women serves both the Commission on the Status of Women and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and coordinates issues of gender mainstreaming in the United Nations.

Since the 1980’s, the Commission on the Status of Women has had the authority to receive complaints on a limited basis.  The communication procedure of the Commission on the Status of Women is different from that under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and leads to a different outcome for the victim or victims.  The Commission on the Status of Women will not make a decision on the merits of a complaint, and thus the communication procedure does not provide an avenue for the redress of individual grievances.  According to the Commission on the Status of Women, “the purpose of this communications procedure is to provide information about violations against women that can assist the Commission in its task of policy formulation and development of further strategies for the advancement of women.”

The complaint procedure under the Commission on the Status of Women is also distinct from the 1503 Procedure which is also created by the Economic and Social Council.  While the 1503 Procedure focuses on gross human rights violations in specific countries, the complaint procedure under the CSW “is designed to identify global trends and patterns concerning women’s rights.”  Like the 1503 Procedure, however, the complaint mechanism, functions more like reporting in that its purpose is to provide information on patterns of human rights violations and not to redress individual wrongs.

The complaint mechanism available under the Commission on the Status of Women is summarized below.



Complaint Mechanism- Commission on the Status of Women

Type of Mechanism

Complaint-information procedure

Scope of the Procedure

The complaint, or communication, must either (1) allege a pattern of violations in a particular country or (2) identify a problem or problems facing women in several countries. 

Who can Submit a Complaint?

Individual victims of human rights violations and individuals who can identify a particular victim(s).

Role of Advocates

NGOs may submit complaints but have a very limited role in the proceedings

Available Remedies

No individual remedies.  The CSW may make recommendations to a national government, but has no means of enforcement.

How to Submit

a Complaint

There is no formal procedure for submitting a complaint to the CSW however, the communication must meet a number of admissibility criteria to be considered:

The complaint must be in writing.

The complaint must allege that a particular State has committed violations against women.

The complaint must show the existence of a pattern of violations in a particular country; or identify a problem or problems facing women in several countries.

Where to Send Communications

Commission on the Status of Women
c/o Division for the Advancement of Women,
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations Secretariat
2 United Nations Plaza, DC-2/12th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA

Fax: + 41 22 917 9022

How the Complaint Procedure Works

All stages of the communication procedure are confidential.

Communications should be sent to the Division for the Advancement of Women, which, in turn, sends acknowledgement to the author that the communication was received and that it was also sent to the national government.  The national government, however, is not informed of the identity of the victim, unless the victim wishes it to be known.

The Division for the Advancement of Women, summarizes all confidential communications as well as government replies in a report to the CSW.  First, a Working Group reviews the report to bring to the attention of the CSW any communications that “ reveal a consistent pattern of reliably attested injustice and discriminatory practices against women.”  The Working Group meets in a closed session.

The CSW reviews the Working Group report, also in a closed session, and may make recommendations to the Economic and Social Council to take action related to patterns of abuses that are reveled in the communications.

Advantages/ Disadvantages

The complaint procedure to the CSW is a means to provide information to the UN, which may influence policy formulation on advancing women’s rights.

The CSW cannot provide relief for individuals whose rights have been violated.

Adapted in part from Women’s Human Rights Step by Step, Women Law & Development International and Human Rights Watch Women’s Rights Project (1997).

Additional Resources

The Division for the Advancement of Women website includes general information about the Commission on the Status of Women, the functions of the Commission and links to specific sessions. 

The communications procedure for the Commission on the Status of Women is also described in more detail on the website for the Division for the Advancement of Women.

Further explanations of the United Nations Complaint Procedures may also be found on UN Fact Sheet 7.  Most UN Fact Sheets can be accessed on the web.

 

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