The CSW61 gives the opportunity to work for macroeconomic environments within the UN and at local/national levels that will enable the creation of new arenas of decent work for women and girls, where there are no pay gaps, where labor laws are rights-based and informal, unpaid care and domestic work is fully recognized.

If we are to achieve gender equality by 2030, we must all recognize the gender gap in work and employment and create a cohesive action-oriented plan that all NGOs can support, a plan that challenges individuals, NGOs and national and local governments to develop gender-responsive implementation of the SDGs. 

The priority theme highlights, the vulnerability of women and girls as the most likely to be left behind economically and in status in the workplace. Women and girls must be ensured of equal access to technology; to land ownership; to finance/microfinance; the opportunity for higher and continuing education and they must be prepared and supported to hold positions of leadership in both public and private sectors and to have their rightful seat at the table during organizational, labor and peace negotiations.

During this 61st session, we should recall the work of those before us who created the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) especially the 12 Critical Areas of Concerns including CEDAW, the 10 Commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the incredible collaborative work that successfully created the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. We should not accept any less for women and girls today.

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has released the Zero Draft of the Agreed Conclusions of its 61st Sessions for information.

The principal output of the annual sessions of the CSW is the Agreed Conclusions on one or more priority themes. Agreed Conclusions contain an analysis of achievement of the goals related to the priority themes and a set of concrete policy recommendations. The recommendations, targeting Governments, the United Nations system, other international organisations, civil society actors and other relevant stakeholders, focus on actions to be taken at the international, national, regional and local levels.

The priority theme of the 61st Session of CSW is 'Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work'.

The review theme of the 61st Session of CSW is 'Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls'.