From the 11th to the 22nd of March 2024, governments, civil society organisations, academics and experts from around the world attended the 68th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the world's largest gender equality event.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the UN body focusing solely on achieving gender equality and empowering women, and it chooses a key issue to focus on every year. Even though the resolutions voted on CSW aren't legally binding, they are useful tools to hold countries accountable to their promises.  If you want to know more about what it is and why it’s critical for civil society to engage in it, read our latest blog CSW 101. 

IPPF has had a strategic and meaningful participation since its creation in 1952, engaging with governments, pushing for commitments to advance Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and connecting with other organisations and activists. 

To represent IPPF ACRO and their own Member Associations and Collaborative Partners, extraordinary women flew into New York from Llaves in Honduras and Profamilia in Colombia. They were met by ACRO’s Regional Director, Eugenia López Uribe, and Ela Urquijo, Youth Networker, and, together, they presented a united front engaging to prioritize SRHR needs of the Americas and the Caribbean.

This year, the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) focused on achieving gender equality and empowering women by tackling poverty. This theme aligned with the priorities of the IPPF ACRO delegation, which strongly advocated for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, in events such as:

• The panel organised by the Netherlands Embassy about political participation and education for #LBT women.
• #LGBTIQ caucus meeting with the Swedish Minister of Women.
• The meeting with the government of Norway where we discussed issues around the rights of LGBTQ+ community.

One of the highlights during CSW 68 was the parallel event organised by Organización Llaves, “My choices, my rights: exploring the intersectionality of HIV and Gender-Based Violence”, with the participation of Luisa Cabal, Regional Director of UNAIDS Latin America, Eugenia López Uribe, Regional Director of IPPF ACRO and Rosa Gónzalez, Executive Director of Llaves and Duanie Moran, leader of the Llaves Youth Network.

The discussions at CSW highlighted the critical role of resource allocation in driving sustainable development. Recognizing this, the IPPF ACRO delegation actively participated in these spaces, emphasising how ensuring access to SRHR is crucial in the fight against poverty.