Commission on the Status of Women goes virtual, brings thousands together online PRIORITY THEME 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
REVIEW THEME Women's empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session)
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THE ZONTIAN • JUNE 2021
T
he 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) was an unusual, but also unforgettable event. While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the cancellation of CSW64 in March 2020, forced the CSW to go virtual this year, the new format also presented many new and exciting opportunities. More than 250 Zontians, representing 30 Zonta districts and Region South America, participated in the CSW65 from their homes in 32 countries across Africa, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Europe and North and South America. For many of them, attending a CSW in person had not been possible in previous years so the virtual format was a welcomed change. They, along with tens of thousands of other gender equality advocates from across the globe, had the opportunity to attend a wide variety of side events and parallel events organized outside the formal session of the Commission, and to engage with Member States, UN entities and other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to address the themes of CSW65 and other critical gender equality issues.
