APF-GANHRI advocacy at the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Four national human rights institutions (NHRIs) from the Asia Pacific joined ith their counterparts from Europe and Africa to take part in discussions and advocacy efforts at the 63rd Session of Commission on the Status of Women.

The priority theme for CSW 63 was social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Senior representatives from the NHRIs of Afghanistan, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines took part in a range of events during the two-week session in New York, which brought together governments, NGOs and policy makers.

With support from the APF and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), they continued their ongoing campaign to secure the independent participation of NHRIs in the work of CSW.

Unlike at the Human Rights Council, 'A status' NHRIs are not able to participate in their own right in meetings of the CSW and can only attend as part of their country's government delegation, if they are invited, or with the support of an accredited NGO.

The advocacy by the APF, GANHRI and individual NHRIs resulted in stand-alone paragraph in the Agreed Conclusions, adopted at the conclusion of CSW 63, that the "Commission recalls General Assembly resolution 72/181 of 19 December 2017 and encourages the secretariat to continue its consideration of how to enhance the participation, including at the sixty-fourth session of the Commission, of national human rights institutions that are fully compliant with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles), where they exist, in compliance with the rules of procedure of the Economic and Social Council".

As part of the NHRI campaign at CSW 63:

• Florence Simbiri-Jaoko (GANHRI Special Envoy), Dr Sima Samar (Chairperson, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission) and Kate Jenkins (Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner) addressed a High Level Interactive Dialogue on 'Accelerating implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action'
• An APF-GANHRI-UNFPA side event on 'Advancing gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights' featured speakers from the NHRIs of the Afghanistan, Philippines, Georgia and Northern Ireland, as well as UNFPA's Deputy Executive Director.

KEY DOCUMENTS

• CSW 63: NHRI Call for Action
• CSW 63: Talking Points for NHRI Advocacy
• CSW 63 Side Event Concept Note on Advancing Gender Equality and SRHR: the Role of NHRIs
• CSW 63: Side Event Flyer on Advancing Gender Equality and SRHR: the Role of NHRIs
• Dr Sima Samar: Statement to the High Level Interactive Dialogue on Accelerating implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 13 March 2019
• Florence Simbiri-Jaoko: Statement to the High Level Interactive Dialogue on Accelerating implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 13 March
• Kate Jenkins: Statement to the High Level Interactive Dialogue on Accelerating implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 13 March 2019
• CSW 63: Agreed Conclusions
• CSW 63: APF Report on NHRI Engagement