Amid Concern Over Missed Opportunities for Genuinely Revitalizing Women’s Commission, Economic and Social Council Adopts Resolution on Subsidiary Body
The Economic and Social Council today adopted without a vote a resolution concerning the Commission on the Status of Women, even as many delegates regretted that the text missed opportunities for a genuine revitalization of that body.
The Commission, a subsidiary body that the Economic and Social Council established in 1946, is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality. The Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, requested the Council to explore options, through an inclusive intergovernmental process with participation from all Member States, to revitalize the Commission, while reaffirming its mandate.
By the terms of the draft resolution adopted today on "Revitalization of the Commission on the Status of Women" (document E/2026/L.2), the Council recommended that the Commission adopt outcome documents, including agreed conclusions on priority themes and political declarations, that are short and succinct, ambitious, focused on the priority theme, and provide recommendations to close remaining gaps, meet challenges and accelerate implementation.
It also requested the Commission to continue to identify and propose action on emerging issues, trends, focus areas or new approaches and invited all Member States to meaningfully involve civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders in preparations for each session and in follow-up and implementation processes for the outcomes of the Commission.
Further, it recommended that the general discussion held during the ministerial segment of the Commission’s sessions take place in the General Assembly Hall, or, if not available, the Trusteeship Council Chamber, and encouraged the Commission to consider the rotation of the location of its five-yearly review sessions, on an equitable and non-discriminatory basis, with due regard for geographical rotation.
Complex Challenges Facing Women, Girls, Demand Thoughtful Consideration
Prior to adoption, one of its two co-facilitators, the representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis, said "the work that we've undertaken represents far more than procedural adjustments". The discussions on the text "have not always been easy nor should they have been", she said, adding that the complexity of the challenges facing women and girls globally demands nothing less than the most thoughtful consideration.
While today’s text was adopted without a vote, many speakers expressed concerns about the rushed negotiation process, with some pointing out that the Pact for the Future did not set a timeline for exploring options for the revitalization process.
Among them was the Russian Federation’s delegate, who expressed disappointment about various "procedural violations", including how the current meeting was called outside the substantive session of the Council. Given the importance of the resolution — which will affect the Commission’s work for years — the Council should have worked on the draft until it arrived at a genuine consensus. Such consensus was "very close" and if open and transparent discussions happened, it was certainly possible, she said. Further, the participation of civil society representatives in the Commission should be in accordance with the rules of procedure and not "simply inviting some New York [non-governmental organizations] and New York representatives of the private sector", she said, highlighting the visa troubles faced by participants from countries such as hers.
Rushed Negotiations Hindered Ability to Bridge Differences
Several speakers including the delegates of Algeria, Cameroon and Indonesia said that the rushed manner in which negotiations were conducted did not allow sufficient time for bridging differences. "The negotiations were non-transparent, closed and artificially rushed," the representative of Belarus said. At a decisive stage of negotiations, instead of facilitating neutral mediation, "contacts with delegations were curtailed", and meetings were mainly used to promote the existing text, he added.
However, the representative of Ireland, the draft’s other co-facilitator, outlined a negotiation process that took place over eight months, with active and robust engagement from States. The co-facilitators provided a space for all views to be put forward in different ways, and new ideas made their way into the text. "The draft resolution tabled today is short. It contains modest but achievable measures," he said. And while some delegations would have desired something more ambitious while others would have preferred something less than what is before them, the current text represents the best balance, he said.
Text Represents Carefully Crafted Balance
Poland’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the European Union, agreed that the current text is a "carefully crafted balance between many diverging opinions" and enjoys the support of the overwhelming majority of Member States. Highlighting the need to make the Commission more dynamic and accountable, she said a revitalized Commission will be a critical component of "our efforts to deliver on the commitments we all made 30 years ago in Beijing". Several delegates, including the representatives of Chile and the Dominican Republic, also stressed the need for a revitalized Commission that is fit for purpose.
Universal Call for Revitalization, Diverging Views on Its Definition
While there was universal agreement on the need for revitalization, speakers differed on what that meant and pointed to what the text could have achieved.
The representative of Australia, also speaking for Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland, said: "Revitalization is not reinvention — it is about strengthening the Commission's role and impact." Highlighting the indispensable role of women's rights organizations, she said: "their expertise, advocacy and lived experience continue to shape global norms and hold us accountable". She expressed regret that the current text was weakened in certain respects "by a small number of delegations who sought to question the mandate of the co-facilitators and limit the ambition of the resolution". Along similar lines, the representative of the United Kingdom also regretted the resolution’s missed opportunity to ensure a stronger engagement between the Commission and civil society.
Nigeria’s delegate offered a different perspective, while acknowledging the important contributions of the civil society organizations. "Allowing them to assume roles reserved for Member States within the [Commission] risks undermining the intergovernmental nature of the Commission. Such an approach could weaken State accountability and create parallel processes not rooted in national ownership," she said. She also pointed to a contradiction between paragraph 6 on identifying and proposing action on emerging issues and paragraph 14 which "conveys a list of cherry-picked critical areas to be discussed in the future". Highlighting such inconsistencies, she expressed concern that the time available for consultations with stakeholders, especially Member States, was too limited to allow for the depth and inclusivity that a revitalization process of this nature requires.
The representative of Egypt also expressed disappointment with the process, and objected to being "pressured to waive rules of procedure". "The main question is the definition of revitalization, which has never been answered," she said. "A follow-up question is, what is wrong with [the] Commission on the Status of Women? Again, there is no answer," she said, warning that the text would only "exacerbate the workload of [the Commission] and complicate its proceedings".
"The discourse on women’s issues should remain objective, non-selective and non-politicized," Iran’s delegate said, also stressing the importance of preserving the voluntary and non-binding nature of the Commission’s work. The delegates of Saudi Arabia and China warned that any alteration of the Commission’s mandate must be carefully considered.
"It seems that we're all equally unhappy with the text, or we're not all very happy and what that means is that the co-facilitators did some sterling work," said the representative of El Salvador. Revitalization, she stressed, involves improving working methods, bolstering participation and cooperation among Member States and stakeholders and enhancing collaboration across the UN system. The text adopted by consensus reaffirms prior commitments under the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action while introducing innovative provisions that "establish a road map for the Commission".
She concluded by saying that "revitalization is not a simple procedural exercise, but an opportunity to equip the CSW with more dynamism and relevance to respond to the real challenges faced by women and girls worldwide".