A short history of the Commission on the Status of Women

Since its first session in 1947, the Commission on the Status of Women, which is composed of Member States, has advocated for gender quality and the empowerment of women and girls. This publication summarizes the work of the Commission in drafting international legal instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol, and the global normative and policy framework, such as the Beijing Platform for Action.

It highlights the progress made by the Commission in the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995) in putting key gender equality issues onto the global agenda, and in encouraging action and implementation at the national level. It describes the Commission’s work with civil society and other stakeholders, and how the Commission now also contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The publication closes with a preview of the Commission’s work on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and expectations for irreversible progress for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.