National Women’s Education Center of Japan

The sixty-sixth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) was held from 14 to 25, 2022.

With measures in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19, CSW66 was held in the United Nations Headquarters in New York in hybrid format. For the first time in three years, over 100 heads of state and ministerial government officials gathered at the UN for the Session. Focusing on the priority theme of ‘Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes’ and the review theme of ‘Women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work’ (Agreed conclusions of CSW61), ministerial round tables, interactive dialogues and interactive expert panels were held. This was the first time since an action plan was drawn up in 1987 that the CSW took up as independent themes climate change, the environment and disaster risk reduction from the perspective of gender.

From Japan, at the ministerial round table on the 15th and the general discussion on the 17th, NODA Seiko, Minister of State for Gender Equality and Minister in charge of Women’s Empowerment, gave a statement in the form of a video message. In her statement, she emphasized that if we are to achieve a disaster-resilient society, then it is essential that women participate proactively in the decision-making process for climate change, environment and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes, and that initiatives be enacted that give due consideration to the different needs of and impacts on men and women. She also spoke on various initiatives including the increased participation of women in meetings to determine important matters relating to disaster prevention in Japan. Further, in the interactive dialogue on ‘Harnessing COVID-19 recovery for gender equality and a sustainable future’ held on the 24th, HAYASHI Tomoko, Director-General of the Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office, spoke, noting that based on the experience, following on from the Great East Japan Earthquake, of incorporating women’s perspectives into disaster response, in dealing with Covid-19 too, it is important to implement measures from a women’s perspective, with a focus on the economic independence of women. She stressed that, looking to the ‘new normal’ of the post-Covid world, the Japanese government would do everything in its power to ensure that women and children in difficult circumstances would not be left behind.

Each year during the CSW session, lively reports and discussions are held on the subject of efforts by civil society organizations to improve the status of women. Usually, every day many events relating to the priority theme and review theme are held inside and outside the United Nations building, but this year all side events and parallel events took place virtually.
On the 16th, a side event, ‘Our Ethical Consciousness and Actions Change the World: Towards the Participation of all People in Environmental Issues’ was held, co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations and three Japanese women’s NGOs: JAWW (Japan Women’s Watch), The National Women’s Committee of the United Nations NGOs, The International Women’s Year Liaison Group (IWYLG). At the event, following opening video message by Special Advisor to the Prime Minister for Women’s Empowerment, MORI Masako, panelists active in Japan and overseas presented reports on the importance of consumers taking action to select ethical, sustainable products and services; on a regional strategy for advancing towards ‘Zero-Waste Declaration’; on Education for Sustainable Development; and on ethical consumption and the economic empowerment of women as seen in the ‘One Village One Product’ project in Kirgizstan, a site of international cooperation.

At the CSW, topics discussed at previous CSW sessions are taken up as review themes, and their state of progress is gauged. This year, discussions were held on seven main policy areas for the economic empowerment of women, one of the agreed conclusions adopted at the sixty-first Session of the CSW. According to the report of the United Nations Secretary-General, while it was confirmed that there had been some progress towards implementation of the agreed conclusions by the Member States in the past five years, the gender gap and gender inequality remain deeply ingrained; unemployment and the increase in unpaid care work and domestic labor due to the impact of the spread of Covid-19 are putting women and girls under further threat, and the Member States were urged to undertake prompt investment and action.

At the CSW, the Economic and Social Council has determined that the results of discussions on the theme for that year should be summarized in the form of ‘Agreed Conclusions’. Discussions of the draft (zero draft) of the agreed conclusions took place over an extended period of time, and on the 25th agreed conclusions comprising 64 paragraphs and five resolutions/decisions were adopted.

At the closing ceremony on the 25th, Executive Director for UN Women, Ms. Sima Sami Bahous said that the agreed conclusions for the sixty-sixth Session were ‘historic’ in which the CSW for the first time addressed climate change, the environment and disaster risk reduction in reference to gender inequality. She urged the necessity of prompt action by Member States, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and NGOs towards the upcoming Stockholm +50, COP27 and the High-level Political Forum. The agreed conclusions call for full and effective participation by women and girls in decision-making and equal leadership opportunities, and for the prompt prevention of and response to the rise in violence occurring in critical situations such as conflict and migration, as well as the punishment of perpetrators and the protection of victims. The document also mentions the increase in unpaid labor carried out by women under Covid-19 pandemic, throwing light on the importance of boosting the resilience of women and on inequality in care work. In addition, it also mentions the reinforcement of financial measures to combat climate change that take gender into account, in order to further accelerate the global agenda and action. At the CSW, discussions were also held on Methods of Work, and it was determined that at the next Session an Interactive Youth Dialogue on the priority theme would be held.
　
At this session of the CSW, many government representatives and civil society organizations expressed serious concern regarding the disproportionate impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on women and children, and appealed for the need for greater protection of women and girls to be included in the agreed conclusions.

During the Session, the NGO CSW/NY, which has supported the participation of civil society organizations in the CSW, set up an online platform to enable the staging of parallel events by civil society organizations, the opening of exhibit booths and the sale of handmade goods. This year over 800 parallel events were held, including those events hosted by organizations from Japan.

The National Women’s Education Center (NWEC) also opened a virtual exhibit booth on this platform to distribute information. In addition to gender statistics materials showing the current state of gender equality in Japan, on the booth were posted video messages by Japanese gender experts aimed at CSW66 taking in the perspective of men, youth, international cooperation and disaster risk reduction. In addition, Open House events were held four times during the session, introducing the NWEC’s projects and its library and information services in Japan.

NGO CSW66 NWEC Booth

1 Message from NWEC President

2 Introduction of NWEC

3. Message from Japanese Gender Expert
　　Men's Actions toward a Gender Equal Society: Share, Care, and Fair
　　Futoshi Taga, Ph. D., Kansai University

4. Message from Japanese Gender Expert
　　JICA's Effort to Promote Gender Equality and Women's Economic Empowerment
　　Ms. Katsura Miyazaki, Japan International Cooperation Agency

5. Message from Japanese Gender Expert
　　Gender Issues in Japan through a Menstrual Perspective
　　Ms. Ayumi Taniguchi, # Minna-no-seiri (everyone's periods)

6. Message from Japanese Gender Expert
　　Making Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Policy and Programs More Responsive
　　to Gender Equality
　　Ms. Atsuko Nonoguchi, Japan Women's Network for Disaster Risk Reduction