From 10 to 21 March, 2025, the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) will take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York, marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The event will bring together member states, UN bodies and accredited civil society organisations from around the world to participate in a series of events, sessions and discussions aiming to review the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action as well as the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly.
APC staff, members and partners will engage extensively throughout CSW69 by hosting, presenting and participating in numerous events and “helping shape the conversation about gender equality in our digital age.” We see it is an important opportunity to examine the commitments made in 1995 and review the successes and shortfalls since that time, contextualised in today’s digital realities. While human rights are at the heart of the Beijing Declaration, which remains a foundational piece of advocacy grounding the feminist and gender movement, it is nonetheless a pre-internet document that does not fully reflect the widespread digital transformation of recent years, particularly its impact on women and gender-diverse populations.
As we advance in our advocacy for inclusive, safe and meaningful internet connectivity, it is imperative to recognise and address emerging issues that were not originally contemplated but are now crucial to ensuring comprehensive rights for women and girls in all their diversities in the digital era. The APC network will use the opportunity of CSW69 to engage and mobilise feminists, women rights organisations, tech activists and digital rights organisations to come together for collective sense-making, countering agendas and policy siloes, and enabling intentional connections between key policy processes.
We have prepared a schedule outlining our network’s engagement at CSW69 and will be sharing updates through publications, highlights and social media updates.
Thursday, 6 March - Friday, 7 March
Third Global Symposium on Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence (TF GBV)
9:00 – 17:00 local time | Online and in-person | Public event, register here
The Symposium will bring together global stakeholders – including governments, UN agencies, academics and civil society organisations – to centre the conversation on the growing threat that TF GBV has become, share experiences and best practices from different contexts and backgrounds as well as engage in participative action to collectively address and prevent it at multiple levels.
Hosted by UNFPA in partnership with Global Affairs Canada and APC
Monday, 10 March
CSW69 High level side event: Transforming Patriarchal Masculinities and Misogynist Norms in Online Platforms to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Across the Online-Offline Continuum
16:00 – 17:30 local time | Public event, register here
Hosted by UN Women, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Equimundo, Men Engage Alliance and the Government of Iceland
Tuesday, 11 March
Uniting for Gender Equality: Accelerating Action for Bodily Autonomy and SRHR in a Changing World
9:00 – 15:30 local time | Invitation only
Hosted by UNFPA
OURs & friends at the Feminist Solidarity Space
14:00 - 16:00 local time | Invitation only
Hosted by Observatory on the Universality of Rights (OURs) Consortium
Wednesday, 12 March and Thursday, 13 March
OVOF ARTivism for Change
11:30 – 17:30 local time | Public event, register here
This is a co-created community space to foster creative ways to engage with the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and demonstrate the relevance of art & activism to address the key issues discussed at the CSW. Within the agenda of ARTivism for Change you will find film screenings, healing and relaxing spaces, snacks and energisers as well as fun, interactive workshops and dialogues, games and quizzes.
Hosted by Our Voices Our Futures (OVOF) consortium jointly with numerous local community-led organisations
Thursday, 13 March
Integrating Gender in the UNGPs OHCHR B-Tech
8:00 – 10:00 local time | Invitation only
Hosted by OHCHR B-Tech Project
Friday, 14 March
Feminist Internet eXchange: FPIs in the midst of our current political realities
10:00 – 18:00 local time | Invitation only
If you are interested in participating please send an email to karla@apc.org
Hosted by APC and Our Voices Our Futures (OVOF) consortium
Monday, 17 March
Lecturas feministas de las violencias digitales en contra de defensoras de derechos humanos. La ausencia de respuestas efectivas 30 años después de Beijing
10:30 – 12:00 local time | Public event, register here
Hosted by Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos
Tuesday, 18 March
Seeking just futures: Reflecting on criminalisation and gender justice at Beijing +30
8:30 – 10:00 local time | Public event, register here
Hosted by Just Futures Collaborative, Noor Network, APC and Intersex Asia
AI for Social Equality
10:30 – 12:00 local time | Public event, register here
Hosted by Women at the Table, APC, IT for Change and APC members Derechos Digitales and Pollicy
Dialogue on advancing protection of minoritised groups against Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
14:30 – 16:00 local time | Public event
Hosted by APC and the Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN)
Wednesday, 19 March
Bridging gender gaps in AI: Advancing equity through open knowledge
8:30 – 10:00 local time | Public event
Hosted by Wikimedia Foundation