The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has amended the format of the CSW 64th session in light of the current concerns regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

CSW64th session will only convene on March 9th for a procedural meeting- include opening statements, followed by the adoption of the draft Political Declaration and action on any other draft resolutions.

The session will then suspend until further notification. No general debate will take place and all side events planned by the Member States and the UN system in conjunction with CSW64 had to be cancelled, a UN CSW document available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday stated.

The CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946

The document explained that in the light of the current outbreak of COVID-19, the UN Secretary-General suggested to the CSW Chair that Member States consider amending the format and conduct of the session.

The commission therefore met on Monday March 2 and adopted the changes. CSW64 was expected to serve as a platform for the global community to mark the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995.

A five-year milestone will be reached towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

CSW 2020 is therefore a pivotal year for the accelerated realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, everywhere.

The CSW64 was planned to take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 9 to 20; where representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world were invited to attend the session.

The main focus of the session will be on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly.

The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affected the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.