The Commission on the Status of Women will hold a meeting on Monday, 14 March 2011, at 10 a.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber (NLB), in order to conclude its work for the fifty-fifth session. Immediately following the closure of the fifty-fifth session, the Commission will convene the first meeting of its fifty-sixth session for the sole purpose of electing the Chair and four Vice-Chairs of the Bureau of the Commission for a term of office of two years (i.e. for its fifth-sixth and fifty-seventh sessions, in 2012 and 2013, respectively).


The Commission on the Status of Women is expected to resume its session in the course of March, to complete action on all outstanding issues.


Pre-registered NGOs: Please download the first, second and third advisories with important information about the session:


There are two online forms for ECOSOC-accredited NGOs wishing to make oral statements:

1) During the general discussion at CSW55 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/csw55/gdform.html
2) During the interactive panels at CSW55 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/csw55/epform.html

The deadline for submission of requests is 11 February 2011 for both types of interventions.


Urgent reminder to NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC wishing to attend CSW55. Pre-registration closes on 31 December 2010. Click here for more information.


To NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC: Deadlines for submission of written statements are the following:

Submission deadlines must be strictly observed in order to ensure timely processing and issuance of the statements as official United Nations documents for the Commission.

Statements should be e-mailed to csw@un.org, with 'Written statement / Name of NGO' in the subject line.

Click here for more detailed instructions on written statements.