Sixty-Ninth Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW69)

The sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 10 to 20, 2025. While this is a two-week event, delegates only attend the first week of the session. Representatives of Member States, United Nations (UN) entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session. This year, the Commission will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). The session will focus on reviewing and appraising of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action, the achievement of gender equality, the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is a UN-accredited organization for this Commission, and it typically brings a large delegation of women leaders to participate in both the formal meetings and the parallel conferences organized by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The CLC plays a significant role in advocating for women’s rights and gender equality at the international level. This year, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) is an in-person event in New York City, held only during the first week of UNCSW. Delegates will arrive earlier for pre-commission events. OSSTF/FEESO is inviting up to three women to participate in the CLC delegation to the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69). The OSSTF/FEESO Provincial Office would be responsible for all participation costs, including travel, accommodation, and meals. All OSSTF/FEESO delegates are expected to:

• Attend daily briefing sessions with the labour delegation and Canadian delegation.
• Attend official sessions and/or NGO-organized side events.
• Write short summaries for publication on the trade union delegation’s blog and submit a summary of the event to OSSTF/FEESO upon return.
• Attend Canadian UN Mission or ministerial events, if any.
• Lobby delegations on labour’s priorities for the session.

Some participants may take on additional roles, which might include:

• Working with trade union delegates from the Global South.
• Providing informal interpretation services to unilingual delegates (usually in briefing sessions).
• Assisting with communications, including posting articles on the blog.
• Liaising with NGO delegates.
• Assisting with language for the trade union delegation or coordinating the delegation’s activities.
• Assisting with the coordinating of a CLC side event.

OSSTF/FEESO will consider the following criteria to determine nominees to submit to the CLC for delegate status:

• Self-identification as First Nation, Métis, Inuit and/or equity-seeking.
• Engagement in advocacy work on behalf of OSSTF/FEESO, local labour organizations (i.e., labour councils), and advocacy experience on women’s issues.
• Ability to secure release time to attend the entire event.

Successful applicants will be notified by November 6. This does not necessarily guarantee OSSTF/FEESO delegates a spot with the CLC delegation. The CLC will notify you and will be followed up by OSSTF/FEESO if you are successful in achieving a delegate spot. Completed applications should be sent to Tracey.Marshall@osstf.ca by October 11, 2024. Attachments OSSTF/FEESO Voluntary Self-Identification Form Application Form