Basics of the NGO CSW69 Forum:

The NGO CSW Forum is a civil society gathering that runs parallel to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). It provides civil society the opportunity to engage with the CSW processes and sessions without any special qualifications (such as ECOSOC-accreditation). The NGO CSW Forum includes hundreds of events that inform, engage, and inspire grassroots efforts to empower women and girls. The Forum gives CSOs and NGOs an opportunity to host their own in-person or virtual Parallel Events as part of the two-week forum.

The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. During the two-week session, UN entities, Member States, and civil society assess progress and gaps in the implementation of women’s rights documents such as the Beijing Platform for Action. Each year, the Commission focuses on a specific theme related to gender equality, known as the ‘priority theme’ of CSW.

 

UN Women is the secretariat for the UN CSW, handling the logistics side of the Commission. For questions or concerns about the UN CSW, visit UN Women’s website or contact them at csw@unwomen.org.

The Commission of the Status of Women is made up of forty-five member states, consisting of one representative from each Member State based on equitable geographical distribution:

  • 13 members from Africa

  • 11 from Asia

  • 9 from Latin America & the Caribbean

  • 8 from Western Europe and other States

  • 4 from Eastern Europe

These representatives work in four year terms. For more information on the Commission and its members, please visit the UN Women’s website, or contact UN Women at csw@unwomen.org. 

The Bureau of the Commission plays a crucial role in facilitating the preparation for, and in ensuring the successful outcome of the annual sessions of the Commission. Bureau members serve for two years.

 

The Bureau for the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (2025) comprises the following members:

 

  • H.E. Mr. Abdulaziz M. Alwasil (Saudi Arabia), Chair, Asia and Pacific States Group

  • H.E. Ms. Maritza Chan Valverde (Costa Rica), Vice-Chair, Latin American and Caribbean States Group

  • Ms. Dúnia Eloisa Pires do Canto (Cabo Verde), Vice-Chair, African States Group

  • Ms. Robin Maria de Vogel (Netherlands), Vice-Chair Designate (Western European and Other States Group)

  • Ms. Nataliia Mudrenko (Ukraine), Vice-Chair, Eastern European States Group

 

Learn more about the CSW Bureau on UN Women’s website.

The “Zero Draft” is the initial draft of the CSW Agreed Conclusions, which is prepared by the UN Secretary-General’s office and negotiated during the UN CSW session. It usually comes out in January.

Parallel Events take place at the NGO CSW69 Forum and are hosted by civil society organizations or groups. They take place outside of the UN Headquarters, either in-person or virtually. Any civil society organization, coalition, or group is welcome to apply to host a Parallel Event regardless of their ECOSOC-accredited status or NGO CSW/NY membership.

 

Side events take place as part of the official UN CSW program and are hosted by Member States and UN agencies with ECOSOC-accredited organizations as partners. They take place inside of the UN HQ and require a UN grounds pass or special event ticket to attend. (Additionally, there will most likely be virtual side events which will be open to the public.) To host a side event at the UN CSW, ECOSOC-accredited organizations must partner with a Member State or UN agency who submits the proposal to UN Women. For more information about side events, visit UN Women’s website.

 

Throughout the two weeks of the NGO CSW69 Forum, we host hundreds of events and other engagement spaces. The hybrid NGO CSW69 Forum will include: 

  • In-Person and Virtual Parallel Events

  • Consultation Day

  • Conversation Circles

  • Orientation session

  • Advocacy Training session

  • Artisan Fair

  • Healing & Community Space

  • Regional Caucuses

  • Virtual Exhibit Booths

  • Handbook Ads

  • Networking and advocacy

  • Youth Leaders & Young Professionals (YLYPs) events and activities

Parallel Events are hosted by NGOs and CSOs from around the globe during the NGO CSW Forum. They are one of the key components of the NGO CSW Forum, as they provide a space and voice for CSOs who may not have full access to the UN. Because they are outside the official UN CSW session, they are open to the public and free to attend. These events allow for education and galvanizing around different issues and topics within the feminist and women’s movement.

 

For more information about hosting a virtual or in-person Parallel Event, read the FAQs for Parallel Event Organizers.

Consultation Day is our annual kick-off event to the NGO CSW Forum. It prepares participants for the UN CSW and NGO CSW Forum by providing education on the priority theme. The program includes high-level conversations, educational panel discussions on the priority theme, as well as feminist entertainment.

 

You can watch last year’s Consultation Day here.

Consultation Day for CSW69 is 9 March 2025. Register here!

Conversation Circles are a safe space for raising issues and exchanging ideas on various women’s rights and gender equality topics leading up to the CSW. Each Conversation Circle addresses a specific topic. Each session is loosely-moderated and guided by co-facilitators who are experts on the topic, and participants are encouraged to be engaged in discussion either live or by chat.

 

Find out more about conversation circles for CSW69 here.

 

For NGO CSW69, Conversation Circles take place each week leading up to the Forum. Each session will have an in-person space with virtual components to engage those not able to physically attend.

Virtual Exhibit Booths imitate a traditional exhibit hall with different interactive “booths” for Forum participants to visit and learn all about the sponsoring organization, campaign, or group. They can also contact booth representatives to get more information. Exhibitors can manage their booths, upload resources and videos, host events, and engage with attendees directly within their Booth.

 

If you’re interested in hosting a virtual Exhibit Booth on our Virtual Portal, learn more and apply here. 

Each year, NGO CSW/NY prepares a Handbook with everything you need to know about that year’s NGO CSW Forum. It is publicly available and free to use via the NGO CSW/NY website and on the NGO CSW Forum Virtual Portal. The handbook includes:

 

  • Exclusive statements from the NGO CSW/NY Chair, CSW Chair, and UN Women Executive Director, and other high-level officials;

  • The full two-week program of the NGO CSW Forum including Parallel Events;

  • Details about the CSW priority and review themes;

  • Information on NGO CSW/NY; and

  • Handbook Ads sponsored by organizations and groups around the world.

You can view last year’s Digital Handbook here.

 

Sponsoring a Handbook Ad is a great way to promote your organization, group, or campaign and/or your Parallel Event at the NGO CSW69 Forum. Depending on the tier you purchase, you will be promoted on the NGO CSW69 Forum Virtual Platform and/or the Digital Handbook. With our new and improved Virtual Platform, there are more options for Handbook Ads with a range of different price points.

 

With most Handbook Ad tiers, your organization would have a unique page on the NGO CSW69 Forum Virtual Portal where attendees could visit and learn more about your work and engage with you.

 

 

For more information about sponsoring a Handbook Ad, visit our website.

 

Before the NGO CSW Forum, NGO CSW/NY will host an Orientation session to introduce new attendees to the CSW and the Forum and familiarize them with the different aspects of the Forum and ways to engage. The Orientation session provides an overview of the Forum and the basics on how to participate and engage in the most effective way.


While the session is great for those who are new to the UN CSW and NGO CSW Forum spaces, it is also helpful for those who need a refresher or want to learn about new features of the NGO CSW69 Forum.


Register for this year’s Orientation here. 


You can watch last year’s Orientation session on our Youtube channel.

 

Regional Caucuses are informal spaces for participants to discuss and reflect upon regional advocacy and their region’s most relevant and pressing issues. They are hosted by the NGO CSWs in the Regions and the North America and Europe Caucus, with each region hosting two Caucuses throughout the two weeks of the Forum.

 

Stay tuned for more information about Regional Caucuses!

The YLYPs are a youth-specific space within NGO CSW/NY and the NGO CSW Forum. They host a Youth Preparation Series leading up to the NGO CSW Forum and the CSW. The program also hosts other professional development events throughout the year and shares information related to youth at the CSW and the UN system more broadly. The YLYPs are open to anyone under the age of 40.

 

Learn more, get involved, and join the community here.

The NGO CSW Forum is a great place to promote your work and network with other participants. While there are plenty of opportunities for informal networking and promotion through the Virtual Portal message board and in the halls of in-person events, there are also more formal ways to promote your work or organization at the NGO CSW Forum. Visit the links below to learn more about each opportunity.

 

Host a virtual or in-person Parallel Event at the NGO CSW69 Forum: https://ngocsw.org/paralleleventsapp/. 

 

Host a virtual Exhibit Booth or Handbook Ad: https://ngocsw.org/ngocswforum-promoteyourorg 

 

 

More resources will be disseminated as we get closer to the Forum, including tutorial videos and training events. Sign up to our mailing list to ensure you receive updates with new materials.

The working language of the NGO CSW Forum is English. If Parallel Event organizers wish to have interpretation for their event(s), they are responsible for providing the interpretation service. NGO CSW/NY cannot provide interpretation services for any virtual Parallel Events.

NGO CSW69 Forum Registration

Registration for the NGO CSW69 Forum is open! To register for the Forum, visit https://ngocsw69forum.events.whova.com/registration/. Continue filling out your information and submit your registration! 

 

Be sure to create your account when you register! It will look like this in the registration page:

 

 

 

 

Registration is open!

No. The NGO CSW69 Forum is totally free and open to the public! However, if you’d like to support our work, you can make a donation here.

No. Anyone can register and attend the NGO CSW Forum whether you’re part of an organization or not. The Forum is totally open to the public.

No. The UN CSW and NGO CSW68 Forum are two totally separate events. Registration for the NGO CSW68 Forum will not get you a UN grounds pass or access to the UN building.

For more information about official registration for the UN CSW, visit UN Women’s website.

NGO CSW69 Forum Virtual Portal

This year, we are using Whova to host our Virtual Portal. This platform will allow us to have a new and improved Portal that will be more user-friendly and easier to navigate!

The virtual portal is open!

FIRST STEP: To access the Virtual Portal, you must first register for the NGO CSW69 Forum. You can register via this link. After you register, you will receive a link to join the Portal.

 

SECOND STEP: After you set up a profile on the Portal via registering, you will be able to access the Portal by visiting https://ngocsw69forum.events.whova.com/ or using the mobile app going forward.

 

We recommend bookmarking https://ngocsw69forum.events.whova.com/ on your internet browser for easy access, especially during the two weeks of the Forum.

 

*Important note for Parallel Event organizers: if you register and sign up without first setting up your “Speaker Profile” (aka Lead Organizer Profile) - your account will not link to your event and you will have a duplicate account. Please be sure to FIRST set up your “Speaker Profile” (aka Lead Organizer Profile) using the link sent to you via email.

 

In the Whova platform, the term “Speaker” refers to Lead Parallel Event Organizer and is unrelated to actual speakers you are having at your event. 

We will share tutorial videos for navigating the Virtual Portal depending on how you are participating. We will have a tutorial for:

  • General participants;

  • Parallel Event organizers;

  • Exhibitors; and

  • Handbook Ad Sponsors.

 

We will send emails to our mailing list and post on social media when each of the tutorial videos becomes available.

 

We will also host a series of training events that will go over using the Virtual Portal. These events will take place in January and February. Please check our Youtube for recordings of the training sessions, and our website calendar for upcoming events. 

NGO CSW69 FORUM VENUE INFORMATION

Church Center for the United Nations (CCUN)

777 United Nations Plaza

New York, NY 10017

(on the corner of 44th St. and 1st Ave.)

 

Large Rooms 

Chapel – 100 capacity 

2nd Floor – 175 capacity 

 

Regular Rooms 

8th loor – 80 capacity 

10th floor – 70 capacity

11th floor – 70 capacity

 

Small Rooms

Drew Room – 40 capacity

 

Salvation Army

221 E. 52nd St.

New York, NY 10022

 

Large Room

Auditorium – 250 capacity

 

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