This year’s CSW 56, held from February 27th to March 9th, 2012, will focus on the urgency of rural women’s empowerment. The substantial contributions that women in rural areas bring to economic growth and the fight against hunger, malnutrition and poverty are well established. Therefore, an in-depth discussion on the situation and empowerment of rural women and their role in development is long overdue. CSW 56 will critically assess whether past efforts to empower rural women have brought the expected results – and if not, how to change course. In addition, the 2012 session with provide the opportunity to share experiences and best practices, as well as identifying key areas where policy measures and interventions are necessary to make measurable and accelerated progress in rural women’s empowerment.

WEDO Schedule of Events

WEDO is a veteran participant at the CSWs, and we very much look forward to the session this year. To support those who may not be familiar with the process, we have created a short two-page overview of CSW, which you can download here. As a major international forum, the CSW provides an arena for WEDO to advocate directly with country governments, as well as network and exchange ideas, best practices and common challenges with other NGOs. WEDO will be a robust presence in many of the CSW events, including those related to climate change and Rio+20, as well those organized for GEAR. For a full schedule of events sponsored by WEDO and our partners (as well as one we just find interesting), click here!

For the latest news and a full schedule of CSW events, visit www.ngocsw.org

For daily updates follow @WEDO_Worldwide @UN_CSW @UN_Women on Twitter and remember to use the #CSW56 hashtag for all your posts.