VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0351/01 0931655
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031655Z APR 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6256
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3622

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000351 
 
DEPT FOR IO/RHS, DRL, L/HRR, S/GWI 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI PHUM UN KWMN
SUBJECT: COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN (CSW) 2009 SESSION 
 
¶1. (U) Summary and Action Request.  The Commission on the Status of 
Women held its annual two-week session from March 2-13, 2009.  The 
new positions of the U.S. were well received, Agreed Conclusions 
were adopted by consensus, an annual resolution on Palestinian women 
was adopted by a vote of 30-3(US)-8, and the themes for the next 5 
years were chosen.  The U.S. might wish to volunteer to be the WEOG 
member of the Working Group on Communications.  Action request 
contained in paragraph 9.  End summary. 
 
Atmospherics 
 
¶2. (U) The U.S. statement, delivered by head of delegation Meryl 
Frank, was warmly welcomed by the NGO community as well as by other 
delegations.  (Full text can be found 
at the USUN website as press release 38 at 
http://www.usunnewyork.usmission.gov/press_re leases 
/20090304_038.html.)  The common refrain the delegation heard 
repeatedly during CSW was "it's good to have the U.S. back again", 
indicating the value placed on U.S. leadership in the multinational 
arena by interlocutors, UN officials and NGOs based in the U.S. and 
elsewhere.  Nearly 2000 NGO representatives, as well as dozens of 
Ministers of Women's Affairs, and delegations from capitals, packed 
the standing-room-only hall for the opening events.  Many 
delegations pointed out the impact of the global economic crisis on 
women, a topic which was probed during a panel discussion.  The U.S. 
delegation consisted of Meryl Frank, Judy Gold, Ellen Chesler, 
Felice Gaer, and Beth Brooke, in addition to working level experts. 
 
 
¶3. (U) Ambassador Susan Rice took part in two events on the margins 
of CSW: a ministerial-level meeting hosted by Deputy 
Secretary-General Migiro regarding the reform proposals for a new 
gender architecture entity (septel), as well as a panel discussion 
organized by the mission of Afghanistan on the continuing problems 
faced by Afghan women.  The delegation's three question-and-answer 
sessions with U.S.-based NGOs to discuss the positions of the new 
U.S. administration towards women's issues were warmly greeted by 
over 100 NGO representatives at each of the three sessions, who 
expressed their pleasure that the new Administration is supporting 
key landmarks for gender equality such as the Beijing Declaration 
and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against 
Women (CEDAW). 
 
Agreed Conclusions 
 
¶4. (U) Agreed Conclusions on the priority theme -- "The equal 
sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including 
care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS" -- were adopted by consensus 
after round-the-clock negotiations that nearly broke down Friday 
afternoon.  Time constraints and delay tactics by Cuba, Venezuela, 
Syria and Iran, more than serious substantive differences, led to a 
frenzied atmosphere.  Eventually, the facilitator (Armenia) stepped 
in to broker last-minute deals on a consensus package.  Although the 
U.S. supported proposed strong language on comprehensive sexual and 
reproductive health services, the wording in the final text was 
little different than previously.  Our efforts to strengthen the 
text were greatly appreciated by NGOs, Europeans and other partners. 
 The final text included references to sex education and the need to 
review laws that discriminate against women, proposed by the U.S., 
as well as references to international cooperation and the global 
economic crisis, proposed by Cuba. 
 
Working Group on Communications 
 
¶5. (U) The chair of the CSW's Working Group (WG) on Communications, 
South Korea, attempted to strengthen the mandate of the WG, but was 
stymied by opposition from China, Russia, Cuba, Iran and others. 
The original function of the WG, to review communications by women 
to other human rights bodies (HRC, CEDAW, etc.) alleging violations 
of their human rights, and to discern trends among the types of 
violations reported, has been thwarted by an insufficient number of 
communications.  Rather than requesting human rights bodies to share 
their communications with the Working Group, the consensus 
resolution merely decided to "continue to raise awareness of the 
existing mandate of the communications mechanism of the Commission, 
as appropriate," and to remain seized of the matter. 
 
¶6. (U) During discussions on the meager number of communications 
before it, no substantive discussion of any women's rights 
violations took place, aside from an attempt by Cuba to embarrass 
the United States over a visa issue related to wives of prisoners in 
Guantanamo.  No WEOG member state stepped forward to join the 
5-person Working Group for the two-year term 2009-2011.  USUN 
suggests that L/HRR may wish to nominate one of its attorneys to 
represent WEOG on the WG, bringing to bear the clout of the U.S. as 
well as expertise on legal issues, to try to revitalize the Working 
Group and make it a more effective body. 
 
U.S. Side Event on HIV/AIDS 
 
¶7. (U) Assistant U.S. Global Aids Coordinator Michele Moloney-Kitts 
 
participated in a U.S.-sponsored public affairs panel entitled 
"Integrating Gender into a Locally-Owned HIV/AIDS Response" held on 
March 12 on the margins of CSW.  In addition to Ms. Moloney-Kitts, 
other panelists included Ambassador Charles Thembani Ntwaagae of 
Botswana; Ms. Jacqueline Ogega, Director of the Women's Mobilization 
Program with Religions for Peace; and Ms. Faith Meitiaki, 
representing UNICEF's Working Group on Girls and the Anglican 
Women's Empowerment Consultative Council. The event was moderated by 
Dr. Lynn Collins, Technical Advisor with the United Nations 
Population Fund (UNFPA).  The discussion focused on how host 
countries are integrating gender issues into prevention, care and 
treatment programs.  Participants underscored the critical need to 
address the inequalities between women and men that influence sexual 
behavior, as well as the norms that put both women and men at higher 
risk of infection and create barriers to accessing HIV/AIDS 
services.  This side event demonstrated the new Administration's 
commitment to providing international assistance to communities 
heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS. 
 
Annual resolutions 
 
¶8. (U) The annual resolution on the situation of Palestinian women 
was adopted by a vote of 30-3(US)-8.  The UK and Netherlands joined 
the U.S. in voting against, while Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Croatia, 
Germany, Cameroon, Republic of Korea and Japan abstained.  The EU's 
attempts to persuade the Palestinian delegation to phase out this 
resolution over the next year or two failed.  The U.S. gave an 
Explanation of Vote underlining the one-sided nature of the 
resolution, and the inappropriate politicization of the CSW by 
singling out only one country situation to the exclusion of all 
others.  The U.S. co-sponsored the SADC resolution on Women, the 
Girl Child and HIV/AIDS.  Resolutions on Preparations for the 
fifty-fourth session, on Future Organization and Methods of Work, 
and on the Future Operation of the International Research and 
Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) were 
adopted by consensus. 
 
Future Themes 
 
¶9. (U) The consensus resolution on the future methods of work of the 
CSW spelled out the following themes for upcoming discussions: 
 
-2010: Review of Beijing and Beijing plus five and Gender 
Perspective towards the MDGs; 
 
-2011: Girls and Education, Training, Science and Technology; 
 
-2012: Rural Women; 
 
-2013: Violence against Women; 
 
-2014: MDG implementation for Women and Girls; 
 
The modalities for the Beijing plus 15 in 2010 meeting will be 
negotiated by member states over the next several months.  We will 
need to decide on whether to have an Outcome Document, what type of 
Outcome, the number of panels and plenary meetings, and the level of 
participation of NGOs.  Detailed summaries of all discussions during 
the two-week session of the Commission can be found on-line at 
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.h tm 
 
¶10.  ACTION REQUEST:  Department please indicated whether L/HRR will 
nominate a member to represent WEOG on the Working Group on 
Communications, as described in paragraphs 4 and 5 above. 
 
Rice