The CSW69 side event “National Women’s Machineries: Strengthening Institutional Effectiveness for Gender Equality” was organized by the Republic of the Philippines in partnership with the Governments of New Zealand, Egypt, and Indonesia, the European Commission, with support from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and UN Women. This high-level discussion revisited the conditions outlined in the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and assessed the extent to which they had been met by Member States. It also examined challenges encountered by National Women’s Machineries (NWMs) and discussed innovative strategies to enhance their effectiveness in an evolving global context.
The event provided a platform to:
- Evaluate the implementation of BPfA conditions, identifying successes and areas requiring further attention, particularly regarding the roles of NWMs.
- Identify challenges, barriers, and recommendations for NWMs to effectively fulfill their mandates, including resource constraints, political and institutional challenges, and evolving policy contexts.
- Discuss innovative approaches and best practices adopted by NWMs to overcome challenges and enhance their impact.
- Reflect on the broader potential of NWMs beyond policy-making.
- Develop actionable recommendations to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of NWMs.
The outcome of this event reinforced the importance of NWMs as catalytic institutions in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, identifying key strategies to enhance their institutional effectiveness.