What are the aims of the CSW?
The CSW is the premier international body for policy deliberations and dialogues on women’s empowerment and gender equality for governments, civil society and organisations. This year’s priority theme at CSW is ending violence against women. The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution to ending violence against women. We are working to translate those into laws, norms and policies at the national level. We also work on the ground with countries through programmes such as the UN Global Safe Cities Initiative, which includes New Delhi where we seek to support the 4 Ps of ending violence against women — Prevention, Protection, Provision of services and Prosecution of perpetuators.u00a0We believe that one must intervene before violence happens. We have also undertaken the COMMIT initiative that government and civil society can use to get action. What is the value of this piece of paper, one might ask. I was told by the minister of Cameroon that because of the Female Genital Mutilation-related resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly, she could take it up with her country’s traditional leaders, government colleagues and say to them as they had committed to this internationally, they were bound to implement it. So it can be a very powerful instrument to drive change at home. India has one of the best civil society movements in the world for gender equality. We have to draw upon women power in that sense, at the grassroots, national, regional and global levels.

Lakshmi Puri