UN Women publishes the official documentation of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) on its website, which includes written statements submitted by NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of United Nations (ECOSOC).
Among them is the written statement of the Social Promotion Foundation, to which ECOSOC granted special consultative status in 2001 and general status in 2004.
Said statement E/CN.6/2023/NGO/82 is aligned with the main theme of CSW67 “Innovation and technological change, education in the digital age to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. In it, the Foundation links innovation (SDG 9), digital education (SDG 4) and equal opportunities (SDG 5) with progress. However, there are certain weaknesses and threats related to physical access to new technologies linked to education (having financial resources to acquire them or quality connections) or the ability to use them, which must be identified in order to turn them into strengths and opportunities.
To face the existing challenges, under the dimensions of the human rights approach of availability, acceptability and adaptability, the Foundation, based on its work experience and its Women and Equality Observatory (OMEI), proposes various vectors to contribute to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls through innovation, technological change and education in the digital age. These are, for example, focusing on the population in the most vulnerable environments; promote the skills and abilities of teachers; raise awareness and train about the risks and protection mechanisms associated with greater exposure through the Internet; or promote an educational community that is informed, aware and that favors a safe environment.
With this statement, the Foundation responds to the call that UN Women makes to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to participate actively, as an essential element in the work of the Commission on the Legal and Social Status of Women (CSW). NGOs have been influential in shaping the current global policy framework on women’s empowerment and gender equality – the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – and continue to play an important role in holding international and national leaders accountable for the commitments they made in the Platform for Action.