The 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women ended on 15th March, 2013, in which in spite of divergent positions and difficult negotiations, Member States agreed on a set of Agreed Conclusions.
By adopting the Agreed Conclusions of the CSW 57, Member States signaled to every government in the world, that ending violence against women is a critical, urgent and immediate national development priority. The Commission’s determination to have a strong outcome is a legitimization of the work that advocates and activists, public servants, civil society and citizens do in their countries, communities and constituencies, to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.
By adopting the Conclusions, the member states (including Macedonia) agreed to take specific steps to eliminate violence against women, including providing emergency service to women who have been raped in the form of health care, emergency contraception and safe abortion.
The Agreed Conclusions are an important step in recognizing and defining this global problem, but what remains is for the member states to turn these declarations into action. In this respect, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: “No matter where she lives, no matter what her culture, no matter what her society, every woman and girl is entitled to live free of fear.”
Click here to read the full text of the Agreed Conclusions