The 56th UN Commission on the Status of Women will take place in New York from February 27 till March 9. In parallel with the UN sessions, civil society groups and NGOs have the opportunity to organise parallel events.

The UN Commission on the Status of Women was established in 21 June 1946 and is dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/
 

Below you can see panels organised by ILGA and by allies:

We are everywhere! Empowerment of lesbian and bisexual women and trans people - in rural areas and beyond

ILGA and RFSL
Monday 27 February form 4.30 till 6.00 pm, CCUN building, 1st Floor, Church Center Chapel

Rural lesbians, bisexual women and trans persons are being discriminated both on account of their gender and their sexual orientation and are suffering the disadvantages of living in rural areas, where access to information is hard. Since women’s access to resources may be dependent on marriage, they may be forced to get married to survive. As rural women’s access to decent work is already limited, mostly unpaid, low-wage, informal and without job security, women who in addition do not conform to gender stereotypes or sexual norms encounter even bigger obstacles to find a decent job. So far no extensive research on rural lesbian, bisexual women and trans people has been made which makes these groups essentially invisible.
Read more: ilga.org/ilga/en/article/nptdkIc1Cg

End violence and discrimination on sexual orientation and gender identity: activism and challenges

COC Netherland
Tuesday 28 February from 12.30 till 2.00 pm, CCUN building, 10th Floor

Around the world, people are targeted for violence and discrimination because of their actual or assumed sexual orientation and gender identity. Whether in the global North or South, lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face violations including the death penalty, torture, and discrimination in employment, health, and education. Women’s sexual autonomy is restricted through law, policy, and through day to day impositions from police, religious officials, family members, teachers, medical professionals and other authorities. Lesbians and transgender people are at particular risk because of “double discrimination” related to gender and sexuality – this “intersectionality” leads to further violations, many of which are often not reported to police or other authorities for fear of reprisals or harassment. And LGBT defenders and organizations are often under scrutiny and threat from government officials who want to restrict their activities.

This workshop will address violations and how activists from many regions have chosen to respond, resist, to claim human rights for everyone, and to live with security and dignity. From media campaigns to work with policy makers, activists from all regions are demanding to live lives free of violence and fear.
 

Follow that money!

Education International, Global Unions and Swedish Women’s Lobby
Thursday 1 March from 8.30 till 10.00, Salvation Army, Main Auditorium

Women’s rights and gender equality are often neglected in times of economic crisis. The financial crisis has a gendered dimension as it is triggered by a risk-taking masculine culture while the consequences are largely borne by women. How can
we ensure that women’s rights and gender equality stay on the political agenda? This seminar gives a feminist analysis of the economic crisis and will discuss how to ensure that gender mainstreaming and budgeting, women’s activism, quality
education for girls and decent work for women are guaranteed within economic structures.
 

Youth approaches to funding gender equality and women's human rights

Monday,5 March 12:30 pm to 2:00pm on Chapel, 1st Floor room at the CCUN
FRIDA, The Young Feminist Fund, SPARK, Third Wave Foundation.

Panelists from the Third Wave Foundation, SPARK and the newly launched Young Feminist Fund - FRIDA, will discuss new strategies for funding women's rights and the importance of supporting young activists working across a diverse range of women's human rights issues globally.
Read more ilga.org/ilga/en/article/nplgTKn1pZ

OTHER EVENTS:

• Monday, February 27 2012 - 12:30-2pm, CCUN Hardin Room, 11th Floor 
  Open Forum on the 16 Days Campaign
   
• Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - 10:30am-12pm, CCUN Hardin Room, 11th Floor
  Facilitating Human Rights from a Feminist Perspective
  Panelists from: Center for Women's Global Leadership, US Human Rights Network,
  ESCR-net and Carly Nyst on behalf of the Special Rapporteur on Extreme
  Poverty Mandate
   
• Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 12:30-2pm, CCUN, 2nd Floor
  Intersections of Violence Against Women and Militarism
  Sponsored by CWGL and MADRE
  Panelists from: Center for Women's Global Leadership, MADRE,
  Nobel Women's Initiative and World Vision
   
• Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 8-11:30pm, VERMILION, 480 Lexington Ave
  at 46th St
  International Women's Day Reception & Dance Party
   
• Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 10:30-12pm, Salvation Army:
  Right to Participate at CSW, the case of Iran
  sponsored by AIDOS, AWID, CWGL and WHRDIC
   
• Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 12:30-2pm, CCUN, Boss Room
  Building a Stronger United Nations for Women: One Year After UN Women's Creation
  sponsored by the GEAR Campaign
   
• Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 5:30-7pm CCUN, 2nd Floor
  Rural Women's Speak-Out
  Sponsored by the NGO CSW Forum in partnership with UN Women and FAO with CWGL, CoNGO and the Feminist Task Force
   
• Thursday, March 1, 2012 - 12:30-2pm, CCUN Chapel, 1st Floor
  Thousands of Miles Apart, Rural Women Stand United Panel
  sponsored by MADRE, CWGL, United Methodist Women, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies and
  International Women's Human Rights Clinic, CUNY
   
• Friday, March 2, 2012 - 10-11:15am, UN North Lawn Building, Conference Room B
  Rural Women, Poverty, Crises, Rights
  sponsored by WUNRN, CWGL, DAWN and Huariou Commission
   
• Monday, March 5, 2012 - 10:30am-12pm, CCUN, 2nd Floor
  Development Paradigm and Women's Agency and Rights
  sponsored by International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific and CWGL
   
• Monday, March 5, 2012 - 4:30-6pm, CCUN, Drew Room
  Economic Justice for Women of Color: A Human Rights Perspective
  sponsored by CWGL, Opportunity Agenda, NCRW and Urban Justice Center
   

You can check below the NGO Iinformation, including NGO side events :
www.ngocsw.org/files/CSW-56-Schedule-Final.pdf