Privilege and Voice: Negotiating the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women

• In Event: Does Civil Society Replicate Political Inequality?

Abstract

How does the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) prioritize concerns raised by NGOs? Previous research has found that the priorities of women’s NGOs do not predict the distribution of floor time or resolutions at annual CSW meetings. This research project tests the hypothesis that the process of achieving NGO accreditation through the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) gives privilege to some NGOs and their concerns over others.
 
The work first explores official responsiveness to NGOs’ voices through a quantitative analysis of the content of written statements, oral statements, and oral interventions given by NGOs over ten years’ worth of CSW meetings.
 
It then leverages qualitative interviews with successful and unsuccessful NGO applicants for ECOSOC accreditation, and locates a number of points that privilege certain types of NGOs over others. The work finds that regionality is significant, as NGOs from the Middle East and Latin America experience a lower level of responsiveness from official channels. NGOs advocating women’s land rights face greater barriers because of the implications of pressuring states to change distributional land arrangements. This research provides insight into how NGOs navigate international forums and affect policy recommendations, as well as the implications for women’s rights.

Author

• Anna Calasanti, University of New Mexico