15 March 2013: At the close of the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the 130 participating Member States reached an Agreed Conclusion on the session’s theme, “the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.”

According to UN Women, the Agreed Conclusion document “condemns in the strongest terms the pervasive violence against women and girls,” while calling for increased prevention and response. The document also includes provisions on: services provided for victims of violence; punishment of perpetrators; improvement of evidence collection; and response to victims. CSW 57 took place between 4-15 March, at UN Headquarters in New York.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his hope that “all the partners who came together at this historic session and others around the world will now translate this agreement into concrete action.” He committed the UN to lead this effort of ending violence against women and girls, and thanked all participants in the CSW for their efforts.

Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, also expressed her appreciation for the high level of participation, including the inclusion of civil society voices. She stated that the hope of producing peace and development that is sustainable depends on “long overdue progress for the women and girls of this world.” Calling on participants to continue to move forward with action, she emphasized a need for women and girls to be prioritized in the post-2015 development agenda. [UN Press Release] [UN Women Press Release] [Statement of UN SG] [Statement of Michelle Bachelet]