The sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) that has been concluded today 25th March 2022 began14th march at the UN headquarters in New York. This was the first in-person meeting of the CSW since the 2019 Session. Due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, CSW66 took place in a hybrid format with all side events in a virtual set up while the main meetings were held in-person in the General Assembly Hall with a limited access per delegation. 

2. As is the customary practice, participation at the CSW66 was open to representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world who had been invited to contribute to the session. The above consideration in the composition of member states delegations should take into account the relevant national stakeholders to ensure effective participation.

3. Uganda's delegation to the CSW66 was led by Hon. Amongi Betty Ongom, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development. She has been joined by Hon. Flavia Rwabuhoro Kabahenda and four other Members of Parliament ( Hon.Sarah Opendi, Hon. Charles Bakabulindi, Hon. Luttamaguzi Semakula, Hon. Margaret Ayebare, and a technical team comprising of staff from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda Women's Network and the Permanent Mission of Uganda to the United Nations. The lead person and coordinator of the CSW66 from the Permanent Mission was its Third Committee representative Ms. Celia Nabeta, Minister-Counsellor. Priority theme:

4. The Priority theme for CSW66 was "Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes", while the Session's Review theme was: "Women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work" as based on the agreed conclusions of the sixty-first session. The Commission's two-weeks session included activities such as the general discussion, the ministerial round table discussions, voluntary presentations, and side events. At the same occasion Uganda used the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with Oman & Qatar to discuss issues related to migrant laborers, with South Africa to discuss areas where each has comparative advantage where each of them can benefit and enrich her work through shared learning and experience sharing and work out an MOU with Norway on the increasing cases of GBV during and post COVID 19 era needs urgent attention; taking into account the rights of young people i.e. protection against GBV and FGM, access to sexual reproductive health services including sexuality education as a strategy against teenage pregnancy and child marriage, and with the UNAIDS Regional director for Southern Africa on the UNAIDS' priorities as presented in the Global AIDS Strategy and Education Plus Initiative and the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 on Ending Inequalities and AIDS.