United Nations Foundation: Justice for Women Cannot Wait

“The struggle for women’s rights is fundamentally a struggle for justice itself.”

With these words, President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock set a clear and urgent tone for the 70th Commission on the Status of Women.

According to a new UN report, women hold just 64% of the legal rights of men globally, and no country in the world has reached full legal equality for girls and women. These structural inequalities lead to greater discrimination, violence, and exclusion for half the world’s population.

But progress is possible, and at CSW70, multilateralism delivered. Member States reaffirmed their commitment to expanding access to justice for all girls and women. They called on governments to review discriminatory laws, strengthen prevention and response to gender-based violence, and increase accountability for perpetrators.

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous captured the spirit of the session in her closing remarks. “The headwinds against gender equality and women’s rights are strong, but…our shared resolve to advance women’s rights is stronger.”  

 Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director, gives closing remarks at the 70th Commission on the Status of Women. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Upcoming Event

Join Our Future Agenda for the final session of the World’s Toughest Job Intergenerational Dialogue series.

In this session, we will be exploring the last question in this series: How does the Secretary-General shape the future? What does it mean to lead with foresight in a system that is often structured around short-term pressures?

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO, UN Foundation

Tony Oweke, Research Fellow, Artificial Intelligence, Council on Foreign Relations

Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, President and CEO, African Center for Economic Transformation

António Pedro Tavares Pinho, Next Generation People Fellow, UN Foundation

Johan Rockström, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Register to Attend

From our Experts

The Largest Annual Gathering on Gender Equality

The Commission on the Status of Women is the ultimate forum for leaders and advocates to advance the rights of girls and women. Its rich history is deeply interwoven with the history of the World Conferences on Women and the UN itself. Read more >> 

Mind the AI Gap

As AI continues to reshape the world, Vice President for AI and Digital Cooperation Claire Melamed spoke to Devex about a critical gap in its governance. Watch here >>

The Secretary-General Race, Decoded

As the UN Secretary-General race kicks off, the Our Future Agenda team decodes the role, selection process, trade-offs, and vision. Learn more >> 

Access to Justice for All Girls and Women

At our CSW side event, convened in partnership with the UN Women Leaders Network and Government of Iceland, intergenerational leaders highlighted how women’s leadership can help dismantle barriers preventing girls and women from exercising their rights. Find out how >>

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