by Sallie Chaballier, AAWE Paris
The 70th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in March of this year (2026) came at an existential moment for women’s rights—not just in the US but worldwide. This year’s priority theme, “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls,” cuts across all areas affecting women’s rights and gender equality. From access to education, to healthcare, to financial services, to political participation, to the gendered impact of climate change, all are questions of justice. Globally, women have only 64 percent of the legal rights that men have. Sadly, laws on paper do not translate to reality, and systemic shifts are necessary to remove structural barriers to justice for women and girls. Justice is how systems treat people; it begins long before the courts. Justice is the bedrock of every right to which women and girls are entitled; it is a basic human right.
The panels I sat in on as part of the FAWCO delegation during the first week of CSW70 were frequently uplifting, frustrating, hopeful, depressing, confusing, inspiring and enraging—occasionally in the same session. The week unfolded against the dramatic background of an unprecedented attempt by the United States to force a vote on the final document of CSW, called the Agreed Conclusions, which in the past has always been adopted by consensus. The US was the only country to vote against the Agreed Conclusions.
Despite the prevailing gloom, rays of hope emanated from different parts of the world: for example, the all-women panel of Nordic Ministers made the persuasive case that gender equality makes for smart economics and effective family policy. Women resistance leaders from Syria, Iran and Ukraine reminded us that women can and do lead within their countries’ civil society organizations. Time and again, speakers stressed the urgency of closing the gap between legislation and implementation. Women’s and girls’ legal rights must be transformed into lived reality, not just through comprehensive legislation but also through effective enforcement of those laws.
Paradoxically, despite so much discouraging news as the world draws closer to 2030, when the UN Sustainable Development Goals are hoped to be achieved, I drew strength from my week at CSW70. Seeing so many determined women of all ages working together for greater justice gave me a dose of much-needed “big picture” perspective. At a time when global events feel beyond our control, it is heartening to find small steps we can take as individuals and together with other members of civil society. Attending CSW70 was a powerful reminder that showing up for other women is one of the most galvanizing actions we can take. Bearing witness to courageous and resilient women supporting their sisters brought me hope.