CSW69 Blog Post Jaclyn Lo

From meeting new friends and advocates while waiting in line to pick up UN grounds passes to impactful and inspiring sessions centering girls, women and gender equality to re-connecting with long-time friends and advocates from around the world, the Sixty-Ninth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women CSW69 / Beijing+30 has been nothing short of a life-changing experience. Every session centered on girls’ and women’s empowerment, rights, and equity, each from a different lens and global perspective, from data storytelling and visualization to poignant, poetic narratives from youth advocates.

As a passionate advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment as a woman, researcher, and medical student, I am grateful for the opportunity to engage and advocate at CSW69 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, as part of the delegation from the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA).

“Women’s rights are under siege…the poison of patriarchy…There is an antidote, and that antidote is action”, Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, at the CSW69 Opening of the Session, March 10, 2025.

Session Summaries & Reflections

🌟POWER4GIRLS: Invest in Girls, Transform the World

Co-Organizers: UNICEF, We are Purposeful, UN Women, the Government of Sierra Leone and the Government of Canada

Reflecting on this session, it’s clear that this moment presents a crucial opportunity to address both progress and ongoing struggles faced by girls since the Beijing Declaration. This session advocated for driving systems-level change for adolescent girls worldwide 🌍.

Key Points:

• Multi-faceted Approach: Achieving gender equality requires strong partnerships with national governments and active leadership from girls themselves.
• Accelerating Action: The session focused on advancing girls’ rights, wellbeing, and leadership, influencing policy and programming across the development-humanitarian ecosystem 🎯.
• Creating Lasting Impact: Empowering girls and fostering environments where they can thrive is essential for sustainable progress 🌱.
• Call to Action: Stakeholders must invest in and support the transformative potential of girls to achieve broader societal goals 🌟.

Key Quotes:

• Ambassador Gesa Bräutigam: “The evidence is clear that access to education for girls… investing in health, both physical and mental can allow them to thrive not just survive”
• Bob Rae, President of ECOSOC: “We are losing so much as societies around the world when we don’t invest in girls. We are losing everything, the potential, participation, inventions ideas that can help transform society. We are all the poorer for that.”
• Kirsi Madi, UN Women: “Together, we will close the gap in girls’ secondary education and we will put an end to violations of their rights. Girls’ rights are community rights.”
• Melvina N’yillah Conton, Advocate, Sierra Leone: “In the safe space of my collective, I learned about my rights, and I knew I had a choice… together we strategized, with the full support of the collective of girls, we sent a message, to the young girls in my community that they have a voice. That is what the systemic change looks like, from individuals to collective, which then creates shifts in the community”

💪No Gender Equality Without Health Equity: Centering the Health of Women and Girls 30 Years After Beijing

Co-Organizers: World Health Organization, World Economic Forum, Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, UN Women

Reflecting on the critical issues of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Forced Sterilization & Incarceration, it’s clear that access to comprehensive health care, including contraception and safe abortion, is a fundamental right—not a privilege. Women with disabilities, Indigenous women, and those living in incarceration continue to face systemic violations of their bodily autonomy. Ending these injustices must be a global priority 🚨.

A staggering 44% of women aged 15-49 lack full control over their bodies, facing regression in sexual and reproductive rights. This highlights the urgent need for global action to protect bodily autonomy and rights.

Key Points from Lucy Fagan’s speech (WHO Youth Council):

• Youth Movements: Influencing policy and scaling impact.
• Sharing Evidence-Based Information: Ensuring accurate information reaches those at risk of being left behind.
• Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms: Using gender and age dis-aggregated data.
• Focus on Hope and Joy: Promoting solidarity and intergenerational action.

Lucy’s incredible speech highlighted the importance of mobilizing young women and professionals in the fight for women’s reproductive health rights 🌟. Her words were a powerful call to action for youth engagement in global health and gender justice. Her message reminds us that by empowering youth and fostering solidarity, we can drive meaningful change in SRHR and gender justice.

💡The Future of Care: Investing in Women Entrepreneurs to Deliver Care Solutions at Scale

Co-organized by: Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), Ministry of Finance – Japan, World Bank Group (World Bank and IFC), Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB and IDB Invest)

It’s clear that exploring the potential of women entrepreneurs in the care economy is crucial 🌟. The focus on investing in women-led SMEs in childcare, healthcare, and elderly care aims to unlock significant economic potential. This session featured the societal impact of a thriving care economy in fostering growth, strengthening communities, and enhancing human capital 🌍.

Key Points:

• Investment Opportunities: Governments, foundations, and corporations should reimagine investment in the care sector through global partnerships like We-Fi.
• Economic Stability: The care economy can generate up to 280 million jobs by 2030.
• Addressing Barriers: Women entrepreneurs face challenges in scaling their businesses.
• Roundtable Themes: Strengthening communities, creating jobs, innovating, and investing in women-led care businesses.

We need to continue to support and invest in women entrepreneurs in the care economy, recognizing their vital role in driving societal progress and achieving gender equality 🌟. Research shows it will take at least 140 years to achieve gender parity, 286 years to close gender gaps in legal protection, 140 years for equal representation in positions of power, and 40 years to achieve gender parity in national parliaments. These numbers are alarming and call for urgent global action 🚨.

🚫Bridging the Gap: From Beijing to 2030 – Ending Child Marriage in All Forms

Co-Organizers: UNICEF, UNFPA, with Government of UK, Canada, Zambia, Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Girls Not Brides, Girls First Fund and Zonta International.

While global efforts have made progress, 12 million girls are still married off every year, losing their childhood, education, and autonomy. The statistics are staggering, but what stood out most was the burden placed on frontline activists—those working tirelessly in their communities to protect girls and challenge harmful norms. Many spoke about the exhaustion of constantly having to justify their lived experiences, as though their realities need external validation to be taken seriously.

Key Points:

• Intersectionality Matters: True progress demands that we address gender justice alongside issues like climate change, economic equity, and racial justice.
• Community Voices Must Lead: From policymakers to grassroots advocates, those most affected must be at the center of decision-making.
• Ending Child Marriage: It’s not just about laws—it’s about power. Education, economic opportunities, and shifting cultural norms are critical in ensuring girls have choices about their futures.

Panelists emphasized the importance of intergenerational dialogue, community support, and the need for systemic change to end child marriage and protect girls’ rights. A heartfelt thank you to advocates, Fanta K. Toure, Loveness Mudzuru, Chipasha (ChiChi) Ilampu, Oumou Khaïry Diallo, and Mabel van Oranje, who are among the many dedicated women and advocates championing the rights of women and girls to childhood and the freedom to choose 🌟.

💬For All Women and Girls – Beijing+30 Young Feminist Dialogue with UN Women

Co-Organizers: NGO Committee on the Status of Women (NGO CSW/NY), UN Women

Reflecting on the recent session, it’s evident that creating space for young feminists to engage with UN Women is vital for driving accountability for the Beijing+30 Action Agenda and ensuring that hard-won gains remain central to gender equality efforts. This discussion highlighted young feminist recommendations on CSW revitalization and strategies to maintain meaningful engagement in global policy spaces.

Key Points:

• Hard-Won Gains: Keeping gender equality at the center of our efforts.
• Generation Solidarity: Learning from past women’s movements and fostering intergenerational opportunities.
• Adapting to Change: Embracing social media, digital rights, and new ways of mobilizing.
• Accessibility: Making CSW more accessible, rotating locations, and influencing at community/regional levels.
• Collaboration: Working together with the UN, member states, and young feminists to influence negotiations.
• Funding and Protection: Ensuring funding, inclusion, and protection for activists.

This session was about revitalizing CSW as a space for youth advocates, promoting civic space, and making new commitments to fundamental freedoms and humanitarian crises. It focused on transforming investment and resource justice, overcoming bureaucratic barriers, and ensuring accessibility to funds 💼.

📊 From Numbers to Narratives: Unlocking the Power of Gender Data Through Data Storytelling and Visualization

Co-Organizers: United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD-DESA); Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21); UN Women, World Bank, Equal Measures 2030

Reflecting on this session, it reinforced how data is more than just statistics—it’s a powerful tool for advocacy and change 📊. Data storytelling helps us move beyond abstract numbers and highlight the real, lived experiences of women and girls. When done effectively, it humanizes issues, mobilizes action, and ensures that no one is left behind 🌍.

The conversation left me pondering how we can ensure that gender data is accessible, intersectional, and used to inform policies that truly serve communities. Here are some key takeaways:

• Find the Story: Make data relevant to lived experiences.
• Target Context and Audience: Tailor data presentation to specific needs.
• Ask Questions: Determine how policies are working and who is being left behind.
• Data Insights: Focus on insights, not just raw data.
• Design and Narrative: Combine data with storytelling for impact.
• Messaging: Use clear, powerful titles to reduce cognitive load.
• Visuals: Choose colors, fonts, and structures that enhance understanding.
• Trends and Differences: Highlight gaps and progress.

By following these principles, we can present patterns and trends in the short term and influence perceptions and actions in the long term. Let’s keep it simple and bring a perspective that resonates with our audience 🎯.

🔗Aligning the Beijing Platform for Action and the Pact for the Future: Closing the Gap Between Aspiration and Action

Co-Organizers: CSW Youth Forum, UN Women, UN Youth Office

The importance of frontline activists in shaping policies and funding decisions was emphasized in this session. Activists, who are closest to the issues, should lead the way without being hindered by gatekeeping or bureaucracy. Their voices are crucial in driving meaningful change that will benefit those who are affecting by these policies most.

Solidarity means amplifying the voices of those who already have the solutions. Our role is to listen, uplift, and stand beside them. Lydia Charles Moyo, a young feminist from Tanzania, shared her powerful story. Despite facing challenges like teen pregnancy, she has risen to become a panel moderator and works with a non-profit organization. Her message is clear: everyone has a voice and a choice 🎤.

Other inspiring speakers included Layal Beyhum, Bianca Ivan, and Elgin Safarov. They stressed the importance of creating spaces for marginalized individuals and fighting against gender apartheid. The struggle of Afghan women for freedom serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing battles many face.

This session underscored the need for action, solidarity, and amplifying the voices of those most affected. By supporting and standing beside these incredible leaders, we can ensure their voices guide our efforts towards achieving gender equality 🌟.

Conclusions

The sessions emphasized the need for better storytelling synergized with data, amplifying community voices, and meaningful youth engagement—each critical to ensuring commitments lead to real, tangible change towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

By developing networks to amplify gender equality efforts, learning from diverse perspectives from global advocates, leaders, and experts in gender equality, and gaining insights into effective advocacy strategies, I feel inspired and re-energized to drive meaningful change through innovative and sustainable efforts, contributing to a more equitable society locally and globally. As we continue to advocate and act, we must be guided by our foundational principles. Hearing these stories reinforced that advocacy doesn’t end in these rooms—it must translate into real action in our communities 🌍.

“History will not judge us by the challenges we face, but the courage in which we faced these challenges”, Bob Rae, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), at the CSW69 Opening of the Session, March 10, 2025.

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2025 marks 30 years since the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+30). Every five years is a review year, which means that instead of a priority and review theme for CSW69, the commission will evaluate the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.