 |
| View of the UN flag in New York |
The tall glass skyscrapers of Manhattan turn gold in the light of dawn. It is 7 a.m. as I make my way to the UN Headquarters, while the sun rises behind Long Island on the other side of the East River. The nearly 200 flags in front of the main UN building hang still; no wind blows on this cold Monday morning. It is March 9th, and the 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) is about to begin in the General Assembly Hall. Delegates from member states around the world, along with civil society organizations, activists, and scholars, have flown into New York to take part in this yearly global gathering on gender equality and women’s rights. The buzz is palpable...
Excitement fills the hall as attendees turn the aisles into an impromptu runway of photos and selfies. Finally, the lights dim, the music rises, and the moderator theatrically introduces the keynote speakers and high-level guests kicking off this year’s CSW: UN Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway, Malala Yousafzai, and Secretary General António Guterres. Each underscores the urgency of this year’s theme: Access to justice for all women and girls, a shared principle that carries different meanings across the world.
Negotiations
Globally, women hold only 64% of the legal rights afforded to men. More than half of UN member states still lack consent-based legal definitions of rape. And 72% of countries permit child marriage in all or some circumstances. Yet the stakes and priorities of member states differ widely, and the negotiations leading up to the CSW70 opening were strenuous. Delegates vigorously debated interpretations of UN agreed language, the framing of problem analyses, and the formulation of objectives to suit both national interests and international alliances with other member states. Delegates were unable to reach consensus within the negotiation room, and for the first time in CSW history, the Agreed Conclusions finally went to a vote. Ultimately, only the United States voted against, and with 37 votes in favor and 6 abstentions, the Agreed Conclusions were adopted.
When the votes appeared on the screen, a standing ovation erupted in the general assembly hall: the efforts of progressive Member States and feminist civil society to hold the line, finally paid back.
Behind the Scenes Work
Behind the scenes, a worldwide network of feminists worked tirelessly to save the day. Since 2012, the Women’s Rights Caucus (WRC), an informal but well‑organized coalition of activists and gender‑equality organizations, has come together each year, both in New York and online across time zones, to lobby, advise, and push for the most progressive and inclusive Agreed Conclusions possible. The WRC has no dedicated funding, and its members participate voluntarily; it is an activist space driven by deeply committed people.
Today, the Caucus is a transnational feminist network of more than 800 individual and organizational members from across the globe. They represent the intersectional diversity they want to see reflected in the CSW’s outcomes. “The CSW is about us, and we work to remind governments of that,” Maria Paula Perdomo, UN Engagement Manager at Outright International and one of the conveners of the caucus, tells me.
Weakening of Texts
Throughout the first week of CSW, anticipation and tension ran high. The negotiated text was fragile, opposed and repeatedly weakened by conservative member states (including the United States, Egypt, Russia, and Argentina, among others) seeking to roll back progressive language and rights. Ultimately, references to LGBTQIA+ rights, access to safe and legal abortion, comprehensive evidence‑based sexuality education, and conflict‑related sexual violence were removed from the Agreed Conclusions.
The final document is far from ambitious and omits much previously agreed language. As one WRC member notes, “It is not a feminist victory,” as it barely maintains the standards established in the Beijing Platform for Action (1995).
Putting Lived Realities into the Bureaucratic Game
But she also reminds me that the process mattered. Through procedural guidance and advocacy, the WRC consistently reminds diplomats that CSW negotiations cannot become a bureaucratic game: the lived realities of women and girls around the world are directly affected by the outcomes. Though operating at the margins of the official negotiations, the caucus influences the very capitals to which diplomats return after signing the Agreed Conclusions. As another WRC member stresses:
“Our reality is not on paper; diplomats don’t experience first‑hand what is discussed at the UN. They need to listen to the women whose rights are being debated; they must be reminded to stay connected to our lived realities.”
The WRC acts as a progressive sounding board, amplifying hundreds of feminist voices worldwide. It is a democratic, representative body that reflects and elevates the lived realities of women and LGBTQIA+ people globally.Fuelled by the Fierce Spirit
As part of Atria’s civil‑society engagement and coordination in the lead‑up to the CSW, I joined several meetings of the WRC and witnessed firsthand the dedication and strategic clarity that drive this network. These were strategy sessions that stretched late into the night, briefings at dawn, language advocacy sessions over the weekend and impromptu emergency online calls. Each encounter left me energized by the fierce spirit and sharp strategic thinking fueling the WRC’s efforts to shape the CSW process and anchor its discussions in progressive, inclusive language. The guiding principles of this transnational feminist network include defending the human rights of all women, girls, and gender‑nonconforming people to live free from patriarchal oppression; advancing social, racial, economic, and ecological justice; and eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence.
After a week of intense negotiations, discussions, and nonstop organizing, I leave New York enriched, carrying with me not only the insights of a global feminist movement, but also the reassurance that through this network we’ve got each other’s backs. In a landscape shaped by UN bureaucracy, political maneuvering, and the pushback of powerful anti‑rights and anti-gender movements, the WRC continues to show up, speak out, and hold the line.
by Maya Declich, Atria
Recommended reading that was informative for this blog post:
- Fiorletta, Serena (2024). Transnational Practices. The Women's Rights Caucus: a transnational feminist network in New York City. Working Paper 15/2024 – Sapienza University of Rome.
Comments