Reflections on the responsibility of being in the CSW70 space

This March, I joined the Dutch delegation to the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) as a representative of the Nederlandse Vrouwen Raad (Dutch Women’s Council) at UN Headquarters in New York. I arrived on International Women’s Day and I’m still reflecting on what it meant to be there.

I feel deeply aware of the privilege it took to even enter that space. Many representatives were unable to attend, whether due to financial barriers or visa restrictions. That reality stayed with me throughout the week.

What made this year particularly significant was witnessing the adoption of the Agreed Conclusions; an outcome adopted for the first time without consensus.

Throughout the week, I engaged across a wide range of discussions, at UN Headquarters, the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the UN, and events hosted by the European Union, UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA, the African Union, and the World Bank. I also had the opportunity to join an NGO briefing with the Dutch delegation and meet State Secretary Judith Tielen.

I contributed to discussions on the gender pay gap, women’s leadership, and intersectionality in multilateral policymaking spaces.

What stayed with me most were some of the messages shared during the opening session:

That a day meant to celebrate women is still, fundamentally, about safety and dignity.
That justice cannot be treated as a privilege, but must be a universal right grounded in accountability.
That access to justice remains a cornerstone of empowerment. Yet globally, women still have only 64% of the legal rights of men.
That silence in the face of inequality is not neutral, but a form of complicity.
And that whose stories are told, and by whom, continues to shape whose realities are recognised.

One remark in particular stayed with me: in nearly 80 years, the United Nations has never had a woman serve as Secretary-General (see also this campaign). That is not just history; it reflects choices. I hope the next Secretary-General will be the first woman.

These reflections reinforced the urgency, but also the responsibility, of working in this space. What stayed with me most were the conversations, hearing directly from advocates, policymakers, and civil society actors working tirelessly to drive structural change, often under challenging circumstances.

This experience strengthened my commitment to contributing to more inclusive and accountable systems. Grateful for the people I met, the perspectives I gained, and the responsibility that comes with being in these spaces.

By Anke Besseling, NVR

This post, with a slightly adapted first paragraph, was originally published here on LinkedIn.

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