CSW69 Reflection: Magdalene Lewis
From the desk of the UN ECOSOC Advocate (PW in the PC(USA), Inc.)
Commission On the Status of Women 69 at the UN Reflection March 10-21 2025
CSW69 – The focus of CSW69 session was on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and platform for action and the outcome of the 23rd special session of the General assembly. The Review included an assessment of the 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 toward the full realization of the 2030 agenda for sustainable. Development.
CSW69 Orientation for PW and PMUN at the Church of the Covenant was the beginning of the Highlights of CSW69. It was an opportunity for all the delegates to meet and get to know one another. We were commission to walk humble with God’s blessing as we advocate for Gender Justice.
Ecumenical women CSW Orientation – Was also an encouragement to walk humble with God as we advocate for Gender Justic. The greeting from Ms. Lopa Nyaradddzsy coordinator of the Generation Equality forum and director of civil Society division. UN Women. She stated that the world is more equal, including laws and policies. Women empowerment has doubled moved from the bedroom to the courts. Backlash has underlined our progress. We need the leadership of young people. Work with your government. Speak love joy join hands and speak out.
Without US, THERE is No FUTURE – Laura Dihuignidili Huertas, a youth leader from the Guna Yala province in Panama, said collective action is the key to changing the current grim realities as many of the commitments made in Beijing 30 years ago remain unfulfilled, especially in rural areas. Being an Indigenous woman in Latin America is not easy. We want firm commitment and concrete results,” she said, ‘we are the generation that can make a reality of the dreams of Beijing, but this can only be possible if we rise up, organize and mobilize all those who have yet joined the fight because without us, there is no future.
Eva Chiom chukwenele, – and amputee peer counsellor said as a child, the platform for action meant that all girls would have the right to education, healthcare and leadership.
“But gender justice is incomplete when women with disabilities are not included” she said, “the world was not designed for with disability.
Joining the dialogue, Sima Bahous, head of Un women stated that “We cannot build a just future without those who will inherit it.” She said, “let this be our call to action.”
Women Rise for All: Turning Hope into Action -As the world mark 30 years since Beijing Declaration and Platform for action, the event underscored the transformative power of women’s leadership and networks in advancing the Sustainable Development goal. Also, Annemarie Hou, Executive director of the UN office for partnership, said “women Rise for all is more than an initiative – it is a movement a network of networkers. It is amplifying the voice of Sec. General Antonio Guterres on women’s leadership and keeping the promise of the SDG.”
At the heart of this event was a dialogue featuring UN deputy Sec. General Amina J. Mohammed and President of Iceland H. E. Halla and Moderated by Jessica Sibley CEO of TIME. She called for solidarity. warning of growing challenges to gender equality. “We have lost our moral compass as a world. We hear voices telling us that people don’t matter that as a woman or as someone of color, you don’s count. Today this is a global problem,” she said “women need rise. And as you rise, take people with you. Because this is about our humanity.
UN Women Executive director Sima Bahous stated that “hard won gains are being threatened, but history shows us that when women come together, transformation happens. We’ve seen it in the boardrooms. In parliaments, in the fight for climate justice but as a force uniting our present and future.’
This event also provided a platform for young voices, including 13-year-old Zahra from Nigeria, who expressed admiration for leaders and their impact on the SDGs. “Girls like me need role models to show us that our efforts matter.
This event closed with a powerful reminder that networks mentorship, and education are essential in uniting women and girls to build a more equal and inclusive future one where their voices are heard, and their demands are represented.
NO Child Left a Bride: Successes and Setbacks in the global effort to end child marriage.
Featuring voice of – Chelsea Clinton, Hon. Mayra, Dr. Isata Mahoi, and Saba Lishan. Panelists and attendees came together to share strategies, raise awareness of child marriage worldwide, and celebrate recent awareness of child marriage wins in Sierra Leone, Columbia, and Dominican Republic. The event came as the world is just five years away from the Beijing Declaration and Platform action of ending child marriage and forced marriage by 2030.
In July 2024, Sierra Leone passed a Law to set the minimum age for marriage to 18. Dominican Republic Law passed in 2021. The United States still permits child marriage in 37 states as of 2024. Reiss pointed out the interconnectedness of child marriage with similar issues like domestic violence, human trafficking, and access to sexual and reproductive rights, commenting, “we can’t solve those problems if we aren’t solving child marriage. The panelists shared a common sentiment that legislation to ban child marriage must be combined with additional polices, protections, and community engagement to be effective.
