UN

The seventy-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 8 to 19 March 2027.

Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session.

Themes

• Priority theme: Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Review theme: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes
• Critical area of concern or cross-cutting issue: Poverty and the economic empowerment of women

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The 70th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) concluded in March 2026 with the adoption of Agreed Conclusions focused on ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls. Amid sharp geopolitical and ideological divisions, the final text passed via a recorded vote of 37 in favor, 1 against (the United States), and 6 abstentions rather than the traditional consensus. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Priority Theme & Core Legal Mandates

• Access to Justice: Emphasized broad judicial reforms to eliminate discriminatory laws, structural barriers, and equitable legal practices. [1, 2, 3]
• Community Recognition: Formally recognized community justice workers and paralegals inside national legal frameworks to expand grassroots reach. [1, 2]
• CEDAW Commitments: Urged member states to ratify and fully implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. [1]

Digital Justice & Emerging Threats

• AI & Technology Governance: Established new frameworks addressing digital justice, aiming to harness technology safely while governing AI systems responsibly. [1, 2]
• Online Gender Violence: Committed governments to actively investigate, prosecute, and punish technology-facilitated and online exploitation and violence against women and girls. [1]

Crises and Institutional Reform

• Conflict Zones: Demanded survivor-centered and gender-responsive justice systems in humanitarian, crisis, and conflict-affected settings.
• Labor & Protections: Called for repealing discriminatory workplace regulations and reinforcing national mechanism safeguards. [1]

Procedural Divides

• Voting Shift: Marked a departure from historical consensus-building due to intense amendments proposed over inclusive terminology, climate change language, and reproductive rights. [1, 2]

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is a global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Commission was established by an ECOSOC resolution in 1946 with a mandate to prepare recommendations on promoting women’s rights in the political, economic, civil, social and educational fields. The Commission also makes recommendations to the Council on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women’s rights.

Below are reports from Dr. Mary Ann Rubis (Quaboag Valley Club), Audrey Millgate (Northampton Area Club) and other Zontians who attended the CSW68 forum.

Mary Ann Rubis  ~  Impressions from the Commission on the Status of Women 68
This year marked my 12^th anniversary attending this annual event, all in person, with the exception of 2021’s virtual session due to COVID. My week in New York is always energizing, inspiring and uplifting!

Proud to be a Zontian
Receiving a pass to attend sessions at the United Nations allowed me to not only participate in side events presented by Permanent Missions, intergovernmental organizations and United Nation entities, but to share information about Zonta International and the Zonta Foundation for Women. In addition, parallel events organized by non-governmental organizations, (like Zonta International), at locations around New York City, highlighted the work that is being done around the world on behalf of women and girls.It was obvious that Zonta International is held in high regard not only by our United Nations partnering organizations but other like-minded organizations as well.

Inspired and amazed

For me, any event hosted by or including teens is a highlight not to be missed. As a teenager, were you thinking about social issues, sharing your views and personal experiences with a room full of individuals of all ages and nationalities, reciting poetry and showing other works of art in public depicting your life? To hear young people, (girls and boys), share their experiences advocating for period products, serving as mentors/leaders to other teens, rising up against poverty or already making a positive impact in their corner of the world was poignant and inspiring.

Aparna Parthasarathy, a Young Women in Public Affairs Scholar and this year’s Zonta International Youth Representative joined Ute Scholz, Zonta International President, Natalia Winder Rossi, Director, Social Policy and Protection, UNICEF and Branda Ng, Manager, Global Partnership and Youth Development Department, Buddhist Tzy Chi Foundation USA as a panelist during the UNICEF USA and Zonta International co-hosted session entitled: “How Strengthening Systems Unlocks Potential to Achieve Gender Equity”.  A shocking statistic shared with the audience: at the rate we are going in order for women to have equal status with men will require 131 more years! Social protection is a right!!!

Four event highlights   

The Pad Project and Apne Aap: Putting the Last Girl First – Two organizations, women-founded and led. Melissa Berton, Oscar-winning Executive of The Pad Project “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education”. Ruchira Gupta, Emmy-winning journalist and Founder of Apne Aap Author of I Kick I Fly
In North Hollywood, California in 2012/2013, high school students learned that girls their own age were missing school because of their periods.… Read the rest

The Commission on the Status of Women is the largest annual gathering on women’s rights worldwide, and is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Hundreds of sessions take place around the UN in New York City, it is a hybrid event and REGISTRATION IS FREE.  Click on the Advocacy toolkit picture to open a PDF that will give you a great overview of CSW.

All are invited to a CSW Orientation session with the Zonta International and the United Nations Committees on Saturday, 24 February, at 8:00 a.m. Chicago time. As the CSW closes, join Zonta International to discuss events of the two-week sessions, what you saw and heard, and where Zonta can play a role post-CSW. The discussion will be held Friday, 22 March, at 8:00 a.m. Chicago time.
CSW is a great way to learn about how women and girls are impacted by current events and how we are doing in achieving the 17 Sustainable Goals by 2030.

ORIENTATION FOR CSW (PP)
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