UN Transcripts — https://transcripts.un.org/ar/asset/k12/k1225hslb8 Global launch of the UN Secretary-General's report "Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls" - Press Conference — 4 March 2026 Language: en Automatically generated transcript — may contain errors. Not an official United Nations record. --- Stephane [0:01]: Great. We're delighted to welcome back our friend Sarah Hendricks from UN Women. She's been very patient, so you all know her. I won't go through the whole introduction, but I will give you the floor. Sarah. UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [0:15]: Thank you so much, Stephane. And good morning, everyone. Allow me to begin this part of the press briefing. Also by expressing our heartfelt solidarity with the women and girls across the Middle East. We are, of course, deeply concerned by the escalations of violence, and we certainly join the Secretary General in calling for that violence to stop for the sake of every woman and every girl whose lives, whose safety and whose futures are really now at risk. As you know, today we brief you on the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. And this year's session focuses on a defining issue for gender equality, that of access to justice. As we meet, there are women who choose not to report the violence that they experience because they fear that they won't be believed, let alone protected. There are women who are paid less than their male counterparts in the very same work in places where the law does not actually require equal pay. And there are girls who don't have birth registration, who don't actually have a birth certificate, who face heightened risk of child marriage, who face heightened risk of trafficking because the system doesn't actually recognize them. And these are not isolated cases. They reflect, indeed how power operates in societies and whose rights justice systems ultimately protect. Across the world, women and girls are navigating a very challenging moment, as you know. It is a challenging moment of profound strain. Democratic backsliding, rising conflicts, economic pressures. There's also the shrinking of civic space as well as increasingly organized pushback on gender equality and the regression of women's rights. And justice systems do not stand apart from those pressures. They actually reflect them. And where power remains unequal, justice rarely, rarely operates neutrally. This is often where retreat from gender equality becomes very visible, where it gets right into sharp relief and discriminatory laws persist. Accountability is uneven, and far too often impunity prevails. No country in the world right now has yet achieved full legal equality between men and women. I'll say that again. No country in the world has achieved full legal equality between women and men. More than half of the world's countries do not actually define rape by law on the basis of consent. Nearly three quarters say. Specifically, 74% of the world's countries actually still allow child marriage by law, allow girls to be married as children. And in 44% of the world's countries, the law does not mandate Equal pay for work of equal value. In many places, the gains that once seemed settled, the gains that once seemed sure, such as protections against violent violence, equal rights in family law, safeguards against discrimination, these are now being contested amidst organized pushback and amidst this moment of tremendous pressure and strain. And justice, however, is where equality is decided. And yet it's far too often where it's also denied. Many justice systems were built by institutions that are defined by power, specifically by patriarchal power, and continue to be implemented where this power prevails. And so when those structures, when those institutions go on decade after decade, years after years, unchanged, those justice systems risk reinforcing equality rather than actually correcting equality. It traditional justice systems, the place where tens of millions of women around the world actually access justice. They can bring justice closer for women and girls, but they too are not impervious to inequalities. Those traditional justice systems too can perpetuate gender inequality. And where inequality is embedded, impunity indeed can follow. Across the world today, violations of the rights of women and girls are indeed accelerating in a growing culture of impunity. This spans courts, it spans also online spaces, and of course, conflict, and also increasingly enabled by backlash against gender equality in conflicts. As you know, rape continues to be utilized and weaponized as a weapon of war. In fact, just in the past two years, the total percentage of women and girls who become victims to conflict related sexual violence has risen to 87%. And globally, when we look at the online spaces, digital technologies are being weaponized through harassment, through abuse, through deep fakes that silence women, that force women to deplatform. And far too often, perpetrators face absolutely no consequences for many women and girls. The calculation on this is painfully rational. Reporting violence may bring retaliation, it could bring stigma, it could bring economic loss with very little expectation that justice will actually follow. When justice fails women and girls, the damage goes far beyond any single story, any single woman's life. Victims and survivors in her community, in those societies start to withdraw. Communities lose faith, and public trust erodes. And those justice institutions lose legitimacy. And a justice system, certainly that fails. Half the world's population cannot claim to uphold justice at all. And yet, and there's always. And yet there's always a but. Justice systems actually can evolve. They can transform. And certainly when they do, the impact is indeed transformative. Access to justice is one of those powerful forces for advancing equality in the lives of women and girls. When laws change, we see those changes very practically, very concretely. Women start inheriting land. They start opening bank accounts, they start Owning their own businesses, they start gaining a paycheck and claiming equal pay. In fact, since the year 1970, family law reforms have led to more than 600 million women accessing new economic opportunities, all because the law was reformed on the family. The Secretary General's report shows that realizing this transformative power of justice rests on some key priorities. And as I close, I'll just mention the top six of these. First, justice systems must be legally equal, without exception. Discriminatory laws absolutely must be repealed and legal gaps closed so that rights are enforceable in practice. Second, justice systems must work together. What do I mean by that? That means that in the criminal context, the police, the prosecutors, the judges, the corrections, the legal aid providers, the health systems, the social services, all of these must work in an organized and coordinated way so those victims and survivors are not left on their own, navigating through endless bureaucratic complexity where so many actually just give up before pursuing justice. Third, justice must be preventative. Early protection measures, gender responsive administrative systems, training, capacity building of justice actors, public legal education, all of this can stop violence before it escalates and before it ruins lives. Fourth, justice must be financed as a public good. Legal aid makes a difference. It is transformative. And so legal aid, survivor centered services, and institutional capacity really require sustained public investment. And fifth, justice reform needs to be shaped by women. It needs to be shaped for women. So here, let's look at the evidence again. Evidence consistently points to the fact that strong feminist movements are among the most reliable predictors of government action, of how governments spend money, of government policy, particularly to address violence. And yet many of these organizations operate under significant strain, increasing strain. A recent survey that UN Women undertook actually shows that nearly 90% of organizations working to end violence against women and girls actually are reporting reductions in essential services. They're reporting that they're near to closing their doors. And 5% only believe that they can actually sustain the current situation they're in and sustain their operations for more than two years. And finally, justice systems need to be ready for the digital age. Technology can expand access to justice, but without safeguards, digital tools, algorithms, these two risk perpetuating harms. They risk reproducing discrimination. And so innovation needs to expand justice and really not hard code inequalities. So CSW 70 is a decision point. It's a decision for member states on whether justice systems will continue to leave rights unevenly protected or whether member states will legislate. Legislate for equality, will finance implementation, will strengthen coordination, will really support those women's movements. We know it works. The evidence is there. The question, I think, before the Commission on the Status of Women is whether we will confront impunity and invest in justice systems that deliver equality in both law and life. We want justice to really reach the everyday lived realities of women and girls. And there are two roads that the Secretary General describes in his report, a road where there are justice needs of women and a road of the justice systems. And he describes how those two roads need to meet. And so CSW is our opportunity to ensure that those roads do meet and that they deliver rights, justice and action for all women and girls everywhere. Speaker 3 [12:04]: Thank you so much. Thank you. On that note, Edie, please. Associated Press · Edith Lederer [12:09]: Thank you very much, Sarah. On behalf of the the United Nations Correspondence association, my name is Edith Lederer from the Associated Press. My question is very simple. At a time when the fight for gender equality is going backwards, how are you ever going to convince 193 member nations at CSW to actually reverse course and move forward? Isn't it really an unrealistic goal? Stephane [12:59]: Go ahead. Thank you, Edie. Always to be expected of you. A hard cutting question. Appreciate it. UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [13:07]: Listen, the negotiations for this year's agreed conclusions of the CSW have been underway for the last two weeks and the negotiations across member states are actually proceeding in quite a constructive environment. There are, as always, those contentious issues of challenge and of complexity that are rearing their heads in the room. But on the whole, our perspective is that member states are coming to the table eager to see a final set of agreed conclusions. It will be, of course, always a more balanced text that reflects the full slate of member state interests and demands and priorities. But your question, which is about the pushback is probably the more important one. And right now is no time to step back on gender equality. We have seen far too long in that impunity has grown, that violence has grown over Almost, excuse me, 25% of countries around the world report that pushback on gender equality and repression on rights are one of the key constraints from their ability to actually implement that Beijing declaration and platform for action. But in this time of crisis and conflict, the world cannot let its foot off the the pedal. And we are seeing member states and partners of, I would say, unsuspecting areas actually come forward with stronger voices of support and calling for gender equality and women's rights to be advanced now more than ever. Thank you, Efraim. Speaker 7 [14:51]: Thank you so much, Ms. Hendricks. Efrem Kosaifi from Arab News Daily. You mentioned, and you put it, you said that there is no perfect country when it comes to women rights and women equality. But could you be maybe specific and give us the top three countries where these rights are being most violated so that we can focus on them, for example, as cases and examples, please. Thank you so much, Efrem. UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [15:24]: So in the Secretary General's report, it doesn't focus on a comparative analysis of countries. However, allow me to say that what the report does show is that in the context of conflict and in the context of crises, it's in those contexts where now 676 million women and girls live within a 50 kilometer proximity to that conflict, where, where justice is particularly constrained and denied for women and girls. And so this includes the countries such as Sudan, it includes Haiti, it includes Afghanistan, it includes of course, Rasa, and Palestine, it includes now increasingly in Iran and across the Middle East. We do know that gender equality is not a distraction from, from peace and security, it is indeed a precondition for it. And so within those contexts, if we want to prevent further instability, if we want to build lasting peace, Ephraim, we cannot afford to sideline half the world's population. And we need to place women, peace and security at the center of the solutions. Arab News Daily · Efrem Kosaifi [16:35]: Thank you so much. One more quick one. Also specifically on Palestine and Sudan, these are women who have undergone a very extreme experience, which is genocide. When you say justice needs to make its way to the everyday woman, how does justice look to you when it comes to women who have been, who have undergone genocide and Palestine and Sudan for the past two, three years? UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [17:03]: That justice is very complex, Efraim, and it involves reparations, it involves those who are accountable to be held to account. It also involves investigations so that the experiences of violence and injustice that you have just described come to light. This too is an imperative part of how justice in the context of conflict and crisis is meted out. But here, this is where the criticality of international human rights and international humanitarian law must and should play its part. Thank you. Media Network · Namo [17:44]: Namo Namo Abdullah Media Network I have two questions. One on access to justice for Yazidi women survivors in Iraq, thousands of women survivors of the Islamic State atrocities. What barriers are they facing as they seek accountability, reparations and psychological support from both national justice mechanisms and the international ones. That's the first question. UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [18:16]: Can you repeat that question? I'm sorry? What barriers are Yazidi women survivors facing? Does the report talk about that at all? Thank you. And your second question. Speaker 13 [18:24]: And my second question, you mentioned democratic backsliding and regression in women's rights. My Question is, what metrics are you using to measure this and compared to what baseline exactly, is there a measurable rise, for example, in incidents that would confirm this trend? Thank you. UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [18:45]: Great. Thank you so much, Namo. Yes, thank you so much, Namo, for your important question. I'll start with the latter first in terms of how the measurement to backsliding on women's rights and shifts in terms of the pushback on gender equality. Some of this is manifested in very clear and concrete ways and is part of how UN women tracks this. And that is actually on the regression of and changes in laws. And that's what this year CSW is all about. When there is laws that are in place to protect women to ensure their access to economic opportunity are actually repealed, that is a key signal that there is regression. It's one of the most important signals, but it doesn't stop there. We also see it in terms of the constraints in civic space, the space in which women hold to have their voices heard within societies. And that too can be measured, as well as the sheer financing and funding that goes to women's organizations as well as to the gender machineries or the machineries, meaning the ministries of women and girls or of gender equality and social services, on whether or not those are funded or not, prioritized or not. In terms of your question on Yazidi women survivors in Iraq and the barriers they are facing, this again, as I mentioned, the report doesn't focus on any specific group of either people or specific countries. That notwithstanding the seeking for accountability and the seeking for reparations, is highlighted throughout the report as a critical parse. Excuse me, a critical process of transitional justice. Thank you. Speaker 15 [20:43]: Thank you, Stefano. La Voce in New York; Ital Press · Stefano Vaccara [20:46]: Thank you for this report. Stefano Vaccara, La Voce in New York and Ital Press. I wonder if in your report you have you mentioned or you have anything on the Epstein files and how the justice in this country. I'm not talking only about the last year, the Justice Department of the last year. I'm talking about the Justice Department of this country for about maybe 30 years. How I handled the accusation and then what? It's been proven that hundreds of women, many underaged, have been trafficked here and thought there were women that were going to the FBI and so on. Everything was covered up until today that we know that there are still documents. So do you have anything on the performance of the US Justice Department in the last 30 years on protecting women from abuse? UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [21:50]: Excellent question in terms of, and I'm sorry I keep repeating myself, the report does not focus Again, on any specific country or context. But allow me to say that what it does do is focus on the breakdown of law and the spread of impunity and how when impunity is allowed and when legal justice systems are not supported to protect women and girls who are victims of violence, that this affects and hits women and girls first and hardest. And when those justice system fails, it is a precursor for violence rising. When justice systems fail, survivors actually become more silenced. When justice systems fails, perpetrators of abuse actually act without consequence and inequality and fear is deepened across society. And we do see that when justice systems fail, that whole rule of law actually gets eroded and gets eroded for everyone. As I said before, those justice systems themselves, their legitimacy gets called into question. And so this is why it's so critical that we have justice systems that are strengthened, that are oriented to the needs, the priorities, the rights of women and girls, especially those who have been trafficked or who are survivors of violence. La Voce in New York; Ital Press · Stefano Vaccara [23:19]: Just a quick follow up. Do you have, in your personal, I mean, I don't know, has, you know, personal opinion. Would you give, do you have any advice now for the attorney general and the Justice Department of this country of us, on how to, you know, how to protect now women? UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [23:46]: Thank you, Stefano. I think, number one, I'm not an attorney general, though my background is in international human rights and women's rights law. I think the recommendation would be that women and girls are listened to, that they are believed, that violence against women and girls is recognized as a human rights violation and that it is framed in such a way that it's never accepted and never ignored every case. And allow me to underscore that, Stefano, every case must be investigated, every perpetrator held accountable, and just deliver justice delivered for women and girls everywhere. And I want to underscore everywhere, worldwide, in every single country. La Voce in New York; Ital Press · Stefano Vaccara [24:35]: Thank you. Dulce. Dulce [24:37]: Just in light of that and in the context of this report, do you think the American justice system has failed women in this country? Thanks, UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [24:57]: Dulce. Thank you for your question. I think my perspective on whether or not women and girls here have been failed or not is less important than looking at the status of women and girls. Are women and girls seeking justice openly? And is that justice actually being provided? And we can collectively see that not only when we turn on the news channels every night, but also when we listen to women's rights organizations, they will tell the story of how far justice is actually being provided here and across the world. Innovation News Service · Arul Arun Lewis [25:34]: Arul Arun Lewis from Innovation News Service, you mentioned problems with women's access to financial Services. Would you have any observations about the Indian government program for banking for women under which over 290 million women have been allowed to open bank accounts under special conditions, such as not requiring minimum balances and for direct deposit of benefits to them directly? And also, do you think it could be a model for other countries? UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [26:08]: That's a very specific question. Thank you for your question. You are calling into mind a background specifically on digital financial inclusion for women. So let me to just speak to you directly on that. Digital financial inclusion is an absolutely imperative and transformative pathway for women and girls. The Indian government's example of enabling digital identification for its entire population of women and girls, notably which constitutes one fifth of the entire population of women and girls in the world, is indeed a model. And the lowering of requirements for women and girls across India to have a digital bank account also is a model. But let me bring that back to the focus of this year's report for the Commission on the Status of Women. This is a model because it shows the transformative power and potential of legislative change for women and girls. And when laws support women and girls to thrive, I. E. Open a bank account, have their own business, this is when lives actually change. Right now, there is no country in the world where women and girls are perfectly equal before the law. And so that too is indeed the message of today. Yes, in the back. APTN; Homeland News (Yemen) · Zina [27:33]: Hello, my name is Zina. I'm working for APTN and Homeland News for Yemen. My question is you, as leaders and representative of the UN and human rights activists, what is your role to push and make this system failure work and push leaders to believe in human rights and work to make it true and make it a reality, besides of providing us reports and shedding lights about what discriminations they are, because we know education, health, everything, payment, everything. What is your role and how you can act? UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [28:15]: Lovely question, Zena. Thank you. Indeed, the UN system and certainly UN women hold a, I think, a deep and wide mandate of supporting the world's women and girls with practical solutions. And that includes not just reports, but operational work on the ground, to work with governments to advance policy change, to directly deliver services that are much needed for women and girls, particularly in conflict and crisis, to activate and enable the entire UN system to do more and better for women and girls, whether that's delivering food in a crisis or. Or whether that's advancing new policy on economic justice and equality. All of these things. We call this a triple mandate for UN women. We work on policies, we work also across the UN system and we work operationally and practically on the ground to change lives. Thank you for your question. Thank you. Jazeera Arabic · Bisana Baquake [29:26]: Bisana Baquake with Jazeera Arabic. I mean, just in light of everything that you've said, like, just like an overall picture, given several active conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, Haiti, which puts more pressure on women being like more vulnerable in these conflicts than what you have said, and then eroding norms in democracies where women also become very vulnerable in the justice system. I mean, are you projecting that actually some of the gains that women's rights and women have made will actually regress and go back now, given the state of the world in general right now? UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [30:12]: Yes, I'm sorry. And essentially, I think we are at an inflection point in the world and it's a critical inflection point. We are now seeing the increased escalation of that backsliding on gender equality and women's rights, including in law, significantly increased. We are seeing the pushback on gender equality and how that's manifested in many different ways become better funded and much more organized. And so there is indeed a lot at stake. And that's why it is so imperative to ensure that gender equality, women's rights and women's empowerment remain at the center, at the center of solutions on peace and security, at the center of solutions on economic justice, at the center of solutions on development. As we have said before, when women lead, when they're empowered to lead, peace follows. When women lead, economies thrive. When women are supported and equipped to lead justice, institutions actually can be enabled to function effectively. But that requires investment and it requires intentionality. Thank you. Stephane [31:34]: We're going to do Sinan Iftikar and Abdel Hamid, then we'll close it off. Da Margi · Sinan [31:38]: Thank you, Stephane. And thank you, Ms. Hendricks. My name is Sinan from Da Margi. We have seen women in Syria being kidnapped and abused according to some credible reports. In your opinion, what is the Syrian Transitional Government doing to stop this? And has UN women engaged with them directly? And what response have you received from them? Thank you. UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [32:02]: Thank you so much for your question. Indeed, the situations that you've just described are deeply grievous and deeply concerning. And certainly as UN women, we join in, in recognizing the imperative, the imperativeness for all women and girls, including across Syria, and during this moment of transition, to be protected. On our behalf, we work directly to support women led organizations to be at the front lines and not only delivering services, but also enabling any women and girl who has experienced violence to both access protective measures, access services, and ultimately access justice. Thank you. Chair [32:52]: Iftikar then Abdul Hamid. We'll go online. Iftikar [32:56]: Thank you, Steph. Madam, I am quite familiar with the UN women initiatives to promote the rights of Afghan women, but there has been no change. Do you have any plans to do something more so that the rights of Afghan women are restored? UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [33:26]: And your question was, what more are we doing to ensure that the rights of women and girls are restored? Thank you so much for your question. And indeed, this is the entirety of the mission for UN women. We exist to do only that, to advance gender equality, to support the empowerment of women and girls, and to ensure that the rights of women and girls are protected, respected, upheld and delivered across the world. And this spans every aspect of UN Women's work across 80 countries. Our work to advance supporting women and girls no longer to be victims of violence. Our work to ensure that women are leaders in their country and decision makers. Our work to support women as productive actors and economically engaged in their economies. And our work, indeed in the thrust of women, peace and security and humanitarian action to ensure that crisis affected women and girls are supported and protected and become resilient. Thank you. Speaker 35 [34:37]: Thank you, Abdel Hamid. And then we'll close it out. Thank you. Al Quds Al Arabi · Abdel Hamid Sayyan [34:42]: This is Abdel Hamid Sayyan from the Arabic daily Al Quds Al Arabi. My question is about women in Gaza. Don't you see that UN women had miserably failed women in Gaza? How many of you and women visited Gaza? How many of you had met women, women who were bereaved in Gaza? Did you hear of Allah Najjar who lost her nine children? Did you talk to the family of Hindrazeb which her story now worldwide known worldwide? How many of you had really connected with the women in Gaza? Don't you see that justice had failed miserably in Gaza? Thank you. UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [35:27]: Thank you indeed. Your question goes to the heart of the purpose and the mission of UN women. And we have been honored to be on the ground in Raza and across Palestine for many decades now. And the women and girls in Gaza are living one of the most devastating humanitarian tragedies and realities in the world. Where survival itself, as you've just described it is, has become a daily struggle we see and have been working deeply for across these decades with women led and women's rights organizations to support women across Gaza in terms of displacement, to address the trauma, loss and insecurity that is shaping every aspect of their lives. But their needs do go beyond survival. They are demanding, as you've just described, dignity, justice, livelihoods and a role in rebuilding their future. And that too is part of the work that UN women has been honored to work with those women led organizations throughout RAZA to do. The resilience and the leadership of raza's women must be matched also by the sustained humanitarian access, protection and investment protection from across the international community. Thank you. Speaker 38 [36:54]: I lied. We're going to squeeze in one last question and then we will let you go, Sarah, but there's a lot of interest. France 24 · Sarah Jessica [36:59]: Thank you. Hi, Sarah Jessica from France 24. I've seen that some women's groups have been releasing guidelines for people coming to attend the conference. CSW telling them about taking precautions as they enter the United States. Is the possibility that people could be surveilled or have their devices searched, their social media trawled, or you know, a look into previous participation in protest, that sort of thing. Is that something that you have been advising attendees on as to how to deal with that crossing over into the United States? And have some people been denied entry? Thank you. UN Women · Sarah Hendricks [37:46]: Certainly I can't speak to individuals and their access to visas, but we do know that the Commission on the Status of Women is, I believe continues to be the second largest convening of the United nations outside the UN General Assembly. Quite literally thousands upon thousands of women from all corners of the earth come here every year in order to be part of this annual Moment of Governments gathering. We do see, as you have said, a concern of women's organizations that visa restrictions as well as broader perspectives of constraints may indeed constrain women's open participation. And so consequently, some events are seeking to be hybrid for women to access online and continue participation. And we are, I think, encouraged by the ways in which women's rights organizations always show up with very resilient attitudes and postures to ensure that the rights, the needs, the priorities of women and girls are heard in all spaces, including and across here at the csw. From our last count, we do expect that this CSW will continue to be a very well attended one. If I have a chance for a final point, Stephane, just as we close, allow me to just say that this year's csw, as I said, is indeed a decision point. In every country in the world, women and girls remain unequal before the law and that inequality shapes quite literally every aspect and dimension of their lives, from protection against rape to equal pay. It shapes the things across courts, across online spaces and conflict settings. And allow me just to say, we have the power, the world actually has the power to change course. But we need to act now and we need to act fast with this. Speaker 41 [39:58]: I thank you. Thank you very much, Sarah, and thank you. Thank all of you, and we'll see you tomorrow.