16th plenary meeting - Commission on the Status of Women, Seventieth session (CSW70) - General discussion (resumed)

Good morning, everyone. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. I Now resume the 16th meeting of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I invite the Commission to resume its consideration of agenda item 3 to continue its general discussion under the item. Before giving the floor to the first Speaker, I would like to remind delegations to kindly respect the agreed time limit of four minutes for individual delegations.

Statements by observers, UN entities and civil society are limited to three minutes. The microphone will be automatically muted when the allotted speaking time has elapsed. I thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I kindly request the statements be delivered at a normal speed to ensure proper interpretation. Longer versions of statements may be sent for posting in the Journal of the United nations to estatements@un.

And now I give the floor to the. To the distinguished representative of the United States of America. You have the floor, Madam.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The United States arrives at this 70th session with optimism that we can unite as Member States to constructively advance the Commission's core mission to implement the principle that men and women shall have equal rights under law.

As established in the first report of this commission in 1947 under the UN 80 reform agenda, the United States and other Member States have called for a return to the UN's primary mandates. This does not in any sense mean to turn back the clock, but that we must ground the work of this Commission and all UN bodies and in the core mandates that they were established to address, no more, no less. For the past two weeks, during ministerial meetings, side events, and in honest conversations, we have acknowledged the courage of women and girls worldwide and the work that remains to be done to ensure the tangible safety and legal protection of women and girls. Again, these efforts are at the core of CSW's stated mission. To truly advance this year's priority theme, access to justice, our approach must be grounded not in decisive ideologies, but in the rule of law.

The United States fiercely supports sovereignty not just for ourselves, but for all nations. We also support legal systems that provide equal protections for women, but we cannot endorse judicial mandates motivated by politics and untethered to reality. It is precisely because of our commitment to uphold the rights of women and girls that we cannot support anything beyond a laser focus on their safety, security and prosperity. We remain at this table not to expand the UN's reach, but to ensure that the agreed conclusions continue to advance the goals of this Commission's founding Charter while respecting national sovereignty. We are sovereign nations.

We respect the sovereign values of nations we represent. As such President Trump received a mandate from the American people to reject social policies that fail to protect women and girls. Our activities in this body will remain consistent with this mandate. The United States seeks a constructive dialogue. We seek positive and impactful collaboration, and we would like to hope that others do as well.

To this end, we have presented a resolution that can help us work together more constructively in support of women and girls, and we invite you all to join us. In closing, we would like to leave you with a reminder of the objective outlined in the UN Commission with the Status of Women's first session. A woman has a definite role to play in the building of a free, healthy, prosperous and moral society, and that she can fulfill that obligation only as a free and responsible member of society. Let's together rededicate ourselves to this goal. Thank you.

I would like to thank the distinguished delegate of the United States of America for her statement. And now I give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Cambodia. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Distinguished delegates, Cambodia is honored to participate in the 70th session of this Commission on the State of Women.

Convened at a time when the international human rights systems face mounting challenges, armed conflicts, geopolitical fragmentations and unilateral action continue to remain the multilateral to strained multilateralism. With women and girls disproportionately affected by the insecurity, discrimination and limited access to justice. For Cambodia, these realities resonate deeply. Our history has shown that peace is the foundation of human rights and sustainable development. Women are not only only beneficiary of peace, but also central to rebuilding society, strengthening communities and advancing national resilience.

This year, Cambodia marks International Women's Day number under the theme Peace and Security for women and Families. Underscoring the peace begins within households and and communities. Women remain the heart of Cambodia progress with 78.9% female labor force participation among the highest in the region. Women are key drivers of economic and social development. They represent 42% of civil servants and 28% of leadership positions, reflecting continued progress toward inclusive governance in Cambodia.

Since 2006, Cambodia has deployed over 10,000 peacekeepers to United nations missions, including nearly 1,000 women. Cambodia remained the strong advocates of the Women for Peace and Security agenda and continue to support the implementation of including within ASEAN frameworks. Cambodia is committed to ensuring that all women and girls have access to timely, affordable and survivors centers of justice. Through successive national action plan to prevent violation against women, we have strengthened prevention, protection and and coordination. Our forthcoming.

Napvaw4 for 20252030 will further advance legal reform, digital safety and social norm transformations. While the intimate partners violence has deep declined, we remained determined to eliminate all form of violence against women. Efforts are ongoing to expand One Stop service units, strengthen legals and enhance safe access to support services. Madam Chair, looking ahead. Cambodia pentagonal strategy Phase 1 place Gender equality at the core of national development.

We are Mark Beijing, 30. Our near year six strategy will guide effort to ensure that every woman and girl lives free from violence, fear and discrimination and is empowered to shape her own futures. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Cambodia. And now I give the floor to the Asian Pacific Resource and Research center for Women. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Excellences and distinguished delegates. Minobrez Isaiah My name is I, Sierra Mala Garcia. I'm 15 years old and today I'm participating here as a youth champion. We are living in a moment where the rights of women are recognized in constitutions, treaties and international declarations.

Nevertheless, for millions of women and girls across the world, justice continues to be a right that is on paper, but they do not experience. According to the un, one of every three women experiences physical or sexual violence throughout her life. And over a billion women and girls live in countries where access to justice continues to be curtailed or insufficient. These numbers are not just statistics. They're lives and stories.

They are girls that continue to wait for justice. Today, I would like to say something loud and clear. Justice cannot be a privilege for the few. It must be a reality for all women and girls. And this is why I want to share with you a dream.

I have a dream that a girl, regardless of where she lives, can report violence without fear. I have a dream that justice systems are accessible, comprehensive and truly inclusive. I have a dream that no girl has to wait for years for her voice to be heard. But dreams don't just come true through rhetoric. They come true through concrete action.

That's why I would like to propose three simple but fundamental steps. First, strengthening real access to justice. Eliminating economic, social and cultural barriers that stop women and girls from upholding their rights. Number two, investing in education and prevention because equality and respect must be taught from childhood. And third, or number three, ensure the significant participation of youth.

New generations are not just those that will inherit the decisions. They must be a part of them. Excellencies. As young people, we don't just want to hear commitments. We don't just want more promises or declarations.

We want results. We want policies. We want justice systems that work. We want real change in the lives of women and girls. Because the true measure of our progress will not be whatever we write down, but what we transform and how we change our lived reality.

Today we have a historic opportunity to go from words to action. Because when justice reaches girls and women, it reaches all of humanity. Thank you very much. God bless you.

Oh, okay. I apologize. I say it again. I thank the representative of the Asian Pacific Resource and Research center for Women. And now I give the floor to the representative of Panje Oenginerie de Pays.

You have the floor, Madame la Presidente, Excellence, Mesdames, ladies and gentlemen, Chair. When we talk about violence against women, we think about visible violence. But there's also a silent kind of violence, structural violence that traps women in economic dependence and the lack of choice. One of the first forms of structural violence is often economic insecurity.

A woman that does not have economic autonomy will have issues to access justice or leave a violent situation. That is why mechanisms such as universal basic income should be seriously explored. They can offer each and every woman minimum economic security and a true freedom of choice. To understand why these choices are necessary, let's look at the history of our economic system. Since Bretton woods, the world economy has been organized around a system dominated by debt, men and speculation that has progressively installed economic dependence amongst nations.

But there is an alternative that was proposed to the American system. An international monetary system based on equality and a true access to resources to avoid permanent inequalities between creditor and debtor countries. Today, we live with the consequences of this choice. In parallel, the international order depends on the UN Charter. These institutions allow us to avoid international conflicts.

But there is a paradox. The institutions from Bretton woods, such as the World bank and the imf, are considered as part of the UN family. But their economic policies do not always align with the social and human objectives of the un. I remember a conversation with certain managers for emergency funds. I asked them about this and they said, we do not have access to international institutions.

There is no dialogue. Those that are in charge of humanitarian crises and those that are in charge of international financial system are working in silos. This is why we've developed the concept of peace engineering to prevent a crisis instead of trying to fix them afterwards. Because our economic systems produce precarity and and it is always women and children that pay the highest price. Today, international organizations are thinking about the future in the face of technological change.

Perhaps we should think about the very concept of work that is the legacy of the Industrial Revolution. This is becoming obsolete. We have to think about human relations and think about the real resources of the planet and dignity of every human being to wrap up. If we want to eliminate structural violence, we have to change change our structures. If we want to protect women, we must ensure their autonomy.

And we should explore mechanisms such as a UBI. A woman that has true economic security can leave a violent situation, access justice and avoid exploitation such as prostitution. If we want to prevent violence instead of fixing it, we should organize a world around the rhythm of children. And we should recognize that life is truly an inalienable right. We are working on an updated peace treatment charter based on non violence.

We are going to deeply review the UN Charter.

The microphone is cut off. I thank so three minutes are up. Sorry. I thank the delegate from the representative from the Panje Oenger Ingenierie de Paix.

And I give the floor to the representative of the People Centered Lighthouse. You have the floor, sir.

Distinguished Chair, Excellencies and esteemed delegates. People Centered Lighthouse is honored to address this assembly at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. As a U S. Based nonprofit organization headquartered in Dallas, Texas, we work with refugees and displaced communities through mentoring, coaching and educational support designed to empower women and young girls across the world.

Women and girls affected by displacement face multiple and intersecting challenges. These challenges include limited access to education, barriers to economic participation and social isolation. Yet within these same communities, we see extraordinary resilience, leadership and innovation. People Centered Lighthouse believes that sustainable development must begin with people centered solutions. Through our work with refugee communities in the diaspora and through partnerships with women's associations in Africa, we focus on three core pillars, education, mentorship and leadership development.

First, education remains the most powerful tool for empowerment. When women and girls gain access to knowledge, digital literacy and professional skills, they become agents of transformation within their families and communities. Second, mentorship builds confidence and strengthens leadership capacity. Through structured coaching and mentoring programs, we connect experienced professionals with women and young girls who aspire to advance in education, entrepreneurship and community leadership. Third, collaboration is essential.

Civil society organizations, governments and international institutions must work together to ensure that displaced women and girls are not left behind. Local partnerships allow communities to define their own development priorities while building sustainable solutions. At People Center Lighthouse, we believe that empowering women is not only a moral imperative, but also a strategic investment in peace, stability and prosperity. When women thrive, communities grow stronger, economies expand and societies become more resilient. As we look ahead, we encourage continued support for initiatives that promote educational access, economic empowerment and leadership opportunities for women and girls affected by displacement.

Together, through cooperation and shared responsibility, we can ensure that Every woman and girl has the opportunity to realize her full potential. Thank you very much.

I thank the representative of People Center Lighthouse. And now I give the floor to the representative of Uchan Superge Wakfi. You have the floor.

Thank you. Madam Chair, Distinguished Chair, Excellencies and colleagues, it is an honor to deliver this statement.

I speak as a member of the UN Women Europe and Central Asia Civil Society Steering Committee and as a trustee of the Flying Broom Foundation, Turkey. During the Beijing 30 regional review process, we engaged with over 400 civil society organizations. Commitments to gender equality remain strong on paper, but implementation is uneven in many countries. Monitoring mechanisms for the Beijing Declaration are absent or inaccessible. Civil society faces shrinking social space, limited funding and rising workloads leading to widespread burnout.

We need stronger global solidarity against anti democratic trends, exclusionary discourses, violence and wars. Access to justice cannot be separated from social justice. Poverty is deepening globally, disproportionately affecting women and children. We urgently need disaggregated data by gender, age and citizenship status on both poverty and access to justice. We need to discuss global taxing of the 0.1% rich owning more than 50% of the total wealth.

As global insecurity rises, resources are increasingly diverted to militarization while funding for social services and gender equality and human rights declines. This contradiction is unsustainable. Discussions on restructuring UN entities, including UN women and UN FPA by must be approached with caution. Assessment shows that their mandates are complementary. UN women plays a vital role in gender mainstreaming and in connecting UN system multilateral global diplomacy with global women's movements.

UNFPA's field based work in sexual and reproductive health is indispensable. Both institutions must be strengthened, not weakened. Finally, older women are systematically invisible in data and policy framework. As populations age, they face increased risks of rights violations, exclusion and poverty due to normative gap. A new international instrument on the rights of older persons grounded in a gender perspective is urgently needed against patriarchal backlash.

The United nations and the women's movements must move forward together. Thank you.

I thank the representative from Uchen Turge Vakfi. And now I give the floor to the representative of Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund. You have the floor. Good morning. On behalf of the Women First International Fund, formerly the Virginia Guilders Leave International Fund, I'm honored to speak at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Since 1969, Women first has invested over US$7.6 million into grassroots women led organizations reaching 1.2 million marginalized women and girls. While advancing economic empowerment and addressing persistent gender inequalities, the reality remains stark. Women make up nearly 60% of those living in poverty, yet own less than 20% of land, limiting their ability to claim rights or access justice. Widows, formerly incarcerated women, Dalit women and refugees are most acutely affected. Evidence from our grantee partners shows that when women control income and assets, they gain the autonomy to assert their rights.

Economic empowerment is therefore both a protective and factor and a pathway to justice. Millions of women in informal or precarious jobs exposed to exploitation and harassment. While the ILO's Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment provides a vital framework, only 50 countries have ratified it. Its principles must guide national laws and workplace policies to protect all workers in both formal and informal sectors. Economic empowerment is a form of justice in itself.

Access to property credit, fair wages and secure land allows women to act from dignity and strength rather than desperation. Programs linking legal aid with livelihood support demonstrate real impact. Women survivors of violence who receive small business training and micro grants are significantly more likely to seek legal recourse. And widows supported by cooperatives are able to reclaim land and build long term stability to advance gender equality. We urge member States and development partners to recognize economic empowerment as integral to access to justice, addressing the economic barriers that prevent women from enforcing their rights.

Reform discriminatory inheritance and property laws and ensure protections are enforced at all levels, including under customary systems. Integrate economic programs into justice interventions combining legal aid and gender based violence services with livelihood support and financial literacy. Ratify and fully implement ilo Convention number 190 to ensure all women can work in safe conditions free from violence. Expand social protection and digital inclusion for widows and marginalized women to prevent exploitation. Invest in grassroots women led organizations through sustained and flexible funding.

Collect gender disaggregated data to strengthen evidence of how economic independence affects access to justice. In conclusion, without financial independence, legal protections remain inaccessible. We call on the international community to affirm women's economic and labor rights as essential to achieving justice and gender equality for all women.

I thank the representative of Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund. And now I give the floor to the representative of Turkey. Yesilay Chemietti. Have the floor, Madam Chair.

Yes, Madam Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates of the member countries and civil society, thanks for the opportunity to deliver this statement on behalf of the International Federation of the Green Crescent and its member organizations.

The International Federation of the Green Crescent consists of member organizations from 70 countries. Our members work together to prevent addictions, support treatment and strengthen recovery systems. They do this through Cooperation, training and sharing knowledge. Addiction is not only a health issue, it is also a social issue that affects families, communities and access to justice. For many women and girls, addiction is closely linked to inequality.

Women who experience poverty, violence, displacement or social exclusion often face a high risk of addiction and related harm. At the same time, stigma and discrimination make it harder for them to seek help. These barriers also affect access to justice. Women who struggle with addiction may face judgment, punishment or exclusion instead of support. As a result, they may be less able to reach legal protection, health services and social assistance.

Experiences shared across our federation show that responses must take gender differences into account. Policies and services that ignore these differences often fail to reach women who need support the most. Across our network, members are working to address these challenges. Initiatives in countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia support prevention and recovery with a focus on vulnerable communities. In Turkey, these efforts are supported by 105 counseling centers known as Yedam Counseling Services under the Turkish Green Christian Society.

These centers provide accessible counseling and referral services with confidentiality and for fall free. Women's working groups within the organization also help strengthen support systems for women in need. Justice systems also have an important role to play. When responses focus only on punishment, they overlook the complex social and health factors behind addictions. Such approaches can unintentionally deepen inequalities for women and girls.

Instead of that, justice policies should work together with health and social services as a public health approach that includes prevention, treatment and recovery can help ensure that women receive support rather than stigma. Finally, women's leadership is essential. Women, including those with lived experiences, shows that should be part of decision making, policy design and community leadership. The goals of the Commission on the Status of Women cannot be achieved without addressing the broader social and health challenges that affect women's lives. Addiction must therefore be recognized.

As part of these discussions, thanks for this opportunity. We encourage the UN Member States and civil Society.

I thank the representative of Turkey.

And now I give the floor to the representative of Sahar Social Welfare Association. You have the floor.

Distinguished Chair, Excellencies and colleagues. I speak today with the voices of millions of women in Global south whose experience of injustice remain unseen and heard. In a world where the promise of justice for women and girls remains deeply uneven, Legal frameworks exist, policies are drafted, commitments are made in rooms like this one.

And yet, for millions of women and girls, justice is not absent. It is structurally kept out of reach. Let us be honest. Justice systems were not designed with all women in mind. Women facing poverty, displacement and climate devastation, including communities I Closely work with are navigating systems that exclude them through through cost, distance, discrimination and silence.

For them, justice is not granted, it is negotiated and too often it is denied. We must be clear. Access to justice is not only a legal issue, it is a question of power and who systems are built to serve. We talk about women access to justice, but we rarely ask what does injustice cost her? It is the women who walks miles to report violence, only to be turned away and humiliated.

It is a girl who knows her rights but cannot access them. It is a survivor who speaks and is not believed. It costs her safety, her economic independence, her dignity and sometimes her life. Globally, less than 40% of women who experience violence ever seek help and even fewer access formal justice systems. And when justice fails one woman, it sends warning to every woman watching.

Stay silent. It is safer. This is not justice, this is control. We therefore call for three priorities. First, ensure justice systems are accessible, affordable and enforceable.

Second, invest in community based survivor centered justice mechanisms that reach women where formal systems do not. Finally, ensure women from Global south are not counted last, but included from the start in shaping justice system. Nothing about us, without us is justice Excellencies. We do not need more commitments, we need accountability. Because justice delayed is justice denied.

Justice denied is inequalities sustained. And justice designed without women is not justice at all. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Sahar Social Welfare Association. And now I give the floor. Apologies to the representative of Son Maz Machal Cultural Relations Public Union. You have the floor,

Honorable Chair. Distinguished delegates across the world, young people, particularly girls and young women, face three major barriers to accessing justice.

Legal literacy, fear of stigma or retaliation, including online harassment, and limited youth friendly confidential pathways to report violence or discrimination. These challenges are sharper for minors and teenagers, especially vulnerable girls who might find themselves in unprotected situations. Real language, reporting, culture and social norms can further silence them. Through projects such as Women Create Women, Literature and Society in Azerbaijan, we strengthen confidence, amplify youth voices, provide accessible informational rights, and use translation and public exhibitions to reduce stereotypes and normalize help seeking so young women can move from silence to informed action and participation. Our organization addresses this by creating safe, culturally grounded space where brave women can speak out and exchange views through literature, art and dialogue with vulnerable youth, and then linking these activities to rights awareness and practical referral routes.

My central recommendation is that youth centered access to justice strategies must move beyond formal legal systems and start where young women actually feel safe to speak in schools, cultural spaces, online platforms and community settings on behalf of Summa's Martial Cultural Relations Public Union. I would urge United nations bodies, governments and partners to integrate cultural expression, creative education and legal literacy into youth justice frameworks and to support civil society organizations that bridge culture and law. When women are empowered to express their experiences through language, art and storytelling, and when those voices are met with protection, referral and institutional response, access to justice becomes real, inclusive, sustainable rather than symbolic. Justice without voice is incomplete. Participation without safety is impossible.

Equality without cultural recognition is unsustainable. Let us ensure that every girl and young woman, regardless of geography or background, has access not only to laws that protect her, but also to spaces that recognize her voice, platforms that amplify it, and systems that respond to it. Thank you very much for your attention.

I thank the representative of Sonma's Mashall Cultural Relations Public Union. And now I give the floor to the representative of the United nations association of the United States States of America. You have the floor.

Yes, I can see your mic. You can speak.

Okay. So it's. I think it's the seat with ngo 4. So ngo 1 has to turn off the. Yeah.

So it's united nations association of the united states of america, right?

Correct.

Go ahead.

Delegates. The United nations association of the USA addresses the Commissioner on a structural barrier absent from the traditional access to justice frameworks, yet fundamental to the efficacy in 2026 technology facilitated gender based violence as systemic justice denial. While cedaw General Recommendation 35 recognizes technology facilitated violence in 2017, the General Recommendation 38 addressed trafficking in 2020. Neither anticipated the convergence now undermining access to justice globally. The evidence is stark.

Women are currently trafficking to scam compounds forced into cyber criminality under torture. UN Special Repertoires declared this a humanitarian crisis in May of 2025. This creates a justice paradox. Trafficking survivors face prosecution for forced cyber crimes. The August 2024 UN Cyber Crime Convention lacks gender analysis despite technology facilitated gender based violence proliferation.

SDG 16 measures access to justice without digital indicators. HRC Resolution 4716 on Digital Rights requires gender specific strengthening. This Commission must ensure agreed conclusions. First, Member States commit to comprehensive legal audits identifying digital justice gaps by csw. Second, CEDAW Committee prioritizes a General Recommendation on technology facilitated violence and access to justice by 2027 integrating trafficking, forced cyber criminology and sex torsion and platform accountability.

Third, cryptocurrency regulation requiring human rights due diligence with asset recovery mechanisms. Fourth, binding platform standards ending immunity for recruitment facilitation mandating a 48 hour content removal for trafficking reports requiring Gender disaggregated Transparency reporting and fifth, the Palermo Protocol Supplementary Guidance addressing online recruitment, sex torture, cryptocurrency enabled exploitations and forced criminality in digital spaces. CSW 70 must be the inflection point where access to justice explicitly encompasses digital harm insurance. No woman is denied justice because violations occur in technological spaces. Our laws have not yet to govern.

I thank you.

I thank the representative of the United nations association of the United States of America. And now I give the floor to the Representative of Women in Global Health. You have the floor,

Honorable Chair, Distinguished Delegates and colleagues. Women in Global Health, a woman led global movement with chapters in 60 countries, advances gender equity and women's leadership in health systems worldwide. As the Commission considers access to justice for women and girls, we underscore a central health systems advance distributive justice.

Access to justice cannot be realized if women are unable to access quality, affordable and respectful health care or if health systems reproduce inequality and exclusion. Despite progress under the Beijing Platform for Action in cedaw, structural barriers continue to deny women and girls their human rights. When women face violence, discrimination, financial barriers, unpaid or underpaid care responsibilities and exclusion from decision making in health systems, their access to justice is fundamentally compromised. Legal rights are insufficient without systems that enable women to claim them. Across the life course, women continue to experience significant gaps in access to essential health services services including sexual and reproductive health.

These injustices are compounded by under resourced health systems, weak accountability for gender based violence and persistent gender bias. Economic dependency, limited access to services and systemic inequalities continue to hinder women's ability to seek and sustain justice claims. At the same time, women who make up the majority of the global health and care workforce remain underrepresented in leadership and decision making. This exclusion limits the ability of health systems to respond to women's lived realities and undermines the delivery of equitable care. We therefore call on Member States to move beyond commitments to enforceable protections and systemic reform.

This includes gender responsive health financing that prioritizes equity and access safe, accessible and survivor centered reporting and redress mechanisms strong accountability for discrimination, violence and non implementation of gender equality commitments and women's full, equal and meaningful participation in health governance. Strengthening access to justice requires confronting the structural drivers of inequality, discriminatory norms and economic barriers. There can be no gender equality, no universal health coverage and no sustainable development without justice for women's health. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Women in Global Health and now I give the floor to the representative of Women's Rights and Health Project. You have the floor,

Honorable Chair, distinguished delegates and colleagues. For millions of women and girls around the world, access to justice remains a promise that's yet to become a reality. My name is Bossi, Executive Director of Women's Rights and Health Project RAP Nigeria, a civil society organization that is committed to advancing the health, rights and dignity of women and girls. I thank you for this opportunity to contribute to this important discussion. As the Commission reflects on the theme of ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, access to justice remains a fundamental pillar of gender equality.

However, for many women and girls, particularly in developing countries, justice continues to be difficult to assess in practice. In Nigeria and many parts of the global south, survivors of gender based violence often encounter numerous barriers when attempting to seek justice. This includes social stigma, lack of access to lack of awareness of legal rights, weak enforcement of existing law, limited access to legal support and justice system that are not always responsive to the needs of survival.

As a result of this, many women, many survivors are often left without adequate protection or redress. I would like to make three key points. Firstly, while many countries have adopted laws and policies to address violence against women and girls, the gap between legislation and implementation remains significant. Effective access to justice require not only the existence of law, but also strong institutions, well trained law enforcement officials, accessible legal services and survival centered justice process. Secondly, civil society organization play a critical role in bridging the gap between survivors and justice system.

Organizations such as RAP work directly with communities to raise awareness of women's rights, provide legal and psychosocial support to survivors and advocate for stronger accountability mechanisms within institutions responsible for enforcing the law. Through community engagement and policy, advocates, civil society organization contribute to strengthening justice system and ensuring that the voices and experience of women and girls inform policies and and legal reforms. Thirdly, achieving meaningful access to justice requires sustained collaboration between government, justice institutions, civil society communities and the private sector. It is also required.

I thank the representative of women's rights and health projects. Sorry, the three minutes were out. I thank the representative of Women's Rights and Health Project. And now I give the floor to the representative of Oxfam International. You have the floor.

Thank you. Honorable Chair, distinguished colleagues, My name is Dana Abed and I'm speaking on behalf of Oxfam International. We must be clear. Access to justice begins with bodily autonomy. Justice means that everyone can exercise their rights to have full control over their own bodies, seek remedies when those rights are violated and obtain reparations.

But today, this promise of justice is not kept not only through access, but often by design across the World laws continue to deny people control over their own body. More than 90 countries still impose explicit legal restrictions on bodily autonomy, including the criminalization of abortion, barriers to contraception, child marriage exceptions, the failure to criminalize marital rape, and laws that criminalize people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics. Violations of bodily autonomy are not isolated incidents. They reflect a deeper and systemic failure of the social contract. In our report Personal to Powerful, Oxfam documents how justice systems repeatedly fail US States must ensure that women, girls and people of diverse zozias have full bodily autonomy over their lives and bodies.

This requires all people, including in emergency settings, have universal, free and high quality access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, a full range of contraceptive methods, a safe abortion and post abortion care, and gender affirming health care. These services must be available without parental or spousal consent requirements and must be delivered without judgment or discrimination. All laws, policies and practices that criminalize consensual sex between adults must be repealed. National legal frameworks must explicitly protect the rights, dignity and safety of people of diverse sociasque and finally, universal human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. References to tradition, culture or the protection of the family must not be used to justify human rights violation and discrimination.

Chair, I reiterate there can be no justice without bodily autonomy for all. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Oxfam International. And now I give the floor to the representative of Rutgers.

Thank you. Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I'm honored to speak on behalf of Rutgers, a Dutch organization working for the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Access to women and justice and access to justice for women and girls cannot exist without the full realization of srhr. Where these rights are restricted or violated, justice remains out of reach. We therefore emphasize four critical priorities.

First, restrictive frameworks and discriminatory legal barriers undermine access to essential services such as contraception, safe abortion care and comprehensive sexuality education which disproportionately affects those who are structurally excluded, such as adolescents and LGBTIQ persons. Such frameworks must be eliminated and replaced with gender transformative laws, policies and practices and should include the decriminalization of abortion and the protection of sexual and reproductive health services and frontline providers. These are essential to dismantle the structural barriers and stigma that continue to limit women and girls autonomy. Second, ensuring justice for survivors of sexual and gender based violence is fundamental. Where nearly one in three women globally has experienced physical or sexual violence, most often by an intimate partner, more than a billion women are still not legally protected against intimate partner violence survivors face stigma, barriers to reporting, and widespread impunity for perpetrators.

Comprehensive legal protections and accountability, survivor centered justice systems and the elimination of harmful gender norms are essential to prevent SGPV and ensure that survivors can seek and obtain justice. Third, addressing multiple and intersection forms of discrimination is key to ensuring that progress reaches everyone, women and girls facing MIFD expectations, intersectional barriers to both health services and justice systems, inclusive policies and targeted measures are urgently needed to ensure we leave no one behind and reach those furthest behind. Finally, we urge ensuring access to recourse and accountability for violations of srhr, which may include denial of contraception, safe abortion care, or discrimination in healthcare settings. States have a clear obligation to respect, protect and fulfill these human rights and to promote inclusive and equitable legal systems. Strengthening accountability mechanisms and engaging in international and regional human rights processes remains essential to ensure governments meet their commitments.

Thank you.

I thank the representative of Rutgers for the statement. And now I give the floor to the representative of International Federation for Family Development. You have the floor.

Thank you. Chair, Excellencies, distinguished Delegates Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration, we gather once again to ask a question that remains urgent.

Why does gender inequality persist even when our legal frameworks and political commitments are clearer than ever? At International Federation for Family development, present in 68 countries, we believe part of the answer lies not only in markets, institutions, or laws, but in the organization of care and in the spaces where gender roles are first learned, negotiated and reproduced. That space is not abstract. It's everyday life, it's household, it's family. Let us be very clear from the outset.

When we speak about families, we are not speaking about idealized models, nor about restricting women's autonomy. We are speaking about real women's lives, real constraints and real inequalities, many of which are produced or intensified by how care is organized, valued and distributed across all regions, women continue to carry a disproportionate share of unpaired care and domestic work. Globally, women perform more than three times as much unpaid care as men. Work that sustains economies, enable labor markets and hold societies together, yet remains largely invisible in policy and in economic planning. This is not a marginal issue.

It is a structural barrier to gender inequality. Unpaid care work limits women access to paid employment, decent work conditions, leadership, political participation, and economic independence. It contributes directly to the feminization of poverty, particularly among single mothers, migrant women, informal workers, and women in low income households. This is where a family perspective, understood correctly, becomes essential. Because care is not performed in isolation, it is negotiated within households shaped by labor markets public services and cultural expectations, and often constrained by a lack of real choice.

For too many women, choice means choosing between economic security and caregiving responsibilities, between professional aspirations and the well being of their children, parents or relatives with disabilities. That is not empowerment. That is a constraints decision shaped by inequality. A feminist approach to care must therefore ask not only who provides care, but also under what conditions, with what support, and at what cost. IFFD proposed a balanced approach to care, one that addresses both sides of the equation.

Those who provide care and those who receive it. Care providers still overwhelming women need policies that span their real options. This includes affordable and high quality childcare, gender equitable parental leave, flexible and secure work arrangements, and social protection systems that recognize care given as a social contribution, not a private burden. If we are serious about accelerating gender equality, we must.

I thank the distinguished the representative of the International Federation for Family Development. Before I give the floor to the next speaker, I have an announcement. If There are any NGOs scheduled to speak on the list currently in the gallery, please approach our colleague from the Secretariat. She's down there to give you the floor and to get the seat. Okay.

And now I give the floor to the representative of Children and Youth International.

You have the floor, distinguished chair, Excellencies and fellow advocates. My name is Ellen Creeda Dell and I represent Children and Youth International as well as the Gender Youth Caucus of the major group for children and youth here at the United Nations. I traveled thousands of miles to be in these halls today, not only to celebrate the progress for young girls and women around the world, but to also advocate for what's for best, pending and urgent to accomplish. Because the decisions made in this room today will shape the future.

I and my fellow youth will live in the longest. We are not just the leaders of tomorrow. We are the experts, the innovators and the heartbeat of multilateralism. Today, when we talk about the future of the United nations, we are talking about our lives. When we talk about funding, we are talking about our safety.

We are the ones who will inherit the consequences of every word. For written into these resolutions. As young girls and women, we have heard it all. When we migrate, we are told we don't belong here. When we pursue STEM in higher education, we are told it is for men.

When we raise our voices, we are called too emotional. When we stand our ground, we are called difficult. And when we lead, we are called too ambitious. Yet history has proved otherwise that when we lead, institutions become more resilient. And that when we sit at the peace table, agreements last longer.

The this year, our Caucus facilitated a global consultation reflecting our urgent powerful voices, aggregating the recommendations of more than 23,000 adolescents and young representatives across 75 countries. Our recommendations are a blueprint for more than just a just world. We call for intersectional feminist legal reforms that recognize the right to development and ensure that access to justice is guaranteed in every corner of the globe. As we move toward the UN80 process, we have three empowering calls for this body. 1.

Let's protect our foundational commitments. We strongly caution against reopening core gender and human rights mandates as part of the Mandate Implementation Review, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the World Program Action and the Doha Political Declaration. Accelerating social inclusion and poverty eradication for youth and young girls, among others, are our shared promises to the world's children and should be continuous, not time bound. We ask the heads of UN agencies, how will you stand with us to ensure that these mandates are never diluted but always protected and upheld? 2.

Let's strengthen the architecture of equality. Any restructuring exercise must be done on the fundamental basis of what functions should be enhanced and retained, ensuring that the vital work of UN women in norm setting for gender equality and UNFPA in leading SRHR is never eroded. These institutions must remain protected from depolitization and technocratic erosion. And lastly, 3. Let's move from consultation to true partnership.

Meaningful engagement means we as youth in civil society are in the rooms where the decisions are made. It means we have continued access to self organizing. The.

I thank the representative of Children and Youth International and since no one approached us, we have just heard the last speaker in the general discussion. The Commission has thus concluded its general discussion Under Agenda Item 3. The Commission will reconvene tomorrow at 10:00am in this conference room to conclude its work for the 70th session. The meeting is adjourned.