Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls
The annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the biggest women’s conference in the world. In March, thousands of women come to New York City to talk about gender equity, empowerment projects, education, healthcare, climate change, and all manner of topics around the needs and the strengths of women and girls. There are also demonstrations and wonderful opportunities for networking and advocacy.
Three ICUUW members first attended sessions in 2018, just there to learn. In 2025, there were 23 of us, organizing, teaching each other, and even offering questions or statements ( called “interventions”) in sessions. We are already well into the planning of the next CSW70 meeting, March 9-20, 2026. Even if you can’t come to New York, you can follow online a rich variety of sessions on UN Web TV and the NGO CSW Forum.
Our UN Advocacy committee meets monthly – the first Friday of the month -- and visitors are invited to join our interesting conversations. Send me an email and I will send you an invitation to our next monthly meeting.
We are planning at least one virtual workshop and hope for collaboration with other groups like the US Women’s Caucus for in-person workshops. This year's CSW70 theme is Justice.
Ahead of CSW we hope to offer two Zoom webinars in January to provide background for people new to the UN and CSW work. (More Information on the webinars will be emailed later.) During CSW, there will be hundreds of workshops, both inside the UN headquarters (Side Events) and in other venues near the UN (Parallel Events). Schedules are published in January and February, and our group will gather online before CSW to help each other focus on what we want to do. For those of us who come in-person, we will meet around lunch time most days to process what we are doing and to give each other suggestions on up-coming activities.
Planning to come to New York in March 2026? Registration for attending CSW in person is open now through January 23 to attend sessions on the UN campus. This registration is free, and ICUUW has 20 slots for delegates. We can offer advice on food, transportation, and hotels/hostels in New York. Please begin to plan now. Hotels fill up, and if you need a visa, that can take a long time to acquire.
We hope you will use this year to learn about how the UN works for women and girls, and how you can be part of it.
Rev. Carol Huston
UN Advocacy Committee Chair