Reflections on CSW69: A Call to Resist and Reclaim
- Holding the line
- Apr 15
- 5 min read
The 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) has concluded, presenting a mix of limited progress and significant setbacks. As the Holding the Line coalition, a network of feminist activists and human rights defenders from the UN ECE region, we approached this session with a clear objective: to challenge the growing attacks on gender equality, human rights, and democracy, as well as pushing for genuine progress.
One of the outcomes of CSW69 was the adoption of the Political Declaration, marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. In a global context where authoritarianism is rising, patriarchy is resurgent, funding for human rights and gender equality are slashed by the day, and anti-rights movements are gaining power exponentially, any reaffirmation of gender equality commitments is important. We acknowledge the inclusion of language on STEM, care policies, references to the ILO conventions, equal pay for work of equal value, right to work and rights at work, collective bargaining, freedom of association, conflict related sexual violence (CRSV), adolescent girls, reference to survivors, and the first ever reference to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), in this Political Declaration as significant progress. These are steps forward, though insufficient.
That being said, we cannot ignore the critical limitations of this declaration. The absence of explicit references to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is a direct betrayal of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Cairo Plan of Action, and Agenda 2030. We have seen new Member States becoming vocal opponents of these fundamental rights and bodily autonomy. It is a clear result of the attacks we see on LGBTI+ rights, especially against trans rights, and against sex workers' rights. This signals a dangerous retreat, empowering and emboldening those who seek to reverse hard-won gains.
The challenges of CSW69 went beyond the negotiated text. Visa denials, security concerns, and the shrinking space for civil society action, despite broad participation, showed the growing barriers to meaningful engagement. These are not merely logistical problems; they are deliberate attempts to silence marginalized voices and undermine the multilateral system.
We saw the influence of anti-rights movements, spreading misinformation and stigma, even within the UN building. The strength in resources of the anti-rights groups was visible in their numbers, and the spaces they convened to attack human rights and gender equality, including the infamous Conference on the State of Women and Family (CSW-F).
Even with these difficulties, the resolve of feminist movements was a powerful force. We, as feminists, showed the strength of collective action and our commitment to preventing regression.
The proposed revitalization of the CSW offers a chance to improve accountability, increase civil society engagement, and ensure the participation of the most marginalized. We urge member states to undertake this process with urgency, transparency, and inclusivity, making the CSW a strong platform for advancing gender equality. We add our voice to the Women's Rights Caucus Priorities for CSW Revitalization and the Global Youth and Adolescent Recommendations fo the Revitalization of CSW.
The CSW's Multi-Year Programme of Work, outlining themes for 2026-2029, presents both opportunities and concerns. While we acknowledge the inclusion of critical themes such as access to justice, the intersection of gender equality with the 2030 Agenda, care systems, and women in humanitarian emergencies, we must remain vigilant. It must be noted that references to human rights, while it has never been a priority theme before, were removed, a concerning move by several delegations. This is certainly a missed opportunity in the efforts to establish human rights as central to the work of the UN.
We welcome the decision to revisit the Commission's methods of work in 2027 and the ongoing revitalization process. These processes must be transparent and inclusive, ensuring the meaningful participation of feminist civil society and marginalized voices without fear, without visa denials, without space restrictions, with the opportunity to get their voices heard.
We urge member states to prioritize accountability mechanisms and to strengthen the CSW's capacity to monitor and advance gender equality commitments, especially in the face of growing pushback. The invitation to consider older women as a focus area is a welcome one, but all future work must strongly center intersectional feminist analysis, with a life course approach. We must ensure that the CSW remains a dynamic and responsive platform, capable of driving transformative change, rather than merely reiterating past commitments, or becoming a playground of anti-rights and anti-gender organizations and narratives, where they both work on regressing from existing commitments, as well as blocking and weakening the multilateral processes such as CSW.
With geopolitical realities shifting and a growing trend of right-wing governments coming into power, as the Member States of the Commission rotate, our strategies must keep up too. For the next two years, the United States will join the Commission as a voting member. CSW69 has already demonstrated how disruptive Members States can be to blocking consensus, rolling back progress, and derailing efforts to satisfy their own ideologies. As we reflect on CSW69 we must think ahead, strategically plan our advocacy, and despite severe pushback, keep holding the line.
As Holding the Line, we will continue our advocacy and activism in future multilateral meetings and processes, and we are committed to:
Challenging the Far-Right: We will continue to oppose the anti-gender and anti-rights movements.
Prioritizing Marginalized Voices: We will amplify the voices of historically excluded communities and people and defend their rights.
Insisting on Intersectionality: We will dismantle all forms of discrimination, including xenophobia, racism, ableism, and LGBTQIA+ phobias.
Demanding Accountability: We will hold governments and institutions responsible for their commitments to gender equality and human rights.
Strengthening Solidarity: We will build our network, fostering new collaborations and collective action.
Fighting for SRHR: We will continue to demand the full inclusion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in all international agreements.
Advocating for Climate Justice: We will push for strong climate language that acknowledges the impact of harmful gender roles and breadwinner masculinities, meanwhile highlighting solutions for a feminist regenerative future.
Reinforcing the CSW: We will continue to fight barriers for participation and advocate for the increased power and inclusion of marginalized voices within the CSW.
As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, we reaffirm our commitment to gender equality, women's and girls’ autonomy, and human rights for all. We will not waver in our determination to resist, reclaim, and reshape the world based on feminist values. We will continue to demand justice and build a future of care.
The Holding the Line Coalition is a group of fierce progressive feminist activists and human rights defenders working towards stopping the pushback on human rights, democracy and gender equality that is ever more stern in the UN ECE region, and utilize opportunities to push further to ensure the full realization of human rights and gender equality for everyone,
everywhere. We are a network of networks resisting the far-right, anti-gender, and anti-rights movements in the UN ECE region.
Our Coalition is bold, unafraid, and committed to reshaping systems and societies with decolonial, anti-imperialist, and intersectional feminist values. We center the struggles of historically excluded communities— Roma people, Dalits, Indigenous peoples, black people and people of color, LGBTQIA+ persons, sex workers, Jewish and Muslim people, persons with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, amongst others.
More information is available at our website: https://holdingtheline.wixsite.com/home