The 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), spanning from March 10 to 21, commemorates the 30th anniversary of the seminal Beijing Declaration. This assembly serves as a key player in advocating for women‘s rights, chronicling the lived experiences of women across the globe, and forging international benchmarks for gender parity and female empowerment.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, addressing delegates at the inaugural session, asserted that the edifice of women’s rights is under siege, cautioning that the scourge of patriarchy has resurged with formidable force.
This globally significant event, presided over by Saudi Arabia, convenes world leaders and impassioned advocates to scrutinise both advancements and persistent impediments in the pursuit of gender equality. Guterres sounded the alarm on the reversal of hard-earned progress, spotlighting regressions in reproductive autonomy, economic parity, and juridical safeguards. He further lamented that in myriad nations, women and girls are still deprived of even the most fundamental entitlements.
He also drew attention to the proliferation of digital perils. “As much as 95 per cent of all deepfake content online comprises non-consensual explicit imagery, with women featuring in 90 per cent of such material,” he underscored, illuminating how technological divides exacerbate pre-existing inequities.
General Assembly President Philemon Yang pressed for resolute measures, exhorting nations to meet the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “We must unleash the latent potential of women; we stand at a pivotal crossroads. If we seize this moment with conviction, I believe gender equality within our lifetime is within grasp,” he proclaimed.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous echoed this clarion call for immediacy, affirming that 2025 must mark a definitive inflection point in the crusade for women’s rights. “We must adopt audacious, swift, and transformative measures,” she urged.
Saudi Arabia’s representative, Abdulaziz M. Alwasil, inaugurated the session by reflecting on the enduring impact of the Beijing Declaration. “Beijing represented a watershed moment—a resolute and unequivocal commitment by the global community to securing the full and equal engagement of women and girls in every sphere of existence,” he articulated.
This session unfolds in the wake of Guterres’ recent International Women’s Day address on March 7, where he unveiled the Gender Equality Clarion Call—“a bold, urgent pledge to safeguard and propel forward the rights of all women and girls.”
