The Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Nahla Haidar, has warned about the challenges facing women worldwide.
Delivering a statement at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, she said:
“Across the globe, we are witnessing a convergence of crises, wars waged, armed conflicts, rise of autocratic regimes, deepening economic inequalities, and a climate emergency that has brought humanity to a tipping point… and the consequences of these crises are disproportionately borne by women and girls,”
Haidar reaffirmed the relevance of the CEDAW Convention.
“This International Bill of Women’s Rights, ratified by 189 states, remains as relevant and as necessary as ever,” she said, emphasising that financial constraints threaten institutional effectiveness.
“At a time when gender equality is under attack, this is not the moment to weaken the institution designed to protect women’s and girls’ rights,” she urged.
Chair of the Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls, Claudia Flores, called for structural reforms to remove barriers to justice.
“The true measure of our commitments is whether they lead to tangible improvements and to lives of human dignity for women and girls,” she said.
Flores emphasised that legal frameworks alone are insufficient:
“Policies that transform harmful norms and stereotypes, adequate resources for programmes and services, and strong monitoring are essential to ensure effective implementation,” she said, urging meaningful participation of women and girls in all sectors.
Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, highlighted rising impunity and accountability gaps.
“The ability of women and girls to access effective justice is facing an existential crisis that we can no longer ignore,” she said.
Youth representative, Ludovica Fuentes, called for urgent reforms to justice systems.
“Our legal systems should simply believe us. That would be a good starting point,” she said.
Fuentes concluded with a call to action for governments and institutions.
“This is not the time to be tepid. Girls are not mothers. There is no climate justice without gender justice. There is no social justice without redistributing care work, and there are no conversations about us without us.”
In all statements, the call for global action to address crises disproportionately affecting women and girls and urging member states to take immediate, tangible action at CSW70 resonated.