UN Women Summit Adopts Global Plan to Strengthen Justice for Women

Governments attending the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at the United Nations have adopted a new set of Agreed Conclusions aimed at expanding access to justice for women and girls and accelerating global progress on gender equality.

Adopted by broad consensus, the outcome document provides a global roadmap for strengthening legal systems, ending discrimination and improving protections for women's rights worldwide.

The Commission on the Status of Women is the largest annual United Nations gathering dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment.

Access to Justice Seen as Key to Equality

The Agreed Conclusions reaffirm that access to justice is essential to advancing equality, protecting women from violence and strengthening trust in public institutions.

The framework calls for stronger legal systems that ensure women and girls can obtain protection, seek redress for abuse and participate fully in society.

Welcoming the agreement, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous praised governments for reaching consensus on the landmark document.

"These Agreed Conclusions represent an important commitment to advancing access to justice for women and girls, ending impunity and building justice systems that work for everyone equally," Bahous said.

She added that the agreement demonstrates the power of multilateral cooperation to deliver concrete progress for women's rights worldwide.

Global Gender Equality Still Unfinished

The agreement comes amid persistent gaps in women's rights worldwide.

A recent UN Secretary-General report presented by UN Women found that no country has yet achieved full legal equality between women and men.

The new commitments therefore call on governments to review and reform discriminatory laws, including those related to:

• Child marriage

• Family law

• Inheritance and property rights

Governments are also urged to strengthen legal protections against violence against women and girls, both online and offline.

New Commitments on Digital Justice and Legal Reform

The Agreed Conclusions outline several key priorities for strengthening women's access to justice.

These include:

• Transformative legal reforms to remove discriminatory laws

• Expanded legal aid services for women and girls

• Greater coordination between justice institutions

• Recognition of community justice workers and paralegals in national legal systems

• New commitments on digital justice systems and AI governance to expand access to legal services

The agreement also calls for stronger legal protections in the workplace and improved national systems to prevent and respond to violence against women.

Protecting Women in Conflict and Crisis Settings

Special attention is given to women and girls living in conflict and humanitarian contexts, where justice systems are often weakened.

The text calls for gender-responsive and survivor-centred justice mechanisms that support victims of violence and ensure accountability.

Political Will Needed to Deliver Change

Maritza Chan Valverde, Costa Rica's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Chair of CSW70, emphasized that the real challenge lies in translating commitments into action.

"We came here to commemorate, and we're leaving with something harder to carry – responsibility," she said.

"Behind every statistic is a life, behind every negotiating position is a woman or girl waiting to see if we mean what we say."

"The answer depends on political will."

Global Forum for Action on Women's Rights

From 9 to 19 March, governments, civil society groups, UN agencies and development partners will meet at UN Headquarters in New York to advance policies, financing and accountability measures to support gender equality.

The conference takes place at a time when women's rights advocates warn of growing backlash against gender equality in many parts of the world.

UN Women is urging governments, civil society and international partners to strengthen cooperation and ensure that commitments made at CSW70 translate into real improvements in the lives of women and girls globally.

The organization called on all stakeholders to "stand up, show up and speak up" for justice, equality and human rights.

The ultimate goal, UN Women said, is a world where every woman and girl can live safely, speak freely and participate equally in society.