Proud Moment!
The 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) was held at the UN Headquarters in New York from March 10–21, 2025, marking the official Beijing+30 review! Delegates from around the world gathered to assess progress, identify gaps, and renew commitments toward achieving gender equality and sustainable development.
🇧🇩 Bangladesh was proudly represented by members of the Right Here Right Now (RHRN) coalition — and we are thrilled to share that Saima A. Matin from YPF was among them! As the Associate Faculty of Economics at the University of Arizona, teaches Business at the Portland State University and Lead of the Gender and Inclusion Team at YPF, she contributed her expertise and passion to the global conversation on advancing women’s rights. (images: add 1st, 3rd and 5th Photo) Read the report written by her on CSW69:
Event: 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69)
Location: United Nations Headquarters, New York
Dates: 10 to 21 March 2025
Name: Saima Afrose Matin| Role: Youth Delegate | Organization: YPF/ BRAC RHRN-2 Coalition Project
Overview:
As a first-time youth delegate to the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), I had the opportunity to speak at a parallel event focusing on the critical intersection of climate change, child marriage, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Bangladesh. This session highlighted the urgent need for cross-sectoral strategies to address how environmental shocks disproportionately affect adolescent girls, especially through the rise of child marriage.
Key Issues Addressed:
- Climate Change as a Driver of Gender Inequality: In regions like Bagerhat, where salinity intrusion and cyclones devastate livelihoods, up to 70% of girls are married before 18—far above the national average of 51%. Child marriage is used as a coping mechanism, with long-term consequences on girls’ health, autonomy, and future.
- SRHR Challenges Intensified: Girls affected by climate-induced displacement face poor menstrual hygiene management, inadequate SRHR services, and increased vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV).
- Legal, Cultural & Economic Drivers: Weak legal enforcement, social norms, and economic hardship continue to fuel early marriage, limiting girls’ education and decision-making power.
My Experience & Reflections:
Attending CSW69 was a transformative experience that deepened my understanding of the global challenges facing women and girls, from healthcare gaps to gender-based violence. I was inspired by intergenerational feminist leadership and global solidarity, especially during the event hosted by the Bangladesh Mission to the UN on “Investing in Care,” where care work was recognized as essential economic infrastructure, with Nepal and Finland showcasing models for inclusive growth. Sessions highlighted the vulnerability of migrant women to GBV and trafficking, the urgent need for gender-responsive policies, and the power of young women—especially from climate-affected communities—as leaders and change-makers. Persistent issues such as the neglect of reproductive health and the absence of menstruation and menopause leave underscored systemic failures. In many Asian countries, intergenerational power imbalances and lack of mentorship remain barriers, though grassroots efforts like Thailand’s youth leadership programs offer hope. CSW69 reinforced the importance of centering women’s rights in healthcare, leadership, and policy to achieve lasting, inclusive progress.
Key Takeaways:
- Intersectionality Matters: Gender justice cannot be addressed in isolation from climate, economic, and social justice. Integrated approaches are vital.
- Youth Leadership is Essential: We must empower youth not only as future leaders but as equal partners in today’s solutions.
- Safe Spaces & Representation: Creating safe, inclusive, intergenerational spaces for girls to speak and lead is essential for transformative change.
Call to Action:
- Invest in climate-resilient SRHR services that are tailored to the unique needs of adolescent girls, particularly in vulnerable, climate-affected regions.
- Support feminist, youth-led, and community-based organizations that are already doing the groundwork to empower girls and young women.
- Strengthen legal frameworks to end child marriage and gender-based violence (GBV), ensuring that existing laws are enforced effectively.
- Promote intergenerational leadership by creating platforms for youth involvement in decision-making processes at local, national, and global levels.
- Increase investment in education and training programs for young girls, especially in areas disproportionately affected by climate change and displacement.
- Advocate for gender-responsive migration policies that address the needs of migrant women and girls, ensuring protection, leadership opportunities, and access to justice without fear of detention.
- Address the care economy by investing in social infrastructure like childcare and day care systems that promote the economic participation of women and girls.
- Ensure men’s active involvement in promoting gender equality and sharing the responsibility of care work to reduce the burden on women.
- Amplify youth voices in global policy spaces, ensuring that young women are not just represented but empowered to lead and shape the solutions for tomorrow.
Quote to Carry Forward:
“Women’s rights are human rights. We must dismantle power structures, not replicate them.” — Dr. Suchi Gaur, Senior Director of Strategy and Operations, World YWCA
“2025 must be a turning point, a moment in the history of this long struggle where we embrace bold, urgent and transformative action, where we show our resolve to push forward for rights, for equality and for empowerment for all women and girls.” -UN Women, Executive Director, Sima Bahous
This statement underscores the global commitment to accelerating progress toward gender equality, building upon the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.