Concluding Session, Commission on Status of Women Adopts Declaration Urging Full, Accelerated Implementation of Beijing Declaration, Platform for Action
Choosing Woman as Next Secretary-General Would Create Powerful Opportunity for Meaningful Change, Says Incoming Chair
The Commission on the Status of Women today adopted a political declaration on the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, recognizing that 2025 is a momentous chance to bring Member States together to intensify efforts to achieve the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
The Commission concluded its sixty-ninth session this morning following two weeks of meetings in New York, where ministers and representatives of Governments had gathered to undertake a review and appraisal of the landmark agreements.
By adopting its Declaration (document E/CN.6/2025/L.1), the Commission emphasized that the full and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the fulfilment of the obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women are mutually reinforcing in achieving gender equality. Reaffirming that the empowerment of women and girls is essential for sustainable development and fulfilling the pledge to “leave no one behind”, the Commission recognized that no country has fully achieved gender equality and expressed concern that progress in the implementation of commitments under the critical areas has been slow and uneven.
The Commission called on the United Nations system to continue to support the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including through systematic gender mainstreaming, multi-stakeholder partnerships, the mobilization of resources to deliver results and the monitoring and assessment of progress with disaggregated data.
In the ensuing discussion, delegations stressed the need to defend women and girls and promote their empowerment with some speakers expressing reservations on parts of the Declaration. The representative of the United States said that several aspects of the texts “make it impossible” to support the Declaration, including lapses in using clear language that recognizes that “women are biologically female, and men are biologically male”. “We also cannot accept references to a purported right to development,” he added, rejecting and denouncing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The representative of the European Union said she would have liked to have seen an “even more ambitious” political declaration. Tonga’s delegate urged action of climate change and women and girls’ empowerment in that context. The representative of Belarus expressed appreciation for the omission of any reference to sexual and reproductive health in the Declaration. “This is a significant step forward,” he said.
Mexico’s representative expressed concern that some countries “seem to have forgotten” that women’s rights are human rights. “Societies change and the needs and contexts of women also change,” he added, emphasizing that the rights of women cannot be held hostage to politics. Brazil’s delegate said it is unfortunate that there is no mention to sexual and reproductive health and rights in the text. Indonesia’s representative said she wished to express reservations to terms in the text which do not “enjoy international consensus”. The delegate of the Russian Federation said that the quality of the Declaration continues to decline with each year, pushing through concepts that run counter to legally binding treaties. The Declaration sadly does not mention motherhood, he said, also distancing from the UN Secretary-General’s plan to support gender parity. Tunisia’s delegate, noting that today a woman was appointed as Head of her country’s Government, said that the next Secretary-General and General Assembly President must be women because women “can and must lead”.
Canada’s delegate, also speaking on behalf of Australia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and New Zealand, expressed alarm that the world is seeing a pushback against women and girls’ rights. Egypt’s delegate, commending the inclusion of the right to development, expressed regret that the text did not recognize women and girls’ role in family, community and society. Nigeria’s delegate said that the Declaration will be adopted according to her country’s national priorities with its social and religious context in mind. “Human rights are not negotiable,” Samoa’s delegate said, also stressing: “Rights don’t rest and neither shall we.”
The Commission also adopted a resolution titled “Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts” (document E/CN.6/2025/L.3), reaffirming that hostage-taking is an illegal act aimed at the destruction of human rights and is unjustifiable. Condemning all violent acts committed against civilian populations, the Commission urged States that are parties to an armed conflict to take measures necessary to determine the identity, fate and whereabouts of women and children taken hostage. It strongly urged all parties to armed conflicts to respect fully the provisions of international humanitarian law and to take all measures necessary for the protection of the civilian population.
Israel’s delegate, following the text’s adoption, said every line in the resolution brings to mind the brutal treatment and murder of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Dozens of hostages have returned and yet 59 hostages remain in Hamas captivity. Truly supporting this text would mean urging the release of all hostages. Egypt’s delegate said it is unfortunate that women and children are targeted in conflict, more specifically highlighting the plight of Palestinian women and girls who, for over a year now, have been denied their right to food, health and safe drinking water.
The Commission also adopted a resolution titled “Multi-year programme of work of the Commission on the Status of Women” (Document E/CN.6/2025/L.5), deciding that the multi-year programme of work of the Commission on the Status of Women for the seventieth, seventy-first, seventy-second and seventy-third sessions.
Several delegations including Egypt and Argentina welcomed the consensus reached, but expressed reservations to a reference on the “issue of care and support systems which do not figure in the Beijing Declaration” and to the reference to gender perspectives, respectively.
The Commission also approved the provisional agenda and documentation for the seventieth session of the Commission (document E/CN.6/2025/L.4), recommending it to the Economic and Social Council for adoption. The Commission further adopted the report of the Commission on its sixty-ninth session (document E/CN.6/2025/L.2), containing information on the organizational part of the session to be updated to reflect actions taken today.
In closing remarks, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous said that the session managed immense challenges but was able to “stay the course for women and girls”. She commended all the women who assumed leadership positions this week, including Namibia’s new President, Tunisia’s Prime Minister and the International Olympic Committee’s first woman and first African President. “Women’s rights are human rights,” she said, expressing deep sadness over the breakdown in the ceasefire in Gaza. “We stand in solidarity with all women and girls enduring suffering in conflict zones all over the world,” she added. “Our job now as it is to take this energy from these halls to the places where women and girls live their lives,” she stated.
Abdulaziz M. Alwasil (Saudi Arabia), Chair of the Commission’s sixty-ninth session, said that the progress achieved is undeniable. More women are in leadership positions and girls’ education has expanded. “Progress has been slow and remains deeply fragile,” however, he went on to say, underscoring the role of civil society for their expertise and activism. “We should use the multi-year programme of work as the basis for the next five years to further empower women and girls around the world,” he added.
Following the closing of its sixty-ninth session, the Commission opened its seventieth session, electing Maritza Chan Valverde (Costa Rica) as its Chair. Taking to the floor as Chair, she committed to working with all delegations in a “spirit of collaboration” and in good faith. The generalized impression, she stated, is that women and girls need the United Nations; but it is also true that the United Nations needs women and girls. “Eighty years of uninterrupted male UN leadership is not just a coincidence; it is intentional,” she added. Choosing a woman as the tenth Secretary-General would create a powerful opportunity to forge ahead. Every woman and girl must have the opportunity to reach her potential.
The Commission then elected as Vice-Chairs for the seventieth session Flavia Umulisa of Rwanda and Samah Dbouk of Lebanon. Andreea Mocanu of Romania and Noah Oehri of Liechtenstein were elected as Vice-Chairs for both the seventieth and seventy-first sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women.
The Commission then appointed Ukraine to serve as a member of the Working Group on Communications at its seventieth session. The Commission postponed the election of other members of the Working Group from the remaining regional groups to a later date.
__________
* The 1st meeting of the seventieth session was also covered.