26th February 2026
Where you’ll find Equality Now at CSW70
31 min read
The 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) comes at a defining moment for gender equality. As UN Member States focus on strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, Equality Now will be in New York to share our legal expertise, foster leaderful collaboration and advocate for systemic reform.
Legal equality and access to justice is the gateway to public participation. When women and girls are protected by robust legal systems and can seek redress without fear, they can lead, participate and thrive in public life.
Throughout CSW70, we will convene partners, contribute legal analysis and champion reforms that secure foundational rights and freedoms.
Here is where you can find us.
Organised by Equality Now, the US End FGM/C Network and Sahiyo, this moderated panel and Q&A will examine how female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is being reframed and misused in political and legal discourse, particularly through its conflation with unrelated healthcare topics. Centring FGM/C as a human rights violation and a severe form of gender-based violence, the discussion will explore the legal and protection risks to survivors and the implications for global obligations to protect women and girls and ensure access to justice.
Time: 2:30pm
Location: Salvation Army, 221 E 52nd St
Equality Now: Anastasia Law, Legal Advisor, North America (speaking)
Register here
Organised by the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) and Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), this CSW70 parallel event will examine the barriers that limit African women’s and girls’ leadership in justice systems and policy reform. Despite global and regional commitments, discriminatory laws, weak implementation and underrepresentation continue to undermine access to justice.
Time: 10:30am to 12:00pm
Location: Salvation Army, 221 E 52nd St, Lower Level
Equality Now: Esther Waweru, Associate Director, Legal Equality (speaking)
Register here
Organised by the Government of Colombia, with Equality Now as co-sponsor alongside regional partners and UN Women, this side event will examine access to justice as a cornerstone of sustainable peace. It will focus on States’ obligations to exercise reinforced due diligence in cases of sexual violence against women and LGBTQI+ persons and highlight structural barriers that perpetuate impunity.
Time: 1:15pm to 2:30pm
Location: United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 8
Open to UN badge holders only.
Organised by the Government of Bolivia and co-sponsored by Equality Now and regional partners, this side event marks ten years since the adoption of the Model Protocol for the Investigation of Gender-Related Killings of Women. The discussion will assess progress and persistent challenges in investigating and prosecuting femicide and reflect on how regional standards can strengthen due diligence, prosecutorial capacity and institutional accountability.
Time: 4:45pm to 6:00pm
Location: United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room E
Open to UN badge holders only.
The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law, together with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and Intuit, are convening a senior-level breakfast roundtable to mark the launch of their upcoming joint research “Adopted Not Embedded: AI, Productivity and Uneven Gains for Women Entrepreneurs”.
Time: 8:00am – 10:00 am
Location: Intuit’s Offices
Equality Now: Tsitsi Matekaire, Director Regions (participating)
This is a closed event.
Organised by the UNFPA–UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage and co-sponsored by Equality Now and the Governments of Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada, Malawi, Nepal, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico, this event will position ending child marriage as a core gender justice issue. Anchored in the Justice that Protects. Justice that Enables. Justice that Connects. framework, it will examine how justice systems function in practice, identify gaps between legal commitments and girls’ lived realities, and highlight evidence-based solutions.
Time: 9:00am
Location: UNICEF House, Labouisse Hall, 3 United Nations Plaza
Equality Now: Divya Srinivasan, Director, Ending Gender Based Violence (speaking)
Register here
The urgency of egalitarian family law reform is becoming increasingly evident in global, regional and national discussions regarding gender equality.
Hence, in keeping with the priority theme of CSW70, this side event hosted by the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law (GCEFL) invites representatives from national, regional and global family law campaigns, as well as UN and State representatives, to envision the future we are working toward: a world where family laws are equitable, just, and accessible to all. By combining policy dialogue and intergenerational interaction, the session transforms “what could be” into a roadmap for reform.
Time: 9:00am – 10:30am
Equality Now: Hyshyama Hamin, Campaign Manager of the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law & Associate Director, Economic Justice and Family Law at Equality Now (moderating) and Esther Waweru, Associate Director, Legal Equality (speaking)
Co-sponsored by the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, UN Women, UNHCR, the Government of Liberia, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, UK and Equality Now, this event will examine ongoing discrimination in nationality laws and the impact on women’s and children’s rights, including barriers to equal citizenship, family unity and access to services.
Today 45+ countries have nationality laws that deny women equal rights, with 24 countries maintaining nationality laws that deny women the right to confer nationality on their children on an equal basis with men. Gender discrimination in nationality laws causes wide-ranging human rights violations, is a leading cause of statelessness, and undermines women’s status as equal citizens and their equality in the family. Global goals on gender equality, children’s rights and wellbeing, ending statelessness and gender-based violence, and advancing sustainable development cannot be achieved without gender-equal nationality laws. High level speakers including ministers, UN representatives, and impacted persons will elevate awareness of the benefits of gender-equal nationality rights and call for expedited action to realize equal nationality rights for equal citizens, women and men.
Time: 10:00am to 11:15am
Location: United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 2
Register in person.
Those without UN badges MUST REGISTER HERE BY MARCH 5 to access the in-person event.
The event will also be webcast on UNTV.
Immediately following the GCEFL event, this discussion and small reception co-sponsored by Fos Feminista and GCEFL will explore how family law reform and family-oriented policies can advance sexual and reproductive health and rights and strengthen access to justice. The session will connect legal reform to lived realities, underscoring how discriminatory family frameworks continue to restrict women’s autonomy, health and participation.
Time: 11:00am to 12:30pm
Equality Now: Hyshyama Hamin, Campaign Manager of the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law & Associate Director, Economic Justice and Family Law at Equality Now (closing remarks)
This is a closed event.
Organised by the Chanel Foundation, this conversation aims to create space for an open and thoughtful exchange on the current landscape, challenges, and opportunities within the multilateral system for gender equality.
Time: 10:00am to 1200pm
Equality Now: Niki Kandirikirira, Chief Programmes Officer
This is a closed event.
Held in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Australia, Spain, and Kenya, along with additional country members of the Global Partnership, in collaboration with UN Women, UNFPA, UNODC and SWGfL, the event will highlight two new resources to enhance national and global responses to combatting gendered online harms: the Supplement to the Handbook for Legislation on Violence Against on Addressing TF VAWG jointly developed by UN Women and UNFPA, and a preliminary blueprint for a Model National Framework for NCII.
Time: 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Location: in-person at the UK Mission and online
Equality Now: Antonia Kirkland, Director, Legal Equality & UN Liaison (speaking)
Register here
Co-sponsored by UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea this side event will explore how artificial intelligence is increasingly used in governance and judicial systems and what this means for women’s and girls’ human rights. It is intended to feed into the Working Group’s forthcoming report on the topic which will be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2026.
Time: 1:15pm to 2:30pm
Location: Conference Room 2, United Nations Headquarters
Equality Now: Tsitsi Matekaire, Director, Regions (speaking)
Open to UN badge holders only.
Co-convened with the Governments of Uruguay and Kenya, UN Women and the EU-funded ACT to End Violence Against Women Programme, this side event will examine persistent legal and implementation gaps that continue to block survivors’ access to justice, particularly in cases of sexual violence and technology-facilitated violence. It will spotlight practical reforms and partnership models that strengthen survivor-centred, gender-responsive justice systems.
Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Location: Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the United Nations
Equality Now: Bárbara Jiménez-Santiago (closing remarks TBC)
This is a closed event.
Special segment: Equality in law for women and girls by 2030: Strategy-midpoint evaluation and update
A parliamentary event organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN-Women, the session will provide the opportunity to take stock of the “Equality in law for women and girls by 2030 multistakeholder strategy”, through a presentation of key findings and progress achieved to date, the remaining legal and implementation gaps and the priority areas for accelerated action to ensure legal equality for women and girls.
Time: 10:00am to 12:45pm
Location: United Nations Headquarters, ECOSOC Chamber
Equality Now: Antonia Kirkland, Director, Legal Equality & UN Liaison (speaking)
Open to UN badge holders only. Find out more information on how to register or watch the broadcast
This event will draw on findings from the World Bank Group’s flagship Women, Business and the Law (WBL) 2026 Report to explore how the WBG is advancing women’s access to justice through both operations and knowledge work—and how these efforts contribute to the creation of more and better jobs. Leveraging WBL’s global, comparable data alongside country-level operational experience, the event will demonstrate how evidence-based legal and policy reforms can strengthen access to justice, unlock private sector growth, and expand economic opportunities for women. It will also spotlight reforming countries that are making progress by removing discriminatory laws and addressing structural barriers to women’s safety, participation, and opportunity.
Time: 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Location: United Nations Headquarters, Delegates Dining Room
Equality Now: S. Mona Sinha, CEO (speaking)
This is a closed event.
Organized by Girls Not Brides, in partnership with Equality Now and others, this high-level event will feature girl and youth leaders, governments, funders, champions, and civil society in an unprecedented show of solidarity, ambition, and unity across the movement to end child marriage and achieve girls’ rights. The event will centre girls’ and young women’s voices, leadership, and lived experiences throughout, reinforcing that they are at the heart of this work and our shared vision for the next five years. As part of the programme, partners will also introduce a new collective, action-oriented platform, an evolving effort by leading governments, funders, and organisations to work more closely together to keep ending child marriage high on the international agenda over the coming five years.
Time: 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: Scandinavia House
This is a closed event, by invitation only.
Organised by Microsoft, Apne Aap Women Worldwide, Generative AI for Good, European Network of Migrant Women, and New Generation in Action (NGIA): As digital technologies rapidly transform societies, they are also reshaping the nature, scale, and impact of violence against women and girls (VAWG). At the same time, emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), offer new opportunities to advance justice, accountability, prevention, and survivor-centred responses, when developed and deployed ethically, transparently, and with survivor safety at their core. Anchored in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, international human rights law, and survivor-centred principles, the event aims to reframe AI not as a neutral tool, but as a governance, justice, and accountability issue, one that must be shaped by women’s lived realities and leadership.
Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Equality Now: Anastasia Law, Legal Advisor, North America, speaking on panel on Tech facilitated human trafficking of women and girls at 1.45pm to 2.45pm
Location: Microsoft, Times Square
Register here
Organised by Equality Now, the objective of this workshop is to strengthen international and regional cooperation and facilitate the strategic exchange of knowledge among civil society organisations in response to the growing global backlash against the rights of women and girls. The workshop will examine concrete instances of backlash – particularly in laws and policies – to identify common priorities, develop collective strategies, and establish sustainable joint lines of action to counter these trends, defend international human rights standards, and promote access to justice.
Time: 3:00pm to 5:30pm
Equality Now: Niki Kandirikirira, Chief Programmes Officer and Emma Thompson, Chief Communications Officer (facilitating)
This is a closed event.
The fifth anniversary of the UN Member State Group of Friends provides an opportunity to take stock of progress, reaffirm political commitments, and galvanise renewed action to prevent and end all forms of VAWG. The event will showcase successful approaches and provide a forum for exchanging best practices. In addition, the discussion will demonstrate how investments in policies and programs to eliminate VAWG catalyse transformative impact for gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as for societies as a whole.
Time: 11:30am to 12:45pm
Location: United Nations Headquarters, Room 2
Equality Now: Esther Waweru, Associate Director, Legal Equality (intervenor)
Open to UN badge holders only. Register here.
PAC NYC and Equality Now invite you to a special panel discussion inspired by Giulia, Jennifer Nettles’ new play about the 17th century historical figure Giulia Tofana. Featuring Equality Now’s Mona Sinha and Antonia Kirkland, the discussion will examine the intersection of art, justice and women’s rights, connecting lived experience with systemic change.
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Performing Arts Center, New York City
Register here
Organised by Equality Now with UN Women and partners from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, this event will present findings from the 2025 report on sexual violence against women with disabilities in Central Asia. The discussion will examine legal frameworks, systemic barriers and discriminatory practices, and outline survivor-centred, disability- and gender-sensitive reforms to strengthen access to justice.
Time: 4:45pm
Location: United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 9
Equality Now: Janette Akhilgova, Associate Manager, Eurasia (facilitating) and Dariana Gryaznova, Legal Advisor, Eurasia (presenting)
Open to UN badge holders only. Register here