WLSA at CSW 69: Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) played an active role at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 69), held in New York from 11 to 21 March 2025. The session reviewed progress made since the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, marking 30 years of global commitments to advancing women’s rights.

At the conference, WLSA co-hosted a key side event titled “Accelerating B+30 Progress: Aligning Macroeconomic Policies with Women’s Lived Realities”, in collaboration with FEMNET, Oxfam, and ActionAid. The event drew attention to persistent gaps in the implementation of gender-responsive economic policies, particularly around the burden of unpaid care work, the gender digital divide, and the economic exclusion of women.

Participants stressed the urgent need for a formal monitoring framework to track women’s economic empowerment progress and advocated for policies that actively reduce unpaid care work.

In addition to economic discussions, WLSA used its platform to highlight the ongoing barriers women face in leadership spaces. Delegates underscored the fact that, in nearly 80 years, the United Nations has yet to appoint a female Secretary-General — a reality that many agreed must change.

WLSA also engaged with the Zimbabwean government delegation, pushing for the development and enforcement of a comprehensive gender equality law and greater financial inclusion for women. WLSA recommended that national action plans tackle structural inequalities and prioritise women’s health, education, and economic participation.

Looking ahead, WLSA is preparing a post-CSW reflection and position paper, which will inform ongoing advocacy efforts to strengthen Zimbabwe’s gender equality frameworks.

WLSA remains firmly committed to turning the goal of gender equality from aspiration into reality, both nationally and globally.