Against the pushback: Finding hope and solidarity at CSW69

This year, I had the privilege to represent the Women’s Budget Group at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN headquarters in New York – bringing together state leaders, policy makers, academics, activists and civil society representatives from all over the world. Over two weeks, we engaged in urgent conversations spanning gender-based violence, women’s political participation, economic justice, care systems, and many more.

This year’s session was historic, marking 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, one of the most important global policy frameworks for gender equality.

But the mood was far from celebratory.

Progress since Beijing has been slow, and the session made it painfully clear – the progress seems more fragile than ever. If there was one phrase that captured the two weeks of discussion, it was ‘roll back’ – a grim refrain as we confronted the growing efforts to undermine the hard-won rights of women and girls.

This session took place against the backdrop of a rapidly exhilarating global trend towards far-right and authoritarian politics that is undermining progress on gender equality, including LGBTQI+ rights, access to reproductive health and rights, and girls’ access to education. At the same time, the climate crisis threatens to undo hard-won gains on gender equality, and armed conflict continues to take a devastating toll on the lives of women and girls – from Gaza, to Ukraine, Sudan and DR Congo, to name a few.

Less than two weeks before we gathered in New York, the UK Government announced cuts to funding for foreign aid by 40%, following the US’ move to dismantle USAID, and other wealthy donor countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and France announcing similarly severe cuts. Foreign aid is a lifeline for women and girls facing poverty, conflict, and violence across the globe, and the devastating consequences of these decisions are already unfolding. Disappointingly, the Chancellor reiterated the Government’s decision at last month’s Spring Statement. Instead of showing leadership, particularly given the UK’s historic role in shaping global inequalities, the government chose to direct resources into defence spending while retreating from its commitments to the world’s most vulnerable. This is both short-sighted and a false economy, risking deepening global insecurity.

And yet, CSW69 saw UN member states unanimously adopt a Political Declaration, in which member states “affirm that gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls are essential for sustainable development and fulfilling our pledge to leave no one behind”, and recognise that, “no country has fully achieved gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls [and] that major gaps and obstacles remain”. But the absence of any mention of women’s sexual and reproductive rights in the declaration raised questions: was consensus only possible because fundamental rights were left out? It was hard to celebrate this as a victory when it only felt like relief that anxieties around the US derailing the entire process didn’t materialise.

But contrasting this rather grim atmosphere, were the inspiring moments of collective determination to create systems that work better for all of us. One of these moments was our parallel event on feminist economic solidarity, in which we imagined new economic models that prioritise well-being over profit, and care over extraction. The current careless economic model, which prioritises GDP growth above all else, is failing most people, particularly women and marginalised communities, is destroying our planet, and entrenching wealth inequalities. Oxfam’s latest inequality report revealed that global billionaire wealth has risen three times faster in 2024 than in 2023. Meanwhile, the number of people living in poverty has barely changed since 1990.

We can and must do things differently if we want this to change – and the cost should be borne by those with the broadest shoulders. In my presentation, I argued for the taxation of wealth and also highlighted the UK’s historical responsibility to use its powerful position in trade, finance and diplomatic fora to push for a reordering of the global economy around a reparative climate justice. That means debt relief, reforming international financial institutions, clamping down on tax havens and ending exploitative treaties among others.

Sharing WBG’s Feminist Green New Deal on this global stage was such a unique opportunity and I genuinely left feeling uplifted by the inspiring interventions of my co-panelists, all specialising in different areas of economic well-being.

It was these opportunities of exchange with dedicated people from around the world, across borders and generations, who are all committed to fighting for a better, more equal world, and the global feminist solidarity they brought, that gives me hope in these challenging and uncertain times. If there’s one takeaway from CSW69, it’s this: we can’t afford to despair. Not now. Not ever.