IDLO to advocate for increased investment and concrete action to close the justice gap for women and girls at the 70th Commission on the Status of Women.
IDLO will join the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), held from 9-19 March 2026 at UN Headquarters in New York.
The annual event brings together UN entities, Member States and civil society organizations from across the world to shape global standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
This year’s priority theme - ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls - directly reflects IDLO’s Strategic Plan 2025-2028, where closing the justice gap for women and girls is one of the core outcomes and a principle mainstreamed throughout IDLO’s work.
When women and girls cannot access justice, the consequences extend far beyond the courtroom. They affect family stability, economic opportunity, social cohesion, and trust. From violence and discrimination to property rights and access to financial services, women’s justice challenges shape how societies function.
IDLO brings a practical, people-centred approach to this challenge. We work with governments, institutions, civil society, and justice seekers to remove discriminatory laws, strengthen justice services, empower women and girls to claim their rights and support women’s leadership in justice systems. By tackling the justice barriers women face, IDLO helps build safer communities, stronger economies, and more resilient societies.
During CSW70 General Discussions, IDLO Director-General Jan Beagle will deliver a statement outlining IDLO’s efforts in this regard, including in the most fragile and insecure regions of the world.
IDLO will also engage in several side events, policy dialogues and partnership opportunities over the course of CSW70, with a particular focus on increasing access to justice for women and girls, eliminating discriminatory laws and policies, and promoting women’s economic empowerment.
IDLO organized events:
Advancing Women’s Economic Rights in Law and Practice
What: The event will showcase persistent challenges and proven examples of rule of law interventions that have strengthened women's economic rights. It will examine why the rule of law is critical to women’s economic empowerment; new and existing challenges women encounter when seeking legal protection for their economic rights; and concrete evidence-based recommendations of good practices for replication and scaling up.
When: Tuesday, 10 March 2026, 10-11:15 am
Where: Conference Room 8, UN Web TV
Co-sponsors: Netherlands and Sweden
Partners: OECD, Stand for Her Land Campaign and Landesa
Access to Justice for Women and Girls: Strategies, Pathways and Good Practice
What: Recognizing that effective access to justice is a critical – but too often missing – enabler of inclusive development, the event will examine the key challenges, effective approaches, and political and financial investments needed to advance access to justice for all women and girls.
When: Monday, 16 March 2026, 3-4:15 pm
Where: Conference Room 11, UN Web TV
Co-sponsors: Australia, Italy and the Philippines
Partners: American Bar Association and the International Association of Women Judges
IDLO partner events:
Access to Justice for Women and Girls: Advancing Social Development Commitments from the Doha Political Declaration of the World Social Summit
What: In line with the priority theme of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women and the commitments of the Doha Political Declaration on Social Development, the high-level side event will examine how social development and family-centered policies can effectively enhance access to justice for women and girls. This includes supporting inclusive and equitable systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and addressing structural barriers.
When: Tuesday, 10 March, 1:15-2:30 pm
Where: Conference Room 1
Organizer: Qatar and UN Women
To attend the event, please RSVP here.
Advancing Access to Justice for All Women and Girls – Intersectional Approaches and Parliamentary Action
What: During the Annual Inter-Parliamentary Union–UN Women Parliamentary Meeting, UN Women, IPU, IDLO, and other partners of the Equality in Law Strategy for Women and Girls are co-organizing a session under Session 1 on 'Advancing Access to Justice for All Women and Girls – Intersectional Approaches and Parliamentary Action'. The session will take stock of progress under the Equality in Law for Women and Girls by 2030 Multistakeholder Strategy, highlighting key findings and achievements to date, identifying remaining legal and implementation gaps, and outlining priority areas for accelerated action to ensure legal equality for all women and girls. Further information is available here.
When: Wednesday, 11 March, 10:20 am-12:45 pm
Where: ECOSOC Chamber
Organizer: UN Women and IPU
Partners: Equality in Law Strategy Steering Committee (Equality Now, IAWJ, IDLO, IPU, World Bank, among others)
Harnessing the CEDAW Convention as a Roadmap to Eliminate Discriminatory Laws, Policies, Practices and Other Structural Barriers in International Representation
What: This UN Women-led side event will feature a panel discussion on topics including CEDAW’s role at the intersection of women, diplomacy and human rights; promoting the elimination of discriminatory laws; key findings on barriers facing women in the diplomatic corps; and sharing promising practices and examples of transformative legal and institutional reforms.
When: Wednesday, 11 March 4:45-6:00 pm
Where: Conference Room 8, UN Web TV
Co-sponsors: Colombia and Liberia
Partners: IDLO, OHCHR, CEDAW Committee and GQUAL
To request a special event ticket, please register through this link by March 8
Access to Justice: South-South Strategies for Dismantling Discriminatory Laws and Practices Against Women
What: This event by the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice will provide a space to share cross-regional strategies for reforming discriminatory laws and policies to ensure that women and girls have full access to justice. Through an opening panel discussion, followed by a fireside chat, we will explore how discriminatory laws and practices, such as legacies of colonial legal systems, patriarchal norms, and structural discrimination, present barriers to access to justice for women and girls. Expert speakers will highlight innovative, movement-based approaches to reforming some of these laws and offer high-level insights into best practices and effective strategies, with opportunities for attendees to contribute their experiences and perspectives to the conversation.
When: Wednesday, 11 March 5:30-8:30pm
Where: Carter/Evarts Room, New York City Bar Association, 42 W. 44th St., New York and virtual via Zoom
Co-sponsors: Permanent Missions of Colombia and Grenada to the UN
Partners: UN Women, UN Development Programme, IDLO, Women Aid Collective, and the University of Dayton Human Rights Center.
To attend the person in-person or virtually, click here
IDLO publications on justice for women and girls:
- NEW REPORT: Equality in Law for Women and Girls: Eliminating Discriminatory Laws and Strengthening Legal Frameworks
- Financing Justice for Women: Global Perspectives on Violence against Women, and a case study on Uganda
- Women’s Participation and Leadership in Customary and Informal Justice Systems
- Survivor-Centred Justice for GBV in Complex Situations
- Strengthening Gender Equality in Law: Mapping Discriminatory Laws against Women and Girls in Kenya