On March 12, 2026, the halls of the United Nations Headquarters in New York became the epicenter of a renewed global movement as Member States, UN leadership, and grassroots advocates gathered for a historic turning point in the fight for gender equality. This was the inaugural CSW High-level Meeting on Violence Against Women and Girls, a centerpiece of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). Unlike previous sessions, this landmark gathering operated under a revitalized mandate specifically designed to elevate the most pressing, cross-cutting priorities of the gender equality agenda and to breathe new life into the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
The atmosphere in the General Assembly was one of both urgency and resolve. For decades, the international community has acknowledged the scourge of gender-based violence, yet the statistics remain a haunting indictment of global progress. Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, set the tone for the day by framing the meeting not merely as a diplomatic exercise, but as a structural necessity for the modern age.
“This meeting is a direct result of CSW revitalization and recognition to elevate opportunities for exchange on issues that intersect all our efforts and permeate all of society,” Bahous declared to the gathered assembly. She emphasized that the elimination of violence is not an isolated goal but the foundation upon which all other societal progress is built. “From the Sustainable Development Goals, and across the Beijing Platform for Action, ending violence against women and girls is its own imperative and an accelerator for all others,” she added, underscoring that without safety, women’s participation in the economy, politics, and education will always be stifled.
The reality check provided during the opening sessions was sobering. Despite decades of activism and policy-making, at least one in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. This figure has remained stubbornly static in many regions, even as other development markers have improved. The assembly noted that the cost of this stagnation is astronomical. Beyond the immeasurable physical and psychological trauma inflicted upon survivors, societies are hemorrhaging potential. Inaction leads to lost economic productivity, the erosion of trust in public institutions, and the perpetuation of intergenerational cycles of inequality that weaken the very fabric of the community.
Perhaps the most pressing concern discussed was the evolution of harm in the digital age. Speakers throughout the day warned that technology has created a "borderless" environment for abuse. Violence no longer ends when a woman enters her home; it follows her through her devices. Digital abuse—including cyber-stalking, non-consensual image sharing, and AI-generated harassment—is being used to silence female voices and intimidate women into withdrawing from public life. The consensus was clear: prevention and response systems must evolve as rapidly as the technology used by perpetrators, ensuring that the law reaches into the digital sphere without losing focus on the deep-seated structural drivers of misogyny.
To provide a roadmap for the future, representatives from five regional groups—Belgium, Brazil, Solomon Islands, Tunisia, and Ukraine—presented a mosaic of strategies that have shown tangible results. These nations highlighted the necessity of moving beyond "paper protections" toward "practical protections." This involves the creation of costed national action plans, where specific funds are earmarked for domestic violence shelters, legal aid, and specialized police training.
The regional reports emphasized multisectoral coordination—a strategy where health, justice, and social services work in a unified loop so that a survivor does not have to tell her story five different times to five different agencies. Ukraine and Tunisia, in particular, were noted for their efforts to maintain these protections even in the face of conflict and political transition, proving that the safety of women must be a non-negotiable priority regardless of the national climate. Following these presentations, 84 additional countries took the floor to share their own experiences, many focusing on the transformative power of gender-responsive budgeting. By analyzing how every tax dollar affects men and women differently, governments can ensure that ending violence is a core budgetary priority rather than an afterthought.
However, the afternoon session shifted the focus from the "what" to the "how," as a panel of experts and survivors took the stage. The experts—drawn from academia, treaty bodies, and civil society—stressed that the most sophisticated laws in the world are useless if survivors do not trust the system meant to protect them.
Lara Aharonian, Co-Founder of the Women’s Fund of Armenia, delivered a poignant critique of current judicial frameworks. “I’ve met too many women who don’t stay silent because they ‘accept’ violence—they stay silent because the justice system feels unsafe,” Aharonian explained. Her testimony highlighted the secondary victimization that many women face when they come forward. “They fear being judged, exposed, not believed, or punished for speaking up—especially when they have children, no income, or nowhere else to go.”
Aharonian’s vision for the future is rooted in "survivor-centered justice," a model where the system’s first response is to restore the survivor’s sense of agency. “Survivor-centered justice is when the first response restores control: ‘Are you safe? What do you want next?’—and the services are connected, confidential, and timely,” she said. She further argued that this model only functions when grassroots women’s organizations are treated as essential partners rather than outside observers, as these organizations are often the only entities that hold the trust of the community.
The expert panel also delved into the critical need for better data, specifically regarding femicide—the gender-related killing of women and girls. Participants argued that unless femicide is distinguished from general homicide in national statistics, the specific motivations and patterns of these crimes remain invisible, making it impossible to design effective prevention strategies. By identifying the unique risks associated with domestic abuse and stalking, authorities can intervene before the violence turns lethal.
The engagement of men and boys was another pillar of the discussion. Experts noted that while the response must be survivor-centered, prevention must be society-wide. Shifting the cultural norms that excuse or normalize aggression is a task that requires the active participation of male leaders, educators, and peers.
As the summit drew to a close, the focus returned to the "implementation gap"—the chasm between international commitments and the lived reality of women on the ground. The call to action was unambiguous: move from intent to actual delivery. This requires not just political will, but the "sustained resources to match," as several delegates noted.
H.E. Rob Beenders, Belgium’s Federal Minister for Consumer Protection and Equal Opportunities, reinforced his country’s dedication to this cause. “Belgium is firmly committed to ending violence against women and girls,” Beenders stated. “We have adopted landmark legislation, for example on femicide, but we know progress requires moving beyond legislation. Through coordinated policies, victim-centred approaches and strong data for evidence-based policymaking, we are working to prevent and address violence wherever it occurs—online and offline.”
The first-ever High-level Meeting on Violence Against Women and Girls concluded with a shared realization: the tools to end this global crisis already exist. The world has the data, the legal frameworks, and the expert knowledge required to protect every woman and girl. What has been missing is the consistent, well-funded, and high-level political priority that treats the safety of half the world’s population as a core governance issue. As the delegates departed New York, the mandate for the coming year was set: to ensure that the promises made at CSW70 translate into a world where no woman has to choose between her silence and her safety.
