The halls of the United Nations Headquarters in New York resonated with a sense of urgent determination on March 12, 2026, as the international community gathered to mark a pivotal anniversary. Five years after its inception, the Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls convened on the sidelines of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). While the occasion was a celebration of a half-decade of diplomatic cooperation, the atmosphere was tempered by the sobering reality that for many women and girls around the world, the promise of safety remains a distant hope rather than a lived reality. This high-level meeting brought together a powerful coalition of Member States, UN leadership, and grassroots civil society partners, all of whom agreed that the world has reached a critical juncture where political rhetoric must finally be replaced by durable, measurable impact.
Established in 2020 during a period of global upheaval, the Group of Friends has grown from a nascent initiative into a formidable diplomatic bloc. Today, it boasts 96 members representing every region of the globe, serving as a vital mechanism for strengthening international cooperation, sharing innovative policy solutions, and mobilizing the financial resources necessary to both prevent and respond to gender-based violence. However, as the delegates looked back on five years of work, they were forced to confront a landscape of heightened risk. The progress made in the early 2020s is now facing a “perfect storm” of challenges: escalating armed conflicts, deepening economic instability, a sophisticated global backlash against gender equality, and the rapid emergence of new threats in the digital and artificial intelligence sectors.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed delivered a stirring address that cut to the heart of the current geopolitical climate. She warned that the international community is at risk of losing its moral compass if it continues to prioritize militarism over the protection of its most vulnerable citizens. “It’s time to pull the world back from the brink of celebrating war while abandoning women and girls,” Mohammed stated with striking clarity. Her message was a call to dismantle the structures of power that permit violence to flourish. “That begins with calling out the forms of power that we are rewarding. It continues with refusing impunity in every guise. It deepens when we protect those who speak out for justice.” Her words served as a reminder that violence against women is not an isolated social issue, but a symptom of broader systemic failures and the normalization of aggression in global governance.
The statistical reality remains staggering. Despite years of advocacy and the expansion of legal frameworks, nearly one in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. This figure has remained stubbornly high, even as Member States have worked to strengthen national action plans and domestic legislation. The consensus among the speakers at CSW70 was that while the “laws on the books” have improved significantly, the “laws in practice” are failing. This “implementation gap” became the central theme of the day, with participants highlighting how economic pressures and shrinking civic spaces are making it increasingly difficult for survivors to access the very protections that governments claim to provide.
The European Union’s Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Response, Hadja Lahbib, emphasized that the current resistance to women’s rights is not accidental but orchestrated. She pointed out that as the movement for equality has gained ground, a coordinated counter-movement has emerged to roll back hard-won gains. “But no country can do this alone,” Lahbib asserted. “The backlash is coordinated. So our response must also be coordinated. As we mark the fifth anniversary of the Group of Friends, let’s renew our commitment together. To stand beside women and girls, for their safety, their dignity, and their justice.” This call for a unified front is particularly relevant as international institutions face increasing pressure from factions seeking to deprioritize gender-responsive policies in favor of traditionalist or isolationist agendas.
A significant portion of the discussion focused on the specific theme of CSW70: the desperate need for real-world access to justice. Experts noted that even in countries with robust legal protections, the path to accountability is often blocked by a lack of funding for frontline services. When national budgets are tightened, women’s rights organizations are often the first to see their resources slashed. This financial strangulation is happening at the exact moment when the demand for services—such as domestic violence shelters, legal aid, and psychological support—is skyrocketing. Without long-term, predictable financing and better coordination between the justice, health, and social service sectors, the international community’s various “national action plans” risk becoming little more than empty promises.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous provided a grim update on the state of the feminist movement’s infrastructure. She revealed that according to recent UN Women analysis, the organizations that survivors rely on most are being pushed to the breaking point. “The strong feminist movements and organizations we depend on are ever-more underfunded,” Bahous warned. “UN-Women’s analysis shows us that over one-third are suspending programmes addressing violence, and almost all report severe reductions in women’s and girls’ access to essential services.” This systemic defunding represents a quiet crisis that threatens to undo decades of progress, leaving survivors with nowhere to turn and allowing perpetrators to operate with renewed confidence.
Adding to these traditional challenges is the rapidly evolving frontier of technology-facilitated violence. The 2026 meeting highlighted how the digital sphere has become a primary battlefield for harassment and abuse. From the use of AI to create non-consensual deepfake imagery to the coordinated online “swarming” of women in public life, the landscape of harm is shifting faster than justice systems can adapt. Participants expressed deep concern that human rights defenders, journalists, and female politicians are being specifically targeted to silence their voices and drive them out of the public square. The Group of Friends noted that online violence remains dangerously under-regulated, creating a culture of impunity that mirrors the physical world and tests the capacity of modern legal systems to provide meaningful redress.
To combat these multifaceted threats, the meeting showcased the power of targeted partnerships, such as the EU-funded “ACT to End Violence against Women Programme.” This initiative, managed by UN Women, focuses on investing directly in women’s rights movements and fostering cross-sector alliances. By strengthening the advocacy capacity of civil society, the ACT programme aims to create a more resilient network of accountability that can withstand political shifts and funding cuts. This model of “partnership that delivers” was hailed as a blueprint for how international aid can be more effectively channeled to those on the front lines.
Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the founder of the Women Aid Collective (WACOL) and a partner in the ACT programme, brought a grassroots perspective to the high-level dialogue. Her testimony underscored the disconnect between high-level diplomacy and the reality on the ground in many communities. “The laws exist, but they continue to fail survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,” Ezeilo explained. “The problem is not a lack of legislation, but a lack of enforcement, resourcing, and accountability. Justice systems must be accessible and affordable, while civic space for women’s rights defenders is protected.” She highlighted how organizations like WACOL use evidence-based advocacy to push for the specific reforms that survivors actually need, rather than what policymakers assume they need.
As the session drew to a close, the overarching message was clear: ending violence against women and girls requires a survivor-centered, gender-responsive approach that prioritizes healing over bureaucracy. Speakers stressed that justice must be inclusive and non-discriminatory, ensuring that women do not face re-traumatization when they step forward to report a crime. Furthermore, they argued that lasting change cannot be achieved through response alone. Prevention remains the ultimate goal, which requires a deep and sustained commitment to addressing the root causes of violence, challenging harmful gender norms, and engaging entire communities—including men and boys—in the fight for equality.
The fifth anniversary of the Group of Friends was more than a commemorative event; it was a renewal of a global contract. In a world that feels increasingly fragmented, the 96 members of this group have pledged to remain a cohesive force for change. As the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women continues, the focus will remain on turning these high-level discussions into tangible safety for every woman and girl, ensuring that the next five years are defined not by the “implementation gap,” but by the delivery of true justice and durable impact.
