United Nations 2026 annual Commission for the Status of Women CSW 70
The seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 9 to 20 March 2026.
Priority theme: Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers.
Review theme: Women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-fifth session).
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Bridging the Digital Divide for Women and Girls
NAR Governor Elizabeth Peterson’s CSW69 Perspective
After attending the 69th annual Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations as a Soroptimist International Delegate, it is clear to me that there is a digital divide for women and girls in both the Global North and the Global South. One of this year’s focuses, advancing gender equality in the digital age, revealed how technology is both empowering and endangering worldwide. From cyberbullying to deepfakes and disinformation campaigns, technically-facilitated gender-based violence is rising, targeting women in leadership and silencing marginalized voices.
Governments must create policies that hold tech companies accountable and protect online safety. Schools should offer digital literacy to empower the next generation. And we must continue to encourage women to enter tech careers where their ideas and presence can drive real change.
Despite challenges, global momentum is growing. Around the world, leaders, advocates, and allies are working together to make digital spaces safer and more equitable.The world keeps pushing forward on both grassroots and macro levels toward equality being the norm and not the exception, both online and off.
The following articles were written by Elizabeth Peterson chronicling the general sessions she attended in March 2025 as a Delegate to the United Nations 69th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69).
This is the location of all the SI blogs: Soroptimist International Blog
And here are links to each individual blogs.
REIMAGINING MOTHERHOOD: A CELEBRATION OF PURPOSE AND COMMUNITY
LEVERAGING AI TO BRIDGE THE GENDER GAP IN TECHNOLOGY
HOW ARE DIGITAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN AND MARGINALISED GROUPS GOING?
Occupy Cyberspace: The Urgent Need for International Digital Protections
Digital Violence Against Women: A Threat to Democracy and the Urgency for Global Action
THE I COUNT! COALITION: SHAPING DATA FUTURES THAT CENTRE INDIVIDUALS
SIA Board of Directors member, Gail Dekreon, attended many sessions with Gov. Beth and wrote these impactful articles:
EMPOWERING WOMEN TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL
30 YEARS OF WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION TOWARDS FULL PARITY
Achieving Gender equality in the digital age
2025-2026 Soroptimist Leadership Fellows Program
June 28, 2025, 1 – 4 p.m. EDT (virtual)
December TBA, 2025, 1 – 4 p.m. EST (virtual)
July 25, 2026, Graduation Ceremony at SIA’s 49th Biennial Convention’s Closing Session
July 26, 2026, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. KST (in person in Incheon, South Korea)
Piloted in English-only
UpliftHER
Soroptimists UpliftHER is SIA’s exciting new initiative. Once a quarter, we will focus on an obstacle that women and girls face on their path to formal education and economic empowerment. SIA headquarters will share information about the obstacle, as well as suggested projects related to that obstacle that count towards our Big Goal. Clubs can participate in the quarterly project focus by sharing SIA posts and posting their own projects with the hashtag #SoroptimistsUpliftHER.
For the month of October will focus on education and projects that increase education for women who have experienced intimate partner violence. The impact of intimate partner violence on a woman or girl’s life is substantial and can certainly derail her education or career.
Clubs or regions with the capacity to consider starting a new project may wish to partner with a local shelter to provide professional dress clothing and training on interview basics, resume writing, and career advancement for women who have experienced violence. This ensures that women rebuilding their lives can pursue economic empowerment without facing additional barriers like the lack of professional clothing or interview skills. Be sure to report it as a Big Goal Accelerator Project!
Does your club or region have a different project that increases access to education for women impacted by intimate partner violence? We’d love to hear about it! Post about it using the hashtag #SoroptimistsUpliftHER.
Visit SIA website to read and learn more about the Recognition and Branding Tools, and SIA’s Strategic Plan.