At CSW 70, Global Reproductive Rights Face Progress and Pushback

Seventy years after the United Nations was established with a foundational pledge to advance the rights and empowerment of women and girls globally, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) remains the preeminent international forum dedicated to these critical objectives. Each March, CSW convenes global leaders, policymakers, advocates, and experts to assess progress, identify persistent challenges, and reaffirm commitments to achieving gender equality. The 70th session of the Commission, CSW70, held from March 9th to March 19th, 2026, placed a significant emphasis on the imperative of ensuring and strengthening women and girls’ access to justice. This focus directly aligns with the core mission of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a leading legal advocacy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) through legal and policy reform.

Throughout CSW70, the Center for Reproductive Rights played a pivotal role, offering expert advice to Member States during the complex negotiation processes that shape the Commission’s official outcomes. Beyond advisory capacities, the Center actively hosted and participated in numerous side events and forums designed to dissect strategies for reforming discriminatory laws and expanding access to comprehensive justice within the framework of SRHR. These engagements brought together a diverse array of stakeholders, including government representatives, international legal scholars, grassroots activists, and human rights defenders, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas and best practices.

The Center’s delegation at CSW70 comprised seasoned professionals from various regions, underscoring the global reach of their advocacy. Among them were Elsy Sainna, Associate Director for Advocacy and External Relations for Africa; Maria Cecilia Ibanez Garcia, Senior Advocacy Advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean; and Kiefer Kofman, Global Advocacy Advisor. Their collective expertise and on-the-ground experience were instrumental in navigating the multifaceted discussions and advocating for the integration of SRHR principles into the Commission’s deliberations.

In the aftermath of CSW70, Elsy, Maria Cecilia, and Kiefer shared their insights on the enduring significance of the Commission in the global struggle for reproductive rights, the formidable challenges that continue to impede progress, and their strategic outlook for advancing this crucial agenda.

The Indispensable Role of CSW in Advancing Reproductive Rights

The Commission on the Status of Women serves as a vital global platform for confronting and dissecting the evolving landscape of threats to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) worldwide. It provides an essential arena for contributing to legal and policy discourse, not only to safeguard existing commitments but also to actively push back against regressive forces seeking to undermine these fundamental rights.

Maria Cecilia Ibanez Garcia underscored CSW’s critical function in shaping global norms. "It’s a key space to shape global norms on gender issues, including SRHR," she stated. "At a time of growing backlash, it allows us not only to defend existing commitments, but to push forward new standards—creating new entry points to advance rights across contexts." This proactive approach is crucial in an era marked by concerted efforts to erode established rights.

Kiefer Kofman highlighted CSW’s oversight function in relation to a landmark document: "It also monitors progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA), a roadmap for advancing women’s rights which all countries have committed to." The BDPfA, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, remains a comprehensive and aspirational framework for achieving gender equality. Kofman elaborated, "The adopted outcome at the end of annual CSW sessions represents a renewed agreement from every country to accelerate the implementation of the BDPfA and advance the human rights of all women and girls, including SRHR." This cyclical reaffirmation of commitment is a cornerstone of the international human rights system.

Elsy Sainna emphasized the Commission’s role in holding states accountable. "We intend to remind states of their obligations to protect, promote and fulfill… SRHR standards," she asserted. This involves leveraging international legal frameworks and diplomatic pressure to ensure that states uphold their commitments under international and regional human rights treaties.

The Escalating Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

The landscape of SRHR is increasingly besieged by tangible and insidious rollbacks. Maria Cecilia Ibanez Garcia detailed these threats: "SRHR is being undermined through very tangible rollbacks, such as the criminalization of abortion, the prosecution of women and girls for obstetric emergencies, and increasing restrictions that make services harder to access in practice." These legal and practical barriers disproportionately affect marginalized communities, exacerbating existing inequalities.

Beyond direct restrictions, there are concerted efforts to subtly dismantle protections. Garcia continued, "We are also seeing attempts to reinterpret and weaken established standards in international human rights law. At the same time, anti-rights actors are actively working to influence laws, policies, and public discourse at the national level to roll back protections and limit autonomy." This deliberate campaign to influence public opinion and legislative agendas poses a significant challenge to the sustained advancement of SRHR.

Elsy Sainna characterized these actions as deliberate assaults on fundamental rights. "These are intentional attacks on constitutional and legal guarantees and safeguards, fueled by misinformation and disinformation attributed to conservative and religious ideologies." The weaponization of information and ideology to undermine established rights is a growing concern within the human rights community.

Kiefer Kofman provided a stark illustration of these efforts within the UN system itself. "Conservative states, with the support of anti-rights groups, are also attempting to undermine long-standing international commitments on gender equality and SRHR and to challenge long-accepted terminology and concepts," he explained. Kofman recounted a specific incident: "At the UN earlier this year, we saw attempts to entirely remove the phrase ‘sexual and reproductive health’ from a resolution on children’s rights—a bid to erase a fundamental aspect of health and well-being to fit an extremist agenda." This tactic of semantic erasure is a precursor to the erosion of substantive rights.

He further detailed another alarming development at CSW70: "At CSW, the United States introduced unprecedented amendments and a last-minute resolution that would have weakened commitments on gender equality and human rights." This move, widely criticized by human rights advocates, highlighted the contentious nature of SRHR discussions within multilateral forums and the persistent efforts to derail progress. The United States’ singular vote against the adoption of the CSW70 outcome document underscored its isolation on these critical issues.

Charting a Course Forward: Strategies for Progress

Despite the formidable challenges, the path forward requires a multifaceted and resolute approach. Kiefer Kofman articulated the Center’s unwavering commitment: "The Center has shown time and again that even in challenging environments, progress is possible—including at the UN." He highlighted the collective action taken at CSW70: "During this past CSW, as part of the Women’s Rights Caucus, we worked to ensure that Member States prioritized SRHR in the outcome document and to keep them from accepting the U.S.’s regressive amendments and resolution." The successful isolation of the United States on this issue was a significant diplomatic victory for SRHR advocates.

Kofman affirmed the Center’s long-term strategy: "We will continue to be relentless in ensuring SRHR are recognized as fundamental human rights across the UN system and that Member States at the UN respect, protect and fulfill them for all in line with their obligations under international human rights law." This commitment to holding states accountable to their treaty obligations is paramount.

Elsy Sainna emphasized the importance of dialogue and reminders of state obligations. "Through constructive engagements and dialogue, we intend to remind states of their obligations to protect, promote and fulfill the SRHR standards contained in international and regional human rights norms & standards to which the majority of states are party, including regional treaties like the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol)." The Maputo Protocol, a landmark regional treaty, provides a robust framework for advancing women’s rights in Africa, including comprehensive SRHR provisions.

Maria Cecilia Ibanez Garcia outlined a comprehensive strategy that combines legal action, advocacy, and grassroots empowerment. "We move forward by combining strategies: holding states accountable to existing commitments, continuing our work to advance stronger legal standards through litigation and advocacy, and supporting local actors to use these tools in practice." This integrated approach recognizes that sustainable change requires both top-down legal reform and bottom-up empowerment. She concluded with a forward-looking perspective: "Ultimately, it’s about remembering everything that the movement has achieved so far—gains that endure despite rollback attempts—and continuing to connect global norms with real change on the ground."

Looking Ahead: Persistent Progress Amidst Pushback

CSW70 served as a potent reminder that despite concerted opposition, a significant portion of the global community remains deeply committed to defending and advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights. The persistent pushback encountered at the Commission underscores the urgency of ongoing advocacy, but it also highlights the resilience of the movement.

Recent legal victories offer concrete evidence that progress is not only achievable but is actively unfolding on the ground. The groundbreaking Celia Ramos v. Peru decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which recognized reproductive violence as a form of gender-based discrimination, represents a significant legal precedent that can be leveraged across the region. Furthermore, the freeing of Violet Zulu, a single mother who faced imprisonment in Zambia for obtaining an abortion, demonstrates the tangible impact of advocacy efforts in challenging unjust laws and securing justice for individuals. These victories, alongside numerous others, reaffirm that the fight for reproductive rights is yielding concrete results, even in the face of significant headwinds.

As delegates depart from the United Nations headquarters, the focus shifts towards continued engagement and the anticipation of CSW71. The lessons learned and the alliances forged at CSW70 will undoubtedly inform future advocacy efforts. In the interim, a review of other recent global wins for reproductive rights provides further impetus and inspiration for the ongoing struggle to ensure universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights. The commitment to these rights remains unwavering, fueled by the knowledge that progress, though often hard-won, is indeed possible and is continuously being made.