Young feminist leadership at CSW69: Mobilizing a generation for gender equality, 30 years after the Beijing Platform for Action

The 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) kicked off with a powerful vision: renewing and advancing the commitments to fully implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action as it marks its 30th anniversary. In dedicated forums and spaces organized by UN Women, including interactive dialogues, side events, and a half-day Youth Forum, young feminists, and girl leaders delivered a unifying message: meaningful and effective progress hinges on their immediate and substantive involvement in shaping the policies and actions today.

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Scenes from the CSW69 High-level interactive dialogue with youth representatives on 14 March. The interactive dialogue reflected on the progress made since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action with youth representatives sharing insights, voicing challenges, and proposing innovative solutions to persistent issues such as gender-based violence, access to education, and economic empowerment. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Scenes from the CSW69 High-level interactive dialogue with youth representatives on 14 March. The interactive dialogue reflected on the progress made since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action with youth representatives sharing insights, voicing challenges, and proposing innovative solutions to persistent issues such as gender-based violence, access to education, and economic empowerment. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

CSW69 Global Youth Forum, 9 March

More than 180 young activists convened to strategize on influencing the implementation of the Beijing+30 Action Agenda. Through regional roundtables, intergenerational dialogues, and targeted strategy sessions, young feminists articulated the urgent need for redistributing power, increasing accountability, strategic institutional reforms, and the recognition of young feminists as equal partners, rather than mere stakeholders.

During discussions with UN Women representatives, including Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Maitree Muzumdar emphasized: “Our call to action is to decenter some of the power that is here and shift it back to the local, national, and regional, to center accountability and to institutionalize young feminists' leadership where we are leading processes, so that we are not just consulted but equal drivers and equal co-leaders.”

Read more about their reflections in “Gen Z-ero tolerance>

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Youth participants strategize for solutions at the CSW69 Youth Forum on 9 March, held at the Bohemian Hall in New York. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Youth participants strategize for solutions at the CSW69 Youth Forum on 9 March, held at the Bohemian Hall in New York. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Aligning the Beijing Platform for Action and the Pact for the Future, 12 March

During a solutions-focused dialogue, youth representatives advocated for transparent, actionable strategies to implement the Pact for the Future in alignment with the Beijing Platform for Action. Emphasizing accountability, speakers highlighted the need for clearly defined pathways for young feminist participation in decision-making processes and for data that reflect intersectional realities, including those of young women and girls with disabilities. Young panellists underscored actionable steps, such as securing meaningful participation for young women at negotiation tables and embedding inclusive accessibility into critical services, from education to health care.

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Panellists at the CSW69 High-level interactive dialogue: “Beijing@30: A dialogue with youth representatives” on 14 March, at UN Headquarters in New York. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Panellists at the CSW69 High-level interactive dialogue: “Beijing@30: A dialogue with youth representatives” on 14 March, at UN Headquarters in New York. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Rights, Equality, and Empowerment for All Girls, 13 March

At the “Rights, Equality and Empowerment for All Girls” conversation circle, young leaders presented clear, direct calls to action. These included prioritizing comprehensive sexuality education as a means of preventing sexual violence, proactive measures against technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and structured investments in digital literacy and economic empowerment. Participants stressed the importance of overcoming tokenistic inclusion and asserted that their presence in decision-making spaces should reflect the recognition of their capacities. Comfort Lamptey, UN Women’s Country Representative to Liberia, Lauren Rumble, representative of UNICEF, and Leyla Sharafi, representative of UNFPA, committed to meaningful participation and direct investment in adolescent girls, acknowledging the transformative power of early leadership development.

High-Level Interactive Dialogue Beijing@30, 14 March

The third high-level interactive dialogue with youth representatives reinforced young people’s role in bridging generational gaps and driving systemic change. Youth representatives, including Eva Chukwunelo and Sanjana Chhantyal, articulated critical demands for reforms that centre the realities of marginalized groups, especially women with disabilities and Indigenous women. Chhantyal specifically addressed how current financial structures reinforce gender inequalities, calling for substantial reforms in economic systems to ensure equitable access and value recognition. Participants called for concrete institutional reforms at every governance level—local, national, and international—including the UN Security Council—to ensure that gender equality is foundational for peace and inclusive societies.

“We must reform institutions at all levels, from local and national governments to international forums including the Security Council,” said Austrian Youth Delegate Jana Berchtold, “and ensure that women’s participation in policy and decision-making continues to be the bedrock for peaceful and inclusive societies.”

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Scenes from the Global Youth Forum on the eve of the opening of CSW69. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Scenes from the Global Youth Forum on the eve of the opening of CSW69. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Mobilizing for a gender-equal future

As CSW69 continues into its second week, sustained mobilization remains essential. Young feminist and adolescent leaders continue to advocate for structural reforms, inclusivity, and accountability in multilateral spaces such as the ECOSOC Youth Forum, the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), and the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80). Their goal is clear: convert promises into action, ensuring the next generation inherits a world where gender equality is not aspirational, but a lived reality for all.