My takeaway is this: we can vacate this space if we want, but those intent on dismantling gender equality won’t.

Building anew with feminist tools requires holding our ground within this fractured space, unwavering in our commitment to peace, human security, human rights, and substantive equality as the domains on which we will not compromise.

The Political Declaration at CSW69 marks a historic moment, including—for the first time—a reference to gender-based violence. This victory for feminist advocacy and organising came amid one of the most contentious negotiations in recent memory. Yet, the same document glaringly omits any mention of sexual and reproductive health and rights—an outrageous oversight in a declaration meant to affirm global support for advancing gender equality.

And the State leading efforts to roll back on previously agreed international language on gender equality? The United States. And the State that ultimately held the line and brought negotiations to a close without jeopardising the whole of the international system’s affirmed commitment to gender equality? Saudi Arabia. That probably wasn’t on your 2025 bingo card.

As one seasoned feminist activist put it, the uncertainty surrounding this year’s language negotiation and the potential consequences if consensus could not be reached on a Political Declaration^[1] have taken us to uncharted territory:

“We’re so far off the map that no one has the slightest idea of what will come next.”

For UN and geopolitical observers, how we got here is no surprise. The bigger question is, what does it mean going forward? By the US’s own admission, they will no longer accept the standards and agreements of the international system as a matter of course. They said this about the 2030 Agenda and the globally-agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but I believe it is clear that this extends to the entire international system—from gender equality, to trade, humanitarian response, peacekeeping and, of course, climate change. At best, this means everything going through the UN will be more difficult, hard-fought, and limited to areas of the narrowest of agreement. At worst, we will see some issues fall off the agenda entirely.

At times, it felt as though we might be at risk of fiddling while Rome burns as we seek to confront the well-organised, well-funded, and politically powerful anti-rights movement at the UN.  

One could be forgiven for asking whether our focus is in the right place as thousands of feminists around the world come together to invest deeply in every word, paragraph and nuance of the Political Declaration. Because, at the same time as we were doing that,  the Trump Administration was casually destroying alliances with its tariff policy and working hard to dismantle the international development system,  issuing a Stop Work Order on USAID and chaotically cancelling contracts. Israel broke the ceasefire agreement and launched new strikes on Gaza and Lebanon, and  European leaders were pulling money out of development to fund defence.

But words matter, particularly in ongoing multilateral spaces. They set precedents and determine whether we are moving forward, holding the line, or sliding backward.

My takeaway is this: we can vacate this space if we want, but those intent on dismantling gender equality won’t. And, for all its inadequacies, multilateralism is still the only system we have designed to counteract the doctrine of ‘might is right’. It may not be the place where we secure soaring victories or unequivocally see advances in beliefs, attitudes, norms and laws, but every inch we hold today can become a mile in the future. What we are living through isn’t necessarily the knock-down of an old system, but instead the scaffolding of a new one that is even further from the feminist future we envision. Building anew with feminist tools requires holding our ground within this fractured space, unwavering in our commitment to peace, human security, human rights, and substantive equality as the domains on which we will not compromise.

[1] CSW outcomes documents are agreed as a whole and by consensus.

At a time of disruption and concerted efforts to displace global frameworks and agreements, collective feminist thinking, organising and influencing is crucial.

The WRC holds space for and demonstrates the potential of a feminist future.

In contexts of challenge and disruption, the power of feminist collaboration really comes into its own. Feminist movements connect feminists and organisations across all regions and levels of engagement – within specific communities, across national landscapes and through global networks and alliances. At CSW, the annual multilateral forum focused on gender equality and women’s human rights, feminist collaboration forms the foundation for collective analysis, strategising, and distributed action.

The power and potential of feminist collaboration is exemplified by the Women’s Rights Caucus (WRC), a global, intersectional, and inclusive coalition of more than 200 feminist organisations, networks and collectives. The WRC coordinates and advocates before, during, and after CSW, ensuring sustained strategic engagement. Membership is grounded in a shared commitment to core feminist principles, with new members nominated by existing members and co-convenors elected from each geographic region. This structure fosters deep alignment, high trust, and rapid analysis and action informed by diverse lived experiences, insights, and strengths.

At a time of disruption and concerted efforts to displace global frameworks and agreements, collective feminist thinking, organising and influencing is crucial. The WRC holds space for and demonstrates the potential of a feminist future.

Participation in the WRC also amplifies the voice and influence of its member organisations and networks. Ideas and resources are shared, common messages are developed and communicated, and diverse relationships enable direct advocacy. Feminists are stronger together.

What stood out to me was the strong presence, engagement, and advocacy of Pacific feminists across parallel events, side events, formal meetings, and high-level discussions... Their advocacy ensured a strong Pacific voice and positioned an historically overlooked region firmly on the global agenda.

CSW69 was a powerful testament to the strength of feminist movements and resistance, especially amid multiple setbacks for gender equality and human rights globally. I was fortunate to attend my first CSW alongside IWDA partner organisations within the We Rise Coalition—a Pacific feminist coalition—supporting their efforts to amplify Pacific voices in global advocacy and highlight IWDA’s approaches to decolonisation and feminist movement strengthening.

What stood out to me was the strong presence, engagement, and advocacy of Pacific feminists across parallel events, side events, formal meetings, and high-level discussions. The We Rise Coalition partners, particularly IWDA’s partner organisation, the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM), spoke at multiple events, amplifying the demands of Pacific feminists and outlining the next steps needed to accelerate gender equality. Their advocacy ensured a strong Pacific voice and positioned an historically overlooked region firmly on the global agenda.

A personal highlight was participating as a panel speaker alongside We Rise Coalition members from FWRM, femLINKPacific, and Sista at events hosted by the Generation Equality Action Coalition and the Government of Malawi. We discussed the power of feminist movements in the Pacific, the Beijing Platform for Action’s implementation in the Pacific, and how INGOs can support locally led development through decolonial approaches.

These sessions provided a platform to showcase the We Rise Coalition and IWDA movement-strengthening approaches including the We Rise Diversity, Inclusion, Engagement and Movement Strategy and IWDA’s Decolonial Framework and Strategy and Feminist Movement Strengthening Framework.  These frameworks play a key role in supporting movement-building spaces such as the Pacific Feminist Forum and ensuring Asia-Pacific feminists are in global advocacy spaces.

As a first-time CSW attendee, I was struck by how months of preparation by We Rise Coalition members contributed directly to key decision-making at CSW. A critical example of this was the role played by the We Rise Coalition and FWRM in ensuring a strong Pacific voice and commitment in the Beijing+30 review process. As a leader in the Beijing+30 Civil Society Steering Committee for Asia and the Pacific, FWRM supported the planning and implementation of four virtual consultations, engaging over 500 participants (documented here), as well as two regional convenings—the Beijing+30 Asia-Pacific CSO Forum and the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Beijing+30. Their work reinforced Pacific feminist leadership and ensured regional priorities were firmly represented in the review process.

Without accurate gender and broader intersectional data, we cannot fully understand why urgent issues—such as the care economy and the dual burden placed on women, economic empowerment, gender-based violence, and climate change—continue to disproportionately impact women.

It was my first time participating in this vibrant convergence of official delegations, agencies, and NGOs focused on gender equality. In today’s political climate, gathering in New York to reflect on progress and challenges 30 years after the Beijing Declaration felt more necessary than ever.

What stood out to me was that the path to gender equality is far from linear. I witnessed how multiple actors participating at CSW69 shared their own journeys, levels of progress, and ongoing struggles. These diverse perspectives served as a powerful reminder that gender equality unfolds differently across regions and realities shaped by political, social and economic contexts.

Despite the progress, many challenges remain strikingly persistent. Yet, one factor emerged as a key ally in advancing gender equality: the need to produce, use and preserve accurate, intersectional gender data that truly reflects women’s individual lived realities, especially in developing countries, conflict zones, and regions where gender equality remains most elusive. Without accurate gender and broader intersectional data, we cannot fully understand why urgent issues—such as the care economy and the dual burden placed on women, economic empowerment, gender-based violence, and climate change—continue to disproportionately impact women.

This experience at CSW reaffirmed my commitment to strengthening the data ecosystem as a bridge between data and feminist advocacy. By uncovering women’s hidden realities and, more importantly, supporting informed, transformative solutions, we can drive meaningful progress toward gender equality.

Interest in, and demand for, feminist data continues to grow beyond traditional data circles, and I'm here for it.

Being in New York at such a pivotal time for gender equality globally (and, in the case of the US, locally), especially when we are on the precipice of potentially taking some big steps backwards in gender equality, it was invigorating to immerse myself in this multilateral feminist space—challenging and sharing power, championing diversity, and celebrating joy.

Equally invigorating—particularly for those of us working in the data space—was the growing recognition that inclusive, intersectional data is essential for advancing gender equality. Across the various CSW platforms, the message was clear: Without inclusive data, the lived experiences of marginalised communities are erased from policymaking, resource allocation, and global decision-making. Conversations spanned citizen data, intersectional data and new data methods for measuring gender equality.

A highlight for me was the pre-CSW iCount Coalition workshop,  which brought together partners to operationalise iCount’s mission to drive data innovation and increase visibility for marginalised groups in development data. Later in the week iCount’s event , “The iCount Coalition: Shaping Data Futures That Centre Individuals” saw a full room and willing engagement from attendees,  confirming to me that interest in, and demand for, feminist data is growing far beyond traditional data circles, with 81% of attendees stating the data they need is only sometimes available. This emphasis is expanding across multiple multilateral space—evident in the recently released draft outcome statement for the fourth conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), in which data was referenced 44 times.

But data is more than numbers—it is about the individuals behind the numbers. From what I saw at CSW, there is a growing commitment to ensuring that the data we collect tells the stories of all of us, not just some of us.