Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society from all regions of the world will convene in New York for the Commission on the Status of Women and Beijing+30 from 10-21 March 2025. They must commit to funding young people, youth organisations, and movements championing gender equality.
The main focus of the sixty-ninth session will be on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Restless Development Role at CSW
Over the past four years, Restless Development has played an instrumental role in accompanying young feminists to engage in the CSW space in safe and meaningful ways under the global We Lead sexual rights program. We have partnered with UN Women and the Young Feminist Caucus to centre the voice of rights holders in lobbying for progressive language in the CSW outcome documents.
Restless Development is part of the Beijing 30+ Youth Steering Committee and young feminist caucus and is promoting diverse voices to feed into the CSW revitalisation and political declaration process.
Restless Development will also be accompanying ten rights holders from Africa, Central America and MENA who will be attending CSW, funded by Hivos.
Connect with us
- Are you attending CSW in New York? If so, register Here to attend the feminist event “What Brings You Hope” and connect you to fellow Youth Collective members.
- Sign up to the Youth Collective to be on our mailing list and receive funding opportunities and exciting and engaging events Post CSW69.
- Restless Development will partner with UN Women to co-host the Youth dialogue and facilitate regional roundtable discussions happening on 9 March. Register to attend here
- Moufeeda Haidar, our Senior Regional Program Coordinator, will moderate a session titled, For All Women and Girls: Rights, Empowerment, and Accountability – Beijing+30. A Young Feminist Dialogue with UN Women hosted by NGO CSW NY in collaboration with UN Women and young feminists on 11 March 2025 at 1:30 – 2:15 PM ET at the UN Secretariat (CR 4)
Find the latest official information on the CSW 69 here.
Why we are attending CSW+30 Beijing
Gender equality and sexual rights are fundamental priorities for young people and core to realising a just and equitable world. Young people have the right to live free from violence, discrimination, and stigma and to access youth-friendly, affirming, reproductive health care and services.
We have been supporting youth-led systemic change to achieve this vision.
Since 2020, we have reached 697,496 young people with our sexual health and rights work, and many more when we include our work on gender equity. Our young volunteers work with are dynamic behaviour change agents, reaching out to communities to raise awareness and supporting other young people to take control of their health and rights.
Youth-Led Impact Through Advancing Gender Equality Across the Globe
In India, we delivered sexual rights training to 8,850 young people through the MTV Nishedh programme. Pre and post training surveys showed an improvement of young people’s knowledge of contraception from 64% to 92%.
In Eastern Uganda, through the Strengthening Community-led Redress for SGBV project, aimed at improving access to justice for adolescent girls and young women we reached 1,231 young people in just one year, through awareness campaigns led by 45 SGBV champions and 30 Community Response Agents (CRAs), significantly raising awareness about both formal and informal SGBV reporting channels. As a result, there was an increase in the reporting of SGBV cases, with 628 survivors referred for support, with 83% of cases being resolved at the community level and the rest directed to authorities. This initiative played a key role in enhancing community-based responses and improving justice access for vulnerable young women and girls.
In Nepal we reached 45,990 women and girls and 14,461 community leaders as part of our efforts to reduce practices related to Chhaupadi – a traditional practice of discrimination and isolation of women and girls during their menstruation period. We saw a 73% reduction in worst practice incidents.
In Tanzania, our groundbreaking Mabinti Tushike Hatamu peer-education programme reduced the vulnerability of out-of-school girls facing the risk of HIV/AIDS, pregnancy and gender based violence. Training on entrepreneurship and sexual health reached over 7,000 girls.
In MENA, Central America and Africa we are running the We Lead program, a daring programme that will improve the lives of young women across the world to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of every young woman by 2030.Our mid-term review assessment across nine countries showed improved access and utilisation of SRHR information and services: In most countries, young women reported that they experienced progress in health care providers’ awareness of young women’s SRHR needs and situations. Access to face-to-face SRHR services and information improved since the initiation of We Lead activities: 75% reporting better access to services and 82% reporting easier access to information. 72% of the young women noted that, as a result of their involvement in We Lead, and the improvement in access to SRHR information and services, they now use SRHR information and services more frequently.
In the UK, we are working with young people as part of the Walking the Talk programme advocating for more and better Official Development Assistance (ODA)for gender equality, as well as youth-led thought leadership on the role Feminist Foreign Policies can play globally. At the end of February, 2025 of our Walking The Talk campaigners met with 40 MPs in the House of Lords, sharing their lived experiences and making the case for stronger investment in gender equality across the globe.
Watch this video to learn their top advice for anyone wanting to get involved in advocacy and create real change. Whether you’re passionate about gender equality, climate justice, or youth empowerment, their tips will help you take action, find your voice, and make an impact.
