The UN Commission on the Status of Women

In 2025, the Persephone Network (then called Girls Run) created the first Australian Youth Statement to UN CSW. This Statement captured the voices of young people across the country and translated their asks into concrete language for the negotiated text at CSW69. The Statement was presented to the Australian Government Delegation by Girls Run’s Youth Delegation. Five young women attended CSW at the United Nations in New York and advocated for the inclusion of young people’s voices in the Government’s negotiating position.

Read the CSW69 Youth Statement

Founded in 1946, the United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women is an annual event held at UN Headquarters in New York. This gathering includes global leaders, governmental representatives, NGOs, campaigners, and civil society representatives. Each year, the Commission discusses a range of gender equality issues with a focus on two themes - a priority theme and a review theme. In 2026, at CSW70, the themes will focus on access to justice and participation in decision-making.

Read about the 2025 Youth Delegation's experiences

Read the Australian Youth Statement to CSW70

Young people are underrepresented and structurally locked out of decision-making, despite being on the front line of intersecting crises. The Persephone Network has surveyed young people across Australia and created this Statement to advocate for their voices at the United Nations.

This year’s CSW focuses on gender equality and justice demands that governments and institutions share power with the people who will inherit the consequences of today’s decisions.

Young people’s priorities included:

  • safety and freedom from gender-based violence, including technology-facilitated abuse

  • bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health rights

  • economic and housing security

  • climate and environmental justice

We are not asking to simply be consulted. We are demanding co-governance: real decision-making roles, clear accountability, and follow-through.

Read the CSW70 Youth Statement

Meet the 2026 Delegation

In March 2026, Girls Run the World and The Persephone Network are co-leading an intergenerational delegation to UN CSW70. Our eight-person delegation represents the diversity of feminist leadership in Australia, including First Nations advocates, LGBTQIA+ voices, people with disability, and representatives from regional and remote communities as well as representatives from refugee and migrant diasporas. Each delegate brings unique expertise and lived experience to conversations about women's rights and gender equality.

Delegates will attend official CSW sessions and consultations, participate in side events aligned with youth and gender equality priorities, engage with regional partners and women's rights organisations, present the Australian Youth Statement to a number of domestic and international stakeholders, and document learnings and advocacy outcomes. Our delegates don't just attend— they lead, advocate, and create lasting change in their communities long after the event concludes.

Read their profiles here

FAQs about CSW

Let us know if we’ve missed your question and we’ll add it to this page!

  • Being on the ground in New York is no doubt one of the most chaotic experiences with some incredible highs and certainly some lows. Thousands of government and civil society delegates descend on UN headquarters for the two week period with over 1000 events happening during that time. The full Commission consists of the official governmental negotiations, side events (hosted by governments), and parallel events (held by NGOs, usually at a separate location near the UN). 

    The primary output for most Commissions (with the exception of review years but those only happen every 5 years) is for governments to negotiate and create a document called the Agreed Conclusions. This document focuses on the priority and review theme set for the year but also covers lots of aspects of gender equality. They are often not very long documents so precise language is incredibly important. The Agreed Conclusions also have to be adopted by total consensus and even one member-state disagreeing can prevent the whole thing from passing.

  • Australia has very strong participation at CSW in both the government and civil society spheres. You can read more about the history of Australia’s engagement here. Every year, an official Australian Government delegation is sent, often consisting of Parliamentarians, senior public servants, and several civil society representatives. The Government Delegation advocates for Australia’s gender equality priorities and participates in the official negotiations on the Agreed Conclusions. 

    Outside of the Government Delegation, there are often a number of representatives from different civil society organisations. These representatives attend and host events, provide support for each other on the ground, and liaise with the Government Delegation.

  • Language is incredibly important at CSW and at any international policy event. It is a crucial tool for advocacy and even small tweaks in phrasing can have a massive impact on meaning. The Equality Right Alliance put together this brilliant primer on language advocacy at CSW that we would highly recommend!

  • Civil society refers to non-governmental representatives - often those from NGOs (like us!), civic groups, faith-based organisations, and community groups to name a few. They play a really important role in representing the views of different groups and their presence at the UN is crucial. At CSW, civil society representation is massive and there is a really strong community of representatives. Civil society is not allowed into the official negotiations (that is only for governmental representatives) but they often spend time working with the government reps, hosting and attending events, and creating global networks and coalitions.

  • The Australian Youth Statement to CSW is an initiative of The Persephone Network (Girls Run the World’s umbrella organisation) that aims to bring Australian youth voices to CSW. The process starts with a nationwide survey of young people which is used to identify key priorities and issues. The results of that survey are then used to craft a statement which includes an overview of young people’s views and a specific translation of how those views would be reflected in the negotiated language at CSW. The Statement is sent to Australia’s government representatives, shared across civil society networks, and we take copies to hand out at CSW!

  • There are a couple of pathways to attend in person. Firstly, the Australian Government does include a limited number (usually two) of civil society representatives on its official delegation. Secondly, UN ground passes for CSW can be obtained through ECOSOC-accredited organisations though these can be limited and difficult to come by. We will also be trying to take another youth delegation next year so stay tuned for details on that!