UN Commission on the Status of Women

The Persephone Network has launched the second edition of the Australian Youth Statement for CSW70, amplifying young Australian’s calls for equality, justice and a genuine seat at the decision-making table.

Read here
Read here

So, why CSW and what is it?

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the UN’s principal annual forum for advancing gender equality and the rights of women and girls. Each March, governments, UN agencies and civil society come together at UN Headquarters in New York to review progress, negotiate outcomes, and set global priorities. Every CSW has a priority theme and a review theme - this year’s themes included access to justice and women’s participation in decision-making and public life.

How is The Persephone Network involved?

The Persephone Network participates in CSW to make sure young people’s lived experience and solutions are reflected in international policy conversations and to build the next generation of feminist advocates. We do this in two main ways:

The Australian Youth Statement

TPN creates a national youth-led statement that captures what young people across Australia are experiencing, what they want to change, and the concrete outcomes they expect decision-makers to deliver. Each year, we:

  • collect insights from young people (e.g. survey, consultations and written submissions)

  • analyse key issues affecting young women and gender-diverse people

  • draft clear, concrete recommendations aligned to CSW negotiations and outcomes

  • publish and share the Statement with decision-makers, partners and the broader community.

The Youth Delegation

In collaboration with Girls Run the World, we lead a small delegation of young leaders who attend CSW in New York at UN Headquarters. Our Youth Delegation is designed to:

  • represent and advocate for youth priorities in CSW spaces

  • attend official sessions, side events and civil society forums

  • engage with the Australian Government delegation and other stakeholders

  • take learnings back and share them with the wider community

  • report back to young people in Australia and strengthen ongoing advocacy

  • map Australia’s progress against international benchmarks and work with international communities to ensure a better future for all

Together, these projects translate youth voices into policy-ready recommendations, amplify young feminist leadership in global spaces, and strengthen intergenerational advocacy. You can read more about both these projects below.

CSW70 (2026)

CSW70 focuses on advancing rights, accountability and systems that enable all women and girls to live free from discrimination and violence through two key themes:

  • Priority theme: Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers

  • Review theme: Women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls

CSW70 Australian Youth Statement

Our 2026 Youth Statement was powered by young people’s voices across Australia and calls for practical action that strengthens rights, safety and equity.

Key themes raised through our youth consultation and drafting include:

  • Meaningful youth participation and political representation (moving beyond tokenism, with formal pathways, resourcing and accountability)

  • Digital safety and technology-facilitated gender-based violence (prevention, education, platform accountability and survivor-centred responses)

  • Economic justice (living costs, secure work, protection for marginalised groups, and recognition of care)

  • Climate justice (equitable adaptation, Indigenous knowledge, and responses to displacement and disaster)

Read the CSW70 Youth Statement here
Read the CSW70 Youth Statement here

CSW70 Youth Delegation

Our CSW70 Youth Delegation attended CSW to advocate for these priorities and contribute to learning, relationship-building and collective action with partners.

Events and participation: (CAN WE ADD OUR PICTURES, Hannahs event and a run down of what we did and a content section?)

  • Interactive Youth Dialogue at CSW70 (UN Women / UN official programme)

  • Civil society forums and parallel events aligned to access to justice and youth leadership

  • Meetings and briefings with relevant stakeholders and partners

CSW69 (2025)

CSW69 was the Beijing+30 review, marking 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action — a global roadmap for gender equality.

CSW69 Australian Youth Statement

In 2025, we created the first Australian Youth Statement to CSW. The Statement captured young people’s priorities and translated their asks into clear language for decision-makers.

Key themes were

  • Youth leadership and transparency in decision-making (formal mechanisms, funding, reporting and measurable inclusion)

  • Intersectional equality (centring First Nations voices and multi-marginalised communities)

  • Climate justice and Indigenous knowledge

  • Digital safety and technology-facilitated abuse

  • Economic justice and rights (social protection, labour rights and fair economic policy)

Read the CSW69 Youth Statement here
Read the CSW69 Youth Statement here

CSW70 Youth Delegation

Our CSW70 Youth Delegation attended CSW to advocate for these priorities and contribute to learning, relationship-building and collective action with partners.

Events and participation: (CAN WE ADD OUR PICTURES, Hannahs event and a run down of what we did and a content section?)