Seven women’s organisations from Aotearoa who were
at the recent United Nations Commission on the Status of
Women (CSW) in New York are calling for urgent action –
urging the New Zealand Government to honour the 1995 Beijing
Platform for Action to ensure gender equality across all
intersections, in Aotearoa.
Many countries at CSW
reported a growing and alarming resistance to gender
equality efforts, and recent rhetoric and policies from the
United States have emboldened this
opposition.
The UN’s ‘We
the Women’ research, which came out last year –
was conducted across 185 countries involving 25,000+
responses. Key takeouts for Aotearoa:
– Women in
New Zealand and Australia are not as optimistic that their
quality of life will be better in five years (42% compared
to 57% globally)
-Only 24% of women feel they
are in control of their future, compared to 33%
globally.
– 46% of respondents think that
quotas will best support participation by young women in
democracy and leadership.
“The
global pushback against gender equality is well-organized,
making it essential to strengthen alliances across political
and regional divides. It is a pressing crisis, threatening
hard-won progress and impacting the lives of women
and girls everywhere, including Aotearoa,’ says Dellwyn
Stuart, CEO YWCA Tāmaki Makaurau
Auckland.
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“Policies that once
advanced equal rights are now under attack, creating
significant challenges for activists, organisations, and
policymakers striving to safeguard these achievements. This
backlash translates into tangible societal setbacks, from
restricted access to reproductive health services to the
erosion of legal protections against discrimination and
violence, and particularly a backlash in the digital
space,” says Stuart. “In response, a united and strategic
effort is essential – not only to defend past gains but to
push forward with bold, progressive policies. ”
Below
is the statement from the seven
organisations from Aotearoa who were at
CSW.
16 April
2025
Lack of Government action on gender
equality highlighted at the UN
At the recent
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), New
Zealand’s women’s civil society representatives voiced
deep concerns about the lack of government action on gender
equality.
Barriers to gender equality exist in many
forms and in New Zealand, these barriers are worse for
Māori, Pasifika, Asian, migrant, refugee, disabled,
LGBTQIA+ and rural women, and Government action is
required.
One of the most pressing concerns raised was
the lack of civil society representation in decision-making
at the United Nations and here in New Zealand.
There
was a continued call for a woman to be appointed as the
Secretary-General of the UN – a topic that resonated
strongly among civil society participants.
The
importance of the involvement of young people was also
highlighted – they are our future.
Meetings and
discussions took place against the backdrop of a major
crisis for the United Nations, which is grappling with
severe liquidity issues, and a challenging political climate
for many nations. Compounding this, funding for civil
society and nonprofits is facing its most significant
reduction in decades in a difficult economic setting. The
consequences are dire: individuals working in advocacy, aid
and development have lost their jobs, and countless
vulnerable families who rely on development and humanitarian
assistance will lose vital support.
The devastating
reality is that women are most affected by economic crises –
in New Zealand many more are struggling to put food on the
table and this needs to change.
More than 50
delegates from New Zealand’s women’s civil society
groups attended CSW and we now urge the Government to honour
the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action to ensure gender
equality across Aotearoa.
Gender equality is the
solution we all need for a prosperous, sustainable
nation.
Graduate Women New Zealand https://gwnz.org.nz/
P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A
Inc https://www.pacifica.org.nz/
Pacific
Women’s Watch (New Zealand) https://www.pacificwomenswatch.org.nz
Peace
Movement Aotearoa https://www.converge.org.nz/pma/
National
Council of Women New Zealand – Te Kaunihera Wāhine o
Aotearoa https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/
New
Zealand Federation of Business & Professional Women https://www.bpwnz.org.nz/
YWCA
https://www.ywca.org.nz/
