As the Commission on the Status of Women #CSW70 brings together world experts, the public and NGOs at the United Nations HQ in New York today, soroptimists around the world gather too in person to attend sessions, discuss evidence founded on local and international community action and to review progress made in women’s rights, peace and public life.
The seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women runs from 9 to 19 March 2026. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session.
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 (agreed conclusions of the sixty-fifth session)
Yesterday March 8th, International Women’s Day was celebrated across the world for the 115th year. Whilst this acknowledgment of progress in the last century has many facets and dimensions depending on legal, political and public circumstances and equality in each region soroptimists know there is still much to do to enable women and girls’ health, wellbeing, education access, equality and peace. Our projects focus of enabling, empowering and advocating for these aims.
“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”.
Local Action
Yesterday in harmony men and women from our community who support this aim and raised their voices walked together in the spring air at @Painshill, Cobham, Surrey, UK. Alongside our British, American and Afghan club members we shared aspects pf the day with guests and the public including Syrians, Ukrainians and visitors to the park who expressed interest in our activities. #Painshill a community partner and early advocate for women generously supported the walk with concession tickets and space to share our #IWD messaging with the local community and visitors, for that we are most grateful
Our aim yesterday? To foster community friendship, widen awareness of the need for action and advocacy and our club activities to improve and help local women and girls. We too shared our communal strength of feeling as soroptimists talking action for our disadvantaged and oppressed sisters in Afghanistan, sharing the statement issued to us by local Afghan advocates. This next week our club will meet the author of “Escape from Kabul” in person and and two Afghan judicial/ministers to discuss what is potentially the most important test of human rights in a generation
Quote from the club issued #IWD26 statement “The systematic restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls are not only a national crisis but also a true test of the world’s commitment to gender equality, justice, and human dignity. For women and girls in Afghanistan, the fight for equality is no longer abstract.”
Who are soroptimists?
Soroptimists are women volunteers who work in friendship and unison around the world through 250 local clubs to focus on projects which impact women and girls (in correlation with the UN Sustainable Development Goals) in local communities. As advocates for women and girls and friends who share a passion for using their skills, expertise and compassion to enable change, we meet up monthly to socialise and plan projects. The federation SIGBI International GB&I oversees the international club structure, reporting our activities to the UN representatives and strategy/donations and policy. Read about the work and ethos in this recent article published in London. Daily or on the SIGBI website