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. 

“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/

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