UN CSW70: BLIA Showed Care for Gender Equality

During the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), a civil society briefing co-organized by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York (NGO CSW/NY) and UN Women was held on March 17. A delegation from the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) participated to stay informed on global trends in gender equality, offering observations on institutional reform, women’s empowerment, and human-centered values, and demonstrating the proactive role of religious organizations in addressing global issues.

The BLIA delegation included Venerable You Lin, Director of the BLIA World Headquarters United Nations NGO Office; Venerable You Hong of Fo Guang Shan New York Temple; Michelle Hu, Director of the BLIA World Headquarters America East Fellowship Committee; Zhang Hui from the BLIA New York Chapter Secretariat; and Chen Pei Rong, a Sumati Lecturer of the BLIA-YAD World Headquarters. The session drew over 500 participants, providing an opportunity to gain deeper insight into the latest developments and challenges in global gender equality.

Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, emphasized that gender equality must go beyond rhetoric and be supported by clear accountability mechanisms. She highlighted the need to strengthen gender-related institutional status, safeguard their mandates, ensure system-wide accountability, and deepen civil society participation in order to enhance the real impact of policies.

Diene Keita, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), stated that the core of UNFPA’s reform efforts lies in continuously safeguarding the rights of women, girls, and vulnerable populations, while supporting a more integrated and efficient UN system. Regarding potential organizational restructuring, UNFPA will carefully assess the advantages, disadvantages, and associated risks, maintaining a principle of transparency to ensure that sexual and reproductive health rights and gender equality issues are not weakened.

During the interactive discussion, participants expressed strong concern about how institutional integration might affect professional specialization and core mandates, as well as issues related to reform priorities, digital inclusion, and balancing diverse policy considerations. They called for more inclusive dialogue mechanisms to carefully address potential risks.

In response, Alexander De Croo, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), noted that relevant proposals are still under evaluation and that no decision on institutional mergers has been made. He explained that reforms aim to enhance overall efficiency and global impact, and will not proceed if risks outweigh the benefits. Final decisions will require collective agreement among member states.

Venerable You Lin remarked that BLIA’s experience in participating in CSW-related meetings has shown that advancing gender equality depends not only on policies and institutions, but also return to the human hearts and values. She emphasized that BLIA has consistently focused on women’s empowerment, educational equality, and physical and mental well-being, advocating for the human-centered values of respect, equality, and tolerance that institutional reforms can be implemented across society.

Zhang Hui added that the civil society briefing provided her with a deeper understanding of the UN system and UN Women’s efforts in promoting gender equality, as well as the policy challenges involved in institutional reform. She expressed hope that through continued dialogue and cross-sector collaboration, these reforms can move forward steadily, further strengthening the protection of women’s rights and contributing to fair and sustainable global development.