Preparatory High-Level Meeting for the the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women: Access to justice for all women and girls in Central Asia and Azerbaijan: Strengthening legal frameworks and institutional responses

In 2026, the global community will turn its attention to one of the most fundamental human rights issues of our time: ensuring equal access to justice for all women and girls. The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), to be held from 9 to 20 March 2026, will focus on eliminating discriminatory laws, strengthening gender-responsive legal systems, and removing structural barriers that prevent women from fully exercising their rights.

In the lead-up to CSW70, and building on the renewed commitments of the Beijing+30 Political Declaration, the Government of Uzbekistan with the support of UN Women for Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, is convening a high-level preparatory meeting “Access to Justice for All Women and Girls in Central Asia and Azerbaijan: Strengthening Legal Frameworks and Institutional Responses."

The objective of the  preparatory meeting is to assess progress and challenges on inter alia: national laws and policies, institutional mechanisms and justice-sector reforms and legal aid systems by state and non-state actors from relevant institutions including justice,  parliaments, national machineries for gender equality,  development partners, and regional civil society networks from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 

The High-Level Meeting will examine ways o to accelerate progress on key human rights instruments and frameworks, including the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - through the centering of access to justice as critical to the dignity, freedom, voice, and agency of women and girls.

The outcome of the regional preparatory meeting for CSW70 will be a set of suggested actions for accelerated progress, in line with the Priority Theme for CSW70. The suggested actions will feed into CSW70 and can inform Member States' contributions to the Agreed Conclusions.

The meeting will engage ministerial and vice-ministerial representatives from justice ministries, national women’s machineries, regional civil society networks, development partners and international organizations.

Download the concept note in English, Russian and Uzbek.

Read the Joint Statement.