The United Nations CSW70 and SI-UN/SI-WT Involvement

UN CSW70 Recap from SI UN-NY Team and SI-Women’s Team

SERVAS Involvement:

A big thank you to Servas US for co-sponsoring our meet-up event “Let’s Talk About Peace.” At this year’s CSW.  They sponsored the promotional flyers and food and also helped with flyer design and getting the word out to the regional membership. It was wonderful to see a group of members, their guests and NYC area hosts talking about Servas, their hosting and travel experiences and their ideas for spreading the Servas peace mission. Several that night were also excited to join Servas, including a diplomat from Turkey.  Many exchanged contacts. 

Paige Lacombe said she stayed long after the official time for the meet-up was over as the mingling and conversations kept going. CO-NGO President, Peter Pressi stopped by to say hello and meet everyone. 

ALL PARALLEL PANELS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE SERVAS INTERNATIONAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR VIEWING.

Monday, March 9th

The Servas led In-Person Parallel Panel: "Voices Across Borders," had extremely high registration and attendance. We played two informational Servas videos before the panel began. Many NGOs in attendance signed up to attend a follow-up collaborative meeting with the panel members and will form a working group to strengthen cross-border solidarity networks for access to justice for women and girls.

Servas International UN Representative Paige LaCombe and Servas International UN Main Representative Rachel Elion Baird worked with members of the EU and NA CSW Caucus in a consolidated effort to re-introduce key wording into the agreed conclusions document and specifically, climate justice (which had been totally absent).

Virtually: (virtual panels)

Tuesday, March 17th 

Beyond Justice:  Women Empowering Inclusion Across Borders and Digital Futures

This informative and cross-cultural/age inclusive parallel panel explored how women across many regions advance justice through education, cross-border exchange and community participation.  How do women overcome structural barriers in male-dominated environments and how digital inclusion has become a critical justice issue.

Wednesday, March 18th

Women and Climate Justice:  Women’s Voices Among Survivors of Climate Catastrophe

Women leaders, climate-justice advocates and community organizers from around the world shared frontline experiences of climate catastrophe and the gendered dimensions of environmental crisis. The powerful message of this panel was that climate change is affecting all of us and climate catastrophe can strike any of us at any time. The uplifting solutions based discussion gave clear action steps.

Thursday, March 19th

Social Justice in Kenyan Homes, Gender-Based Violence, Law, Culture and Pathways to Community Support. 

Gender-based violence in Kenyan homes remains one of the most urgent social issues today.

This moving panel highlighted the importance of community-based protection, psychological support, early intervention and survivor-centered justice systems. Rooted in the Servas values of peace, dialog, and cross-cultural understanding, this session elevated the voices of Kenyan women and communities with the goal of strengthening partnerships for change.

CoNGO NewsOn Friday, March 13, 2026, SI President Radha Radhakrishnan, SI UN Coordinator Hamsavahini Singh (participated virtually), and SI UN Representatives Miriam Kerekes and Daniella Balderama attended the hybrid CoNGO Board meeting.

CSW News:

There was much strategizing and discussion regarding the aftermath of the latest invasion/war and parties involved. Also, how to shift with the changing pressures and move the United Nations forward in greater equity and balance of membership responsibilities and voice. Great strides on the in-progress Crimes Against HumanityTreaty were made. NGO CSW/NY is forming a committee to work in concert with the UN on gender specifics for the treaty. 

The other key news from the conference is that the U.S. attempted to roll back 70 years of women's rights and was rebuffed by the UN member states in attendance. The U.S. forced a floor vote and was the only no vote.  A resounding victory for continued global women's rights and for the democratic process at the United Nations.

This was both a really intense and strange CSW, with so many countries unable to attend because of Visa restrictions and travel issues due to the war, but it also inspired a rally-to-the-call response from all parties. Both governments and NGOs in attendance are motivated to defeat the rising global totalitarianism and join together to push forward on the SDGs.

The call-to-action: According to UN current statistics, at the rate we are moving globally, it will take 150 years (5 generations!) for women to reach parity with men. That is a statistic to inspire action towards more rapid change! 

Due to new privacy concerns on certain platforms, We are recommending that all CSW chat feeds switch to the Signal platform. Also, for AI integration, use of the Claude platform is recommended.

Gratitude:

The Servas International UN-Team and Servas Women would like to thank all the volunteers, sponsors and participants that helped make this CSW a success. 

A special thank you to:

Cynthia Blayer, Francisco Salomon Luna, Mei Wang, Karen Morian, Carla Kristensen, Deborah Egner, Ìgina Gabriela da Silva Pereira, Lisa Aiken, Fidèle Rutayisire, Monika Włodarczyk, Shuh-Jen Sheu, Aditya Divya Singh, Rita Omondi, Johan Cavert, Ömer Özkan, Sophia Dreyer, Lucien Tomlinson, Jojo Jen, Daniella Balderama, Miriam Kerekes, Rachel Elion Baird, Paige LaCombe, Hamsavahini Singh.

FOR PEACE. 

Servas International United Nations - NY Team

If you would like to join a working group for Servas Women to help create Servas membership participation at the next CSW please contact: Paige La Combe.

FROM THE SERVAS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S TEAM

SI Participation at CSW70 Summary

The discussion focused on concerns about the current political climate in the United States and the impact on democratic institutions, community safety, and women’s rights. Participants expressed frustration with political leadership and a sense that many citizens feel overwhelmed or powerless in the face of rapid social and political changes. The group agreed that focusing on the women’s perspective—particularly the protection of women’s rights, access to healthcare, and representation in decision-making—could provide a clear and constructive direction for action. Members also noted the importance of recognizing the broader global context and continuing to share insights through networks such as Servas International.

The conversation emphasized the value of local and community-based engagement as a practical path forward. Participants highlighted examples of grassroots organizing, community alert systems, and local advocacy that help protect vulnerable populations and strengthen civic participation. The group suggested that meaningful impact may come from supporting local and state-level initiatives, encouraging civic dialogue across political differences, and partnering with other women’s organizations to monitor and advocate for women’s rights. Engaging Servas members—particularly those with deep community ties—while also finding ways to reach younger generations through newer communication platforms was identified as an important step in building sustained, collaborative action.

Next steps:

The US Servas participants at CSW70 discussed forming a new U.S.–based women’s advocacy coalition within Servas following meetings at CSW. As an immediate step, they agreed to create a Signal group to communicate securely and move away from platforms they feel are less trustworthy. The group will begin with a core group of primarily women in the U.S., then expand by inviting additional Servas members and like-minded participants. They plan to organize a Zoom meeting open to interested Servas members to explain the initiative and grow participation. The goal is to develop an action plan addressing U.S. policies that may negatively affect women’s rights. Participants also discussed grounding their work in the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5 on gender equality, to avoid partisan framing while still advocating strongly for women’s rights. By examining how U.S. policies may erode women’s equality—such as access to education, representation, and decision-making—they hope to identify specific areas for advocacy. The overall intention is to build a coalition, define clear actions, and mobilize Servas members in the U.S. to defend and advance women’s rights while remaining aligned with Servas’s peace mission.