Reimagining Access to Justice for Girls: A Call to Action at the 70th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

On 12 March 2026, global leaders, practitioners, and girls themselves will gather during the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) to reimagine what justice systems must deliver for every girl.

Date and time: 12 March 2026, 0900 - 1200 EST/ 1500 - 1800 CEST

Co-hosts: UNICEF, the Permanent Mission of Spain, and the Global Working Group on SDG16+ Justice for Children

Location: UNICEF Danny Kaye Conference Room, 3 UN Plaza, NYC, USA, and online.

Co‑hosted by UNICEF, the Government of Spain, and the Global Working Group on SDG16+ Justice for Children, this event underscores a vital truth: justice for all cannot be achieved until justice works for girls.

Despite being a fundamental right, many girls still face barriers to accessing justice - including discriminatory norms, fear of retaliation, adult‑centric legal systems, and limited child‑ and gender‑sensitive support. These barriers are even more pronounced for girls with disabilities, girls on the move, indigenous girls, and those in conflict or humanitarian settings.

Advancing access to justice for girls is indispensable for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16 and its promise of justice for all, as well as for meeting the wider ambitions of the 2030 Agenda and global human rights commitments. Without dismantling the specific obstacles girls face, progress on peaceful, just, and inclusive societies will remain out of reach.

This CSW70 side event will highlight how partners are strengthening people‑centred, gender‑responsive and child‑sensitive justice systems, drawing on the Reimagine Justice for Children agenda. It will spotlight efforts to eliminate discriminatory laws and practices, share lessons from global programmes to end child marriage and female genital mutilation, and explore how the upcoming CRC General Comment No. 27 can reinforce girls’ access to effective remedies.

By bringing together ministers, jurists, civil society leaders, grassroots justice defenders, and girls with lived experience, the event aims to catalyse concrete, collaborative action. Speakers will share examples of reforms that expand access, improve coordination across services, and elevate girls’ voices in shaping the systems that affect their lives.

Join us in New York, or follow online, at CSW70 as global actors unite to advance a bold vision: a world where justice truly works for every girl.

Stay tuned for more information about speaker and full programme, coming soon…