Our Voice at the UN
Introduction
Soroptimist International’s Representatives to the United Nations in Geneva continue to engage in global discussions shaping the future of human rights, technology, health, and environmental justice. Throughout 2025, our team of Representatives in Geneva has actively participated across this diverse UN landscape, including the Human Rights Council’s 59th session, as well as specialised forums addressing artificial intelligence, ocean conservation and women’s health. Geneva’s position as home to major UN agencies including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organisation, and key treaty monitoring bodies makes it an essential hub for SI’s advocacy work.
June to August 2025 has been marked by significant developments across multiple UN forums. The Human Rights Council’s 59th session (HRC59) brought focus to climate change as a human rights crisis, the relationship between technology and gender equality, and the ongoing challenges facing women in conflict situations. Beyond HRC59, our Representatives engaged with discussions on artificial intelligence governance, participated in historic treaty body reviews, and contributed to vital conversations on ocean protection and global health policy.
SI Representatives in Geneva maintain active involvement in the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, Geneva (NGO CSW Geneva), serving at executive level within this strategic platform for ECOSOC accredited NGOs. Continued engagement with NGO CSW Geneva has helped to broaden SI’s advocacy efforts toward gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls across the UN system. Through hosting side events, participating in panel discussions, and contributing to key dialogues, SI’s voice remains central to international efforts advancing women’s rights and human dignity worldwide.
Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council is the principal UN body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights globally. Established in 2006, the Council consists of 47 member states elected by the UN General Assembly and meets three times per year in Geneva. The 59th session, held from June to July 2025, addressed issues including climate change and human rights, women’s rights, poverty, and the relationship between technology and human dignity.
SI Representatives to the UN in Geneva have been active across multiple thematic areas during HRC59, from climate change and poverty to women’s rights and gender-based violence, contributing to discussions that shape international human rights policy.
Side Events Hosted by SI
Encoding Values, Securing Rights: A Gender Responsive Framework
On 16 June 2025, SI hosted a side event during HRC59 addressing the relationship between artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and gender equality. With SI President Siew Yong Gnanalignam in attendance, the side event featured high-level speakers from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the European Parliament, University of Cambridge, and ISACA (a global professional association and learning organisation) to explore how emerging technologies can either empower or further marginalise women and girls.
Read the full blog: Encoding Values, Securing Rights: A Gender Responsive Framework
The event explored how AI systems, often trained on historical data, can reinforce and amplify existing gender inequalities, while cybersecurity vulnerabilities disproportionately impact women and girls through digital violence and privacy breaches. Key presentations included ITU’s initiatives like the ‘Women in Cyber Mentorship Programme,’ the EU’s ambitious goal to add 20 million ICT professionals by 2030 with gender parity focus, and Cambridge University’s insight that diverse participation is essential for ethical AI development.
Other Events and Engagements
SI’s Geneva Representatives engaged across HRC59 in a range of capacities and events throughout the three-week session. Berthe De Vos Neven participated in two side events: the ‘Unlearning Discrimination: Education for Empowering Women and Girls’ event co-organised by the Permanent Missions of Qatar and Bahrain on 4 July, and the ‘Widows Human Rights’ event organised by Widows Rights International on 23 June coinciding with International Widows Day. Stacy Ciulik and Donatella Benjamin participated in sessions spanning climate change and human rights, poverty eradication, women’s movements and collective action, and gender-based violence in conflict settings, providing valuable opportunities to hear from Special Rapporteurs, witness interactive dialogues with member states, and participate in commemorative events marking significant anniversaries such as the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Interactive Dialogue on Extreme Poverty
SI Representative Stacy Ciulik attended the annual interactive dialogue with UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier de Schutter, on 25 June. The session addressed the challenge of breaking the vicious cycle of poverty affecting 838 million people living on less than USD 3 per day.
Read the full blog by Stacy Ciulik: Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights
Iceland’s Stand for Equality Side Event
On 18 June, Donatella Benjamin attended Iceland’s powerful side event ‘The Power of Women’s Movements: Solidarity for Justice,’ which acknowledged and celebrated the 1975 ‘Women’s Day Off’ when 90 per cent of Icelandic women stopped all work, demonstrating how collective women’s action can transform society.
Read the full blog by Donatella Benjamin: Iceland’s Stand for Equality
Annual Discussion on Human Rights of Women
On 24 June, Donatella Benjamin and Stacy Ciulik participated in the Annual Full-Day Discussion focusing on the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325. The session addressed gender-based violence in conflict settings, with compelling presentations on the right to reparation for survivors.
Read the full blog by Donatella Benjamin and Stacy Ciulik: Annual Discussion on the Human Rights of Women
Other Individual Sessions
Beyond HRC59, our Representatives were active across multiple other UN forums and specialised sessions, enthusiastically fulfilling SI’s commitment to advancing women’s rights and human rights across diverse global platforms. From ocean conservation and treaty body oversight to discussions on artificial intelligence and global health, these engagements are a reflection of the interconnected nature of the challenges facing women and girls worldwide.
Third United Nations Ocean Conference
9-13 June, Nice, France
Pascale Muylaert attended this conference where ocean protection took centre stage, with significant commitments including the EU’s EUR 1 billion pledge and French Polynesia establishing the world’s largest marine protected area. However, as Pascale noted, while women’s participation was high, visible leadership was lacking—with only 3 out of 450 side events having women as the core subject.
Read the full blog by Pascale Muylaert: Impressions of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference
The conference emphasised that the ocean, covering 70 per cent of Earth and generating 50 per cent of our oxygen, faces increasing threats but also holds solutions where women’s leadership and empowerment are essential. As Special Rapporteur Astrid Puentes Riano highlighted: “493 million people depend on small scale fishing, and half of them are women. We need to include women!”
CEDAW Review of Afghanistan
24 June, Geneva
Berthe De Vos Neven witnessed a historic moment when the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) committee welcomed former Afghan officials and women’s rights leaders in exile—marking a first-of-its-kind precedent in the UN treaty body system. This review took place without Taliban participation, emphasising that human rights obligations remain binding regardless of political regime changes.
Read the full blog by Berthe De Vos Neven: CEDAW Review: Afghanistan
The session reaffirmed Afghanistan’s legal obligations under CEDAW, ratified in 2003, and sent a powerful message that the international community has a responsibility to respond when authorities suppress fundamental freedoms. CEDAW’s commitment to standing with Afghan women demonstrates that human rights transcend political regimes.
37th Meeting of Treaty Body Chairs
2-6 June, Geneva
Berthe De Vos Neven reported on concerning developments affecting the global human rights system, as Treaty Body Chairs raised concerns about the ongoing liquidity crisis impacting the UN’s regular budget. This financial shortfall is directly undermining the ability of treaty bodies to review countries’ compliance, engage with civil society, and protect individuals from violations.
Read the full blog by Berthe De Vos Neven: Alarming voices from the 37th Meeting of Treaty Body Chairs in Geneva
The meeting highlighted the suspension of third sessions for bodies like CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), leaving the future of human rights oversight in question. Civil society documented an alarming number of intimidation and reprisals cases, underscoring the urgent need for sustained political and financial support.
WHO and UNICEF Breastfeeding Workshop
Building Healthcare Systems that Truly Support Breastfeeding
Dr. Olga Tzortzatou Nanopoulou participated in this important webinar highlighting that breastfeeding is not only personal but deeply political, requiring systemic support from hospitals, policies, and societal norms. The session showcased new tools including the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Monitoring Manual and Competency Verification Toolkit.
Read the full blog by Dr. Olga Tzortzatou Nanopoulou: “Breastfeeding Support Is a Feminist Issue”
The webinar argued that successful breastfeeding depends on competent, continuous care centred on women’s lived realities—shifting from expecting women to navigate this journey alone to building systems that truly support them.
AI for Good Global Summit 2025
8-11 July, Geneva
Berthe De Vos Neven and Tania Gómez Herazo attended this summit where ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin emphasised that “the biggest risk isn’t AI eliminating the human race—it’s the race to embed AI everywhere, without sufficient understanding of what that means for people and our planet.”
Read the full blog by Berthe De Vos Neven and Tania Gómez Herazo: “AI for Good Global Summit 2025”
The summit highlighted that inclusion is essential in AI development, as current systems are biased and leave vast populations unrepresented. With the AI market racing toward USD 4.8 trillion by 2033, the choices made in the next 12-24 months will define the next generation.
78th World Health Assembly
WHO Geneva
Dr. Olga Tzortzatou Nanopoulou reported on three health issues: suicide prevention (with 125 young people dying daily, growing numbers among girls and young women), supporting nurses and midwives who face unsafe conditions despite being essential healthcare providers, and transforming women’s health through national strategies and digital innovation.
Read the full blog by Dr. Olga Tzortzatou Nanopoulou: Report on the 78th World Health Assembly
The Assembly made the point that health systems must be built on care, compassion and community, with the understanding that suicide prevention, nursing leadership, and women’s health are interconnected issues requiring comprehensive, community-centred approaches.
Conclusion
The breadth of SI’s engagement across UN forums during this period demonstrates our commitment to ensuring women’s voices remain central to international policy-making. From hosting innovative discussions on gender-responsive AI frameworks to participating in historic treaty body oversight, several key themes emerged: the urgent need for women’s leadership in addressing climate change and emerging technologies, and the ongoing struggle to ensure human rights obligations transcend political upheavals. While challenges remain—from financial constraints on treaty bodies to the exclusion of Afghan women from public life—the commitments made during the Ocean Conference, the precedent-setting CEDAW review, and growing recognition of gender-responsive approaches in AI governance demonstrate that progress is possible when voices unite for change.
