How ‘male engagement’ strategies are being incorporated into global-level policy frameworks at CSW69

This article is based on the Summary Report: MenEngage Alliance joins feminist movements at CSW69 to push forward for gender justice for all, which shares our full report from CSW69.

The 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) marked a pivotal moment for women’s rights and gender justice, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA). As the world assessed three decades of progress since the Fourth World Conference on Women, the urgency of these deliberations could not be overstated.

Alarming analyses of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reveal that SDG 5—gender equality—is falling dangerously behind. At the current rate, gender equality will not be achieved this century, and recent backsliding  could mean global gender inequality could be worse in 2030 than when the SDGs were agreed back in 2015. Meanwhile, a growing wave of backlash—driven by anti-feminist, anti-rights, anti-democratic forces, and climate denialism—is threatening hard-won gains at national, regional, and global levels, including within the UN itself.

In the face of these mounting challenges, the work of civil society, UN agencies, and committed governments has never been more urgent. Now is the time for bold, unwavering action to counter regression and drive forward the movement for gender equality worldwide.

“This year’s CSW drew over 13,000 participants in total: 186 Member States were represented, among them one Vice President, three Deputy Prime Ministers, and 97 Ministers. We also had the participation of over 5,845 NGO representatives—a new record for CSW—and we had a total of 283 side events, many spearheaded by Member States”.

At CSW69, feminist, LGBTIQ, and youth movements stood unwavering in the commitment for gender justice, fiercely advocating throughout the negotiations of the CSW69 Political Declaration. Their relentless efforts ensured that further rollbacks on gender equality were thwarted, safeguarding hard-won gains. While nonbinding, CSW outcomes remain a powerful measure of global consensus on women’s rights, influencing policy directions worldwide.

Despite the highly contentious negotiations, the Political Declaration was adopted by consensus on the first day, reaffirming that gender equality remains a core multilateral priority. However, growing resistance from Member States—notably the U.S. and Argentina, which opposed inclusive language and DEI policies—sparked deep concern among advocates. The U.S. delegation’s push to define women and men strictly by biological sex, excluding gender identity references, signaled a troubling shift that could undermine future policy advancements.

As the Dutch feminist coalition WO=MEN shared:

“The adoption of the Political Declaration is only the beginning. Over the next four years, governments will have to translate these commitments into national policies and be held accountable for their implementation. At the end of CSW, governments agreed on four thematic priorities to be addressed in the coming years, including access to justice, the Sustainable Development Goals, humanitarian emergencies and care and support systems.”

With these outcomes, alongside the critical CSW Revitalization Negotiations (for more on this see below) arising from the Pact of the Future 2024, movement-building for gender justice will continue to be imperative to hold Member States to account for pushing forward for human rights and gender equality amidst complexifying geopolitical dynamics within the UN and at national level, as well as with backlash actors continuing to impede progress.

Developing Joint Agendas on Men & Masculinities

UN Secretary General makes strong calls to agenda on men and masculinities

This year, the Alliance welcomed a strong recognition of men and masculinities within the UN Secretary General’s Report: Review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third (E/CN.6/2025/3). UNSG Antonio Guterres, made strong calls for more transformative leadership by men in positions of power and recognized the work of organizing working on men and masculinities through feminist approaches as key allies in the struggle for gender equality.

“33. Men and boys also play a key role in supporting feminist movements and transforming patriarchal social norms. Men in leadership positions across public and private sectors, and in cultural and religious leadership roles, have a role to play in challenging discrimination, unequal power between women and men, and discriminatory narratives that promote male dominance, and advocating for gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls and the full realization of their rights. In this respect, recent years have seen more pro-feminist men’s organizations stand together with women’s rights movements and organisations seeking to transform patriarchal masculinities.“

MenEngage Alliance members strategized on ways to engage with the UNSG during CSW69, to build upon his nuanced political positioning on the agenda of masculinities, including by joining the UNSG Town Hall with Civil Society, held as part of the official deliberations of the session. Anthony Keedi (ABAAD), registered to contribute to the joint question/comment on behalf of the Alliance, although not selected, it stands as an important contribution that the Alliance agreed to continue to advocate to present to the UNSG in the future.

MenEngage Alliance Collective Question/Comment to the UNSG: As your mandate comes to end, and as a vocal supporter for work to transform patriarchal masculinties and work with men and boys for gender justice, as well as a man in a position of power modeling leadership to advance women’s rights – how to you see this work to transform patriarchal masculinities and work with men and boys for gender justice being further advanced for the transformation of societies and systems (including the United Nations) in the short, medium and long term?

MenEngage Alliance Joint Written & Oral Statements

This year, most MenEngage Alliance members with ECOSOC accreditation, came together to put forward bold calls on the special occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the BDPfA as a global network. Because of the Alliance’s principal role in advancing the work to engage men and boys over the last two decades, it was uniquely positioned to deliver a historical assessment of progress in these efforts since Beijing, evaluate the current state of the field of work and lay clear recommendations for the road ahead. Through a consultative drafting process,  ABAAD Resource Center for Gender Equality, Rwanda Men’s Resource Center (RAMREC), Work with Perpetrators e.V and and Sonke Gender Justice Network, jointly developed a joint written statement, alongside the Global Advocacy Working Group and Youth Reference Group of the Alliance, to provide the network’s collective political agenda.

The joint written statement highlights the lack of political commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and the regression of gender equality, worsened by rising patriarchal backlash and global conflicts. It calls for dismantling patriarchal structures that perpetuate violence and discrimination, emphasizing the need to engage men and boys in gender justice while ensuring feminist accountability. The rise of online misogyny and authoritarian leaders promoting anti-feminist policies is identified as a major challenge. The statement urges governments to reaffirm their commitment to gender equality, implement transformative policies and programs to engage men and boys, and invest in accountability mechanisms to protect the rights of women, girls, and LGBTIQ+ individuals.

The collective of MenEngage members also agreed on the value of submitting a joint oral statement, as a vital opportunity to raise our political voice – live – at the official deliberations of CSW69. On behalf of the Alliance, Festus Kisa, MenEngage Alliance Co-Chair and Executive Director of Q-Initiative, delivered the collective statement within the 12th plenary meeting of CSW69, noting:

• The Beijing Declaration recognized men and boys as key allies in gender justice, yet no country has fully achieved gender equality due to deep-seated patriarchal norms.
• Despite progress led by feminist movements, efforts to challenge these norms face increasing backlash at national, regional, and global levels.
• Work engaging men and boys has expanded beyond gender-based violence to address SRHR, LGBTIQ+ rights, unpaid care work, climate justice, and feminist peace.
• Effective programs must go beyond individual behavior change to transform patriarchal systems and ensure accountability for perpetrators of gender-based violence.
• Intersectional feminist approaches are essential to avoid harm, as research warns that focusing solely on behavior change without systemic transformation can reinforce inequalities.

Language advocacy on the Political Declaration commemorating 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

The negotiations on Political declaration on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, continued in line with prior years, posing another difficult and contentious multilateral negotiation on the most important normative framework for women’s rights within the United Nations on a yearly basis.

MenEngage Alliance members worked alongside the Women’s Rights Caucus, submitting joint inputs gather through consultation with the Global Advocacy Working Group and the Youth Reference Group, and supporting in the advocacy outreach to 24 Member States, via member’s relationships with Government contacts in Rwanda, Botswana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Iceland, Germany, Spain, Norway, Netherlands, Finland, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Colombia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 

The Alliance shared key technical inputs in two rounds of the negotiations, including advocating the collective positioning of the WRC on SRHR, GBV, climate justice, diversity language and men and masculinities.

Analysis of the Outcomes of the CSW Political Declaration Negotiations

Progress on the normative framework included:

• Reaffirmation of Gender Equality Commitments: Despite global pushback, the adoption by consensus of the Political Declaration reaffirmed commitments to gender equality and women’s rights, signaling continued international support.
• Strengthening CSW’s Role: Member states committed to revitalizing CSW by enhancing accountability mechanisms, improving civil society engagement, and ensuring marginalized groups’ participation.
• Recognition of Care Work: The 5R framework (Recognition, Representation, Remuneration, Reward, and Redistribution) was included, marking progress in acknowledging and valuing care systems.
• First-Ever Mention of Gender-Based Violence: For the first time, a CSW Political Declaration explicitly referenced gender-based violence, recognizing its intersectional dimensions.
• Acknowledgment of Digital Gender-Based Violence: Member states addressed online harassment, digital surveillance, and anti-rights movements in digital spaces, reinforcing commitments to human rights in online and offline contexts.

Set-backs and “watering-down” of commitments to gender equality:

• Omission of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR): The lack of explicit references to SRHR marked a significant regression, reflecting growing opposition to bodily autonomy.
• Failure to Recognize Girls’ Participation Rights: The absence of explicit recognition of children’s and adolescents’ rights in decision-making, particularly in humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts, was a missed opportunity for intergenerational equity.
• Stagnation on Climate Justice Language: Despite women and girls facing the brunt of climate change, the declaration failed to advance climate justice commitments, merely repeating language from 2020.
• Failure to include Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), protection for Women Human Rights Defenders and gender transformative approaches

 

Analysis of the Language on Men & Masculinities in the CSW Political Declaration

In preparation for the negotiations, the Global Secretariat carried out an Analysis of Past CSW Political Declarations & Recommendations on Language on Men and Masculinities  (MenEngage Alliance), in order to inform the red lines in language advocacy, as well as potentials for progressing the normative framework on language to engage men and boys and transform patriarchal masculinities. This year’s political declaration saw meaningful progress, addressing for the first time in a political declaration, the need for Member States to implement programs and policies to engage men and boys as part of their efforts to accelerate the implementation of the BDPfA.

13. Further recognize the importance of men and boys fully engaging as strategic partners and allies, as well as agents and beneficiaries of change for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including their economic empowerment, and the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the need to design and implement national policies and programmes to fully engage men and boys in efforts to achieve the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including by addressing the root causes of gender inequality, such as negative social norms and gender stereotypes, and eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls;

This language built substantially on the call for Member States to merely “commit to taking measures to fully engage men and boys in efforts to achieve the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action”  as adopted in the Political Declaration Beijing+25;  and language that did call on Member States’s responsibilities for policy action, and only included the recognition of the multiple roles of men and boys in achieving gender equality, centered in the Political Declaration of Beijing+20 – “Further recognize the importance of men and boys fully engaging as strategic partners and allies, as well as agents and beneficiaries of change”.

Despite progress in the articulation of Member States as duty bearers in advancing this work, key progressive language advocated by the Alliance, did not make it in. MenEngage Alliance continued to push for the need to:

• Work beyond men and boys as individuals, to the transformation of patriarchal masculinities, ideologies and systems
• The links between hegemonic patriarchal masculinities and LGBTIQ violence and the maintenance of the gender binary
• Explicit references to online and offline misogyny and the need to end all forms of impunity, especially for men in positions of power
• Centre accountability as a central pillar in all programs and policies working to engage men and boys in gender justice

Members will continue to advocate for these key progressive language political positions in coming CSW sessions, with many already adopted in other UN negotiations through the advocacy of the Alliance – as the network continues to play its critical role as the leading advocacy collective monitoring and advocating for feminist informed language on men and masculinities, alongside leading feminist, LGBTIQ, and youth advocacy collectives.

See MenEngage Alliance’s language mapping resources here.