Arab Statement Issued by the Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 70th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70)

Under the auspices of the League of Arab States and under the chairmanship of the State of Qatar, Chair of the 45^th session of the Arab Women's Commission, the members of the Arab Women's Commission , participating in the Arab preparatory meeting for the 70^th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), convened online on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, to coordinate and agree on a common Arab regional position regarding the issues to be discussed during the 70^th session of the CSW.

We reaffirm our commitment to implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+30) to empower women and girls in order to achieve justice, equality, the principles of equal opportunities and gender balance, in accordance with state plans and specificities, and aligned with the nature, values, and socio-cultural heritage of Arab societies.

We call upon the international and regional community to assume its responsibilities towards the violations against women and girls in Palestine by Israeli occupation forces and in Sudan by militant forces. We further stress the importance of continued support for communities affected by crises and conflicts, external interventions, transitional periods, or Israeli occupation, with a view to strengthening support for and empowering women and girls, and combating all forms of violence against them.

We condemn the ongoing Israeli occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its policies, racial and colonial practices, and violations, in particular the crime of genocide, sustained and systematic aggression, war crimes, sexual violence, policies of annexation and settlement expansion, forced displacement, and the destruction of camps and infrastructure, as well as attempts to undermine and eliminate the Palestinian refugee issue, which impede the exercise of the right of Palestinian people to self-determination and their right to live in freedom and dignity in their independent state. We affirm that ending the illegal Israeli occupation constitutes a fundamental prerequisite for achieving justice and peace, particularly in light of recent decisions regarding the imposition of sovereignty over the West Bank. We also condemn the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon and their multidimensional impacts.

We stand in solidarity with Palestinian and Sudanese women, as well as with all women and girls in war and conflict areas, and we call for an end to violations targeting their dignity, honor, bodily integrity, and property.

Recognizing the importance of the CSW70 priority theme on ensuring and promoting access to justice for all women and girls, we underscore that access to justice is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving justice and gender equality. We further affirm that advancing inclusive and equitable legal systems, addressing discriminatory laws and practices, removing structural barriers, resolving conflicts, upholding state sovereignty, and ending Israeli colonial occupation are crucial steps towards the empowerment of women and girls in the Arab region.

Noting the significance of the 70^th session’s priority theme and its consistency with regional commitments, in light of the following: the Ministerial Declaration “Gender Equity and Parity for Developmental and Environmental Sustainability (2023–2028),” adopted at the level of the Arab Summit (November 2022); the “Muscat Declaration on Progress Made in the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action after 30 Years in the Arab Region” (December 2024); the “Arab Declaration on Combating All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls” (2022); the Arab Strategy on Women, Peace and Security (2023); and the Executive Action Plan of the Regional Programme for the Economic and Social Empowerment of Arab Women (2025–2028).

In the context of consultations aimed at defining a common Arab position in international forums and at achieving regional consensus on the outcomes of the 70^th session of the UN CSW, while taking into account national constitutional and legislative frameworks, as well as member states' plans, strategies, budgets, and the national specificity of Arab states.

We agreed to pursue our joint efforts and work together to:

First: Supporting women’s access to justice and to decision-making positions across various sectors:

1. Reviewing national legislation and repealing all discriminatory laws against women and girls, without exception, where such laws may exist in some states, in accordance with the principles of justice, gender equality, and non-discrimination.
2. Supporting gender-balanced policies, programmes, and budgets that broaden women’s participation and ensure equitable representation in political and leadership positions at all levels of decision-making and within state institutions in all fields, in accordance with national commitments to the principles of equal opportunities and equality.
3. Strengthening women’s participation within the judicial and justice systems and in legal professions in order to ensure their equitable and effective access to justice.
4. Investing in capacity-building and training for law enforcement authorities and strengthening women’s leadership through specialized training programmes for justice system personnel in order to enhance awareness of women’s rights and ensure equitable and effective access to justice.
5. Setting and developing gender-responsive indicators to monitor women’s and girls’ access to justice and to measure the effectiveness of legal reforms.
6. Leveraging technology and digital services in judicial procedures, including service of process and trials conducted remotely.
7. Promoting legal literacy for all women and girls, and raising their legal awareness.
8. Facilitating and streamlining legal and administrative procedures, and establishing mechanisms that ensure equitable access to justice for women and girls.

Second: Supporting the implementation of the WPSA:

1. Ensuring the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in preventing and pre-empting conflict, peacebuilding and social peace, peace negotiations, mediation, and in post-conflict/post-war recovery processes.
2. Supporting efforts to ensure that women and girls affected by conflicts and crises have access to justice and basic services, in accordance with applicable international law.
3. Providing legal and social protection and remedies for women survivors of wars, armed conflicts, and Israeli occupation, and preventing impunity for perpetrators of violence.
4. Promoting the effective inclusion of women in decision-making processes related to recovery and reconstruction efforts, in accordance with national contexts, and empowering civil society and volunteer organizations in this regard, as a key prerequisite for achieving inclusive justice and sustainable recovery.

Third: Enhancing women’s economic empowerment:

1. Supporting inclusive economic policies that promote decent work opportunities for women and encourage their participation in decision-making roles across different economic sectors.
2. Developing and scaling up social protection systems for women working in both the formal and informal economy and strengthening programmes targeting elderly and disabled women to mitigate the impacts of economic crises on them.
3. Developing and enhancing legislation criminalizing workplace violence, ensuring accountability for perpetrators, and adopting policies for basic service delivery to guarantee victim access, including access to justice, and ensuring a safe working environment.
4. Ensuring the availability of the necessary financial resources and gender-responsive budgets to support women’s empowerment plans.
5. Empowering women and girls to have equitable and secure access to financial and digital inclusion services, artificial intelligence applications, and information technologies.
6. Supporting legal and institutional frameworks and relevant policies that foster enabling environments sensitive to the care economy dimensions, thereby supporting inclusive justice and equal opportunities in line with the national specificities of Arab states.

Fourth: Eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls:

1. Strengthening, developing, and enforcing legislation criminalizing all forms of violence against women and girls in private, public, and digital spheres to ensure accountability for perpetrators of violence; provide protection for whistleblowers and witnesses, as well as for victims and survivors of violence; and ensure their right to reparations.
2. Developing training programmes for government personnel, judicial and security officials, and service providers, to support a comprehensive and high-quality response to all forms of violence and to encourage reporting, including technology-facilitated violence.
3. Ensuring the allocation of adequate budgets for the provision of legal assistance and facilitating access to justice for survivors of all forms of violence, as well as addressing the needs of women and girls, including those with disabilities and those affected by crises, armed conflict, disasters, asylum, displacement, and Israeli colonial occupation.

Fifth: Promoting the health of women and girls and their legal right to education:

1. Addressing the economic, social, and cultural barriers that impede women and girls—particularly those with low income or disabilities—from accessing quality social services.
2. Promoting education for all girls and women without discrimination, developing programmes in countries affected by low literacy and digital literacy among women and girls, and supporting health education and literacy initiatives.
3. Developing programmes responsive to the needs of women and girls in countries affected by armed conflict and crises, Israeli colonial occupation, and asylum and displacement settings to support their education, professional development, and access to health services.

Sixth: Mitigating the impact of climate change on women and girls:

1. Ensuring the adoption of a comprehensive approach in national climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, as well as supporting and strengthening women’s participation in decision-making on climate and disaster risk reduction policies.
2. Supporting the economic empowerment of women in emerging economies in order to enhance their adaptation to climate change, including by facilitating access to green jobs and promoting their participation across sectors of the green economy and in the fields of sustainable agriculture and renewable energy initiatives.
3. Emphasizing the importance of integrating the principles of equal opportunities and gender balance into national and regional climate finance mechanisms, ensuring adequate and sustainable support for women-led climate solutions.
4. Strengthening monitoring, foresight, and early warning systems and disaster preparedness and risk management programmes that are responsive to the needs of women and girls, including those with disabilities, during emergencies.