Education International delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women: Gender equity requires quality inclusive education for all!
A delegation of 16 women education unionists from 12 countries is attending the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to call for more investment in public education as a key step in achieving gender equity around the world. Taking place in New York from the 10th to the 21st of March, the Commission is the most important global forum that works to advance gender equality and women’s rights globally.
2025 marks 30 years since the landmark adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive blueprint for advancing women’s rights in history. The 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW) will focus on reviewing the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, assessing the progress made and the challenges that remain.
In an interview with Worlds of Education, EI’s Deputy General Secretary Haldis Holst stressed that “it is absolutely essential that Education International and our members are present at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The majority of our 33 million members are women and we have a mandate to defend and promote their rights at the global level. In addition, so many of the topics that are addressed at the UN CSW concern the world of work and are highly relevant to education workers. As unions, we must be there to be the voice of the women who power education around the world”.
Education International advocacy at the UN Commission on the Status of Women
Across a series of events around the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the Education International delegation will stress the imperative need to invest in free quality public education to ensure access for all, including the most marginalised, and to ensure education workers are valued and respected. This call to action is echoed by education unionists around the world mobilising for Education International’s Go Public! Fund Education campaign.
“We know that gender equity requires quality inclusive education for all. We are advocating for governments to ensure that all women and girls have equal access to free, inclusive, quality education and lifelong learning. We are calling for competitive salaries, fair working conditions, and continuous professional development for teachers, a profession dominated by women in many parts of the world, and the single most important factor in achieving quality education. The global teacher shortage must be urgently addressed by implementing the United Nations Recommendations for a strong and resilient teaching profession”, Holst stated.
Education International is also advocating for governments to work with educators and their unions in order to address school-related gender-based violence and make school communities safe spaces for all students, teachers, and education support personnel.
Global trade union movement calls for a New Social Contract rooted in a gender-transformative agenda
Education International is also joining forces with the broader global trade union movement at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Together, global trade unions are calling for urgent action for a gender-transformative New Social Contract. They are advocating for women's labour rights, ending gender-based violence, and comprehensive reforms in care, digital transition, and pay equity. These measures aim to dismantle structural barriers and achieve true gender justice in the face of multiple global crises.
Central to trade union demands is the call for all governments to ratify and fully implement Convention 190 of the International Labour Organization in order to end violence and harassment in the world of work.
In addition, the global trade union movement will work to ensure that the Beijing+30 Declaration (the outcome document of the 69th session) highlights the link between gender equality and sustainable peace. In contexts of armed conflict, women’s equal participation and full involvement in all efforts to promote peace and security, including in peace negotiations and frontline essential public services, must be supported through adequate financing. At the same time, women’s protection from violence in conflict zones must be ensured. Schools must be kept safe and teachers must be supported. Economic opportunities for women in post-conflict reconstruction are equally essential, as is promoting decent work as a pathway to sustainable peace and stability.
