At the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York on 17 March 2026, the UK’s Chargé d’Affaires, Ambassador James Kariuki, delivered a joint statement on behalf of the UK and 30 partner countries. The statement urges governments to resist any rollback of women’s and girls’ rights and welcomes the Agreed Conclusions on access to justice adopted on 9 March. Signatories included Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. (gov.uk)
The text sets out four clear priorities: preventing violence against women and girls, including conflict‑related sexual violence; addressing cross‑border online abuse such as harassment and AI deepfakes; ensuring full, equal and meaningful participation in political, civic and economic life; and safeguarding access to health services, including contraception, maternal care and the right to safe abortion. (gov.uk)
Framed by the Beijing+30 context, the UK noted material gains since 1995-more women in parliaments, lower rates of child marriage and female genital mutilation, reduced maternal mortality, and wider access to family planning-while warning that these advances are stalling or reversing in some settings. The statement argues that commitments must translate into lived reality. (gov.uk)
CSW Agreed Conclusions are not legally binding, but they provide a negotiated roadmap for national policy and international cooperation. This year’s outcome focuses on ‘ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls’, calling for the repeal of discriminatory laws, affordable legal aid and survivor‑centred systems. The document was adopted at the opening of CSW70 on 9 March; the session runs until 19 March in New York. (ungeneva.org)
For the UK, the online harms elements align with the Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom’s first illegal‑harms codes and guidance were published in December 2024, with the related duties applicable from March 2025. Ofcom’s guidance on age assurance requires services that allow pornography to deploy ‘highly effective’ checks, with implementation by July 2025, to prevent children encountering such content. (ofcom.org.uk)
Government action has also moved on AI‑enabled intimate image abuse. Following announcements in January 2026, ministers brought into force provisions making it a criminal offence to create or request non‑consensual intimate images, including deepfakes-building on earlier reforms that criminalised sharing or threatening to share such images and setting out plans to ban ‘nudification’ tools. Campaigners marked commencement in early February 2026. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk)
Taken together, the CSW call on online violence and deepfakes reinforces an implementation agenda already under way for DSIT, the Ministry of Justice and Ofcom: strengthen platform compliance with illegal‑content and child‑safety duties, support rapid removal routes and cross‑border evidence handling, and prepare for further Ofcom statements on additional safety measures expected later in 2026. (ofcom.org.uk)
On sexual and reproductive health and rights, the joint statement’s explicit reference to safe abortion is consistent with the UK’s International Women and Girls Strategy 2023–2030. That strategy prioritises safe abortion, comprehensive sexuality education and support for SRHR in humanitarian settings, underpinned by programmes such as the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health Dividend. (gov.uk)
The emphasis on conflict‑related sexual violence reflects existing UK commitments under the Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan 2023–2027, which includes support for survivor services and measures to increase women’s participation in peace processes. The joint statement provides additional multilateral cover to pursue these goals in UN forums and bilateral dialogues. (gov.uk)
What to watch next: CSW70 proceedings continue to 19 March 2026, after which the session will adopt its report. UK departments are likely to map the agreed language to existing domestic and international commitments, while services should track Ofcom’s forthcoming updates and autumn 2026 milestones for additional safety measures. (ungeneva.org)