The 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, CSW69, held special significance this year. As the official platform to commemorate Beijing+30, it offered a critical moment to reflect, reassess, and reimagine the future of gender equality, especially in light of today’s urgent challenges. For us at IYAFP, playing our part by advocating for sexual reproductive health rights and justice ensures that young people are not left behind.
At CSW69, we hosted a side event on The Next 30 Years of the Beijing Platform for Action: Intergenerational Partnerships to Advance SRHR admist an Anti-rights Wave. This discussion was critical and timely as the world faces a rise in conservative movements as well as funding cuts and restrictive policies that limit access to sexual reproductive health rights and services. This powerful conversation brought together young leaders, seasoned advocates, and institutional partners to reflect on lessons from the past and chart a bold, inclusive roadmap for the future. We explored how intergenerational collaboration can transform the next phase of the Beijing Platform into one that is youth-driven, and justice-centered.
While young people bring fresh perspectives, digital innovation, and an acute understanding of their peers’ evolving needs, older generations offer deep institutional knowledge, strategic advocacy experience, and lessons from past movements. The SRHRJ movement can build a more resilient and adaptive advocacy ecosystem by merging these strengths.
We engaged with multiple stakeholders across different countries, championing gender equality, as we also shared our Youth Declaration on SRHRJ and Climate Justice, reframing SRHRJ within broader development goals like health, climate resilience, and youth empowerment, an approach that helped engage conservative actors.
Each engagement was tailored to highlight how these issues intersect with national priorities, opening a space for constructive dialogue and advocacy.
We also took part in several side events and networking sessions at the NGO CSW Forum, helping facilitate dialogue around youth-led advocacy which allowed us to strengthen previous alliances and build new ones.
The next 30 years of the Beijing Platform for Action depend on our ability to unite, resist, and push forward! Our side event reinforced that through intergenerational solidarity, strategic advocacy, and unwavering commitment, we can safeguard and advance SRHRJ for future generations. We remain committed to strengthening coalitions that bridge generational gaps, empower young advocates, and challenge regressive policies.