The Global Alliance for Care at CSW70: Positioning Care at the Center of Justice, Equality and Global Action
The Global Alliance for Care (GAC) played a strategic and visible role at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), advancing care as a central, non-negotiable priority within global discussions on gender equality and access to justice.
Held from 9 to 19 March 2026 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, CSW70 focused on strengthening access to justice for women and girls. In this context, the Alliance advanced a clear and transformative message: there can be no justice without care. As highlighted in its advocacy toolkit, care.
A collective voice for care in a shifting global context
Throughout CSW70, the Global Alliance for Care strengthened its role as the first global multi-stakeholder community bringing together governments, civil society, international organizations, trade unions and research institutions to advocate for the structural transformation of care systems.
Alliance members engaged in a broad range of coordinated activities, from high-level dialogues to side events and strategic convenings, reinforcing a shared vision that places care at the heart of equality, economic justice and democratic societies. As reflected in the Alliance’s CSW70 Care Agenda, these collective efforts aimed to connect justice reform with the transformation of care systems and to position care as a pillar of human rights and gender equality.
Care Day: from recognition to redistribution
A key milestone of the Alliance’s participation was the Care Day at CSW70, hosted by the Ford Foundation. The event brought together global leaders, movements and institutions to advance care as a human right and a global public good.
Discussions emphasized that current economic systems are sustained by unequal care systems, disproportionately affecting women—particularly those who are low-income, migrant or racialized. Participants called for a shift from recognition to redistribution, stressing the need for public investment, stronger labor protections and inclusive policymaking to build equitable and sustainable care systems.
This moment helped anchor care firmly within the CSW agenda, while also addressing the risks posed by political backlash and the co-optation of care narratives.
Flagship event: placing care at the center of legal systems
The Alliance’s flagship event, “Care, Law, and Justice: Placing Care at the Center of Legal Systems for Equality through Collective Action,” held at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations, marked a key moment in advancing the integration of care into legal frameworks.
Convened with governments and Global Alliance members, the event created a space to showcase their work and to articulate how care can be embedded in justice systems as a matter of rights, equity and accountability. It also highlighted the growing recognition of care as a legal principle, building on recent global developments such as the recognition of the right to care in international human rights frameworks.
By positioning care within legal systems, the Alliance reinforced its message that achieving gender equality requires structural transformation—not only in policy design and implementation, but also in the legal and institutional foundations that shape societies.
Advancing care narratives in the U.S. and globally
The Alliance also contributed to organizing the parallel event “Advancing Gender Equality in Today’s US: Transformative Care and Leadership”. The event highlighted how care policies and women’s leadership are essential to advancing gender equality, bringing together actors from civil society, local governments and research institutions across the United States. In doing so, it connected national experiences with the broader global care debates and reinforced the Alliance’s role as a convener of dialogue and knowledge exchange.
GAC Members’ Breakfast: strengthening connections and collective action
As part of its presence at CSW70, the Global Alliance for Care convened an in-person breakfast in New York, bringing together members and partners in an informal yet strategic setting. The gathering created space to reconnect, share ongoing work, and reflect on emerging opportunities and challenges in advancing the global care agenda. Beyond networking, the breakfast strengthened internal cohesion and fostered deeper collaboration, reinforcing the Alliance’s role as a living platform committed to collective action.
Building momentum towards CSW72
Beyond the events themselves, the Global Alliance for Care used CSW70 as a strategic platform to deepen internal alignment, amplify its collective voice and build political and narrative momentum towards future milestones—particularly CSW72, where care will be the focus theme.
Through its coordinated presence, the Alliance demonstrated that care is not a peripheral concern, but a transformative agenda that cuts across justice, economic systems, and democratic governance. By bringing together diverse actors and perspectives, it reaffirmed its purpose: to drive collective action and systemic change so that care is recognized, redistributed and guaranteed for all.
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