The Episcopal Church

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Episcopal Church and the United Nations

2026 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW)

February 18, 2026
Episcopal UN

Episcopalians and fellow Anglicans have participated in annual sessions of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) since the 1990s. Read a brief overview about the history of our engagement with UNCSW, and how you can get involved, in the frequently asked questions (FAQs) and fact sheet below.

Table of Contents
  1. Preparing for CSW70 – March 9th – 19th, 2026 
  2. How Can I Participate? Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  3. Episcopal Church and the United Nations – an evolving strategy for representation, advocacy, and wider engagement
  4. Episcopal Church delegation to CSW70
  5. Supporting Diocesan and Local Engagement
  6. CSW70 Ecumenical Women Joint Statement
  7. CSW70 Fact Sheet
  8. Beijing Noonday Prayer
  9. Share your story
  10. 2025 UNCSW
  11. 2024 UNCSW

Preparing for CSW70 – March 9th – 19th, 2026 

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women’s 70th session (CSW70) consists of official meetings (plenaries, round tables, side events, and related events) that take place at UN headquarters in New York City. Many meetings are livestreamed for virtual participation. It is also possible to participate – in person or virtually – in parallel events organized by civil society.  

CSW70’s priority theme is “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers.” This will be an excellent opportunity to reflect on achievements in women’s and girls’ empowerment, gender equality, and gender justice–and to look ahead at changes still needed to achieve Beijing’s goals for access to justice for all women and girls.  

How Can I Participate? Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Looking to engage with CSW70 through your diocese or local community? CSW70 FAQs will be posted here in mid-February.

Episcopal Church and the United Nations – an evolving strategy for representation, advocacy, and wider engagement

Under the vision and leadership of Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, The Episcopal Church has been realigning to nurture a strong, adaptive church that more effectively supports our dioceses and makes a strong and effective witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

The Episcopal Church’s engagement with the United Nations reflects this shift by a dual strategy of hybrid representation and advocacy through accredited delegates–and supporting diocesan and local engagement across the church. 

Episcopal Church delegation to CSW70

Since the 2014 granting of its UN Economic and Social Council consultative status, The Episcopal Church has been able to bring delegates to UN meetings to represent and advocate on behalf of the church. These delegates may attend in person or virtually. They work alongside and in collaboration with Anglican Communion and other faith-based partners.  

The Episcopal Church will have four accredited delegates at CSW70, accompanied by Church Center and Episcopal Relief & Development staff.

Supporting Diocesan and Local Engagement

Episcopal dioceses, parishes, organizations and individuals, and their local communities, are invited to join in the church’s CSW70 engagement using parts of the public witness team’s “LEAPS” framework: litigation, education, advocacy, prayer, and service:

Educate 

  • Educate yourself and your community by participating virtually in official CSW70 meetings and parallel events 
  • Organize local events highlighting access to justice for all women and girls 
  • Follow @UNWomen across all digital and social media platforms along with official hashtags (#CSW70) 

Advocate 

  • Share the Ecumenical Women joint written statement with your community circles and decision-makers and illustrate the concerns from your own experience 
  • Engage in local and national-level (federal) advocacy on the church’s CSW70 priorities 
  • Engage in digital advocacy across all social media platforms, addressing decision makers’ accounts and using hashtags #CSW70 (official UN hashtag), #EpiscopalUN, #EpiscopalCSW and #EpiscopalAdvocacy 

Pray 

  • Organize local prayer and worship services including themes on access for justice for all women and girls 
  • Join in the churchwide Beijing Noonday Prayer (see below) that Anglicans and Episcopalians have been praying since 1995 

Serve 

  • Organize service opportunities in your local community that meet the needs of women and girls whose access to justice is stymied 
  • Share stories and experiences with the wider church through social media  

Two webinars focused on churchwide and diocesan participation will highlight ways to participate, feature stories and ideas from Episcopalians working on the theme locally, and share follow-up reports about Episcopal and Anglican action at CSW70. 

  • Monday, March 2, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST (virtual): CSW70: Connecting churchwide engagement. Episcopal leaders will share ideas and stories of how they have incorporated empowerment of women and girls, gender equality and gender justice, the Beijing Platform for Action and UNCSW into their own dioceses and communities this year and over the past 30 years. Register here. 

If your diocese, parish, or local organization are hosting a CSW70-related event, be sure to share your event listing to the Episcopal News Service Events page. 

  • Monday, March 23, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EDT (virtual): CSW70: Report back and beyond. A report back on CSW70 engagement from dioceses, Episcopal Church delegates and independent participants and ideas for continuing churchwide action. Register here.  

CSW70 Ecumenical Women Joint Statement

In October 2025, The Episcopal Church joined with the Anglican Communion and other member organizations from the Ecumenical Women coalition to submit a joint written statement to UN Women in preparation for CSW70.  

Based on the shared advocacy priorities of Ecumenical Women coalition’s member organizations, the statement pinpoints key advocacy priorities relating to access to justice for all women and girls. 

  • Extend access to justice to include marginalized groups of women and girls 
  • Eliminate discriminatory and racist laws, policies, and practices 
  • Address structural barriers to justice for women and girls 

Read the Ecumenical Women’s joint written statement here.  

CSW70 Fact Sheet

A CSW70 fact sheet describing the Episcopal and Anglican engagement, alongside our faith-based and civil society partners, will be posted on this page by the end of February. 

Beijing Noonday Prayer

By praying this prayer at noon in each of our time zones, we pray not only for those who will be gathering around the world. We also join in an Anglican and Episcopal tradition started by our delegates to the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995: 

Beijing Noonday Prayer [updated for Beijing +31] 

Dear God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, we pray for all who gathered in Beijing and for all those attending and supporting the [seventieth] session of the Commission on the Status of Women meeting. Bless them. 

Help us to see one another through eyes enlightened by understanding and compassion. 
Release us from prejudice so we can receive the stories of our sisters and brothers [and siblings] with respect and attention. 

Open our ears to the cries of a suffering world and the healing melodies of peace. 
Empower us to be instruments in bringing about Your justice, peace and equality everywhere. 

Please join us in celebrating and praying with all those who have been involved with Beijing and UNCSW, for our delegations who will represent and advocate on our behalf, and most especially for women and girls in all their diversity, worldwide. 

Share your story

What is your diocesan or local community’s connection to UNCSW and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action? Episcopalians and Anglicans have been involved with Beijing since before the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, adapting the platform for use in their diocesan and local ministries. They also have been involved in attending UNCSW for decades, either in person or remotely. If you are one of them, or know of one, you are invited to share your story as part of documenting our collective Episcopal and Anglican achievements and reflecting on the state of all women’s and girls’ empowerment 31 years after Beijing. Share your story, photos, videos and other materials at EpiscopalUN@episcopalchurch.org.  

Questions? Contact us at EpiscopalUN@episcopalchurch.org.  

Previous UNCSW pages

2025 UNCSW

2024 UNCSW

Contact:
Ms. Lynnaia Main

Episcopal Church Representative to the United Nations

EpiscopalUN@episcopalchurch.org