The 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) brought together governments, civil society, faith-based organizations, and grassroots advocates from around the world to reaffirm their commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. VIVAT International was once again present and engaged, bringing to the UN the lived realities of women and communities from around the world.
Representing VIVAT International at CSW70 were:
- Marides Santos, SSpS, of the VIVAT Team in New York
- Sr. AnnIta Walsh, SSpS, of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA Province
- Sr. Maria Thuong Ka, SSpS, also of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA Province
- Lynn Tiede, a lay collaborator of the Little Sisters of the Assumption
Together, they formed a small but committed delegation, embodying VIVAT’s mission to stand with women and communities at the margins and to help bring their voices to the international stage.
Presence as Mission: A Faith-Based Voice at the UN
The presence of VIVAT International at CSW70 is rooted in our Christian commitment to human dignity, justice, and the integrity of creation. In a global space often dominated by technical language and policy discourse, a faith-based presence helps re-center the conversation on the concrete lives of women and girls: their struggles, their resilience, and their leadership.
For Marides Santos, SSpS, who works with the VIVAT Team in New York, CSW70 was another opportunity to help bridge local realities and global decision-making. Through participation in official sessions, written statements, side events, and informal dialogues, she helped articulate VIVAT’s concerns about poverty, migration, violence against women, climate justice, and the multiple forms of discrimination that women and girls continue to face.
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters: Voices From Mission
Sr. AnnIta Walsh, SSpS, and Sr. Maria Thuong Ka, SSpS, from the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA Province, brought to CSW70 the perspectives of women religious who accompany communities in very diverse settings—parishes, schools, health care, social services, and migrant ministries.
Their participation highlighted several key dimensions of women’s lives:
- Women at the margins of economic systems, whose unpaid care work and informal labor remain largely invisible
- Migrants and refugees, particularly women and children, who experience intersecting vulnerabilities and yet demonstrate remarkable resilience
- Survivors of violence, who struggle not only with trauma but also with stigma, lack of services, and insufficient protection
By listening, networking, and sharing experiences from the field, Sr. AnnIta and Sr. Maria helped ensure that CSW conversations did not remain at the level of abstract commitments but stayed grounded in daily realities that religious sisters and their collaborators encounter in their ministries.
Lay Collaboration in Mission: The Witness of Lynn Tiede
Lynn Tiede, a lay collaborator of the Little Sisters of the Assumption, represented another crucial dimension of VIVAT’s identity: the shared mission of religious and lay people. Working closely with families and communities, Lynn brought to CSW70 a deep awareness of how social and economic inequalities play out in homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces.
Her presence underscored that advancing the status of women is not only a “women’s issue,” nor a concern reserved to experts or policymakers, but a shared responsibility across genders, vocations, and states of life. Lay collaborators like Lynn are indispensable partners in translating global commitments into concrete, local action.
Networking, Learning, and Advocacy
Throughout CSW70, the VIVAT participants engaged in:
- Attending official sessions and side events, listening closely to the priorities of different Member States, UN agencies, and civil society groups
- Networking with other faith-based organizations and NGOs, discerning common advocacy points and possibilities for collaboration
- Reflecting on intersectionality, recognizing how gender inequality is linked with climate change, conflict, racism, displacement, and economic injustice
While the language of UN resolutions may be formal and technical, the delegation continually asked: What will this mean for the women in our communities? How will it touch the lives of girls in villages, urban neighborhoods, and migrant shelters?
From New York Back to the Grassroots
A hallmark of VIVAT’s engagement at the United Nations is the effort to connect global advocacy with local action. The presence of Marides, Sr. AnnIta, Sr. Maria, and Lynn at CSW70 is only one step in an ongoing cycle:
- Listening at the grassroots: hearing the experiences, hopes, and struggles of women and girls in mission areas and local communities.
- Bringing these realities to global fora: participating in CSW and other UN spaces, joining with partners to advocate for policies that respect human dignity, protect women’s rights, and promote integral development.
- Returning with insights and commitments: sharing what was learned at CSW70 with congregations, lay collaborators, and local networks, so that global decisions can inspire renewed efforts at the local level.
In this way, VIVAT’s participation in CSW70 is not an isolated event, but part of a much larger commitment to systemic change and to the empowerment of women and girls everywhere.
A Call to Ongoing Commitment
The 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place in a world still marked by conflict, displacement, growing inequalities, and the continuing effects of climate change and economic instability. In such a context, working for the dignity and rights of women and girls is both urgent and challenging.
The participation of Sr. Marides Santos, SSpS, Sr. AnnIta Walsh, SSpS, Sr. Maria Thuong Ka, SSpS, and Lynn Tiede is a sign of VIVAT International’s ongoing commitment to:
- Engage constructively with international processes
- Stand alongside those whose voices are often unheard
- Promote a vision of human dignity that is inclusive, participatory, and rooted in Gospel values
As we look ahead, VIVAT International invites all its members and partners—religious and lay—to continue reflecting on how the calls emerging from CSW70 can be translated into concrete actions in our communities: from empowering girls through education and leadership opportunities, to supporting survivors of violence, to advocating for policies that place women’s rights and well-being at the center.
In this shared mission, the journey from local to global and back again continues—sustained by faith, inspired by the courage of women and girls, and strengthened by collaborative efforts, including our participation in CSW70.
This post is also available in:
Spanish
