New York, United States | 10–21 March 2025
Lift Africa Foundation participates in the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), contributing to global discussions on gender equality, women’s rights, and the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at its 30-year milestone.
CSW69 convenes governments, UN agencies, civil society organisations, and women leaders from across the world to assess progress on gender equality and identify persistent gaps between policy commitments and lived realities. This year’s session places renewed emphasis on moving beyond declarations toward accountability, institutional reform, and measurable outcomes for women and girls.
Representing Lift Africa Foundation, Founder Aisha Hamman engages in policy dialogues, side events, and strategic conversations focused on justice reform, gender-responsive governance, education, youth inclusion, and protection systems. Over the two-week session at the United Nations Headquarters, the Foundation exchanges perspectives with women leaders and advocates working across law, education, climate, science and technology, public finance, and governance.
From Global Commitments to National Realities
While CSW69 highlights global progress and shared commitments, Lift Africa Foundation underscores the growing disconnect between international frameworks and national implementation—particularly in contexts where political will and institutional accountability remain weak.
During the same period that global leaders convene to reaffirm commitments to women’s rights, Nigeria continues to face stark representation and protection gaps. Women remain significantly underrepresented in political decision-making, and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence often encounter barriers to justice, protection, and redress.
Lift Africa Foundation draws attention to the contradiction between global advocacy for gender equality and the realities faced by women who challenge abuse, discrimination, and exclusion within national systems. These contrasts reinforce the Foundation’s position that policy presence without implementation perpetuates inequality
Shifting the Gender Equality Agenda: From Consensus to Accountability
At CSW69, Lift Africa Foundation aligns with civil society calls to reposition the global gender equality agenda around:
- enforceable laws and institutional reforms
- survivor-centred justice systems
- political accountability for rights violations
- meaningful participation of women and young people in governance
- protection mechanisms that function beyond policy texts
The Foundation stresses that global resolutions and declarations must translate into national legislation, adequately funded institutions, and protection systems that work for women and girls—particularly in fragile, conservative, and underserved contexts.
Linking Global Dialogue to Grassroots Experience
Lift Africa Foundation’s engagement at CSW69 is informed by its work across Northern Nigeria, where structural inequality, harmful norms, and weak enforcement mechanisms continue to limit access to justice, education, and economic opportunity for women and girls.
Through programmes focused on:
- legal aid and justice reform
- girls’ education and retention
- survivor protection and accountability
- youth leadership and civic engagement
the Foundation brings grounded evidence into global policy spaces, ensuring that international discussions reflect the realities faced by women at the community level.
A Call for Institutional Courage and Political Will
Lift Africa Foundation emphasises that advancing gender equality requires more than symbolic representation or annual observances. It demands sustained political commitment, courageous leadership, and institutions willing to confront entrenched power structures.
The Foundation reiterates that:
- survivors must be protected, not punished
- laws must be enforced, not merely enacted
- women’s participation must be meaningful, not symbolic
- accountability must follow commitments
Without these shifts, gender equality risks remaining performative rather than transformative.
Lift Africa Foundation’s Commitment
Through its participation at CSW69, Lift Africa Foundation reaffirms its commitment to:
- advancing access to justice for women and girls
- strengthening gender-responsive governance
- supporting institutional reforms that protect survivors
- amplifying voices from underserved communities
- translating global commitments into national and community-level impact
The Foundation continues to engage global policy platforms to ensure that gender equality efforts move from celebration to implementation, from consensus to accountability, and from promises to protection