To mark this year's International Women's Day, the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, which coordinates the IGC New York Hub, invited international decision-makers, including many Gender Champions, to a panel discussion on women in leadership on the eve of CSW70. The event was organised in partnership with The Permanent Missions of Albania, Cabo Verde, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Uruguay, as well as the Office of the PGA, UN Women and its Executive Director Sima Bahous, the Mayor's Office for International Affairs, the Women's Frontline Fund, and the UN Foundation.
Moderated by pioneer television host and sports analyst Marion Reimers, the distinguished panelists included, among others, UN General Assembly President and International Gender Champion Annalena Baerbock and Executive Director of the Center for Justice and International Law Viviana Krsticevic. The discussion explored what powerful female resilience looks like today, and how women can amplify each other’s voices, build solidarity across generations, and drive transformative change. “Those in power cannot be the only ones at the table. The table must become bigger.", noted Ms Krsticevic.
The event concluded with the launch of the Afghan Women’s Jirga — an international platform based on centuries-old gatherings of community leaders to make collective decisions by consensus. In this powerful moment, inspiring Afghan women leaders raised their voices to stand against the rollback of women’s rights in their country. Pianist Sylvie Courvoisier performed a piece specially composed for the event.
