This flagship event is organized by the World Bank Group (WBG) including the Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE), the Finance, Competitiveness & Investment (FCI) team, the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), the Legal Department, and Women, Business and the Law (WBL).
Wednesday, March 11th | 12:30 – 4:00PM | Cocktail Lunch Included
United Nations Delegates Dining Room
About CSW70
The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 9–20, 2026, bringing together representatives of Member States, UN entities, and civil society organizations from every region of the world.
This year’s priority theme centers on ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls. Discussions will focus on promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and dismantling the structural barriers that limit women’s rights and opportunities.
Event Structure
12:30 PM – Cocktail Lunch
1:15 PM – Session 1
“Benchmarking Laws: Advancing Women’s Access to Justice for Inclusive Growth and Jobs”
2:20 PM – Coffee Break
2:40 PM – Session 2
“Financing Women Entrepreneurs: Advancing Legal Reform and Data-Driven Action through the WE Finance Code“
This session is co-sponsored by UN Women, and the Governments of Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
Drawing on the latest findings of the Women, Business and the Law 2026, this event will examine how evidence-based legal and policy reforms can strengthen access to justice, foster private sector growth, and expand women’s access to finance and economic opportunities. The discussion will highlight countries advancing reforms to remove discriminatory laws and dismantling structural barriers that limit women’s economic participation.
Aligned with the CSW70 priority theme, the event will explore how closing gaps in both legal frameworks and implementation can enable women to thrive as business leaders and job creators – benefiting entire societies. Panelists will highlight reform momentum across regions and discuss opportunities for collaboration among governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector, with attention to the compounded barriers facing women in informal, fragile, and conflict-affected contexts.
Speakers:
- Anna Johansdottir, Permanent Representative to the UN, Iceland
- Sidsel Bleken, Ambassador for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Norway
- Robin Mearns, Global Director, Gender, World Bank Group
- Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director, Equality Now
- Tea Trumbic, Manager, Women, Business and the Law, World Bank Group
The WE Finance Code has expanded to 30+ countries since its launch at the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in 2023. Jointly organized by We-Fi and The World Bank, this session will showcase concrete progress in expanding access to finance in Code signatory countries through a fireside chat and presentation on the diverse, sex-disaggregated data collection models that are enabling evidence-based action on women’s entrepreneurship.
Part 1: Fireside Chat “WE Finance Code: From First Mover to Latest Champion”
This conversation will explore the motivations, challenges, and early impacts experienced by countries and financial service providers at different stages of WE Finance Code commitment and implementation.
Speakers:
Moderated by Wendy Teleki, Head, We-Fi Secretariat, World Bank Group
- TBC
Part 2: Presentation “Measuring What Matters: Sex-Disaggregated Data as a Catalyst for Change”
This presentation will introduce the World Bank Group’s Entrepreneurship Database for evidence-based policymaking and private sector development.
Presenter:
- Frederic Meunier, World Bank Group
