Time: 11 March 2026 at 16.00 – 17.30 (New York time), followed by a reception
Venue: Ukrainian Institute in America, 2 E 79th Street, New York, NY 10075
Helvi Sipilä (1915-2009) was one of Finland’s first female lawyers and the first woman to run for president of the nation. She made her most significant career as Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations – as the first woman in the world.
The theme of CSW70, access to justice, is at the core of Helvi Sipilä’s legacy – and is critical to the empowerment of women around the world. This year, the Helvi Sipilä seminar will be organized for the 20th time, as a a parallel event to CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) in New York, addressing the growing disparity in gender equality which is happening world-wide at a worrying rate. It is also reflected in the decline in women’s leadership positions globally.
The seminar will promote full and effective participation of women in public life and decision-making and highlight the role of women as leaders in times of instability and uncertainty. The seminar will also highlight the significance of global political participation among young women, minorities, and other women in vulnerable positions. Furthermore, it will seek to identify and promote effective measures to address obstacles to women’s political engagement, including hate speech and harassment.
PROGRAMME
Moderator: Silvia Modig, Chair of the National Council of Women of Finland
16.00 Opening words
Ms. Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, Minister of Social Security
16.10 Keynote: Women’s access to political decision-making is a crucial question for all humankind.
Ms. Kirsi Madi, Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships of UN Women
16.20 Panel Discussion: Women’s leadership in difficult times. What can we learn from these times of growing uncertainty, pushback of women’s rights and global conflicts?
Panelists:
Ms. Yuliya Kusher, Founder and CEO of Solo for Diamonds, Ukraine
Ms. Lushomo Thebe, YWCA Leadership cohort, YWCA Aotearoa New Zealand
Third panelist TBA
17.20 Closing remarks
Ms. Elina Kalkku, Permanent Representative of Finland to the UN
17.30 Reception
The event will be recorded, and the recording will be distributed widely through the organizing NGOs.
ORGANIZERS
The event is organized by the Coalition of Finnish Women’s Association NYTKIS, The Finnish Federation of Graduate Women, The National Council of Women of Finland, UN Women Finland and YWCA Finland, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute in America and with the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN.
VENUE DETAILS
The seminar takes place at the Ukrainian Institute of America (2 E 79th Street, New York, NY 10075).
The event takes place on the 2nd floor ballroom, with a staircase leading to the area. There is a small elevator in the building. Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access to the building.
BACKGROUND TO THE SEMINAR THEME
UN Women’s recent publication, Women Political leaders 2025 from June 2025 reveals that women’s political leadership in executive positions has not only stalled – it is declining. The continued underrepresentation of women leaders in state or government leadership and in key ministerial positions is a testament to widespread barriers and insufficient and uneven commitment to gender equality in political leadership. As representatives of Finnish civil society we strongly believe that this backlash has to be tackled together locally, nationally and globally.