He was speaking at the annual town hall meeting with civil society groups on the margins of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at UN Headquarters in New York, on Tuesday.
“You are foundation‑shakers,” Guterres told participants. “You are shaking out justice, dignity and equality for communities across the globe.”He warned that despite decades of progress, the world is witnessing a resurgence of anti‑rights sentiment driven by disinformation, fear‑mongering and culture wars. “A bitter wind is blowing around the world,” he said.
“It is fuelling a backlash against women’s rights that thrives on disinformation, exploits insecurity and seeks to silence women.”
Guterres, now in his final year in office, stressed that silence was the last thing he expected from activists at a time when power imbalances persist in politics, economics and emerging fields such as artificial intelligence.
During the dialogue, several civil society representatives questioned the proposed merger of UN Women and the UN Population Fund, with youth activist Maria Leon Gonzalez asking why “the two main players” advancing women’s rights were being targeted for consolidation. Guterres said the intention was to create “a more powerful agency”, stressing that both mandates would continue with shared resources.
Nigerian Law Professor Joy Ngozi Ezeilo raised concerns about shrinking civic space, funding shortfalls and government crackdowns on women’s rights groups. She urged governments to “tell themselves the truth” and recommit to the Beijing principle that “women’s rights are human rights”.
Asked about his legacy, Guterres said changing power relations to advance gender equality had been central to his tenure. He praised civil society organisations, noting that the UN will meet with them again in July to seek input on the UN80 reform initiative.
“When you push for change, you are pushing against the patriarchy, and the patriarchy is pushing back,” he said, acknowledging the risks faced by activists. He ended with a pledge of unwavering support: “No to the pushback, no to the rollback, no surrender. We will never, ever give up.”
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
