Sibylle von Heydebrand, Author at International Alliance of Women

Reclaiming Leadership – the Women’s Jirga for Afghanistan

Sibylle von Heydebrand — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:03:51 +0000

Even under severe exclusion from public life, Afghan women continue to organize and lead. This reality framed the high-level event “What Leadership Do We Need for the Future?”, during which the Women’s Jirga for Afghanistan (WJA) was launched on March 8, 2026, on the margins of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York.

The initiative was presented as a women-led global process designed to place Afghan women’s lived realities, priorities, and policy demands at the center of international engagement on Afghanistan. Nearly five years after the Taliban’s takeover, speakers underscored that over one hundred edicts restrict women’s access to education, work, mobility, and public life. Recalling Afghanistan’s democratic past, Steering Committee member Fatima Gailani said: “I remember an Afghanistan where men and women received the right to vote on the same day. This is the Afghanistan we must reclaim.” The initiative underscores Afghan women not only as rights-holders, but as solution-builders shaping pathways for Afghanistan’s future.

From left to right: Swiss Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, Dr. Stéphanie Lachat, Co-Director of the Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality, our Vice President Dr. Sibylle von Heydebrand and Swiss Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider at the inauguration event at the Morgan Library in New York

Drawing on Afghanistan’s traditional consultative mechanism, the jirga, the initiative reclaims a historically male-dominated forum and repositions it as a women-led platform for political agency and collective strategy. As peacebuilder and scholar Palwasha Kakar emphasized, “Sustainable solutions cannot be imposed from outside; they must come from Afghan women themselves.” The Women’s Jirga seeks to translate priorities into policy recommendations and accountability measures for governments, multilateral institutions, and donors.

Speakers also warned that shifting geopolitical priorities and overlapping crises risk pushing Afghan women’s rights further to the margins. Steering Committee member Nadima Sahar noted: “Today, Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from both secondary school and university.” Through regional consultations and a global convening later in 2026, the initiative aims to strengthen solidarity and articulate collective demands.

For international women’s organizations such as IAW, the Women’s Jirga illustrates how culturally grounded leadership can sustain women’s agency under repression. The launch made one point unmistakably clear: Afghan women are not only defending their rights — they are shaping the terms of future leadership.

The event was hosted by the Permanent Representatives of Albania, Cabo Verde, the Kyrgyz Republic, Switzerland, and Uruguay on behalf of the Circle of Women Ambassadors, in collaboration with the President of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Annalena Baerbock, and in the presence of Swiss Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, H.E. Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, and Dr. Stéphanie Lachat, Co-Director of the Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality.

Dr. Sibylle von Heydebrand, Executive Vice President of IAW
Arlesheim, Switzerland

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Civil Society at CSW70 Presses for Gender Justice

Sibylle von Heydebrand — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 08:15:13 +0000

As the United Nations convenes the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, governments and civil society are called to measure progress not by promises, but by outcomes. In its written statement, the International Alliance of Women aligns the session’s Priority Theme, Review Theme and Focus Area into a single demand: gender equality must be enforceable, inclusive and lived across the life course.

Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls

The Priority Theme of CSW70 places access to justice at the heart of gender equality. The International Alliance of Women (IAW) documents how structural discrimination, under-resourced legal systems and social stigma continue to deny women and girls equal protection under the law. Survivors of gender-based violence face retaliation and procedural harm, while inadequate legal aid leaves justice out of reach for low-income, migrant and rural women. In family law, the application of international frameworks such as the Hague Convention too often disadvantages mothers and fails to uphold the best interests of the child. Restrictions on sexual and reproductive rights further undermine women’s autonomy and access to remedies.

Women’s Full and Effective Participation and Decision-Making in Public Life

Reflecting the Review Theme, the statement highlights women’s persistent underrepresentation in political leadership, peace processes and corporate decision-making. Media stereotypes, rigid electoral systems and institutional bias continue to constrain women’s participation, weakening democratic legitimacy. Participation, the Alliance argues, is not symbolic; it is essential for responsive, accountable governance.

Achieving Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Older Women

CSW70’s Focus Area brings attention to older women, often absent from gender equality debates. Lifetime pay gaps result in inadequate pensions, digital exclusion limits access to justice and services, and ageism erases older women’s expertise from leadership. Gender equality must address these intersecting inequalities across the full life course.

Conclusion
The Commission on the Status of Women is not a ceremonial forum but a test of political will. At CSW70, the International Alliance of Women is present with a 20-member delegation and is convening and co-sponsoring multiple parallel events to ensure civil society perspectives shape outcomes. Justice, participation and empowerment are obligations — and the measure of whether global commitments are finally translated into practice.

By Dr. Sibylle von Heydebrand, our Executive Vice President

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Sustainable education for girls

Sibylle von Heydebrand — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 22:39:56 +0000

Water and Pads is an excellent example of sustainable education

By Dr Sibylle von Heydebrand, Executive Vice President of the International Alliance of Women IAW

In November 2024, I was invited to give a special address at the Global Sustainable Education & Leadership Conference 2024 at the University of Greenwich, UK, focusing on sustainable education for girls.

After the conference, I was honored with the “Outstanding Leadership Icon Award” at the House of Lords in London in recognition of “her tireless efforts and impactful leadership in advocating for girls’ education and global gender equity”.

The speech emphasized the grassroots IAW project “Water and Pads for Schoolgirls”, highlighted global challenges faced by girls, and outlined strategies to promote sustainable education for equity and justice.

Key Issues:

Global Discrimination Against Girls: Girls face malnutrition, lack of education, child marriage, and violence. Over 96 million girls are illiterate, compared to 57 million boys, while 12 million girls marry annually. Educating girls reduces poverty, improves health, and fosters economic growth.
Sustainable Education: It ensures fairness by removing barriers, promoting gender-responsive curricula, and combating stereotypes, enabling girls to enter male-dominated fields like STEM.
Barriers: Cultural norms, economic constraints, child marriage, and lack of menstrual health resources hinder girls’ education.
Gender Gap in Literacy: Women comprise two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population.
Engaging Boys and Men: Boys must be educated about gender equality to foster societal change.
IAW Grassroots Project: The “Water and Pads for Schoolgirls – Empowerment for Life!” project addresses menstrual health in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

I called for global financing, political action and the reduction of inequalities, and I appealed to the world to ensure that no girl is left behind, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. My urgent message: “Leave no girl behind” was met with great applause.

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IAW at the University of Basel

Sibylle von Heydebrand — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 23:27:32 +0000

Introducing CSW and IAW at the University of Basel

On February 7, 2022 I had the honor of being a guest speaker at the annual Regio Model United Nations conference at the University of Basel.

As I have represented civil society at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York as a delegate of the International Alliance of Women (IAW) in recent years, I was in a position to provide insights into how governments and civil society work together. In my speech I focused on SDG 5, Gender Equality and the importance of civil society for the United Nations.

I also introduced the IAW and its important goals: the promotion of women’s human rights, of equality and of the empowerment of women. I highlighted that the IAW has general consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council and is accredited at many specialized UN agencies, including CSW.

Dr. Sibylle von Heydebrand, IAW Main Representative UN Geneva

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