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Members of the network stressed meaningful participation as essential to addressing the unique challenges faced by women and girls with disabilities.
“From a justice and faith perspective, inclusion is not an act of charity—it is an act of restoration,” said Pujiaryati Anggiasari, physically disabled Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion specialist, while noting that feminist and liberation theological perspectives reminded the marginalized were not at the margins of God’s vision, but at its center.
“This calls for a reorientation of global spaces like CSW—from inviting participation to redistributing space, voice, and influence.”
In the two-week conference, from 9-19 March, government ministers and officials, the civil society, activists, and youth, held discussions under the theme “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems; eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices; and addressing structural barriers.”
Anggiasari said, after years of disability and feminist movements advocating globally, the commission acknowledged intersectionality and included in its frameworks and discussions, references to women and girls with disabilities.
“However, there remains a gap between recognition and redistribution of power,” she said. “Inclusion is often present in language, but less consistent in practice—particularly in terms of who is shaping the agenda and whose knowledge is considered authoritative within the CSW process.”
The gender, disability, and social inclusion expert urged meaningful participation, where persons with disabilities shared in decision-making and could also influence decisions.
“Organizations of persons with disabilities, particularly those led by women, should not only be invited into the room but recognized as co-creators of solutions. Without this shift, inclusion risks becoming symbolic rather than transformative,” she said.
In Zimbabwe, Juliet Mukudzeishe Pimbirimano, a member of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, who lives with cerebral palsy, re-stressed increased inclusion as she highlighted the commission’s advocacy for inclusive systems of care and support; protection from violence, abuse and exploitation; and focus on access to economic opportunities, financial resources, and digital services.
“The commission should ensure inclusive representation of persons with disabilities, and enable more access to events, documents, and communication,” said Pimbiriamano.
“It should integrate disability perspectives into its policies and programs, and build capacities of persons with disabilities through training and resources to enable them engage effectively.”
Anjeline Okola, programme coordinator of the WCC Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network, urged organizations, in their quests to ensure access to justice for all, to prioritise the active participation of girls and women with disabilities.
“Churches and church-based organizations can lead the way by creating spaces for their participation,” said Okola, adding that the organizations have, over time, developed religious narratives and best practices that promote and protect the rights and address the barriers that marginalize women and girls with disabilities.
“I see this as a two-pronged approach that requires societies to protect women and girls with disabilities from abuse and being taken advantage of, and also recognize and include women in decision-making processes, regarding their rights, because there is “nothing for us without us,” she said.
At the same time, Rev. Nicole Ashwood, programme executive, for the WCC Just Community of Women and Men, said recent CSW delegations have largely comprised partially or self-funded participants.
“This inevitably shapes participation demographics, including disability representation. With intentional planning and dedicated funding support, we can have greater inclusion and representation for persons with disabilities at CSW and in other UN decision-making spaces,” said the cleric.
Further, Anggiasari explained that the participation in the body required both agency and access, and organizations of persons with disabilities, especially women-led groups, needed sustained support—financial, institutional, and informational—to engage in global policy processes.
“However, the responsibility should not rest solely on persons with disabilities to ‘find their way in.’ The system itself must change to make space for women with disabilities,” she stressed.
Learn more about the WCC Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network
