The agreement emerged from the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, widely known as CSW, the UN’s principal global body dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Negotiations at the meeting, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, resulted in a set of “agreed conclusions” that explicitly reference “women in detention and in imprisonment,” marking a significant shift in how international policy frameworks address justice systems and women’s rights.

Advocates and human rights experts described the inclusion as “groundbreaking,” noting that the issue of female incarceration has historically been absent from global gender equality debates.

“This is really the first time in 70 years of this commission that the topic of women in prison is being taken seriously,” said Patsilí Toledo, a member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and a lecturer specialising in gender and criminal justice.

“It sends a very strong signal that the international community recognises the unique challenges faced by women deprived of their liberty,” she said.

Rising female incarceration:The recognition comes amid growing concern among researchers and activists about a global surge in the number of women behind bars.

According to international estimates, more than 740,000 women and girls are currently detained worldwide, representing roughly 7% of the global prison population. Since 2000, the number of incarcerated women has increased by nearly 60%, a rate far higher than the growth in male prison populations.

Experts warn that the true scale of female incarceration may be even larger due to inconsistent reporting and limited transparency in many countries.The issue also extends beyond the women themselves.

Approximately 19,000 children are believed to be living in prison facilities with their mothers around the world, highlighting the wider social consequences of female imprisonment.

Campaigners say the rise reflects deeper structural inequalities including poverty, discriminatory laws and gender-based violence that push many women into the criminal justice system.

“These are not just legal problems; they are social and economic issues,” said Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former UN high commissioner for human rights.“For too long, women who have experienced criminalisation have been largely invisible in global conversations about gender equality,” Robinson said.Visibility is important but it must now be matched by action.”

The inclusion of incarcerated women in the CSW conclusions follows years of advocacy by civil society groups, legal experts and formerly imprisoned women.One of the leading voices in the campaign has been Women Beyond Walls, a global initiative that seeks to highlight the experiences of women affected by criminal justice systems and advocate for alternatives to imprisonment.

In 2023, the organisation coordinated an open letter urging international feminist forums and policymakers to stop overlooking women impacted by incarceration.

The letter argued that feminist movements had often focused on issues such as workplace equality, education and political participation while paying insufficient attention to women who encounter the justice system.

“Women in prison have long been invisible in the global women’s rights movement,” said Sabrina Mahtani, a human rights lawyer and founder of Women Beyond Walls.“This moment builds on years of advocacy by formerly incarcerated women and civil society organisations,” she said, adding that greater media attention had also helped raise awareness.

Addressing systemic barriersThe conclusions adopted at CSW outline a series of recommendations to governments, international institutions and civil society organisations.

They highlight the need to eliminate discriminatory laws, improve access to justice for women and address structural barriers that make women more vulnerable to incarceration.The document also calls for stronger measures to prevent violence against women and girls, which experts say often plays a significant role in cases involving female defendants.

Many incarcerated women have histories of abuse, coercion or economic vulnerability, factors that can influence both their alleged crimes and their treatment within legal systems.

Human rights advocates argue that many justice systems remain poorly equipped to deal with these realities.Earlier this year, a group of UN human rights experts warned that conditions for women deprived of their liberty remain deeply inadequate in many countries.

They said women prisoners frequently face overcrowding, limited healthcare, poor sanitation and a lack of gender-sensitive legal protections.The decision to explicitly include women prisoners in the CSW conclusions represents a broader shift in how international institutions approach gender equality and justice.

While previous agreements have addressed discrimination, violence and economic inequality, advocates say the intersection between criminal justice and women’s rights has often been overlooked.

By acknowledging the issue within the world’s leading forum on gender equality, campaigners hope governments will now be pushed to adopt policies that reduce female incarceration and improve prison conditions.

Robinson said governments must address the underlying causes that drive women into prison.“That means tackling poverty, discrimination and violence, and investing in community-based solutions that support women and their families rather than pushing them deeper into the criminal justice system,” she said.

Experts note that alternatives to incarceration such as community service, rehabilitation programmes and social support systems could significantly reduce prison populations while addressing the root causes of crime.

Despite broad support for the agreement, it was not adopted unanimously.Diplomats involved in the negotiations said United States voted against the final conclusions, though most UN member states backed the language on incarcerated women and broader justice reforms.

Still, advocates say the agreement represents a major milestone.By formally recognising the challenges faced by women in detention, they argue, the United Nations has opened the door for deeper reforms and increased scrutiny of justice systems worldwide.

For campaigners, the next challenge will be translating international commitments into concrete policy changes.Human rights organisations are calling on governments to review sentencing laws, improve prison conditions and expand alternatives to detention for non-violent offences.

They also stress the importance of data collection, noting that reliable information about women in prison remains limited in many regions.Without accurate data, they say, governments cannot fully understand the scale of the issue or develop effective policies.

For advocates who have spent years pushing for recognition of incarcerated women, the UN agreement marks an important moment but only the beginning of a longer process.“

The global community is finally acknowledging women deprived of liberty as part of the women’s rights agenda,” Mahtani said.“Now the real work begins.”

The referendum comes as the resource-rich country faces persistent economic pressure, including high inflation and recent tax increases, while navigating complex geopolitical ties with major powers including Russia, the United States and China.

Tokayev, a career diplomat who assumed the presidency in 2019, has described the proposed constitution as “a truly historic moment” that would move Kazakhstan away from what he calls a “super-presidential” system toward greater separation of powers between branches of government.

Critics, however, say elements of the reform could effectively consolidate authority within the presidency and potentially allow Tokayev to extend his political influence beyond the current constitutional limit.

Political analysts say the debate over the reforms reflects broader questions about Kazakhstan’s governance model as the country seeks to balance stability with institutional reform.

The referendum is also taking place amid speculation about Tokayev’s long-term political plans.According to a diplomatic source cited by analysts, Tokayev has been discussed as a potential candidate for the role of secretary-general of the United Nations later this year.

Political analyst Andrei Satpayev said the constitutional changes could create a vice-presidential post that might allow Tokayev to designate a successor before leaving office early if he were to pursue an international position.

Kazakhstan, a major producer of oil, uranium and other minerals, has faced economic challenges in recent months, including rising consumer prices and tax increases that have weighed on households and businesses.

The outcome of the referendum could shape the country’s political structure as it manages those pressures while maintaining its role as a key economic and energy hub in Central Asia.

The Israeli military said it struck the Zrarieh Bridge spanning the Litani River early on Friday, asserting that the crossing was being used by Hezbollah fighters to move between northern and southern parts of Lebanon.

The military did not provide evidence for the claim.The strike appeared to be the first instance in the current conflict in which Israel publicly acknowledged targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Lebanon would face increasing consequences unless Hezbollah was disarmed.

“The Lebanese government will pay increasing costs through damage to infrastructure and loss of territory,” Katz told senior military officers during a briefing, according to a statement from his office.

Israeli troops have been pushing deeper into southern Lebanon as part of the military campaign, while air strikes have continued to hit districts in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Lebanese officials say the expanding conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

Lebanon’s interior minister said authorities were struggling to accommodate the influx of civilians seeking refuge in Beirut, where many displaced residents have gathered after fleeing combat zones in the south.

The minister said government resources were insufficient to manage the scale of displacement, with large numbers of people arriving in the capital in recent days.

Lebanese authorities estimate that around 800,000 people have been forced from their homes since the fighting intensified.

Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, said the Lebanese population had been drawn into a broader regional conflict.

Speaking about the humanitarian impact of the fighting, Guterres said the Lebanese people had been “dragged into” the war as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah expanded.

The escalation in Lebanon is unfolding as the wider regional conflict continues to intensify, raising concerns among international officials about the growing humanitarian and security consequences across the Middle East.

The U.N. refugee agency said the estimate was based on preliminary assessments of the number of households forced to leave their homes during the fighting. The conflict has triggered large-scale internal displacement across affected areas as residents move to safer locations within the country.

“This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs,” UNHCR said in a statement.

The agency said the 3.2 million figure reflects early data gathered from humanitarian monitoring and may change as more information becomes available from affected regions.

UNHCR noted that displacement inside Iran has intensified since the outbreak of the conflict at the end of February, with families relocating from areas affected by military activity.

The agency warned that the growing number of displaced people is increasing pressure on humanitarian services and assistance networks.

UNHCR said the continuing hostilities could further expand the scale of internal displacement and humanitarian needs in the coming weeks as assessments continue.

The warning came from the office of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, which said damage to energy and water infrastructure could intensify humanitarian risks as hostilities continue.

Speaking at a press briefing, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization was increasingly alarmed by reports of attacks targeting oil infrastructure.

“We continue to raise the alarm over the humanitarian impact of escalating violence across parts of the Middle East, which is driving rising civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure and growing displacement of people,” Dujarric said.

He added that strikes on oil facilities could have “serious environmental consequences” across the region, with potential immediate effects on air quality, access to safe drinking water and food supplies.

The concerns come after Ministry of Interior Bahrain reported on Sunday that an Iranian drone attack damaged a water desalination plant in Bahrain.

Desalination plants are critical infrastructure for Gulf states, supplying much of the region’s drinking water and supporting economic activity in countries with limited freshwater resources.

Dujarric said the United Nations was urging all parties involved in the conflict to take precautions to protect civilians and essential infrastructure.

“We reiterate again that all possible precautions must be taken to protect civilians from the impact of hostilities and to avoid damage to health facilities, schools, water systems and other essential infrastructure,” Dujarric said.

The warning follows a series of recent attacks on energy installations linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Several oil facilities in Iran were targeted by Israeli strikes on Sunday, while Iran has also launched attacks on oil facilities elsewhere in the region.