From Period Poverty to Economic
Participation: Women-Led Solutions in Crises

How women-led initiatives can address menstrual health challenges while strengthening women’s economic participation in fragile and conflict-affected settings was the focus of the side event “From Period Poverty to Economic Participation: Women-Led Solutions in Crises” during the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York.

The event highlighted the importance of linking menstrual health, economic participation, and women-led solutions to strengthen dignity, livelihoods, and resilience in fragile contexts.

On 12 March, Real Relief co-hosted the event at the Consulate General of Denmark in New York together with SafePath Prosperity, Warfair, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The event was moderated by Real Relief’s Managing Director, Trine Angeline Sig. Ambassador Helle Meinertz, Consul General of Denmark in New York, opened the event.

The keynote address was delivered by Ambassador Adela Raz, former Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United States and Afghanistan’s first female Ambassador to the United Nations, a long-time advocate for women’s leadership and inclusive development.

The panel featured speakers with experience across policy, development, and social entrepreneurship:

• Naheed Sarabi, Co-founder of the Institute for Development and Economic Affairs and Non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution
• Saba Ghori, Director of the Center for Global Rights for Women at the Battered Women’s Justice Project
• Zala Ahmad, social entrepreneur and Co-founder of SafePath Prosperity
• Tahmina Salik, Danish-Afghan advocate and board member of Warfair
• Daniella Engel, Programme Advisor for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights at UNFPA

Speakers highlighted the strong link between menstrual health, dignity, and economic participation. In many fragile and conflict-affected settings, women face barriers that limit their opportunities to engage in economic life.

Afghanistan was highlighted as a powerful example of both the challenges women face and the resilience they continue to demonstrate. The discussion emphasized the importance of supporting women-led initiatives, local production models, and partnerships that create sustainable opportunities for women.