Newsletter 31 March 2026

Dear Colleagues,

We call for the immediate end to the war against Iran.

Our statement from 9 March highlighted that the war is already costing civilian lives across the region and risks deepening global insecurity. It underscored that military escalation violates international law, diverts resources away from development and disproportionately impacts low-income countries through rising food and energy prices.

GCAP is calling for immediate end to military action and de-escalation; protection of civilians and humanitarian access; accountability for violations of international law; renewed commitment to diplomacy and multilateral cooperation.

🔗 Read the full statement here.

Faces of Inequality Report in Asia 2026: A Call for Universal Social Protection Floors

GCAP Asia published the report “Faces of Inequality in Asia 2026 – A Case for Universal Social Protection Floors”. The report presents grassroots evidence exposing systemic gaps in social protection systems across Asia. The report reveals that a large section of Asia’s population lacks access to basic forms of social protection. This leaves millions vulnerable to poverty, climate shocks and economic crises.

Through case studies across six countries, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Pakistan and the Philippines, as well as Dalit communities, the report calls for a shift from limited safety nets to Universal Social Protection Floors (USPF), ensuring income security and public services including health, education and water for all.

It urges governments to guarantee universal and gender-responsive systems; reverse austerity and address debt burdens; integrate climate resilience into social protection; ensure participation and accountability

🔗 Read the full report here.

Updates from different UN events

Asia Futures Forum

The Asia Futures Forum facilitates civil society engagement in the follow-up to the Pact for the Future and the ongoing UN80 process, bringing people’s voices into global discussions to help shape an informed and coherent vision for the future of the United Nations.

GCAP is a co-organiser together with Asia Civil Society Partnership for Sustainable Development, the Asia Development Alliance, A4SD and the Coalition for the UN We Need.

The series began during the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development and continues through thematic consultations.

The second session, “SDGs and Peace in Asia” took place on 25 March 2026. It featured a keynote by Jomo Kwame Sundaram and focused on aligning sustainable development with peacebuilding efforts.

🎥 Watch the opening session on 25 February 2026: https://youtu.be/N_-5bzzhVOc

70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) 

Martina Kabisama (Left), co-facilitator, Women and Feminists Constituency group of GCAP, and Jane Anyango, coordinator of GCAP Kenya at CSW70.

At the 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), GCAP amplified grassroots feminist voices advocating for justice, economic transformation and inclusive peace.

In the side event on gender-responsive social protection, Martina Kabisama, co-facilitator, Women and Feminists Constituency group of GCAP, highlighted that poverty, harmful social norms and weak systems continue to limit women’s ability to claim their rights, especially in rural and informal settings. She underlined, “Gender-responsive social protection and economic empowerment are essential to enable women to seek justice. We need integrated, community-based approaches and stronger links between social services and justice systems.”

At a parallel event on feminist foreign policy, Jane Anyango, coordinator of GCAP Kenya highlighted the gap between global gender commitments and the lived realities of women facing political instability, insecurity and evolving digital challenges. Drawing from grassroots experience, she emphasized, “Inclusive and sustainable peace and governance require centering the voices of young women and communities. Solutions must be shaped by those directly affected on the ground.”

Commission for Social Development (CSocD64)

(Right) High-level side event on advancing social protection commitments under the Doha Political Declaration at the UN Headquarters, New York on 6 February. (Left) Sylvia Beales addressing the event.

At the 64th Commission for Social Development at the UN Headquarters, New York on 6 February, GCAP co-organised a high-level side event on advancing social protection commitments under the Doha Political Declaration.

Speaking on behalf of GCAP, Sylvia Beales emphasised: “Universal social protection is an investment, not a cost.” She called for: Time-bound national plans; stronger accountability mechanisms; and fair and sustainable financing

🎥 Watch the full intervention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT3hN4PUvXo

Asia Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development

Dr. Aita Bishowkarma from the Asia Dalit Rights Forum and GCAP’s Social Justice Task Force addressing the Asia Pacific Peoples Forum for Sustainable Development.

GCAP members including Bhakta Bishowkarma and Dr. Aita Bishowkarma from the Asia Dalit Rights Forum and GCAP’s Social Justice Task Force; and Pradeep Baisakh, GCAP’s Asia coordinator, participated in the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) in Bangkok from 24-27 February. They contributed to the annual, intergovernmental forum to support follow-up and review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At the Asia Pacific Peoples Forum for Sustainable Development, Dr. Aita Bishowkarma highlighted how Dalits and Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) continue to face systemic barriers to land ownership, access to water resources and social protection. These exclusions deepen poverty, reinforce caste-based discrimination and deny communities their basic rights and dignity.

Expert Group Meetings on SDGs

Expert Group Meeting on SDG 9 in Vienna, Austria, organised in collaboration with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) from 23-24 February 2026

Rosemary Mwaipopo, the Executive Director of Dayspring Foundation, member of GCAP Tanzania, participated at the Expert Group Meeting on SDG 9 which took place from 23-24 February, 2026 at Vienna, Austria. She contributed to the discussion on strategies to accelerate progress on industrialization, innovation and infrastructure within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In solidarity,

Pragatiprava Bai

GCAP Communications Officer