Closing the Gap: Housing, Health, and Inequity in Latin America

This intergenerational online panel examined the intersectionality of gender, class, and social policy around inadequate housing, discriminatory laws, and systemic health inequities affecting women in Latin America. The discussion spotlighted effective grassroots strategies and movements in Peru and Brazil that are actively expanding women’s access to justice, equity, and inclusion across the region.

About This Conversation

This panel was part of the NGO CSW Forum, organized by and for global civil society, non-governmental organizations, and feminists to connect with the official United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW) process. The seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 9 to 19, 2026, with the priority theme of ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls. The panel was co-sponsored by Citizens for Global Solutions, Trinity Washington University, Green Hope Foundation, and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

Speakers

• Kehkashan Basu, Founder-President, Green Hope Foundation
• Isabel Opice, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Impulso Gov
• Anastasia Tomlinson, CGS Fellow and Trinity Washington University Student
• Belky Lemus Alvarado, CGS Fellow and Trinity Washington University Student
• Samara Husain, CGS Fellow and Trinity Washington University Student
• Sr. Isabelle Izika, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur NGO Representative at the UN

Key Themes

• The intersectionality of gender, class, and social policy in Latin America
• Systemic barriers to adequate housing and healthcare for women
• Grassroots strategies in Peru and Brazil expanding women’s access to justice
• Promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems and eliminating discriminatory laws and practices