Gender equality: UN Women calls for political will and accelerated global action

The global gender equality process is regressing, and its costs are accumulating in the form of lives, rights and opportunities. With only five years left until the 2030 deadline to achieve the SDGs, all gender equality-related goals are on track as expected.

UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs released the 2025 SDG Gender Status Report on Monday, which comprehensively tracks progress on 17 SDGs based on more than 100 data sources.

The world is at a crossroads

2025 marks three milestones for women and girls: the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 (on Women, Peace and Security), and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. However, the latest data is sobering, highlighting the urgent need to accelerate action and increase investment.

The report pointed out that the female poverty rate has hardly improved in the past five years and has been hovering around 10% since 2020, with the affected groups mainly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South Asia.

The conflict exacerbated the crisis

In 2024 alone, 676 million women and girls will be living in the threat of deadly conflict, the highest since the 1990s.

The report notes that women in war zones suffer far more than displacement, but also face a sharp increase in food insecurity, health risks and violence.

Violence against women and girls is still widespread. One in eight women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner in the past year, and nearly one in five young women are forced to marry before the age of 18. About 4 million girls are subjected to female genital mutilation each year, and more than half of them experience it before the age of five.

Prioritize gender equality

Despite the stark data, the report also highlights that countries can achieve significant results if they prioritize gender equality: maternal mortality has fallen by nearly 40% since 2000, and girls are at an all-time high in their chances of completing school.

Sarah Hendricks, director of the policy department of UN Women, told UN News that when she first arrived in Zimbabwe in 1997, "childbirth was still a matter of life and death."

"That doesn't happen anymore," she said. Amazing progress has been made in just 25 to 30 years. ”

Bridging the gender digital divide

There is also hope in the field of technology. The current internet access rate is 70% for men and 65% for women. The report estimates that if this gap is closed, it could benefit 343.5 million women by 2050, lift 30 million people out of poverty by 2030, and add $1.5 trillion to the global economy.

"Wherever gender equality is a priority, there has been significant social and economic development," said Sima Bahus, Executive Director of UN Women. Targeted investment in gender equality has the power to transform society and the economy. ”

However, women's rights are experiencing unprecedented headwinds, civic space continues to shrink and gender equality initiatives face increasingly funding cuts, all threatening hard-won gains.

UN Women noted that without action, women will remain "invisible" in data and policy development – with a gender data gap of 25 per cent due to reduced funding for surveys.

An imminent choice

"The 2025 State of Gender Report shows that the cost of the lack of gender equality is extremely high, but the benefits are equally significant. ”

"Accelerated actions and interventions focused on care, education, green economy, labor markets and social protection are expected to reduce the number of women and girls living in extreme poverty by 110 million by 2050 and unlock some $342 trillion in cumulative economic returns," he said. ”

However, progress remains uneven and slow.

Women make up only 27.2% of parliamentary seats globally, and local government representation remains stagnant at 35.5%. Women account for only 30% of management, and it will still take nearly a century to achieve true equality at current pace.

Political will and global action are urgently needed

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, the report sets 2025 as a critical juncture and warns: "Gender equality is not an ideology, but a cornerstone of peace, development and human rights. ”

On the eve of the UN High-Level Meeting Week, the State of Gender 2025 report states that it is imperative to invest in women and girls immediately, otherwise they risk the progress of another generation in vain.

Hendrix conveyed UN Women's message to world leaders: "Change is possible, and there is another path ahead of us, but it is not inevitable, and it will require political will and determination from governments around the world to make gender equality, women's rights and empowerment a lasting reality." ”

Building on the Beijing+30 Programme for Action, the report identifies six priority areas that urgently need to be accelerated to achieve gender equality for all women and girls by 2030. These areas include: digital revolution, poverty alleviation, zero violence, full and equal decision-making power, peace and security, and climate justice.