By Ramesh Jaura
BERLIN, NEW YORK | 9 March 2025 (IDN) — In an inspiring song “Imagine” from his 1971 album, British musician John Lennon encouraged listeners to imagine a world of peace, without materialism, borders separating nations and religion. Much to our chagrin, that world has remained a pipedream.
So has a gender-equal world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination—a world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive—a world where difference is valued and celebrated. International Women’s Day (IWD) has been around for over a hundred years, as have many of the issues still impacting women’s advancement. Over a million people supported the first IWD gathering in 1911.
UN Women‘s latest report, Women’s Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing, released on the UN 50th International Women’s Day on 8 March, reveals that in 2024, nearly a quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash on women’s rights. Despite decades of advocacy, economic instability, the climate crisis, rising conflicts, and political pushback have contributed to a worsening landscape for gender equality.
This is even though thirty years ago, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments, pledged “equality for all.” In a landmark global commitment to gender equality, it outlined 12 critical areas for effort and investment. From lifting women out of poverty to safeguarding their health, from boosting education to curbing violence and discrimination, and much more, the world has made definitive decisions for change.
Sima Bahous, UN Women’s Executive Director, said, “The choices we make now will define us, and they are our permanent marks on history’s pages. We must choose rights, equality, and empowerment for ALL women and girls.”
Some essential gains
Since 1995, the number of countries with laws prohibiting gender-based discrimination in employment has increased from 58 to 162. Child marriage rates have declined, and so have maternal mortality rates. The number of women in parliaments has more than doubled, and more women today have access to the internet. These are significant strides towards a more gender-equal world, offering hope and optimism for the future.
Nonetheless, complex challenges and deeply entrenched norms and behaviours remain, holding women and girls back from having their rightful place at the table of “equality for all”.
Fragile economies, many still reeling from post-pandemic downturns and rampant inflation fuelled by interconnected crises, cannot do enough to reduce a widening income gap that has significantly impacted women’s and girls’ lives and livelihoods. Conflicts threaten women’s lives and increase the risk of violence.
Fast-evolving advances in digital technology with limited guardrails are not adequately protecting the rights of vulnerable users, including women and girls—exposing them to increased risks of online harm and abuse. The manifestation of the climate crisis in our everyday lives exposes nearly 2 billion women and girls who lack adequate social protection against disasters and shocks.
Action needed
Without the full participation and leadership of women and girls, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will be insurmountable.
The UN Secretary-General’s report outlines six actions to boost progress, focusing on concrete, actionable recommendations that emphasize the critical importance of freeing women and girls from poverty, amplifying their voices, supporting their choices, and protecting their well-being.
The report calls on all actors to:
- Ensure women and girls can reap the economic benefits of the digital revolution and access new skills, opportunities, and services.
- Address women’s poverty by investing national budgets in social protection and high-quality public services, including women’s health and girls’ education and care.
- Adopt, implement and fund legislation to end violence against women and girls.
- Accelerate the achievement of women’s full and equal decision-making power in private and public domains and at all levels of government.
- Adopt fully financed national action plans and fund the local women’s organizations leading responses to crises and conflicts to drive accountability for the women’s, peace, and security agenda and gender-responsive humanitarian action.
- Prioritize the rights of women and girls, including those from rural and Indigenous communities, in the transition to environmental sustainability by centring them on climate action and biodiversity conservation.
UN development system on the frontlines
The UN development system is on the frontlines of this work, including UN country teams established across 162 countries and territories that operationalize the Organization’s work on the ground. Under the leadership of UN Resident Coordinators, more than half of whom are women, UN teams support national initiatives that seek to develop and implement policies and programmes that protect and empower women. This work should reassure us all that progress is being made and that we are in good hands.
Together, the UN, its government and other partners are tackling gender-based violence and ensuring that achieving gender equality remains at the heart of global development. UN Resident Coordinators’ leadership are critical to this partnership, ensuring that gender equality and women’s empowerment remain key policy priorities while mobilizing the unique expertise various UN agencies offer to support national gender equality strategies effectively.
For example, in Namibia, the UN team, led by the Resident Coordinator, is helping tackle the unique challenges faced by young mothers, infants, and women farmers due to a drought affecting more than half a million people.
In Viet Nam, dedicated efforts are underway thanks to the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women to close gender gaps in education with more substantial policies, inclusive pedagogy and investment in infrastructure.
Supported by the Joint SDG Fund, a new programme in Türkiye, led by the Resident Coordinator and bringing five agencies together, it is working with public institutions and local authorities to improve policies for care services and support women’s livelihoods.
The Spotlight Initiative, the UN’s flagship initiative to end violence against women and the UN Resident Coordinator’sOffice in Ecuador have joined hands to make significant strides, strengthening laws, mobilizing resources and shifting social norms around survivors.
In Guatemala, the UN Peacebuilding Fund has been leveraging indigenous women leaders to drive community change for peace, training citizens to move away from conflict and open new avenues for dialogue.
This work of our UN teams on the ground emphasizes the Organization’s commitment to support national initiatives that aim to deliver “equality for all”, as pledged in Beijing 30 years ago. We stand at a crossroads now.
According to Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, “Women and girls deserve a seat at every table, a voice in every decision, and an equal chance to shape what lies ahead.” A world where all women and girls thrive isn’t just possible—it’s necessary. [IDN-InDepthNews]
Collage with images from International Women’s Day
