By J Nastranis
NEW YORK | 2 July 2025 (IDN) — As UN Women commemorates its 15th anniversary this year, the organisation is warning of a dangerous global backslide in gender equality. Founded in 2010 to accelerate progress on women’s rights and empowerment, UN Women has played a vital role in advancing gender justice worldwide. However, despite significant achievements over the past decade and a half, the agency now states that many of those gains are at risk of being reversed.
A March 2025 global survey found a 60 per cent rise in public concern about the lack of progress on gender equality. Supporting this anxiety, UN Women’s analysis of over 150 national reports revealed that nearly one in four countries is experiencing an active backlash against women’s rights. Other alarming trends include surging gender-based violence, a widening digital divide between men and women, and a sharp increase in the number of women and girls living near conflict zones, now over 600 million.
“This is a historic and precarious moment,” UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said in a statement. “We are at a tipping point where hard-won progress is stalling—or worse, being rolled back. Our 15th anniversary is not just a time for reflection. It’s a time for bold action.”
The anniversary coincides with two other key milestones: the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Together, these frameworks outline the global commitments to gender equality, peace, and sustainable development. But UN Women warns that fulfilling those commitments will require urgent and coordinated efforts.
To mark the occasion, the agency has launched a campaign urging governments and institutions to adopt 15 specific actions to accelerate progress on gender equality.
1. Push Back Against the Backlash
In 2024, almost 25 per cent of countries reported setbacks in women’s rights. UN Women calls for renewed political will to protect the gains achieved under the Beijing Declaration, and to ensure legal and financial systems actively support gender equality.
2. End Conflict and Violence
The number of women and girls living within 50 kilometres of conflict zones has soared by more than 50 per cent in the last decade. UN Women is urging greater investment in conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding to ensure that women’s lives and livelihoods are not further destabilised by war and political violence.
3. Include Women in Peace Processes
Despite overwhelming evidence that peace agreements are more durable when women are involved, 8 out of 10 peace talks and 7 out of 10 mediation processes from 2020 to 2023 excluded women from participation. “Excluding half the population from peace processes undermines their legitimacy and success,” said Bahous.
4. Eradicate Poverty
One in ten women and girls worldwide lives in extreme poverty, on less than $2.15 a day. At the current pace, ending this inequality would take 137 years. UN Women recommends expanding social safety nets like paid maternity leave, cash transfers, and pension systems.
5. Address Food Insecurity
Although women produce one-third of the world’s food as small-scale farmers, nearly 48 million more women than men are food insecure. The organisation is calling for targeted policies to close productivity and wage gaps in the agricultural sector.
6. End Violence Against Women
Globally, a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by an intimate partner or family member. In 2023, 85,000 women and girls were murdered intentionally. UN Women says better legislation, improved data collection, and stronger support for survivors are urgently needed.
7. Recognise Women’s Unpaid Work
Women spend 2.5 times more hours than men on unpaid care work, including 250 million hours a day collecting water. Investments in care systems could generate nearly 300 million paid jobs by 2035, transforming both individuals’ lives and the economy.
8. Close the Gender Pay Gap
Women still earn 20 per cent less than men globally for work of equal value. Governments and employers must implement pay transparency laws, parental leave policies, and anti-discrimination measures to create a level playing field.
9. Empower Women in Climate Leadership
Climate shocks could push 158 million more women and girls into poverty by 2050, yet only 28 per cent of environment ministers are women. UN Women calls for increased representation in climate governance and funding for women-led environmental solutions.
10. Boost Women’s Political Representation
Three-quarters of lawmakers today are men, and 103 countries have never had a woman as head of state. UN Women advocates for political quotas and reforms to dismantle the social norms and violence that block women’s path to power.
11. Overhaul Discriminatory Laws
Women have only 64 per cent of the legal rights that men do. In more than half of all countries, at least one law restricts women from working in the same jobs as men. Governments must eliminate these legal barriers.
12. Close the Digital Divide
In 2024, 277 million more men than women used the internet. This gap could cost low- and middle-income countries $500 billion over five years. UN Women urges investment in digital access and protections against online abuse targeting women and girls.
13. Guarantee Education for All Girls
More than 119 million girls are out of school, and 39 per cent of young women don’t complete upper secondary education. Lowering schooling costs and ensuring inclusive environments are critical to closing the education gap.
14. End Preventable Maternal Deaths
Around 800 women die each day from pregnancy-related causes, most of them in conflict-affected countries. Improving access to reproductive healthcare and investing in resilient health systems is vital.
15. Increase Gender-Responsive Financing
Just 4 per cent of global development aid in 2021–2022 targeted gender equality as a primary objective. UN Women is calling on public and private stakeholders to dramatically increase their financial commitments.
As the world faces mounting challenges—from conflict and climate change to economic uncertainty—UN Women warns that gender equality cannot be treated as optional. It is foundational to peace, prosperity, and sustainability.
“Our anniversary is not just a milestone,” said Bahous. “It’s a wake-up call. If we do not act now, we risk undoing decades of progress. But with bold leadership and investment, we can still deliver on the promises made to the world’s 4 billion women and girls.” [IDN-InDepthNews]
Image: The One Win Leads to Another (OWLA) programme enhanced the leadership skills of 2,000 girls in Brazil and 1,200 in Argentina through sports. In April 2024, 15 young leaders from Pedra de Guaratiba, Brazil, proposed measures to ensure girls’ and women’s right to sport. Credit: UN Women/Rossana Fraga.
