Girls and Women

Gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of human rights and is an aspiration that benefits all of society, including girls and women. The universal advantages of gender equality have been well-documented, and several international frameworks have affirmed its centrality to human rights and sustainable development. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, for example, unanimously adopted by 189 countries in 1995 and still the strongest global consensus for advancing and protecting girls’ and women’s equality and justice, recognizes that persistent inequalities pose “serious consequences for the well-being of all people.”

Yet, despite the promise of equality, progress towards it has been slow, fragile, incremental, and reversible – and dramatically undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, in every region of the world, girls and women are still more likely to be poor, illiterate, hungry, unhealthy, underrepresented in leadership positions, legally constrained, politically marginalized, and endangered by violence.

#EQUALEVERYWHERE

We won’t stop until girls and women are equal everywhere. Join UN Foundation, partners, and people around the world in the push for faster, lasting progress on gender equality.

TAKE A STAND

GENERATION EQUALITY FORUM

The Generation Equality Forum, hosted in 2021 by the Governments of Mexico and France and convened by UN Women in partnership with youth and civil society, mobilized diverse stakeholders to accelerate progress for gender equality. We are continuing to work with partners to implement existing commitments and encourage new stakeholders to join this collective journey towards gender equality.

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Making the Next Decade Count for SDG 5

In support of the UN’s Decade of Action, we are working with partners to eliminate discriminatory laws and to shine a light on gender-based violence.

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PRIVATE SECTOR ACTION

We convene a group of high-level corporate leaders to gather in common cause and share their approaches to gender equity and equality at work, discuss best practices and lessons learned, and promote five key policy asks to achieve gender equality in the workplace.

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RESPONDING TO THE CRISIS: GIRLS AND WOMEN AND COVID-19

We amplify the UN’s call to respond to and prevent gender-based violence, mobilize support for the immediate socio-economic needs of people, and work with partners to understand and document the unique and substantial impact of COVID-19 on girls and women.

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The UN Foundation is dedicated to achieving equality everywhere. With our broad set of programs, we defend the rights and inclusion of girls and women by improving the quality, availability, and use of gender data; support the rights of girls and women to decide when, and how many children to have; protect and strength the largest source of funding for global sexual and reproductive health and rights, including women’s empowerment in global supply chains; develop global girl leaders and advocates; facilitate convergent and comprehensive service delivery for girls and women; and enable the benefits of clean cooking.

By harnessing the power of our comprehensive portfolio, our diverse and committed partners, and our founding commitment to work with and for the UN, we’re pushing for accelerated progress toward SDG 5 and all the SDGs, to realize a world that is better and fairer for all people.