SDG 5: Gender Equality

Generations of fearless feminists have driven progress, but while equality has improved, change remains slow, fragile, and uneven.

The 2024 L’Oréal-UNESCO for women in science awardees, including Dr. Anyanee Kamkaew, Dr. Pongkarn Chakthranont, and Dr. Waleeporn Donphai, signify the importance of gender equality in STEM, advocating for support networks to empower more women in science.

Thirty years after the most revolutionary agreement on gender equality was adapted, the rights of far too many women and girls are still not fulfilled.

Every milestone you see in this video is predicted to happen before we reach gender equality. UN Women is calling to change this timeline and ensure that amidst all these advancements and progress, we are not leaving gender equality behind. One person, one school, one organization, one board room, one parliament, one country at a time, we can speak out about how inequality is affecting women and girls every day, and make changes in our own lives to create a level playing field.

This video was made possible by UN Women Australia. Produced by The Monkeys.

Coumba Diaw stands at a table with men next to her

A close look at Gender Equality's (SDG 5) 9 objectives, which UN Women and UNDESA take annual stock of in the Gender Snapshot report.

Mary-Ellen McGroarty is talking to an Afghani man

“Some days, I sometimes wish I hadn't been here before the 15th of August, because then I wouldn't have seen the hope and the promise and the potential.”

What is it like living and working in Afghanistan as a woman leader of a UN Agency? Mary-Ellen McGroarty witnessed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021. As Head of the World Food Programme (WFP) in the country, she has seen first hand the seismic shift in the economic, political and cultural landscape. Now, over 50% of Afghans are threatened with hunger. People are unable to go out to work either because of the economic crisis or, in the case of millions of women, because of new restrictions on their freedom. In this episode, Mary-Ellen McGroarty reflects on the impact of the takeover, the scale of the ensuing humanitarian crisis, and what it’s like sitting face to face with the Taliban.

Photo: © WFP/Wahidullah AMANI

A woman catching fish

Environmental degradation caused by the climate crisis can exacerbate food and water insecurity, and amplify poverty and underlying inequalities. When climate-induced natural disasters happen, women and girls are more likely to suffer food insecurity and poverty, and have a higher risk of being exposed to violence. When communities are recovering from the impacts of natural disasters, the burden of unpaid care work on women and girls is greatly increased, affecting their ability to have a paid job or continue their education. This is why gender considerations need to be at the centre of efforts to combat the climate crisis. See how these 9 countries are working towards gender-responsive climate policies

podcast banner with an illustration of Baaba Maal

Creative Development with IFC - S1E2

IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop talks with world-renowned Senegalese musician Baaba Maal about how music can help raise awareness of a changing climate, give voice to the issues that matter to people, and bring people together to make change happen. He also discusses his efforts to combat desertification in the Sahel and to raise awareness for gender equality.

Photo Credit: IFC

Karima is pictured at home with containers of saffron on display in front of her.

The trail-blazing female entrepreneur leading Afghanistan’s growing saffron market

A girl grins whilst holding a plate ontop of her head.

What does equality mean to me?

children giggle as they lay on the ground with their bodies arranged in a circle that radiates from their heads.

Equal Rights and Opportunities for Girls and Boys

A woman is sanding a large block of wood in a workshop, wearing a protective mask.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a global policy-making body dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. On 9 March the commission is holding a procedural meeting, opening its sixty-fourth session (CSW 64). The meeting will adopt the draft Political Declaration on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), committing to the full realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by 2030.

 
Gender Equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Singer and co-founder of the ONE campaign, Bono, poses for a photo with youth leaders and activists.

Call for Action to Meet the Unfulfilled Promise of Education for Girls