UN Report Calls For Urgent Action To Close Gender Gaps By 2030

The Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2024, released by UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, reveals that while strides have been made in advancing gender equality, much more is needed to close critical gaps. Despite significant milestones—such as women now holding one in four parliamentary seats and the percentage of women and girls in extreme poverty dipping below 10 percent—none of the targets under Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality) are on track to be met by 2030.

The report warns that, at the current rate, gender parity in political representation may not be achieved until 2063, and it could take an alarming 137 years to lift all women and girls out of poverty. Furthermore, one in four girls worldwide continues to be married as a child, highlighting the persistent challenges facing young women globally.

As world leaders prepare for the upcoming Summit of the Future on 22-23 September, the report calls for a renewed international commitment to closing the gender gap and advancing the rights of women and girls.

She urged global leaders to continue dismantling barriers and accelerate efforts to make gender equality a reality, citing the commitments made at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing nearly 30 years ago.

The cost of gender inequality is staggering, with the report estimating that low- and middle-income countries could lose up to $500 billion in the next five years by not closing the digital gender gap. Additionally, inadequate education for young people globally is costing over $10 trillion annually.

The report offers recommendations to tackle gender inequality across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, emphasising the need for legal reforms. Countries with domestic violence legislation, for example, report significantly lower rates of intimate partner violence—9.5 percent compared to 16.1 percent in nations without such laws.

As the world approaches key milestones, including the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration in 2025, the report calls for decisive action, increased investment in women and girls, and an end to discriminatory practices. Only through bold measures, it argues, can the promise of the 2030 Agenda be fulfilled.