In 2025, the world marks the 30^th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – the most comprehensive and visionary agenda for realizing women’s rights and building a more just and equal world. Over the past three decades, there has been remarkable progress: nearly every United Nations (UN) Member State has taken action to tackle violence against women and girls, narrow gaps in education and reduce maternal mortality. Legal reforms have dismantled discriminatory laws, institutions have been strengthened, and commitments deepened, with more countries than ever before enacting policies that support women’s visibility, opportunity and resilience whether through employment, social protection, or crisis response. 

Despite these gains, progress remains uneven and fragile. Hard-won gains on gender equality are facing alarming rollbacks, threatening not only the rights of women and girls but the strength of our societies, the integrity of multilateralism, and our ability to solve global challenges together. Worldwide, women still have only two-thirds of the legal rights of men. A stark poverty gap persists, and at the current pace, it will take an additional 137 years to end extreme poverty among women. This is not only unjust—it is a corrosive force that hinders human development and stifles global progress. Yet, the transformative power of gender equality is undeniable. For instance, almost 300 million jobs could be created by 2035 through investments in care services, which would support working women and men in their caregiving responsibilities while opening up new employment opportunities for women.

Working as part of the UN family, including key partners such as UN Women, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) support in 2024 helped 137 million women to access essential services, enabled 139 million women to access financial services, and supported the participation of 140 million women in elections.

“I never thought I could become a successful businesswoman, but now my dreams have come true,” says Ma Win Shwe, a farmer in Myanmar who, with UNDP’s support, has transformed her livelihood—one of the millions of women empowered through our global engagement. UNDP is aiming to ensure that every development breakthrough becomes a catalyst to unlock equal rights, power, and opportunities for all women and girls. Indeed, UNDP is proud to be part of the UN System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP) to help defend and advance the rights of women and girls across the world. In short, it is a future where gender equality and women’s empowerment are not just aspirations, but a lived reality for every woman and girl. 

Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Join the global movement "For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment" as we mark International Women's Day on 8 March 2025. Use the hashtag #ForAllWomenAndGirls to amplify the call for transformative change.