UNDP announces an Ambitious Initiative to Accelerate Progress on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 11 October 2022

The UNDP has unveiled a bold new initiative to assist nations in accelerating progress toward gender equality and the global Sustainable Development Goals during the upcoming four years (SDGs). Millions of women and girls in the 170 countries and territories where UNDP operates stand to make progress thanks to the Gender Equality Strategy 2022–2025.

Gender equality is one of the most effective development strategies, on which the plan is built. It seeks to go beyond piecemeal initiatives and assist nations in changing the political, social, and economic structures that support prejudice.

The launch of the new plan coincides with a period of global crisis and risk for growth. Almost every humanitarian and development concern, including COVID-19 and the climate disaster, is worse for women simply because they are female. Women made up only 39 percent of the worldwide workforce before the pandemic, but they accounted for 54 percent of job losses. Even before the pandemic, 1 in 3 women worldwide experienced physical or sexual abuse, and during COVID-19, this number increased in many nations. Additionally, women have never represented more than 10% of world leaders in government throughout history.

Men and other impacted groups suffer as a result of gender inequity. Rigid gender standards, for instance, can encourage dangerous behaviours in men that lead to violence, ill health, and a shorter life span.

“ As progress towards gender equality stalls, UNDP’s ambitious new Gender Equality Strategy will guide us in our efforts to support countries to implement structural changes that strike at the roots of this most pervasive inequality — including efforts to tackle gender-based violence and mobilising finance to expand access to social protection,” says UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner. “Indeed, the entire UN family is working together to ensure that women and girls have a meaningful seat at decision-making tables across the globe so that they can make the brave choices today to realise that sustainable, green, and equal tomorrow.”

The Gender Equality Strategy 2022–2025 helps nations and communities advance women's empowerment and gender equality more quickly. It attempts to assist public institutions in implementing a new wave of laws that lessen harmful gender stereotypes. In addition to empowering grassroots networks of women to express their voice and influence, it will encourage public and corporate investment in gender equality and help countries avoid and address gender-based violence. The strategy also outlines how UNDP can keep advancing gender equality within the company.

The UNDP promotes gender equality around the world. Countries have advanced toward gender equality and women's empowerment thanks to this enduring support. For instance, in 2021, UNDP supported the expansion of social protection and care systems that are gender-responsive in 73 countries.

Ninety-six percent of the 92 nations that filed national climate action plans last year did so as part of the UNDP's Climate Promise, which incorporated gender considerations. With addition, UNDP assisted in the registration of 38 million voters (80% of whom were women) between 2018 and 2021.

The Gender Equality Strategy 2022–2025 is the outcome of a 12-month process that drew on the knowledge of over 1,000 people, including 122 UNDP country offices and outside partners.