Sarah Hendriks
Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division, UN Women
Society must act boldly and decisively today if we are to fulfil the vision of equality, rights and empowerment for all women and girls.
In 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women, leaders from 189 countries adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It is a revolutionary framework that remains unmatched in ambition. The Beijing Declaration sparked extraordinary changes on issues paramount to the lives of women and girls. It fueled nations to take a stand against violence, empowered women to lead in building and sustaining peace and inspired youth-led movements demanding justice.
How long must women wait?
Yet, in 2025, we risk a gender-equal world slipping through our fingers. The backlash against gender equality is growing, and faith in multilateralism is faltering. At this rate, the promises of the Beijing Declaration are being deferred.
A girl born today will be nearly 40 years old before women hold as many seats in parliament as men.* She will be 68 before child marriage is eradicated. She will never live to see the end of extreme poverty for women and girls — a goal that, at this rate, will take another 137 years to achieve. This is the world we are living in — a world we cannot accept.
UN Women has a plan on how to
turn the promises made to women
and girls 30 years ago into reality.
For ALL women and girls: keep marching on
UN Women has a plan on how to turn the promises made to women and girls 30 years ago into reality. This plan is called the Beijing+30 Action Agenda and calls for generational momentum. It is an uncompromising, collective commitment to act decisively for all women and girls.
It is within our reach. We must bridge the digital gap; address poverty end violence against women and girls; advance women’s leadership and decision-making; make women, peace and security commitments a reality; and deliver climate justice for women and girls everywhere.
Women at the heart of decision-making
Across all we do, we must place young women and girls at the heart of the work, for they are the architects of both today and tomorrow. This is not the time for incremental change; it is the time for transformation. We will not stop until gender equality is a reality for every woman and girl everywhere because the stakes are too high, and the cost of inaction is too great. We know what to do. It is as simple as choosing to do it together.
*Source: UN Women. 2024. The Gender Snapshot 2024.
