U.N. Report Warns of Rising Backlash Against Women's Rights & Progress Stalling

• 193 U.N. countries pledged to advance gender equality, acknowledging ongoing setbacks
• The declaration calls for empowering women and nominating women for U.N. secretary-general

At the U.N.'s annual meeting on women's rights, 193 member nations pledged to accelerate gender equality efforts. A political declaration emphasized the need for men and boys as "strategic partners and allies" in this goal. The declaration, adopted by consensus, marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Women's Conference, where a roadmap for gender equality was created. While acknowledging some progress, the declaration notes that no country has yet achieved gender equality, and significant gaps and obstacles remain.

A UN Women report revealed that nearly one-quarter of governments reported a backlash against women’s rights in 2024, likely underreported. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that women’s rights are "under siege" 30 years after Beijing’s conference, citing setbacks in reproductive rights and gender equality. He highlighted the resurgence of patriarchy, stalling progress, and causing violence, discrimination, and economic inequality. The gender pay gap remains at 20percent, and one in three women faces violence globally.

New technologies, including AI, are normalizing misogyny and online abuse, with 95% of deepfakes being non-consensual pornographic images, 90% depicting women. The 1995 Beijing conference called for action on poverty, gender-based violence, women’s health, and leadership, and recognized women’s right to make decisions about their sexuality and reproductive health free from discrimination.

Guterres urged governments and people worldwide who care about equality for women and girls “to stand up and speak out”  and deliver on Beijing's promise.

The eight-page declaration adopted Monday calls for “concrete action,” including promoting women's access to credit and entrepreneurship, reducing their unpaid care work by expanding systems to care for children, the needy, and disabled individuals, and encouraging the equal sharing of household responsibilities with men. It also highlights closing the digital gender divide so that all women can benefit from technology and innovation. The declaration emphasizes ensuring access to quality education for girls and lifelong learning for women, as well as adopting, implementing, and funding national plans to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.

At last year's Commission on the Status of Women meeting, five male speakers addressed the audience, leaving some men uneasy and baffling many women present. This year, Saudi Arabia's U.N. Ambassador, Abdulaziz Alwasil, opened the meeting and had three young women speak afterward. He called the Beijing conference “a watershed moment” and urged all countries to implement its commitments.

He emphasized that real progress requires inclusive governance, sustained investments, and political will. The declaration encourages U.N. members to nominate women for the next secretary-general, as the U.N. has never had a female chief.