UN Urges Action on Gender Equality as Women's Rights Still Lag
Her Excellency Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee, presided over a significant UN event on September 22, 2025. The high-level meeting, held within the UN Secretariat, aimed to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and secure resources for its measures. The event was a response to the persistent challenges faced by women and girls worldwide, despite substantial progress in legal protections against gender-based violence.
In 1995, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women. Since then, 1,583 laws addressing gender-based violence have been enacted across 193 countries. However, alarming figures reveal the extent of the ongoing issue. One in three women globally has experienced physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. Furthermore, 10% of women live in extreme poverty, with 351 million women and girls at risk of remaining trapped in it by 2030.
The event also addressed the significant barriers women face in the labour market. An estimated 708 million women are excluded due to unpaid care work. Despite these challenges, none of the gender equality targets are on track, according to a joint report by UN Women and DESA. The meeting comes three decades after the Beijing Declaration on women's rights was adopted by the world's nations. Additionally, 676 million women live within 50 kilometers of a conflict zone, the highest number since the 1990s.
The high-level event at the UN Secretariat underscored the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Declaration. With women and girls still facing unacceptable levels of violence, discrimination, and barriers to economic participation, the international community must redouble its efforts to achieve gender equality.
