Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Gender Equality


Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. There has been progress over the last decades, but the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030.

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and therefore also half of its potential. But gender inequality persists everywhere and stagnates social progress.
On average, women in the labor market still earn 23 percent less than men globally and women spend about three times as many hours in unpaid domestic and care work as men.

Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work, and discrimination in public office, all remain huge barriers. All these areas of inequality have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic: there has been a surge in reports of sexual violence, women have taken on more care work due to school closures, and 70% of health and social workers globally are women.

At the current rate, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.

Political leadership, investments and comprehensive policy reforms are needed to dismantle systemic barriers to achieving Goal 5 Gender equality is a cross-cutting objective and must be a key focus of national policies, budgets and institutions.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

"Choose" - The Women's Cause

1971 Paris France N

"Hope for Children" CRC Policy Center

HFC Nicosia Cyprus E

100 Million

2016 Lienden Netherlands F f

50 Years Is Enough - US Network for Global Economic Justice

1994 Washington DC USA G

A Common Word Among the Youth

ACWAY Birmingham UK J

A New Course

2010 Bainbridge Island WA USA G

A Woman's Voice International

1996 Honolulu HI USA G

AAALAC International

1965 Frederick MD USA G y

AACE International

1956 Fairmont WV USA F v

ABANTU for Development

1991 Accra Ghana E

ABC Global Alliance

2016 Lisbon Portugal E

ABET

1932 Baltimore MD USA G y

Academic Council on the United Nations System

ACUNS 1987 Washington DC USA E y

Academic Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Policy

ANSER Ghent Belgium F

Académie internationale des droits de l'homme

AIDH 1982 Puteaux France N

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences

ACJS 1963 Greenbelt MD USA G

Academy of Eating Disorders

AED 1993 Reston VA USA E

Academy of European Law, Florence

1990 Florence Italy K

Access Agriculture

2012 Brussels Belgium F

Access Now

2009 New York NY USA C

ACER-Russie

1961 Paris France G

Act for Peace

1948 Sydney NSW Australia G

Act.Now

2015 Vienna Austria N

Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances

1996 Phnom Penh Cambodia G

Action Against Hunger

1979 Paris France F

Action Children Aid

1966 Copenhagen Denmark G

Action d'appui pour la protection des droits des minorités en Afrique centrale

AAPDMAC Cyangugu Rwanda G

Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Diversity

A SEED 1992 Amsterdam Netherlands F

Action for World Solidarity

1957 Berlin Germany G v

Action pour le développement - SOS Faim

SOS Faim 1964 Brussels Belgium G

ActionAid

1972 Johannesburg South Africa F f

ADD International

Frome UK G

Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Protocol of San Salvador 1988 Washington DC USA T g

Advancing Girls' Education in Africa

AGE Africa 2005 Washington DC USA G

Advice on Individual Rights in Europe Centre

AIRE Centre 1993 London UK G

Advocates for Human Rights

1983 Minneapolis MN USA G

Aflatoun International

2005 Amsterdam Netherlands C

Africa Action

2001 Washington DC USA G

Africa Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations

1977 Nairobi Kenya E

Africa Civil Society for the Information Society

ACSIS 2003 Dakar Senegal D

Africa Culture Internationale Human Rights

ACI Human Rights 1996 Geneva Switzerland G

Africa Development Interchange Network

ADIN 1985 Douala Cameroon G

Africa Early Childhood Network

AfECN 2013 Nairobi Kenya F

Africa Faith and Justice Network

AFJN 1983 Washington DC USA G

Africa Freedom of Information Centre

AFIC 2006 Kampala Uganda F y

Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute

ALLPI 1990 Addis Ababa Ethiopia E gj

Africa Legal Aid

AFLA 1995 The Hague Netherlands F

Africa Network for Animal Welfare

ANAW 2006 Nairobi Kenya F

Africa Unite

AU 2001 Cape Town South Africa G

Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum

AWIEF Cape Town South Africa F

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