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

Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children

1947 T g

Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women of Full Age

1947 T g

Convention of Independent Financial Advisors

CIFA 2001 Geneva Switzerland G f

Convention of the Privileges and Immunities of the League of Arab States

1953 T g

Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

Århus Convention 1998 Geneva Switzerland T g

Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women

CEDAW 1979 New York NY USA T g

Convention on the Free Issue of Certificates of Civil Status and Exemption from the Need for Legislation

1957 T g

Convention on the International Access to Justice

1980 The Hague Netherlands T g

Convention on the Law Applicable to Certain Rights in Respect of Securities Held with an Intermediary

2002 The Hague Netherlands T g

Convention on the Nationality of Married Women

1957 T g

Convention on the Nationality of Women

1933 Washington DC USA T g

Convention on the Political Rights of Women

1953 T g

Convention Relating to Registration of Rights in Respect of Vessels under Construction

1967 T g

Convention Relating to the Settlement of Guardianship of Minors

1902 T g

Convention Relative to Certain Restrictions on the Rights of Capture in Maritime War

1907 T g

Convention Respecting the Free Navigation of the Suez Canal

1888 T g

Convention Respecting the Prohibition of Night Work for Women in Industrial Employment

1906 T g

Convoy of Hope

1994 Springfield MO USA G

Cool Farm Alliance

CFA Grantham UK J

Cooperacció, Spain

1994 Barcelona Spain G

Cooperation Canada

1968 Ottawa ON Canada G

Coopération internationale de promotion et aides au développement

CIPAD 1995 Othée Belgium G

Cooperazione Paesi Emergenti

COPE 1983 Catania Italy G

Coördinatiecentrum Mensenhandel

CoMensha Amersfoort Netherlands G

Coordinating Committee of the Organization for Voluntary Service

1972 Milan Italy G

Coordination of Nongovernmental Organizations for International Development Cooperation

1986 Rome Italy G

Coordination SUD

1994 Paris France G y

Coppieters Foundation

2007 Brussels Belgium F f

Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security

CTI-CFF 2007 Manado Indonesia E g

Corona Worldwide

1950 London UK F

Correlation - European Harm Reduction Network

C-EHRN 2004 Amsterdam Netherlands F

COS West and Midden Brabant Centrum voor Internationale Samenwerking

1969 Tilburg Netherlands G

Council for Global Equality

Washington DC USA G

Council for World Mission

CWM 1977 Singapore Singapore F y

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

2011 T g

Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers

CAIB 1913 Washington DC USA G

Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific

CROP 1988 Suva Fiji E gy

Council of Women World Leaders

CWWL 1997 Washington DC USA D v

Cour de justice communautaire de la CEMAC

CJ-CEMAC Ndjamena Chad F g

Cour de justice de l'UEMOA

Ouagadougou Burkina Faso F g

Court of Justice of the Andean Community

1979 Quito Ecuador F g

Court of Justice of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

COMESA Court of Justice 1998 Khartoum Sudan F g

Court of Justice of the European Union

CJEU 1952 Luxembourg Luxembourg F g

Creative Women of the World

CWOW 2011 Fort Wayne IN USA N

Crescendo Worldwide Network

2001 Geneva Switzerland F y

Crime Stoppers International

CSI 1976 Amersfoort Netherlands F

Crimmigration Control - International Net of Studies

CINETS 2011 F

Critical Costume

2013 F

Critical Research on Men in Europe

CROME F

Cruelty Free International

1898 London UK G

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