Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

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

Gender Equality


While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Millennium Development Goals (including equal access to primary education between girls and boys), women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every part of the world.

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Unfortunately, at the current time, 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15-49 have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period and 49 countries currently have no laws protecting women from domestic violence. Progress is occurring regarding harmful practices such as child marriage and FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), which has declined by 30% in the past decade, but there is still much work to be done to complete eliminate such practices.

Providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large. Implementing new legal frameworks regarding female equality in the workplace and the eradication of harmful practices targeted at women is crucial to ending the gender-based discrimination prevalent in many countries around the world.

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

Born Free Foundation

1984 Horsham UK G f

Bountifield International

Minneapolis MN USA G

Boys' Brigade, The

BB 1883 Hemel Hempstead UK F

BPW Europe - European Region of BPW International

1985 Brussels Belgium D

BRAC

1972 Dhaka Bangladesh F

Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University

BKWSU 1936 London UK F v

Breakthrough

1999 New York NY USA N

Bright Future International

BFI Northbrook IL USA G

British Institute of International and Comparative Law

BIICL 1958 London UK G jv

Brot für die Welt

1959 Berlin Germany G

Brothers to All Men

BAM 1964 Brussels Belgium F

Budapest Process

1993 Vienna Austria E gy

Buddhist Global Relief

BGR 2008 Carmel NY USA G

Build Africa

1978 London UK G

Building and Wood Workers' International

BWI 2005 Carouge Switzerland B

Busan Foundation for International Cooperation

BFIC 2005 Busan Korea Rep G

Business and Human Rights Resource Centre

London UK G

Business Ethics Network of Africa

BEN-Africa 1999 Stellenbosch South Africa F

Business for Inclusive Growth

B4IG Paris France E

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

CIHRS 1993 Tunis Tunisia E j

CALALA - Fondo de Mujeres

Calala Barcelona Spain G

Cambia

1993 Canberra ACT Australia G

CamFed International

1993 Cambridge UK G

Campaña Latinoamericana por el Derecho a la Educación

CLADE 2002 Sao Paulo Brazil F y

Campaña por una Convención Interamericana de los Derechos Sexuales y los Derechos Reproductivos

Lima Peru G

Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation

CECI 1958 Montréal QC Canada G

Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

KAIROS 2001 Toronto ON Canada G

Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief

CPAR 1984 Ottawa ON Canada G

Canadian Voice of Women for Peace

VOW 1960 Toronto ON Canada G v

CARE International

CI 1945 Brussels Belgium F f

Careth Foundation

Truckee CA USA G f

Caribbean ASEAN Voluntary Council for Sustainable Development Goals

Caribbean ASEAN Council J

Caribbean Baptist Women's Union

Falls Church VA USA K

Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Europe

CCCE 2019 Brussels Belgium E t

Caribbean Court of Justice

CCJ 2001 Port-of-Spain Trinidad-Tobago F g

Caribbean Employers' Confederation

CEC 1960 Port-of-Spain Trinidad-Tobago D

Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation

CFPA 1971 St John's Antigua-Barbuda F

Caribbean Women's Association

CARIWA 1970 The Valley Anguilla D

Caritas Asia

1973 Bangkok Thailand F y

Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

CCHRP 1999 Cambridge MA USA G

Carrefour de solidarité internationale

CSI 1974 Sherbrooke QC Canada G y

Casa Alianza

1981 Mixco Guatemala G

Catalyst 2030

2020 Haarlem Netherlands J y

Catholic Daughters of the Americas

1903 New York NY USA G v

Catholic Media Council

CAMECO 1969 Aachen Germany F y

Catholic Women's Movement of Austria

Vienna Austria G

Catholics for Choice

1973 Washington DC USA F

Catholics in Coalition for Justice and Peace

CCJP 1987 Enfield South NSW Australia G

Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir

CDD 1987 La Paz Bolivia F f

CBE International

1988 Minneapolis MN USA G

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