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

Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network

AEFJN 1988 Brussels Belgium F y

African Aeronautics & Space Organisation

AASO Dammarie-les-Lys France G

African Agency For Integrated Development

AAID 1998 Fort Portal Uganda G

African Alliance for Women Empowerment

AFRAWE Cairo Egypt N

African Association of Women in Geosciences

AAWG 1995 El Jadida Morocco D y

African Centre for Advocacy and Human Development

ACAHD 2002 Lagos Nigeria G

African Centre for Aquatic Research and Education

ACARE 2017 Ann Arbor MI USA D

African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies

ACDHRS 1989 Serekunda Gambia E

African Centre for Empowerment and Gender Advocacy

Nairobi Kenya G

African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation

ACHEST Kampala Uganda G

African Child Education Right Initiative

ACERI Lagos Nigeria G

African Coalition for Corporate Accountability

ACCA 2013 Pretoria South Africa D y

African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

ACERWC 2001 Addis Ababa Ethiopia E g

African Confederation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations

CACU 1999 Paris France E

African Court of Justice and Human Rights

J gp

African Criminology and Justice Association

ACJA 2000 Princess Anne MD USA G

African Development Aid Association

ADAA 1988 Addis Ababa Ethiopia G

African Federation of Women Entrepreneurs

AFWE 1993 Accra Ghana D

African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services

AFAAS 2005 Kampala Uganda F

African Freedom of Expression Exchange

AFEX Accra Ghana J y

African Human Rights Heritage

AHRH 1992 Accra Ghana G

African Institute for Capacity Development

AICAD 2000 Nairobi Kenya G j

African International Institute for Peace

AFIIP 2013 Brussels Belgium E

African Jurists' Association

AJA 1979 Dakar Senegal D v

African Law Foundation

AFRILAW 2012 Enugu Nigeria G f

African Legal Information Institute

AfricanLII 2010 J j

African Library and Information Associations and Institutions

AfLIA 2013 Accra Ghana D

African Movement of Working Children and Youth

AMWCY 1994 Dakar Senegal J

African Music Council

AMC 2007 Brazzaville Congo Brazzaville E

African Network for Environment and Economic Justice

ANEEJ 1995 Benin City Nigeria G

African Network of Social Entrepreneurship Scholars

ANSES 2017 Hatfield South Africa J

African Network of Women Shelters

ANWS 2012 Kigali Rwanda F

African Office for Development and Cooperation

1976 Dakar Senegal G

African Promise Foundation

Maple Valley WA USA G f

African Publishers Network

APNET 1992 Accra Ghana F

African Rights Initiative International

ARII 2007 Madina Ghana G

African Sex Workers Alliance

ASWA 2009 Nairobi Kenya D

African Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology

ASPAE 2009 Nairobi Kenya D

African Union of Broadcasting

AUB Dakar Senegal D

African Woman and Child Features Service

AWC Nairobi Kenya G

African Women Empowerment Guild

AWEG 1995 Benin City Nigeria G

African Women in Leadership Organisation

AWLO 2009 Lagos Nigeria D

African Women in Science and Engineering

AWSE 1999 Nairobi Kenya G

African Women Jurists Federation

1978 D

African Women Leaders in Agriculture and the Environment

AWLAE 1990 Nairobi Kenya G

African Women's Active Nonviolence Initiatives for Social Change

AWANICh 2007 Accra Ghana F

African Women's Development and Communication Network

FEMNET 1988 Nairobi Kenya F

African Women's Development Fund

AWDF 2000 Accra Ghana F f

African Women's Welfare Group

Tottenham UK G

African World Heritage Fund

AWHF 2006 Midrand South Africa F g

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