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

World for World Organization

WFWO 2001 Rome Italy G

World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fishworkers

WFF 1997 Kampala Uganda F

World Forum on Theology and Liberation

WFTL 2003 Porto Alegre Brazil F

World Foundation for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

1971 New York NY USA F f

World Foundation for Medical Studies in Female Health

WFFH 1955 Port Washington NY USA G f

World Free Zones Organization

World FZO Dubai United Arab Emirates C

World Health Organization

WHO 1946 Geneva Switzerland B g

World in Need

WIN International Associates 1991 Crowborough UK G

World Indigenous Tourism Alliance

WINTA 2012 Porirua New Zealand C

World Information Transfer

WIT 1986 New York NY USA F

World Interdisciplinary Network for Institutional Research

WINIR 2013 Dunstable UK F

World Kabaddi Federation

WKF 2004 Delhi India D

World Kashmir Freedom Movement

WKFM 1990 F

World League for Freedom and Democracy

WLFD 1966 Taipei Taiwan F y

World Libertarian Order

WLO 1983 N v

World March of Women

WMW Sao Paulo Brazil F

World Martial Arts Union

WoMAU 2002 Chungju Korea Rep C

World Merit

Liverpool UK J

World Minigolf Sport Federation

WMF 1980 Bamberg Germany C

World Neighbors

WN 1951 Oklahoma City OK USA G v

World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry

WNUSP 1991 Odense Denmark B

World Order Models Project

WOMP 1966 F v

World Organization of the Scout Movement

WOSM 1907 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia B

World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments

UCLG 2004 Barcelona Spain B

World Petroleum Council

WPC 1933 London UK F

World Pickleball Federation

WPF C

World Pulse

Portland OR USA G

World Renew

1962 Burlington ON Canada G

World Sailing

1907 London UK B y

World Scout Bureau

WSB 1920 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia K

World Silambam Association

WSA 1999 Petaling Jaya Malaysia G

World Society of Victimology

WSV 1979 Holden Hill SA Australia C

World Squash Federation

WSF 1966 Hastings UK B y

World Trade Organization

WTO 1995 Geneva Switzerland B gt

World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations

WUCWO 1910 Rome Italy B

World Values Survey Association

WVSA 1981 Vienna Austria C

World Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs Association

WWIEA 2008 Seoul Korea Rep C

World Women Organization

WWO J

World Women's Security Council

WWSC J p

World Womens' Snooker

WWS 1981 Wisbech UK D

World Young Women's Christian Association

World YWCA 1855 Le Grand-Saconnex Switzerland B

World Youth Empowerment Foundation

WYEF Adelaide SA Australia N f

World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union

WWCTU 1883 Håvik Norway B

WorldFish

1975 Bayan Lepas Malaysia E

WorldGranny

2004 Amsterdam Netherlands G

Worldwide Association of Women Forensic Experts

WAWFE Reggio Calabria Italy C

Worldwide Organization for Women

WOW Clarence NY USA G

Xaverian Missionary Sisters

1945 Parma Italy R

Y's Men International

1922 Geneva Switzerland E

YAAKAARE REDHRCC

1997 Geneva Switzerland G

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