Global Leaders Call for Urgent Action at Beijing+30 Summit to Accelerate Gender Equality

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous urged unity: "Together, we choose action over apathy. Together, we ignite the spirit of Beijing again."

On 12 March 2025, during the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women convened global leaders at the UN Headquarters for "For ALL Women and Girls: The Beijing+30 Action Agenda," commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Despite significant strides, leaders warned progress remains insufficient and vulnerable to setbacks.

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous urged unity: "Together, we choose action over apathy. Together, we ignite the spirit of Beijing again."

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed underscored the crucial role of gender equality in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing the newly launched Gender Equality Acceleration Plan aimed at embedding gender equity across all initiatives.

Thilmeeza Hussain, Director of the Regional Commissions New York Office and former first female Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the UN, reflected, "It shouldn’t have taken so long," highlighting the need for systemic change to foster female leadership.

Six Key Actions for Accelerating Gender Equality

1. Bridging the Digital Gender Divide: Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, pointed out the urgent need to bridge the digital divide, particularly in low-income countries where less than 29% of women are online. Huang Xiaowei from China shared initiatives enhancing women's digital literacy and tech skills.

2. Ending Poverty Through Care Systems: Laís Wendel Abramo, National Secretary of Care and Family of Brazil, highlighted care responsibilities as a major barrier for women's employment, advocating comprehensive social protection systems to alleviate poverty.

3. Achieving Zero Violence: EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib emphasized the EU's "Roadmap for Women’s Rights," foregrounding the successful Spotlight initiative combating gender-based violence. Nigerian advocate Kemi DaSilva-Ibru called for increased funding to local women's rights organizations vital to addressing escalating violence in West and Central Africa.

4. Ensuring Equal Decision-Making Power: Ana Peláez Narváez, former Chair of CEDAW, stressed the importance of maintaining women's equal representation in decision-making spaces, especially as governments worldwide report growing resistance to women's rights.

5. Prioritizing Women in Peace and Security: Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee highlighted women's critical role in peace-building, citing Liberia's sustained peace as a testament to women's involvement. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh of the League of Arab States mentioned initiatives like the Arab Women Mediator Network, enhancing women's participation in regional peace processes.

6. Advancing Climate Justice: Katie Tobin of WEDO underscored women's pivotal role in climate justice efforts, emphasizing that gender equity is foundational to environmental justice and must be directly supported and funded.

Collective Action and Solidarity

All panelists emphasized solidarity with women's movements as essential for transformative progress. Stephanie Pacheco, US Youth Poet Laureate, captured this collective ethos, saying, "Sisterhood is understanding no conversation is complete unless it includes all of us."