It’s Time to Keep Our Promises to Women and Girls

Wars are raging everywhere, the largest number since World War Two. From Sudan, to Gaza, to Ukraine, it is women who pay the highest price. And yet it is women who lead, nurture and care, even as their societies descend into horror. We owe them better.

In my work leading communications for the United Nations, I’ve met countless inspiring and resilient women. Time and again, in conflict zones, refugee shelters, and among survivors of sexual violence, I’ve watched in awe as women rally, rise, and rebuild.

They do so in the face of devastating odds. Against a backdrop of hunger, poverty and disease, and amid unrelenting displacement and conflict. They survive battlegrounds that too often include their own bodies. Sexual violence is a weapon as old as war itself.

I’m sad to say things are getting harder still. UN data show the number of women living in or near conflict zones has doubled in the past decade. The proportion of women killed in armed conflicts is also sharply on the rise.

Rape as a weapon of war is increasingly common. In the last ten years, the UN has verified cases of sexual violence affecting more than 51,000 people. In 2023 alone, the organization verified more than 3,600 reported cases, 50 percent more than the previous year.

Each figure stands for unimaginable loss and suffering. Each number likely hints at more widespread war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated against women - rape, sexual slavery and forced prostitution - that leave untold trauma in their wake.

All this, as hard-won gains are rolled back. Worldwide, one in four countries is seeing a backlash against women’s rights. Meanwhile, a lack of healthcare, education and economic opportunity is forcing one in 10 women globally into abject poverty.

Those who speak up are often met with vicious attacks. Last year, a UN report suggested perpetrators were increasingly going online to violently threaten, humiliate and shame human rights advocates in a systematic campaign to silence women’s voices.

Yet alongside these shocking realities, the UN also sees strength: women who refuse to be silent, who carry on with courage, resilience, and an unshakable belief in their rights. To them, we owe far better.

The United Nations has long advocated for bold action to advance gender equity and protect women and girls. This year, as UN Women, the UN agency dedicated to that goal, turns 15, we are doubling down on that promise.

Over the decades, the UN has brought the world together to pledge the same.

Thirty years ago, 189 countries agreed to the Beijing Platform for Action, a visionary blueprint to improve women’s rights.

Twenty-five years ago, UN Security Council resolution 1325 called on warring parties to keep women and girls safe and involve women in peace processes. 

And 10 years ago, all UN member states committed to achieving gender equity by 2030 — Sustainable Development Goal 5.

Yet progress is stalling, or even reversing. Right now there’s a $420 billion annual gap in financing for gender equality, making the work of UN Women increasingly difficult. This as humanitarians and those they serve are reeling from severe and drastic cuts.

The UN will never give up on our vision of a world where all people live in peace, dignity, and equality on a thriving planet. Central to that vision is women living empowered and safe, alongside men as true equals. It’s a vision shared by the majority of people on earth. 

That’s why the UN is calling on all donors to help humanity rise to the challenge of this moment. This is not a time to walk away from our promises. This is a time to defend our common values. To fund our aspirations. To rally behind the rule of law.

This month, world leaders gather once more for another General Assembly. This year is special — the United Nations is turning 80 years old. Let’s make this landmark count. Let’s demand leaders live up to their promises. Women and girls are waiting.