In the past five years, the confluence of different crises has negatively affected the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action on gender equality throughout the UNECE region. The COVID-19 pandemic, escalating climate emergency, eruptions of armed conflict and geopolitical tensions have disproportionately affected women and girls, exacerbating existing inequalities. At the same time, the rise in authoritarianism and anti-rights movements is threatening the progress made and endangering women's rights activists.
According to the UNECE regional synthesis report, although gender equality is generally improving in the UNECE region, most SDG related targets are likely to fall short by 2030 at the current pace. Progress can be measured for less than half of the targets, one of them being the share of women participating in political and economic life.
Yet, progress remains slow and insufficient in other priority areas, notably elimination of gender-based violence, and strengthening of women's economic rights.
"We urgently need to invest in comprehensive economic and social policies aimed at driving women's full participation, supported by accountable institutions and mechanisms, including gender budgeting," noted UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean. "Advancing gender equality must remain a bold and unwavering priority, especially given ongoing and emerging challenges. This requires enforcing and improving existing gender equality frameworks, innovative policymaking and appropriate resource allocation that is guided by the fundamental recognition that without gender equality we cannot achieve the SDGs."
These issues will be in the focus of discussions at the Beijing+30 Regional Review Meeting on 21-22 October 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Women's participation in political and economic life
The share of women participating in political and economic life is increasing in nearly every country in the region. The proportion of elected seats held by women in parliaments and local governments has seen significant growth and, if sustained, could exceed one-third by 2030, though still short of parity.
Today, women make up an average of 31.6% of parliamentarians in single or lower houses of 56 UNECE countries, in comparison to 27.8% at the last review in 2019 and 11% in 1995. Progress was also observed in terms of women rising to ministerial posts. As of 1 January 2024, an average of 28.8% of women serve as Cabinet ministers in the 56 UNECE countries.
Nevertheless, the "glass ceiling" in political spheres is still very present in many countries, with women being underrepresented in the highest echelons of political power and minimal progress observed since the previous regional Beijing review in 2019. For example, in total, women currently serve as Heads of States and/or Government in 14 UNECE countries, as in 2019.
Economic empowerment of women
Despite the attention dedicated to women's economic rights and poverty reduction, their financial independence remains elusive. Women continue to be overrepresented in insecure, precarious, or informal employment, which is characterized by low remuneration, poor working conditions, and limited access to social protection. This situation was intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the unequal gendered division of unpaid and care labour in private households deepened.
For example, in the European Union, an estimated 21% of women in couples aged 18-64 in 2019 lived with a partner who is the single earner, compared to 6% of men in this position.
The gender pay gap ranges from less than 10% in some Western Balkans countries to over 60% in some countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus. It translates into a wider gender pension gap, exceeding 40% on average in the region.
Progress in women's participation in the corporate sector is very modest. The proportion of women in managerial positions in the corporate sector stands at 34.7% as of 2022 in 36 reporting countries, having only slightly risen from 33.2% in 2018 for 37 reporting countries.
Eliminating gender-based violence
Eliminating gender-based violence has been one of the most common areas of action for countries over the past five years, and a number of countries have introduced stronger legislative and policy standards. For example, preventing and responding to technology-facilitated gender-based violence has become a relevant area of legal and policy concern, while attention to sexual harassment at workplaces and in public and educational spaces has also increased.
Yet, elimination gender-based violence remains a challenge. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, many women and children faced domestic violence during. Moreover, military conflicts, notably the war against Ukraine, have led to a rise of conflict-related sexual violence.
According to the most recent data for countries implementing the EU survey on gender-based violence, the proportion of women aged 18-74 who have experienced gender-based violence by any perpetrator since the age of 15, ranges from 10.3% to 57.1%.
In the Western Balkans, Türkiye, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, more than half of women who use digital technologies and are present online had experience of some form of technology-facilitated violence. The highest prevalence was found in Ukraine (76.8%) and the lowest in Tajikistan (30.7%).
The regional report calls for continued promotion of integrated approaches to ensure that all women and girls live free from all forms of violence by strengthening the development, monitoring and reporting of global norms and standards on violence against women.
Financing for gender equality
According to UN Women, an additional $360 billion annually is needed to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment globally across key global goals, including ending poverty and hunger. However, confronted with multiple crises, countries face difficult policy choices and limited fiscal space. They struggle to budget, allocate and utilize funds effectively to uphold national gender equality laws and policies.
Data collected by UN Women, the OECD and UNDP from 105 countries show that only a quarter of countries have comprehensive systems to monitor expenditures on gender equality and women's empowerment.
While 92% of countries have established gender equality policies and programmes, only 53% have allocated adequate resources. Additionally, only 38% of countries prepare consolidated gender statements as part of budget documentation, and a mere 26% tag budgetary allocations to track spending against gender objectives.
These data highlight a discrepancy between policy development and the practical implementation and funding of gender-responsive activities at the global level. They also point to a need to substantially restructure funding and integrate a strategic, gender-responsive approach to financing into broader macroeconomic policies.
Emerging issues and future priorities
The regional report highlights several emerging issues and future priorities. These include the urgent need for greater emphasis on women´s economic empowerment and independence, as well as tackling gendered stereotypes that hinder women´s and girls´ progress.
The prevalence of digitalization, including the potential of artificial intelligence, require more attention being paid to potentially negative gender impacts, while the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation, which are becoming more visible in the UNECE region, necessitate the integration of a gender perspective to environment protection, climate change and disaster risk management.
Finally, mainstreaming a gender equality perspective and ensuring women's active participation in conflict prevention and resolution is necessary to simultaneously ensure national and regional peace and stability.
