Gender equality is an indispensable requirement for a sustainable and peaceful world. Without gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls, the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will remain unattainable by 2030. Today no country in the world can claim to have fully achieved gender equality. With further pushback against women’s rights during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pace to achieve gender equality and empowerment of women must be hastened in the Decade of Action, before the 2030 deadline to achieve the SDGs.

In alignment with the ICPD Programme of Action, UNFPA continues to play a prominent role in advancing gender equality and empowerment of women around the world, including during the pandemic. Creating universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights brings the world closer to achieving gender equality, and vice versa.

This first evaluation on its theme at UNFPA assesses the organization’s support to gender equality and women’s empowerment across development and humanitarian contexts. The evaluation with its 39 findings, eight conclusions and six recommendations provides the organization critical evaluative evidence and knowledge to make informed decisions and actions to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, to reach those furthest behind in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Learn more about the evaluation.