This March 8, there is still not much to celebrate regarding gender equality. Countries are far from fulfilling the promises made to women and girls in Sustainable Development Goal 5 – gender equality – of the 2030 Agenda. Despite progress, evidence shows that none of the targets set have been met so far, and, at this rate, none will be achieved by the target date.
According to the UN, only “15.4% of Goal 5 indicators for which data are available are ‘on track,’ 61.5% are at a moderate distance, and 23.1% are far or very far from the 2030 targets”. In addition, countries lack 44% of the data needed to monitor SDG progress.
Therefore, International Women’s Day should be a reminder to insist on accelerating the changes that society needs to overcome the discrimination and legal, social, and economic obstacles that women and girls experience.
