Gender Equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

344 Pages·2017·7.7 MB·English

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TURNING PROMISES
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TURNING PROMISES INTO ACTION:
GENDER EQUALITY IN THE 2030 AGENDA
FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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TURNING PROMISES INTO ACTION
FOREWORDS
ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
SECRETARY-GENERAL
OF THE UNITED NATIONS
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets It is therefore crucial to integrate a gender
out a transformative vision for preserving our planet, perspective into the implementation and monitoring
promoting peace and ensuring that prosperity is shared of all the Sustainable Development Goals. With
by all. Human rights and gender equality are core the targets and indicators, we already have the
principles of this bold agenda, underpinning our efforts benchmarks for seeking out and tracking the
to prevent conflict, overcome divisions and address the women, men, girls and boys who are being left
root causes of inequality, instability and injustice. behind. Now, using the findings of this report, it is
time to accelerate implementation with gender
This report by UN Women, Turning Promises into equality front and centre. Leveraging the capacities,
Action, comes at a critical time. More than two years skills, financing, technology and networks of all
into the life of the 2030 Agenda, it calls for dramatic stakeholders will be essential.
advances in statistics, financing and policies for
gender equality, as well as more determined steps Gender equality is a goal in its own right and a
towards democratic governance and accountability. powerful force for upholding the main promise of the
Based on robust data and expert analysis, the report 2030 Agenda: to leave no one behind. I commend
takes stock of where we stand on key aspects of this volume to policymakers, researchers, civil
gender equality globally; tells us what is needed to society groups and others worldwide as a source of
monitor progress meaningfully; and provides wide- knowledge and a call to action. Let us work together
ranging recommendations for change. towards a world of empowerment and dignity for all.

The report leaves no doubt: Gender equality is
fundamental to delivering on the promise of the
2030 Agenda. As long as women are economically
and socially disempowered in the world of work and
in their homes and communities, growth will not be
inclusive and we will not succeed in ending poverty. António Guterres
The creation of inclusive and peaceful societies will
also remain out of reach until women and girls are
safe from all forms of violence and can shape the
decisions that affect their lives.
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FOREWORDS
PHUMZILE MLAMBO-NGCUKA
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL AND
UN WOMEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable environmental degradation are undermining the
Development in 2015 was a global victory for gender livelihoods of millions of women and men; economic
equality. Not only did United Nations Member States slowdown, recession and austerity measures have
commit to making sustainability, equality, peace and exacerbated inequality; and millions are being forcibly
human progress a reality for all countries and all displaced due to violent conflict and humanitarian
people; they also recognized that gender equality is catastrophes. A shift towards exclusionary and fear-
central to this transformative vision as an important based politics is deepening societal divisions, breeding
goal in itself and a catalyst for progress across the conflict and instability, as well as renewed resistance
entire Agenda. to women’s rights. The unprecedented expression of
political will that culminated in the 2030 Agenda is
Our monitoring report points clearly towards what meeting formidable push-back.
is needed to get to the goals by 2030. Progress for
women and girls remains unacceptably slow. Despite The full and equal realization of women’s and girls’
advances in girls’ enrolment in primary education, 15 rights must remain the centre of implementation. We
million girls of primary-school age will never get the must move towards an integrated way of tackling
chance to learn to read or write compared to about different forms of inequality and deprivation, as
10 million boys. Violence against women and girls mandated by the 2030 Agenda. Better gender data,
remains a global pandemic, with one in three women statistics and analysis will be critical to show who we are
and girls experiencing physical and/or sexual violence helping and what is working and to hold stakeholders
in their lifetimes. Today, women hold 24 per cent of accountable for commitments made but not met.
parliamentary seats globally – still only half way to
parity – and the gender pay gap stands at 23 per cent. Indispensable in this effort is a vibrant civil society
with space to express itself. Across the world, women’s
Even where progress has been made, it has been highly movements have advocated for gender equality and
uneven. Looking beyond national averages, our report women’s rights, and systematically challenged broader
uncovers yawning gaps between women and girls who, structures from authoritarianism, militarism and violence
even within the same country, are living worlds apart. to economic policies that perpetuate inequalities of
For example, in Nigeria, women and girls from the many kinds. It is thanks to their mobilization that the
poorest households are nearly five times as likely to be gender equality commitments of the 2030 Agenda
married before the age of 18 as those from the richest are so comprehensive. Their sustained involvement in
households. In the United States of America, the share of implementation and monitoring will be critical to turn
black and Native American women who live in poverty the transformative promise of the SDGs into progress for
is twice as high as the share of white women. To reach women and girls on the ground.
those currently being left out of progress we must take
action on the multiple and intersecting inequalities that
hold down women and girls in cycles of poverty.
Alarmingly, many hard-won gender equality
achievements are under threat. Climate change and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
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TURNING PROMISES INTO ACTION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
UN Women report team Under-Secretary-General
Research director: Shahra Razavi Yannick Glemarec, Deputy Executive Director
Report managers: Somali Cerise and Silke Staab and Assistant Secretary-General for Policy and
Report coordinator: Sophie Browne Programmes
Chapter authors: Ginette Azcona, Somali Cerise, Lakshmi Puri, (former) Deputy Executive
Sara Duerto Valero, Shahra Razavi, Silke Staab Director and Assistant Secretary-General
Statistics: Ginette Azcona, Sara Duerto Valero, Papa for Intergovernmental Support and Strategic
Seck, with support from Antra Bhatt, Jessamyn Partnerships
Encarnacion, Juncal Plazaola Castaño, Norberto Julien Pellaux, Acting Chief of Staff
Rodrigues, Asad Zaman Christine Brautigam, Director, Intergovernmental
Research assistance: Marion Becheri, Magali Support Division
Brosio, Sophie Browne, Anduriña Espinoza-Wasil, Aparna Mehrotra, Director, Coordination Division
Erin McCreary Moez Doraid, Director, Management and
Programme support: Talita Mattos Administration Division
Interns: Naga Jayadeep Akula, Andrea Espinoza, Khetsiwe Dlamini, Acting Director, Strategic
Meghana Kasula, Jeongwon Seo Partnerships Division
Purna Sen, Director, Policy Division
Production and outreach Maria-Noel Vaeza-Ogilvie, Director, Programme
Production coordination: Sophie Browne and Division
Claudia Itzkowich, with support from Mika Mansukhani
Substantive editor: Andy Quan We are grateful for the support received from
Copyeditor: Tina Johnson across the organization, particularly from
Outreach coordinator: Mika Mansukhani, with the following colleagues who facilitated and
support from Katherine Austin-Evelyn provided substantive inputs to the qualitative and
Communications and media outreach: UN Women quantitative analysis.
Communications and Advocacy Section
Website: UN Women Information Systems and UN Women staff at headquarters
Telecommunications Section Janette Amer, Julie Ballington, Fiona Bayat-Renoux,
Design: blossoming.it, with data design inputs from Ionica Berevoescu, Caitlin Boyce, Gabriella Borovsky,
the Center for Data Arts at the New School Christine Brautigam, Laura Capobianco, Luis
Printing: AGS Chalico, Nazneen Damji, Katherine Gifford, Sylvia
Hordosch, Tatyana Jiteneva, Zohra Khan, Kalliopi
Expert advisory group Mingeirou, Subhalakshmi Nandi, Louise Nylin,
Radhika Balakrishnan, Valeria Esquivel, Éva Fodor, Marianne Olesen, Juncal Plazaola Castaño, Seemin
Naila Kabeer, Stephan Klasen, Alice Miller, Noelene Qayum, Alison Rowe, Anuradha Seth, Shivangi
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Tadros, Dzodzi Tsikata, Muthoni Wanyeki, Mariama
Williams UN Women staff in country and regional offices
Arab States and North Africa: Marta Colburn, Rachel
UN Women Senior Management Team Dore-Weeks, Gielan El Messiri, Maryse Guimond,
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director and Josephine Moss, Jorg Schimmel
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Asia and the Pacific: Smriti Aryal, Mohammad Chiewouo Kuetche (ADEV), Emily Courey Pryor
Homayon Hashimi, Jamaluddin Khan, Evy Messell, (Data2x), Felicite Djoukouo (ADEV), Diana Fletschner
Daya Nanda, Vu Phuong Ly, Rebecca Reichmann (Landesa), Rebecca Furst-Nichols (Data2x), Andrew
Tavares, Asa Torkelsson Hancock (New Zealand Statistical Office), Jacqueline
Europe and Central Asia: Nargis Azizova, Halyna Hart (AJWS), Rachel Jacobson (IWHC), Kristen Jeffers
Meshcheriakova, Isabel Suarez Garcia, Catherine Wolf (IPUMS), Sai Jyothirmai Racherla (ARROW), Elizabeth
East and Southern Africa: Jack Abebe, Edna Akullq, Lockwood (CBM), Madeleine Kennedy-MacFoy
Maureen Gitonga, Fatou Lo, Patricia Made, Anna (Education International), Sehnaz Kiymaz (WWHR),
Mutavati, Nyambura Ngugi, Mitra Sadananda, Shannon Kowalski (IWHC), Verity McGivern (HelpAge
Robert Simiyu International), Lisa McGowan (Solidarity Center),
Latin America and the Caribbean: Lara Blanco, Emily Mello (Women Deliver), Eunice Musiime (Akina
Rolando Crespo, Elisabeth Diaz, Laura Gonzalez Mama wa Afrika), Stephanie Oula (Data2x), Susan
Garces, Ana Guezmes, Gabrielle Henderson, Isiuwa Papp (Women Deliver), Tom Piazza (SDA Program,
Iyahen, Engell Rosario Jaime University of California, Berkeley), Tom Pullum (ICF
West and Central Africa: Patience Ekeoba, Anouk International), Shelby Quast (Equality Now), Zara
Jeanne Heili, Comfort Lamptey, Diana Louise Rapoport (Plan International), Joseph Spanjers
Ofwona, Desmond Osalobo Osemhenjie, Laura Zini (Global Financial Integrity), Jennifer Ulrick (Education
International), Antonia Wulff (Education International)
UN System and beyond
Heather Adair-Rohani (WHO), Robert Bain (UNICEF), Other reviewers
Carlotta Balestra (OECD), Enrico Bisogno (UNODC), Yusuf Bangura, Faiza Benhadid, Jennifer Breslin,
Chiara Brunelli (FAO), Paola Buitrago Hernandez Ingrid Brudvig, Drude Dahlerup, Kate Donald,
(World Bank), Carlo Cafiero (FAO), Claudia Cappa Anna Dovgopol, Diane Elson, Sarah Gammage,
(UNICEF), Liliana Carvajal (UNICEF), Talal El- James Heintz, Sophia Huyer, Ipek Ilkkaracan, Sudha
Hourani (UNESCO-UIS), Gaelle Ferrant (OECD), Narayanan, Ani Plaku, Farida Shaheed, Consuelo
Rosina Gammarano (ILO), Jennifer Gee (FAO), Uribe, Joann Vanek
Pietro Gennari (FAO), Mark Hereward (UNICEF),
Friedrich Huebler (UNESCO-UIS), Michael Jandl Background paper authors and external
(UNODC), Eva Johansson (UNFPA), Steve Kapsos researchers
(ILO), Serge Kapto (UNDP), Priya Karna (WHO), Alison Bina Agarwal, Deborah Atobrah, Sylvia Beales,
Kennedy (UNESCO-UIS), Milorad Kovacevic (UNDP), Katherine Brickell, Debbie Budlender, Nandini
David Locke Newhouse (World Bank), Esperanza Chami, Shraddha Chigateri, Jerome De Henau, Ana
Magpantay (ITU), Yongyi Min (UNSD), Marie Maria Farias, Fernando Filgueira, George Gelber,
Christine Monfort (FAO), Ana Maria Munoz Boudet Anita Gurumurthy, Juliet Hunt, Ipek Ilkkaracan, Neha
(World Bank), Colleen Murray (UNICEF), Robert Kagal, Di Kilsby, Benjamin Kwansa, Peter Lloyd-
Ndugwa (UN-Habitat), Martha Osorio (FAO), Lauren Sherlock, Rafael Mantero, Sophie Mitra, Avanti
Pandolfelli (UNICEF), Rohan Pathirage (UNESCO-UIS), Mukherjee, Teresa Munzi, Jorg Neugschwender,
Neena Raina (WHO), Khondkar Rifat Hossain (WHO), Rense Nieuwenhuis, Heba Omar, Flaviana
Kinnon Scott (World Bank), Lucia Scuro (ECLAC), Palmisano, Ito Peng, Cecilia Sardenberg, Gita Sen,
Nianjun Shen (FAO), Anuja Singh (UNESCO-UIS), Tom Magdalena Sepúlveda, Margarita Velasco, Lisa
Slaymaker (UNICEF), Jan Smit (SIAP), Iliana Vaca- Vetten, Sue Yeandle
Trigo (ECLAC), Wei Wang (FAO), Xinxin Yu (UNICEF)
Financial support
Other institutions and organizations UN Women would like to thank the Federal Ministry
Sanam Amin (APWLD), Fred Arnold (ICF International), for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Cecilia Caio (Development Initiatives), Irène-Flore of the German Government for its financial support.
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TURNING PROMISES INTO ACTION
ACRONYMS AND
ABBREVIATIONS
ACS American Community Survey FIES Food Insecurity Experience Scale
ADB Asian Development Bank GDP gross domestic product
ADEV Association des Acteurs GMD Global Micro Database
de Développement
GRB gender-responsive budgeting
AJWS American Jewish World Service
HLP High-level Panel of Eminent
APWLD Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Persons on the Post-2015
Law and Development Development Agenda
ARROW Asia-Pacific Resource and HLPF High-level Political Forum
Research Centre for Women
IAEG-SDGs Inter-Agency and Expert Group
BMI body mass index on the Sustainable Development
Goals
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination ICRW International Centre for
against Women Research on Women
DFID Department for International ICT information and communications
Development, UK technology
DHS Demographic and Health Survey IDB Inter-American Development Bank
ECEC early childhood education and care IDP internally displaced person
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin ILO International Labour Organization
America and the Caribbean
IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union
EFA/GMR Education for All/Global
Monitoring Report IPV intimate partner violence
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization IWHC International Women’s
of the United Nations Health Coalition
FGM female genital mutilation ITU International Telecommunications
Union
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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
ITUC International Trade UN-Habitat United Nations Human
Union Confederation Settlements Programme
LFPR labour force participation rate UN HRC United Nations Human Rights Council
LTC long-term care UN Women United Nations Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment
MDG Millennium Development Goal of Women
MMR maternal mortality rate UNCTAD United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development
NGO non-governmental organization
UNDP United Nations Development
NHRI national human rights institution Programme
NSO national statistical office UNESCO United Nations Educational,
Cultural and Scientific Organization
ODA official development assistance
UNESCO-UIS UNESCO Institute for Statistics
OECD Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
for Human Rights
UNODC United Nations Office
PPP public-private partnership on Drugs and Crime
RO regional office UNSD United Nations Statistics Division
SDA Survey Documentation and Analysis UPR Universal Periodic Review
SIAP Statistical Institute for Asia VAWG violence against women and girls
and the Pacific
VAT value added tax
SDG Sustainable Development Goal
VNR voluntary national review
UIS UNESCO Institute for Statistics
WG Washington Group
UN CEDAW United Nations Committee
on the Elimination of WHO World Health Organization
Discrimination against Women
WWHR Women for Women’s Human Rights
UN DESA United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs

UN ECOSOC United Nations Economic
and Social Council
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TURNING PROMISES INTO ACTION
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 14
1. TURNING PROMISES INTO ACTION: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES 22
A CHALLENGING CONTEXT 25
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHIFT COURSE 27
A comprehensive set of gender equality commitments 27
A firm grounding in human rights 29
Universality and the commitment to leave no one behind 30
IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND ACCOUNTABILITY 33
The follow-up and review process: What room for accountability? 33
Gender-responsive monitoring: A multi-pronged approach 37
CONCLUSION 43
RECOMMENDATIONS 44
2. MAKING WOMEN AND GIRLS VISIBLE: DATA FOR GENDER EQUALITY 46
A GENDER PERSPECTIVE ON THE GLOBAL INDICATOR FRAMEWORK 49
Uneven coverage of gender-specific indicators 49
Far-reaching gender data gaps 51
Issues with data quality and comparability 56
DATA CHALLENGES AND THE GENDER DATA REVOLUTION 59
Mainstreaming gender into data production 59
Possibilities and potential pitfalls of non-conventional data sources 63
Supporting participatory data collection, data literacy and the use of gender data 65
CONCLUSION 67
RECOMMENDATIONS 68
3. MONITORING GENDER EQUALITY IN THE 2030 AGENDA 70
WHY GENDER EQUALITY MATTERS ACROSS THE SDGS 73
ALL 17 GOALS FROM A GENDER EQUALITY PERSPECTIVE 76
SDG 1. No poverty 76
SDG 2. Zero hunger 79
SDG 3. Good health and well-being 81
SDG 4. Quality education 83
SDG 5. Gender equality 86
SDG 6. Clean water and sanitation 104
SDG 7. Affordable and clean energy 106
SDG 8. Decent work and economic growth 108
SDG 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure 111
SDG 10. Reduced inequalities 113
SDG 11. Sustainable cities and communities 115
SDG 12. Responsible consumption and production 117
SDG 13. Climate action 119
SDG 14. Life below water 121
SDG 15. Life on land 123
SDG 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions 126
SDG 17. Partnerships for the goals 129
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