Global Scans · Gender Equality · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower women and girls.

• [New] In South Punjab, Pakistan, water insecurity increased women's and girls' vulnerability to harassment and gender - and caste-based violence, including sextortion. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] About 90% of people in Gaza remain forcibly displaced, with many living in overcrowded and unsafe conditions where women and girls face heightened risks of sexual and gender-based violence. NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
• [New] UN Women notes estimates that closing the gender digital divide would improve the lives of 343.5 million women and girls, generate approximately US $ 1.5 trillion dollars by 2030, and lift 30 million out of poverty by 2050. Women's World Banking
• [New] The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warns of unequal access to skills development based on gender, socioeconomic background, and location. HLB
• [New] Canada has quietly stepped away from its feminist foreign policy, and the UK government has acknowledged cuts to development spending will constrain work on gender equality and women's participation in peace processes. ODI: Think change
• [New] Starting in April 2026, Australian employers with 500 or more employees will be required to select and work towards specific gender equality targets. Australian HR Institute
• Elections Canada will continue to apply a GBA Plus lens to strengthen inclusiveness across its policies and services, ensuring that programs and service delivery reflect gender equality and an intersectional approach. Elections Canada
• Gender-responsive approaches must be mainstreamed across all Global Gateway interventions, ensuring that women participate in decision-making, benefit equitably from employment opportunities, and are protected from risks associated with large infrastructure projects. ISI
• UN Women prioritizes investments that demonstrate measurable impact on women's economic opportunities and strengthen the broader ecosystem of gender equality advocates operating throughout Moldova's diverse regions. Impact Funding
• The sharp decline in Official Development Assistance poses a systemic risk to global funding for gender equality. Focus 2030
• 38% of AI-driven recruitment tools could perpetuate gender or ethnic biases if not carefully monitored. Accurate Legal Billing
• Science and gender equality are both vital for the world to reach its full potential. Beyond Borders
• Coherent gender mainstreaming will require meaningful consultation and inclusion of women's rights organizations and feminist movements from across the Global South, which will provide indispensable policy expertise. Bond | The international development network
• Addressing gender disparities in labour force participation could raise gross domestic product by up to 20% in some economies - making gender equality not a social aspiration, but the foundation of a stronger, more resilient global economy. OMFIF
• Closing gender gaps in the labour force could lift GDP by between 15 and 20% in many economies - and by up to 50% in the MENA region and South Asia. Atlantic Council
• There is a national campaign to improve gender diversity in policing called 30×30, which has the goal of increasing the number of female recruits to 30% by 2030. Public Policy Institute of California
• Trump has passed multiple executive orders as president restricting access to accurate federal identity documents, threatening to take away federal funding for gender-affirming care and erasing trans history on federal websites and in schools. The Tufts Daily
• UNICEF has warned that in low-income countries around 90% of adolescent girls and young women do not use the internet, underscoring the risk of a widening gender gap in opportunity as economies digitise. TechAfrica News
• Women were slightly more affected by AI, though differences by gender were not statistically significant, while younger workers in Viet Nam faced higher automation risk than their counterparts in Lao PDR. SpringerLink

Last updated: 31 May 2026