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] Sessions focused on women's access to land tenure, credit, and cooperatives, recognising that closing the gender gap in agriculture could increase African food production by up to 20%. Africa Agricultural Network | The Face of African Agric
• [New] If Germany and the EU wish to defend and deepen a gender and human rights agenda at the multilateral level, Mexico, Chile and Colombia will be important partners. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)
• [New] The number of people at risk of Gender-based violence has tripled in two years. Sudan Research, Analysis, and Advocacy
• [New] The United Nations estimates that if current trends hold, gender equality in the highest positions of government will not be reached for another 130 years. CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations
• [New] Developing countries could increase their gross domestic products by an average of 23% if they closed gender gaps in the labour force. CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations
• [New] Looking ahead, Mexican society will hopefully become more gender conscious with time. Canning House
• If current trends continue, gender parity on corporate boards would not be reached until 2043, 19% of which still have no female representation. / Mexico Mexico Business
• Employers will need to create action plans for gender equality and menopause which will be voluntary until some time in 2027. Small Business UK
• Across the world, gender is central to authoritarian populists' efforts to generate public support, justify power expansion, and enact discriminatory actions that threaten everyone's rights and freedoms. Kettering Foundation
• The Trump-Vance administration last month announced it will expand the global gag rule, which bans U.S. foreign aid for groups that support abortion and/or offer abortion-related services, to include organizations that promote gender ideology. Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, G
• Legislative work, engagement with the UN on policy development, gender equality, youth engagement, leadership renewal and inter-cooperative collaboration will remain priorities, alongside continued support for cooperatives operating in fragile or crisis-affected contexts. ICA
• This month, House Republicans passed one of the most extreme anti-trans bills in modern American history, advancing legislation that would criminalize gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth and threaten doctors with severe penalties for providing evidence-based treatment. Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, G
• California students are likely to see fewer cellphones and more gender-neutral bathrooms in 2027 as new state education laws go into effect. San Mateo Daily Journal
• There are increased risks of gender-based violence, child marriage and exploitation. Secretary-General
• As pressure mounts and we see more drive from governments, investors, and professional bodies to address longstanding gender health gaps, 2026 could be the time we start to see tangible change. FemTech World

Last updated: 01 March 2026