UN Women and UN DESA Release Gender Snapshot 2026 Report Warning One in Three Gender Equality Institutions Weakened

Key facts

• UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) released 'The Gender Snapshot 2026' on September 17, 2026, stating that no target under the Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality is on track to be met by 2030.
• One in three institutions set up to advance gender equality has had its power weakened in the past two years; around one in four has had its operating budget cut and nearly one in 10 has lost control of its budget.
• Funding for gender equality fell to its lowest level since 2021, with bilateral aid for gender equality down 13 per cent and funding to women's rights organisations down 28 per cent between 2023 and 2024; 42 per cent of UN entities reported weakened gender equality efforts.
• Men lead six in seven countries; women hold 27.4 per cent of parliamentary seats in 2026 (up from 22.3 per cent in 2015) and 35.6 per cent of local government posts, stagnated since 2023.
• Nearly nine in 10 defence ministers and over eight in 10 finance ministers are men; women hold only 6 per cent of corporate CEO positions and lead fewer than 20 per cent of the highest courts.
• UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua said current progress rates put gender equality 171 years away.
• In 2024, 9.9 per cent of women lived in extreme poverty versus 9.5 per cent of men; 1.1 billion women and girls could still be food insecure by 2030, while closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity could lift 45 million people out of food insecurity.
• Women spend 2.5 times more hours than men on unpaid domestic and care work; nearly one in three women has experienced partner or sexual violence, and 316 million women experienced such violence by an intimate partner in the past 12 months.
• Nearly one in five girls is married before 18, and an estimated 230 million women and girls are survivors of female genital mutilation.
• Women account for about 22 per cent of AI professionals and fewer than 14 per cent of senior AI leadership roles; 2.9 billion women and girls live in countries highly exposed to climate change and hazards, and women hold 27 per cent of cabinet posts with environmental portfolios.
• The report was released as world leaders prepare for the 81st UN General Assembly session and the selection of the UN's tenth Secretary-General, a role no woman has held in the organisation's 80-year history.