Improvement in the status of women in the United Nations system: Report of the Secretary-General (2025) – UN Women

Report on Gender Parity in the United Nations System and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: A Milestone in Achieving SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

The year 2025 represents a significant milestone in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality), marking thirty years since the Beijing Platform for Action and eight years since the implementation of the “System-wide strategy on gender parity”. A landmark achievement has been recorded, with women now constituting 50.4 per cent of staff in the Professional and higher categories across the United Nations system. This progress directly reflects the UN’s commitment to Target 5.5, which calls for women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership.

Biennial Report (A/80/260) Findings: Progress and Persistent Gaps

The biennial report on the “Status of women in the United Nations system”, covering the period from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023, documents key progress and remaining challenges in achieving institutional gender equality.

• Overall Progress: The representation of women in the Professional and higher categories increased from 47 per cent in 2021 to 48.8 per cent in 2023.
• Sustained Parity in Leadership: Gender parity has been successfully maintained within the Senior Management Group and among resident coordinators since 2018.
• Headquarters Achievement: Gender parity at headquarters locations, first achieved in 2021, has been sustained, demonstrating institutional capacity to maintain equitable representation.
• Identified Challenges: Significant challenges persist in specific areas, notably in mission settings and at the D-2 level, where women’s representation remains below parity targets. Addressing these gaps is critical for fully realizing SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Strategic Contributions to Broader Development Goals

The UN’s gender parity strategy is integral to the broader 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, contributing to multiple interconnected goals.

1. SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The initiative serves as a direct implementation of SDG 5, establishing a model for gender-responsive institutional practice and ensuring equal leadership opportunities.
2. SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): By promoting bias-free recruitment and flexible work policies, the UN champions decent work for all, in line with Target 8.5, fostering an inclusive and productive work environment.
3. SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The system-wide effort to eliminate gender disparity within its workforce is a tangible action towards achieving Target 10.2, which aims to empower and promote the inclusion of all, irrespective of gender.
4. SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Achieving gender parity, particularly in mission settings, is fundamental to building more effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. Diverse leadership strengthens peace processes and enhances institutional integrity.

Recommended Actions and Forward-Looking Strategy

The report, drawing insights from 72 UN entities, provides an action-oriented roadmap to accelerate progress and achieve the system-wide gender parity goals by 2028. Key strategic interventions include:

• Implementation of targeted mentorship programs to support career development for women.
• Strengthening of bias-free recruitment and promotion processes.
• Expansion of flexible work policies to support work-life balance.
• Enhancement of accountability mechanisms to ensure leadership commitment to parity goals.

This strategic framework offers a clear pathway for the United Nations to lead by example in building an equitable and inclusive workplace, thereby reinforcing its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article primarily addresses issues related to the following Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This is the central theme of the article. The entire text focuses on the progress, challenges, and strategies related to achieving gender parity within the United Nations system. It discusses the representation of women in professional and leadership roles, directly aligning with the goal of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article discusses the internal workings and staffing of the United Nations, a key global institution. By aiming for gender parity, the UN is working to build a more effective, accountable, and inclusive institution at all levels. The focus on representation in decision-making bodies like the Senior Management Group is directly linked to making institutions more inclusive and representative.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article touches upon creating an equal and inclusive workplace. It mentions policies such as “bias-free recruitment” and “flexible work policies,” which are fundamental to ensuring decent work. The goal of increasing women’s representation in “Professional and higher categories” relates to achieving full and productive employment and equal opportunities for all.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

   The article directly addresses this target by reporting on the status of women in leadership and professional roles within the UN, a major public international institution. It explicitly mentions that “Parity in the Senior Management Group… has been maintained since 2018” and highlights the persistent challenges in achieving representation “at the D-2 level,” which are senior leadership positions.

2. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.

   The effort to achieve gender parity across the UN system, as detailed in the article, is a direct attempt to make its own institutional decision-making more representative of the global population it serves. The report’s goal to “help the United Nations achieve gender parity goals by 2028” is a clear action towards making the institution more inclusive.

3. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for equal value.

   The article’s focus on increasing the “representation of women in the Professional and higher categories” from 47% in 2021 to 48.8% in 2023 is a measure of progress towards full and productive employment for women in high-level jobs. The mention of “bias-free recruitment” and “flexible work policies” are strategies aimed at ensuring equal opportunity and creating conditions for decent work.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several specific quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Indicators for Target 5.5 and 16.7

  The article provides direct, quantitative indicators that measure the proportion of women in decision-making and professional roles within a public institution:

  • Proportion of women in Professional and higher categories: The article states this figure reached “50.4 per cent” overall, and provides historical data showing an increase “from 47 per cent in 2021 to 48.8 per cent in 2023.”
  • Proportion of women in senior leadership: The article explicitly notes that “Parity in the Senior Management Group… has been maintained since 2018,” which serves as a key indicator for top-level leadership. It also points to the “women’s representation… at the D-2 level” as an area where progress is lagging, making it another specific indicator to track.

• Indicators for Target 8.5

  While not focused on pay, the article implies indicators related to equal opportunity in employment:

  • Proportion of women in high-skill occupations: The metric of “representation of women in the Professional and higher categories” serves as an indicator of women’s access to full and productive employment in high-value roles.
  • Implementation of enabling policies: The article implies qualitative indicators by mentioning specific actions and policies that contribute to decent work and equal opportunity. These include the presence and effectiveness of “mentorship programs,” “bias-free recruitment” processes, and “flexible work policies.”

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article. In this table, list the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article.

Source: unwomen.org