Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration, legal inequality persists across the world. Words & Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing+30 Review Process, the sixth edition in our Words & Deeds series that began in 1999, exposes that governments have failed to repeal or amend sex-discriminatory laws and highlights the urgent reforms needed to achieve full legal equality for women and girls.
- An analysis of legal progress and setbacks since the fifth edition in 2020
- Country-specific examples of sex-discriminatory laws still in force
- Global trends in the rollback of women’s rights, including reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections
- Examples of the impact of legal inequality on women’s lives
- A Call to Action for governments, international bodies, and civil society on urgent legal reforms
- Government policymakers and lawmakers working on legal reforms
- UN treaty bodies and regional organizations monitoring compliance with international agreements
- Civil society organizations and activists advocating for legal equality
- Journalists and researchers covering gender equality and human rights
- Legal professionals and human rights defenders working on gender-based discrimination cases
Civil society and the media play a critical role—we hope advocates will use this report to demand and support legal reforms.
Governments must act immediately to repeal or amend sex-discriminatory laws and close legal loopholes that enable gender-based violence.
Legal equality is non-negotiable—all States must enforce constitutional protections and align national laws with the Beijing Platform for Action, CEDAW, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
International accountability must be strengthened—the UN and regional bodies must apply pressure on non-compliant governments.
All women’s and girls’ rights must be safeguarded against political and ideological rollbacks.
Arabic – Full Report
English – Full Report
French – Full Report
Spanish – Full Report
Arabic – Executive Summary
English – Executive Summary
French – Executive Summary
Russian – Executive Summary
Spanish – Executive Summary
Read more in our press release.
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