The United Nations Regional Commissions convened a high-level interactive dialogue at United Nations Headquarters to present the outcomes of the Beijing+30 regional reviews and define next steps to accelerate gender equality.
The dialogue, held during the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, highlighted both the progress and the continuing challenges in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.
In his speech, the UN Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr. Claver Gatete, reaffirmed Africa’s commitment to gender equality, stressing the urgency of removing barriers to women’s empowerment.
“Although Africa has made significant progress in education, political representation, and women’s involvement in peace and security, deep-rooted inequalities persist. Women’s economic exclusion, the divide gender digital and the impact of the debt burden on gender-responsive investments need to be addressed urgently,” he said.
He also highlighted ECA’s four strategic priorities to accelerate progress:
- Legal and policy reforms – Strengthen the implementation of gender laws, align national frameworks with the Maputo Protocol, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and conventions of the ILO.
- Gender Data and Accountability – Expand initiatives such as the African Gender Statistics Programme to improve data-driven policymaking;
- Debt Relief and Financing for Gender Equality – Advocating for debt service reduction to free up resources for gender-responsive investments;
- Women’s Economic Resilience and Climate Justice – Promote financial inclusion, gender-responsive budgeting, and equitable access to capital, land, and markets while strengthening women’s leadership in climate action and sustainable development.
The dialogue reinforced the need to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships involving governments, civil society, the private sector and development partners to boost efforts towards gender equality.
The President’s Summary contribute to the global review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025, guiding future policy actions.