Accelerating Progress on SDG 5: Collective Solutions for Gender Equality Shared at HLPF 2025 Side Event
29 July 2025
On the sidelines of the High-Level Political
Forum (HLPF) 2025, the virtual session “Accelerating Progress on SDG 5”
brought together experts, practitioners, and advocates from around the world to
examine how best to advance gender equality and empower women and girls.
Organized by the UN Women Training Centre, UNITAR, and UNDESA on 15 July, the
session provided a platform to share the latest data, promising practices, and brainstorm
on realistic pathways to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal
(SDG) 5.
The event began with presentations
highlighting recent findings from key reports such as Beijing+30 and the
Gender Snapshot 2024. These reports emphasized that despite progress in
some areas, SDG 5 remains one of the most underachieved goals, hindered by
persistent gender inequalities across sectors.
In the second half of the session,
participants joined one of five thematic breakout rooms reflecting key trends that are likely to shape
progress toward achieving SDG 5. Under the expert guidance of
UN Women thematic specialists, each group discussed actionable strategies to
close gender gaps in specific areas:
In the Expanding Women’s Participation in
the Technological Future discussion, improving access to education, digital
tools, and mentorship emerged as top priorities. Participants highlighted the
need for scholarships targeting girls in STEM, digital safety and AI literacy
training for women, and expanded access to devices, SIM cards, and identity
cards as means to ensure everyone can benefit equally from the opportunities
offered by technology. Promoting visible role models and increasing outreach
for programs like coding competitions were also seen as crucial steps toward a
more inclusive digital future.
On Empowering Women to Adapt to Climate
Change, the focus was on empowering women through gender-responsive climate
financing, early warning systems, and technical training in fields like
agroecology and renewable energy. Inclusive policymaking, intergenerational
education, and mobile forums to reach rural women were recommended, along with
integrating traditional knowledge with modern science.
To enhance gender equality in the
workplace, a three-pronged approach was suggested: increasing access to
decent work and entrepreneurship, supporting care workers and the care economy,
and fostering women-led climate-related social enterprises.
Addressing persistent financing gaps, participants
suggested that countries like Iceland and Mongolia offer innovative models such
as gender bonds and gender-responsive budgeting. Participants also emphasized
the importance of supporting women-led small businesses, boosting financial
literacy, and improving gender data transparency to better inform policy and funding
decisions.
Finally, strengthening grassroots women’s
organizations was the theme of the last breakout room discussion. Calls
were made for more localized platforms, flexible and long-term funding, and
investment in mentorship and capacity-building. Reducing barriers related to
language, technology, and accessibility was seen as essential to ensuring that
all women can participate and lead in shaping a more equitable future.
The session concluded with a collective sense
of urgency—and optimism. Across all breakout rooms, participants stressed the
importance of intersectional, localized, and sustained efforts. As the global
community moves closer to 2030, these shared solutions and commitments will be
vital in steering policy, investment, and innovation toward an equitable future
for all.
Find the recording of the session
