The United Nations’ theme for 2022 is Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow. So how are we tracking so far? UN Women has released their global Progress Report on the Sustainable Development Goals. For a snapshot of Australia and New Zealand’s progress on SDG5, check pp 22-27 of the report – last column.

The latest SDG5 data show that the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. Women’s representation in positions of power and decision-making remains below parity. Less than 50% of the data required to track progress on SDG5 are currently available, rendering women and girls effectively invisible.

COVID and the backlash against women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights are further diminishing the outlook for gender equality. Violence against women remains high; global health, climate, and humanitarian crises have increased risks of violence, especially for the most vulnerable women and girls; and women feel more unsafe than they did before the pandemic.

Nearly halfway to the 2030 endpoint for the SDGs, the time to act and invest in women and girls is now.