Gender Equality Seen as Path to Peace and Prosperity

The opening session of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, 4 September 1995. UN Photo/Milton Grant. The UN marks 30 years since its members adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

On Monday, three decades after the historic Fourth World Conference on Women, the General Assembly meets to discuss recommitting to, resourcing, and accelerating the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action – a landmark agreement that mapped the path to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

This is a critical moment because, despite considerable progress, not a single country has yet fully delivered on those aims. With reactionary attitudes increasingly to the fore, many of these hard-won gains are now alarmingly under threat of reversal.

Even where the intent is strong, the slow pace or absence of change is often attributed to budgetary or political barriers. The message is clear: gender equality is important, just not important enough. Other problems take priority, with promises to “get back to it later.” But this is short-sighted.

Achieving gender equality is first and foremost a matter of human rights, but it is also one of the surest ways to address wider challenges – building more prosperous economies, resilient communities, and sustainable, peaceful societies.

The evidence is clear. Closing gender gaps in education, employment, and pay would unleash an unprecedented wave of productivity. In 2015, McKinsey Global Institute estimated that equal participation of women in the workforce could add up to $12 trillion to global GDP within a decade – more than the economies of Japan, Germany, and the UK combined. That potential has already been lost by failing to act sooner.

The logic is simple: excluding half of the population from opportunities is an extraordinary waste. When women contribute equally, innovation flourishes, productivity rises, and household incomes grow. Far from being a burden, equality is a growth multiplier.

Moreover, women’s earnings are more likely to be invested in children’s health, nutrition, and education, breaking cycles of poverty. In agriculture, where women make up nearly half the global workforce, the FAO estimates equal access to resources could boost yields by 30 percent and reduce hunger by over 100 million people.

Research also shows that the treatment of women is one of the strongest predictors of peace. Where women’s rights are respected, societies are more stable, less prone to conflict, and more open to cooperation. Women’s participation in peace processes makes agreements more durable, inclusive, and likely to succeed.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change, yet when included in decision-making, they bring essential knowledge and perspectives. A 2019 study in Global Environmental Change showed that countries with more women in parliament adopt more ambitious climate policies and record lower carbon emissions. Women-led community programmes in forestry and water management have also delivered stronger conservation outcomes. Tackling the climate crisis is not only about technology and finance – it is also about representation.

Taken together, it is clear that equality drives prosperity, resilience, peace, and sustainability. To deny women equal rights and opportunities is not simply unjust – it is societal self-sabotage.

At Equality Now, we work to drive the legal and systemic changes needed to realise this vision. Since 1992, we have partnered with governments, legal bodies, civil society, and others to reform 130 discriminatory laws, improving the lives of millions of women and girls.

We were in Beijing in 1995, and we will be in New York this week – carrying the same message:

The world cannot afford to wait. Everyone needs equality now.