Reflections from UNGA80 and Beijing+30: Reclaiming Momentum for Gender Equality

Two landmark events took place at the UN Headquarters in New York this September: the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 80) and the Beijing +30 High Level Meeting marking three decades since 189 governments adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action - a visionary global blueprint to achieve equality and opportunity for women and girls.

As I travelled to New York, I was particularly keen to understand global progress made on the critical area of ending violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Progress made, challenges ahead  

At the Beijing +30 high-level meeting, world leaders shared inspiring progress from their countries, but the discussions also underscored the sobering reality of how much work still needs to be done.

The UK’s new Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, powerfully emphasised that safety and security are the foundation for all other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She called on member states to declare VAWG an international emergency, a step the UK has already taken, backed by an ambitious commitment to halve violence against women within a decade. Her message was clear: progress demands urgency, collaboration, and courage. She ended her speech with a call for nations to step up their efforts to end VAWG and to uphold multilateralism as a powerful force for respecting, protecting, and fulfilling human rights - including the right to equality and to live free from violence.

Championing evidence-based prevention

While at the UN General Assembly, I had the honour of meeting The Rt. Hon. the Baroness Harman KC, the UK’s Special Envoy for Women and Girls. We discussed how What Works II - the UK’s flagship global programme to eliminate violence against women and girls (VAWG), and a key part of the cross-government mission to halve VAWG within a decade - can further strengthen the UK’s leadership by generating robust global evidence on what truly works to end violence.

Our programme builds on proven success: previous What Works initiatives showed that violence is preventable, with interventions such as in the DRC reducing rates of VAWG by up to 50%. Today, What Works II supports 14 projects across 12 countries in Africa and Asia, projected to reach over 1 million women and children by 2028.

We also discussed how mainstreaming VAWG prevention into education, health, and climate sectors can further impact, creating safer, more equitable societies. I invited the Special Envoy to visit any of our Grantee Partner projects, where innovative collaborations between women’s rights organisations (WROs), local leaders, and governments are driving real change on the ground. You can read more about our Grantee Partners’ cutting-edge VAWG prevention programmes here.

On the topic of working with governments, during UNGA, we were delighted to launch our latest Practice-based Learning Brief (PBL) on working with governments to end violence against women and children (VAWC). The brief consolidates learning from our consortium and Grantee Partners in Uganda, Malawi, Pakistan, India, and Madagascar, and is available on the What Works II Evidence Hub.

Funding feminist frontlines

At the UN Women dialogue event, the message was urgent: despite their critical role, less than 1% of international aid reaches women’s rights organisations. Yet these are the actors holding communities together and leading prevention efforts under the most challenging conditions.

The UN Women ACT report, Closing the Funding Gap to End Violence Against Women and Girls, calls for immediate, sustained investment in WROs. The consensus was resounding, we cannot allow the backbone of this movement to collapse through neglect or underfunding.

Economic pathways to a violence-free world

At the Ford Foundation’s ‘Free Future’ event, co-hosted with Pivotal Ventures, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, and The Meteor, discussions explored the powerful link between economic security and safety from violence. Under the theme ‘Our Money, Our Lives,’ the event spotlighted real solutions from across the globe, proof that economic empowerment and[LK1]  prevention go hand in hand. What Works II recognises the importance of Women’s Economic Empowerment and is currently supporting a programme in Malawi ‘Moyo Omelekezeka’ led by Grantee Partner Pamodzi Kutenzsa (PKN).

The road still ahead

Across every discussion, a clear pattern emerged: the Beijing vision is being undermined by rising authoritarianism, anti-rights movements, and shrinking civic space. The rollback of rights, deepening inequalities, and declining international cooperation pose a significant threat to the protection of women and girls.

Yet even in this challenging moment, I left New York more convinced than ever that our struggles are interconnected, that gender justice is not a series of isolated causes, but a unified fight against the forces that seek to control our bodies, choices, and freedoms.

As also highlighted in UN Women’s recent Beijing+30: From Words to Action policy paper series, prevention, addressing the root causes and risk factors to stop violence before it occurs, is critical to ending violence against women and girls (VAWG).

To honour Beijing’s legacy, we must double down on solidarity, evidence, and courage - building cross-movement alliances that are as intersectional as the injustices we face. Critical pillars for change include sustained investment in women’s rights organisations, the generation and use of robust yet ethical data and research, and the amplification of women’s voices at every level of decision-making. These are the foundations that will accelerate global efforts to end violence against women and girls.

The time to act is now, and the world must rise to meet this moment - not with rhetoric, but with resolve. Because the promise of Beijing is not just a vision; it’s a commitment we cannot afford to break.