4th March 2026
9 mins
Equality is not inevitable: Why International Women’s Day still matters
It is essential that, together with our partners and civil society at large, we hold firm in the face of the anti-rights agenda – sustaining human rights and international law, and revitalising international human rights mechanisms.
Many parts of the world are experiencing a rise in populist and authoritarian agendas that pose a serious threat to the rule of law and individual rights. The rights of women and girls in particular are increasingly being rolled back, stalled, or overlooked.
Our expertise in gender law and international and regional legal mechanisms, and our skills in bringing about collective action, are needed now more than ever – with a critical role to play in ensuring that hard-won rights are upheld, and that international and regional human rights mechanisms, multilateralism, and international law are sustained and effective.
A world where all women’s and girls’ rights are upheld through enduring human rights mechanisms, international law and standards.
Governments and international/regional bodies to adopt or reform 75 laws and standards upholding or strengthening multilateralism and international human rights law that protect women and girls and improve access to justice.
350m women and girls will stand to benefit from increased legal protection and access to justice under international law.
“It’s a strategy for the women of Latvia, of Senegal, the US, and all the countries where we’re seeing a rise in discriminatory policies and rhetoric.”
Given its elemental importance, this is an overarching priority – one that will be supported by all our campaigns, drawing on the full extent of our expertise in gender and international law and international and regional legal mechanisms, as well as our skills and experience in bringing about collective action.
All campaigns we deliver between now and 2030 will in some way contribute to achieving this outcome, including but not limited to:
No More Unsexy Laws
Seeking legal equality through the amendment, repeal and/or prevention of laws that discriminate on the basis of sex/gender.
Equal Nationality Rights
Ensuring governments in targeted countries around the world amend sex/gender discriminatory nationality laws.
We Need the ERA
Ensuring that the Equal Rights Amendment is published and incorporated into the US Constitution.
Bringing the Maputo Protocol to life
Ensuring that women and girls in Africa fully enjoy their rights as provided for in the Maputo Protocol.
To ensure the continuing integrity of our mission, we will embed a strategic, organisation-wide response to the growing threat posed by disinformation and misinformation to gender equality movements and international human rights law and mechanisms.
This new initiative will combine work to explore and effect relevant legal reform with a review of how we can employ technology and communications to make real-time interventions via a dedicated new Equality Now Disinformation Unit.
Tell us what you think about our approach to upholding international law and human rights, and where you think you can make a difference.
Securing rights. Transforming futures.