Beijing+30: Governments Must Deliver on Their Legal Equality Commitments

Three decades after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, progress on legal equality remains dangerously incomplete. Despite global commitments, sex-discriminatory laws persist in every region, impeding women’s and girls’ rights in all areas of life, including marriage, employment, property ownership, and protection from gender-based violence.

Today, our Words & Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing+30 Review Process report reveals where progress has stalled and where deliberate backsliding threatens hard-won gains.

While more than 59% of the sex-discriminatory laws highlighted in past Words & Deeds reports have been amended or repealed, much of this progress has been slow, inconsistent, and, in some cases, reversed. Governments must now take decisive action to fulfill their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – especially if we are to have any hope of achieving the SDGs by the 2030 deadline.

The stakes are high. We know that gender equality is good for everyone and that more equal societies tend to be more prosperous and resilient, but the global rollback on women’s rights is intensifying, undermining democratic principles, entrenching economic disparities, and exacerbating gender-based violence. The time for incremental change has passed—only structural, enforceable legal reforms will ensure all women and girls have full and equal protection under the law.

The State of Legal Equality in 2025: Key Findings

Persistent Sex Discrimination in Law

• No country has full legal equality and 37 countries still provide women with less than half the legal rights of men.

Rising Threats to Gender Equality

• Reproductive rights under attack: In the U.S., Poland, and other countries, abortion bans are restricting bodily autonomy.
• Sexual violence laws imperiled: In Bolivia and Uruguay bills are being proposed to weaken protections for women from violence using “anti-men” rhetoric. 
•  LGBTQ+ rights threatened: Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and other countries are passing new discriminatory laws.
• Rights to education, movement, and expression violated: In Afghanistan, Iran, and other countries harsher laws are being introduced further jeopardizing women and girls’ participation and presence in public life.

Failure to Implement International Legal Commitments

• Despite signing on to CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action, many governments continue to legislate in contradiction to these frameworks.
• The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on gender equality are at risk of failure, with legal reform being one of the most neglected targets.

Words alone will not achieve legal equality—governments must demonstrate political will and enact enforceable legal reforms.

The Path Forward

Governments Must Commit to Immediate Legal Reform

• Repeal or amend all sex-discriminatory laws.
• Enforce constitutional protections for gender equality through legislation, judicial oversight and policy reform.
• Allocate resources for implementation—passing laws is not enough; funding and institutional capacity are required to ensure enforcement.

International Stakeholders Must Maintain Pressure

• UN treaty bodies must hold non-compliant States accountable.
• CSW69 must be leveraged to drive action, not just dialogue.

Civil Society and Advocates Mobilizing for Impact Can:

• Use this report to push for national-level legal reforms.
• Engage with media and policymakers to amplify the urgency of legal change.
• Monitor and expose legislative backsliding to prevent further erosion of rights.

It’s time to add equality

Legal equality is the foundation of democracy, economic progress, and gender justice. The world is behind on implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, and is not on track to meet the SDG 2030 targets—governments must act now. 

CSW69 (March 2025) presents a critical opportunity to advocate at the global level for legal change.
The Beijing+30 moment must not be one of commemoration, but of action. Governments that fail to uphold legal equality must face heightened diplomatic pressure and public accountability.

To truly add equality to improve the lives of women and girls globally, every sector has a meaningful role to play. We stand ready to support all efforts for change.

Equality Now works with partners around the world to push for legal equality and an end to sex- and gender-discriminatory laws. We will continue to work in partnership with organizations around the globe to reform sex-discriminatory laws and ensure that women and girls can enjoy full legal equality – because gender equality improves everyone’s lives.