UN / HLPF GENDER EQUALITY

With just five years left to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN officials sounded the alarm on lagging progress toward gender equality. “SDG 5 remains the most off-track of all goals. Progress is too slow, too uneven, and too vulnerable to setbacks,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous. UNIFEED

• Video Length: 00:02:22
• Production Date: 15 July 2025
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: SIMA SAMI BAHOUS
• Subject Topical: GENDER EQUALITY
• MAMS Id: 3424323
• Parent Id: 3424323
• Alternate Title: unifeed250715c

Description

STORY: UN / HLPF GENDER EQUALITY
TRT: 02:22
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 15 JULY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, UN headquarters

15 JULY 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Conference Room 4
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director, UN Women:
“SDG 5 remains the most off-track of all goals. Progress is too slow, too uneven, and too vulnerable to setbacks. This year's review is not only a moment to assess where we stand, but it is also a call, as we've heard, to act boldly and collectively in the short time we have left. We know that if we continue at the current pace, true gender equality in economic life, in leadership, in safety will remain generations away, and I know that we all agree that this is unacceptable.”
4. Wide shot, Conference Room 4
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director, UN Women:
“I believe that the Pact for the Future offers us a vital opportunity to recommit to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and also to turn that commitment into concrete, systematic action.”
6. Wide shot, Conference Room 4
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Albert Motivans, Head, Data and Insights, Equal Measures 2030:
“There actually has been really good progress and good scores for countries on putting gender equality, reflective or anti-discrimination legislation and laws into place. Countries do that well, governments do that well. It's really that next step, and that's what we struggle with in general in development, is really: how do we make something happen? How do we ensure that those equal opportunities for women and men, for balancing work and family, for land and asset security, for public procurement, are met?”
8. Wide shot, Conference Room 4
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Zara Khanna, Youth Ambassador, She Loves Tech:
“Firstly, accelerate connectivity. We must distribute more internet hotspots. One single internet hotspot can power a village and hundreds of girls gaining access to the wealth of knowledge available online. Secondly, we must distribute more devices via which girls can access this knowledge, such as smartphones and tablets. And finally, governments must invest in creating these AI-powered programs that are culture- and language-specific to cater to the job market that these girls are going to be advancing into.”
10. Wide shot, Conference Room 4

Storyline

With just five years left to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN officials sounded the alarm on lagging progress toward gender equality. “SDG 5 remains the most off-track of all goals. Progress is too slow, too uneven, and too vulnerable to setbacks,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous.

Speaking during the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York today (Jul 15) she said, “This year's review is not only a moment to assess where we stand, but it is also a call, as we've heard, to act boldly and collectively in the short time we have left.”

Bahous emphasized that unless efforts accelerate, “true gender equality in economic life, in leadership, in safety will remain generations away, and I know that we all agree that this is unacceptable.”

Despite gains in gender-equal legislation and policy, implementation gaps persist. “There actually has been really good progress and good scores for countries on putting gender equality, reflective or anti-discrimination legislation and laws into place,” said Albert Motivans, Head of Data and Insights at Equal Measures 2030. “It's really that next step… How do we ensure that those equal opportunities for women and men, for balancing work and family, for land and asset security, for public procurement, are met?”

Bahous called for transforming commitments into action. “I believe that the Pact for the Future offers us a vital opportunity to recommit to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and also to turn that commitment into concrete, systematic action.”

Youth voices also featured prominently. Zara Khanna, Youth Ambassador for She Loves Tech, underscored the role of education and digital inclusion in empowering girls, “Firstly, accelerate connectivity. We must distribute more internet hotspots… Secondly, we must distribute more devices… And finally, governments must invest in creating these AI-powered programs that are culture- and language-specific.”

The session served as a stocktake on SDG 5, identifying areas of progress and persistent gaps. It also explored synergies with other SDGs, linkages with major global declarations, and practical policy solutions—including those rooted in technology and financing.