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    • Opinion
    • Predictions for Development

    Opinion: 2025 is the year to stop playing defense on gender equality

    The “Predictions for Global Development” series offers insight from thought leaders for the year ahead. Here is what to expect for the fight for gender equality — and in a nutshell: We must dream bigger.

    By Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka // 16 December 2024

    Our sector has long been on the defensive, fighting to hold the line while the rights of girls and women are relentlessly attacked. It’s easy to understand why.

    In the past three years alone, we’ve seen gender apartheid in Afghanistan that erased two decades of progress. We’ve watched genocide and crimes against humanity unfold in Gaza with girls and women bearing the brunt, met with silence and complicity from many global leaders. In Sudan, girls and women endure the horrors of sexual violence as war’s currency. Now, Donald Trump’s return looms, promising a resurgence of regressive policies that will harm girls and women everywhere.

    Democracy is faltering, bodily autonomy is under siege, and the future of our planet is at risk. But here’s what I know: if there’s one thing that can transform global development in 2025, it’s our ability to dream bigger.

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    Read more:

    ► Equality is stalling or backsliding for a billion women and girls (Pro)

    ► What elections around the world mean for gender equality (Pro)

    ► Women in leadership won’t solve development’s equality problem (Pro)

    • Social/Inclusive Development
    • Democracy, Human Rights & Governance
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
    The views in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect Devex's editorial views.

    About the author

    • Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

      Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcukaphumlambongcuka

      Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the former U.N. under-secretary-general and executive director of UN Women. A global advocate for gender equality, she is also the founder of Umlambo Foundation and board chair of Women Deliver. Her leadership has mobilized $40 billion to advance the rights of girls and women worldwide.

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