On this International Women’s Day, we—the Right Livelihood Women Laureates Hub—raise our collective voice in resistance to the escalating global backlash against gender equality.
Our Hub brings together women leaders, activists and human rights defenders working across various regions and struggles—from climate justice and Indigenous People’s rights to peacebuilding, combating gender-based violence, challenging impunity and defending democracy. Though we work on diverse causes, we are united by the conviction that gender inequality is a barrier to justice that affects us all.
As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 25th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, we reaffirm their vision for gender equality and justice. Yet, while progress has been made, many of their promises remain unfulfilled, and we are now confronted with an alarming reality.
Around the world, powerful forces are systematically eroding the freedoms that generations before us fought to secure. Authoritarian and fascist ideologies are gaining ground, using patriarchal structures to suppress rights and silence dissent.
In Afghanistan, women and girls are subjected to gender apartheid, systematically excluded from public life and denied access to education, work and basic freedoms. In the United States, efforts to roll back reproductive rights and LGBTIQ+ protections are taking hold. In Belarus, women activists face imprisonment and exile for standing up to authoritarianism.
These examples of systemic inequality extend across continents. In Latin America, deep-rooted sexism and patriarchal violence continue to claim lives, while women human rights defenders are criminalised for demanding justice. In Africa, women environmental and human rights defenders are increasingly targeted by repressive governments who resort to violence and other tactics to undermine their essential work.
On a global scale, recent government cuts to aid have left millions of women and girls without access to essential services, jeopardising years of progress in advancing their human rights. Gender inequality remains deeply intertwined with economic injustice, as poverty and marginalisation limit women’s access to education, healthcare and opportunities, increasing their vulnerability. The climate crisis only exacerbates these inequalities, particularly in Indigenous and marginalised communities, who are at the forefront of environmental protection but left out of decision-making spaces.
These are not isolated cases. Across every region, women and gender minorities face escalating violence, criminalisation and systemic exclusion. These backlashes are not just an assault on women; they are an assault on democracy, peace and justice.
When exclusion and discrimination become routine, women are pushed even further from shaping the very systems that govern their lives, and their rights fade from public discourse. We refuse to accept the normalisation of discrimination and violence against women and gender minorities as the status quo.
On the contrary, we stand with and honour the resilience of those fighting for gender justice, often at great personal risk, and demand their protection from violence, repression and criminalisation.
Governments and global institutions must reverse the current backlash and move beyond rhetoric. Gender equality cannot remain a symbolic commitment. It requires upholding and enforcing policies that protect and advance gender justice, ensuring that women and gender minorities are not only present but also heard, valued and protected. This includes ensuring their full and meaningful participation in all decision-making processes—whether in peace negotiations, political leadership or climate action.
As women human rights defenders, we know that change doesn’t happen in isolation. The Women Laureates Hub stands with each other and all women because our collective power is the strongest tool against injustice.
In this critical moment, we join calls for urgent action to reclaim our rights and voices.
We thus urge all states to:
- Fulfil their international human rights obligations on gender equality and take immediate, concrete action to advance Sustainable Development Goal 5.
- Ensure gender mainstreaming across all national and international policies and agreements to guarantee the full inclusion, visibility and prioritisation of women’s rights and needs.
- Provide a safe, enabling environment for women human rights defenders, ensuring they can carry out their fundamental work without the threat of violence or persecution and that any crime against them is promptly investigated and addressed.
- Increase support and funding for women-led programmes and grassroots initiatives, recognising their vital role in shaping inclusive, responsive policies that address the realities of women and marginalised communities.
We will continue to resist, fight and demand a world where justice and equality are not mere aspirations but undeniable realities for all.
Women Laureates Hub Signatories:
- Sima Samar and the Afghanistan Human Rights Center