UN Women has said progress on women’s leadership is reversing in many countries, warning that the multilateral system cannot effectively deliver peace, development and rights while women lack equal access to power.
The warning came ahead of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, which opened on September 8, 2026, amid a record number of conflicts and stalled progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, which the agency described as an organised backlash against the rights of women and girls.
The agency said its 2026 Gender Snapshot, due to be launched on September 17 with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, would show that women’s leadership is failing to advance globally and is regressing at various levels of power in many countries. It explained that achieving gender equality in leadership would require not only increasing women’s representation but also ensuring equal access to positions of real authority and influence.
The report is expected ahead of the UNGA High Level Week, scheduled for September 22 to 26, and comes as member states begin selecting the tenth UN secretary general, a position no woman has held in the organisation’s 81 year history. UN Women called for urgent action, stating that realising the rights of all women and girls had become more important than ever.
As part of General Assembly activities, UN Women will join the yearly meeting of the UNGA Platform of Women Leaders on September 23, focused on restoring trust and managing transformation at the UN, and will co host a roundtable on technology facilitated violence against women. On September 22 and 24, the agency is also set to lead discussions at the SDG Media Zone on whether the SDGs can be achieved without women in power, and on how artificial intelligence is fuelling backlash against women while also holding potential to advance equality.
