International Women’s Day 2025
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the progress made toward gender equality and reaffirm our commitment to advancing women’s rights globally. Data is power—it informs policies, drives change, and ensures accountability. However, persistent gender data gaps hinder efforts to achieve gender equality. The regional joint programme Empowering Equality: Strengthening Gender Data Systems for Sustainable Development in Europe and Central Asia, supported by the UN Joint SDG Fund, UN Women, and UNFPA, is tackling these challenges head-on.
The Challenge: Bridging Gender Data Gaps
According to Gender Snapshot 2024, as of March 2024, none of the 193 country signatories of the Agenda for Sustainable Development have comprehensive data on all 52 gender-specific indicators across the 17 Goals. The global average data availability for these indicators stands at 56 per cent.. It is estimated that it will take 22 years to close these data gaps, surpassing the 2030 agenda deadline.
In Europe and Central Asia, despite improvements since 2015, disparities remain. Data is often inconsistent, outdated, or missing for key indicators such as gender-based violence, unpaid care work, and women’s economic participation. This lack of robust data prevents policymakers from making informed decisions to drive gender equality.
A Regional Response for Lasting Change
This 15-month joint programme from 2024 to 2025 is designed to transform national statistical systems across selected pilot countries by enhancing the capacity of national statistical offices to design, collect, analyze, and disseminate gender-disaggregated data. Institutionalizing gender data practices into national policies and development frameworks ensures sustainability. Increasing the availability and accessibility of gender data supports evidence-based policymaking and advocacy for gender equality.
The programme is being implemented in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova, integrating international methodologies and best practices to ensure that national data ecosystems become more inclusive and effective in tracking gender equality progress.
A Collaborative Effort for Sustainable Development
The success of this programme is built on a strong regional partnership between UN Women, UNFPA, the UN Development Coordination Office, and national statistical offices in participating countries. The programme is also aligned with the Beijing Platform for Action, the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and other international gender equality commitments.
Furthermore, by leveraging digital transformation, the initiative supports gender-responsive data innovation. The development of a regional knowledge-sharing platform fosters a stronger community of practice among national statistical offices, policymakers, and civil society organizations to enhance gender data systems and SDG 5 monitoring across the region.
Impact Beyond Borders
This regional joint programme is not just about improving data; it is about transforming lives. Accurate, high-quality gender data enables policymakers to craft targeted interventions that promote gender equality, support women’s economic empowerment, eliminate gender-based violence, and ensure equal opportunities in decision-making. The programme’s approach ensures that its impact extends beyond the initial pilot countries, serving as a model for other nations in the region seeking to strengthen gender data systems.
Looking Ahead: A Commitment to Gender Equality
As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we recognize that achieving gender equality is impossible without reliable data. The Empowering Equality joint programme is paving the way for a future where women and girls are counted, their experiences are recognized, and policies are designed to meet their needs. We must arm ourselves with evidence. The gender data gap is a gaping hole in our ability to track and drive progress. Filling it is not optional—it is essential.
Gender equality is not just a goal; it is a foundation for a more just, prosperous, and sustainable world. Together, through partnerships and data-driven action, we can turn commitments into reality.
