On this International Women’s Day, We, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) stand in unwavering solidarity with women and girls across the Global South, whose lives and futures are increasingly under threat due to widening inequalities. Decades of progress in gender equality are at risk as funding cuts, economic injustices, and inadequate social protection systems continue to push women further into extreme poverty.
Thirty years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing 30+), progress on gender equality remains uneven. While significant strides have been made in girls’ education, women’s political representation, and legal protections against gender-based violence, major gaps persist. Women still account for nearly 70% of the world’s poor, reflecting deep economic disparities (UN Women, 2024). Only 26.7% of parliamentary seats worldwide are held by women, far from parity (IPU, 2024). Gender-based violence remains pervasive, with 1 in 3 women experiencing physical or sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2023).
The rollback of funding and policy commitments threatens the hard-fought gains of the past three decades. The recent decision by the U.S. administration to cut funding for gender-focused programs has exacerbated an already dire situation. Globally, only 4% of official development assistance (ODA) is dedicated to gender equality as a principal objective (OECD, 2023). This underfunding disproportionately affects women’s rights organizations and grassroots feminist movements in the Global South, limiting their ability to respond to gender-based violence, reproductive health crises, and systemic discrimination.
Women in the Global South remain disproportionately affected by economic inequalities. Over 740 million women worldwide work in the informal economy with little to no labor protections (ILO, 2024). Additionally, the gender pay gap remains staggering, with women earning 20% less than men on average, worsening their financial vulnerability. In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 90% of women work in the informal sector, facing income insecurity and lack of labor rights (UN Women, 2023). The increasing privatization of essential services, austerity measures, and exploitative global supply chains further entrench these disparities.
Despite being central to economic justice, social protection remains inadequate for millions of women. Over 61% of the global population lacks access to comprehensive socialprotection systems (ILO, 2023), with women especially those in unpaid care work being the most affected. In Africa, only 17.8% of women have access to maternity benefits, compared to 83% in Europe and Central Asia (UNDP, 2024). The COVID-19 pandemic revealed and deepened these vulnerabilities, yet little has been done to build more inclusive systems.
In India, over 120 million women lost their jobs during the pandemic, with many still struggling to regain stable employment (Oxfam, 2023). In Latin America, the rollback of universal childcare programs has forced millions of women out of the workforce, worsening economic disparities (ECLAC, 2024). The global care economy, estimated to be worth $11 trillion annually, remains undervalued, with women providing the majority of unpaid care work (ILO, 2024).
For realization of ‘For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment’ we call on governments, international financial institutions, and the private sector to:
- Reaffirm and strengthen their commitments to the Beijing Platform, ensuring bold actions to close these persistent gaps.
- Restore and increase funding for gender equality programs, ensuring sustained and flexible support for women-led initiatives.
- Ensure at least 10% of ODA is allocated to gender equality as a principal objective.
- Develop feminist foreign policies that prioritize women’s rights and economic empowerment.
We demand:
- Policies that ensure living wages, labor protections, and safe working conditions for women in the informal and formal economies.
- Debt cancellation for Global South nations to free up resources for gender-responsive economic policies.
- Investment in women-led enterprises and cooperatives to foster economic resilience.
For Social Protection, we urge governments and policymakers to:
- Implement universal social protection floors (USPF) that address the specific needs of women and girls, including maternity leave, pensions, and child care support.
- Recognize and redistribute unpaid care work, investing in public care infrastructure.
- Guarantee access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health services, as a fundamental right.
A Call to Action
We refuse to allow the rollback of women’s rights. This International Women’s Day, we demand urgent action to close funding gaps, advance economic justice, and strengthen social protection for women and girls in the Global South. The commitments made in Beijing 30 years ago must be upheld, and action must be accelerated to ensure no woman or girl is left behind. The time to act is now.
Issued by
GCAP Women and Feminists Constituency Group,
Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
