Australian leadership urgently needed on international gender equality

05.02.25

Australian leadership urgently needed on international gender equality

Canberra, 5 February 2025: ActionAid Australia has welcomed the Australian Government’s new international gender equality strategy, calling on the Government to show urgent leadership in response to escalating threats to women’s rights globally.

The latest UN women data shows that at current rates of progress, it could take 137 more years to end extreme poverty among women. Australia’s leadership is critical in responding to the rise in authoritarianism and anti-rights movements and scaling up action to progress women’s rights across our region and globally.

Michelle Higelin, Executive Director of ActionAid Australia says:

“Australia’s international gender equality strategy lays the foundations for urgently needed leadership on gender equality at a time of alarming global pushback on women’s rights. In response to the coordinated anti-rights movement and its attacks on women and LGBTQIA+ peoples, we encourage Australia to take a bold feminist and rights based approach that tackles the systemic discrimination faced by women and gender diverse people.

“We welcome the strategy’s prioritisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly in wake of the Trump Administration in the United States re-introducing the Global Gag Rule on critical abortion services globally. Australia has a strong track record on advocacy in this space and we urge Australia to expand these efforts to stem the regression on the rights of women and LGBTQIA peoples around the world.

“We are also pleased to see a focus on the intersection between gender equality and climate change. Across the Asia and Pacific region, women are bearing the brunt of escalating climate disasters that are increasing violence against women, unpaid work, and food and water insecurity. The Government needs to put the strategy into practice by scaling up funding for women-led climate responses that drive transformative solutions to climate change and gender inequality.

“The integration of gender equality across the breadth of Australia’s foreign policy is a positive step forward, including the strategy’s focus on Australia’s trade policy and women, peace and security. It is critical the Government now implements this by bringing a feminist analysis to existing trade agreements and in its responses to conflict across the world.

“The implementation of the strategy will require a massive and sustained boost in targeted funding for gender equality initiatives across the Australian aid budget and we want to see the Government commit additional funds to this work in the 2025/26 federal budget.”

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For further information please contact Steph Wulf: [email protected]