Women and girls, everywhere, must have equal rights and opportunity, and be able to live free of violence and discrimination. Women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development. In short, all the SDGs depend on the achievement of Goal 5.

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life.

UN Women is custodian of 8 SDG indicators related to SDG 5 along with other agencies and organizations. Of these 8, UN Women is the sole custodian for two SDG 5 indicators (5.1.1 and 5.4.1). In addition, UN Women collaborates with other agencies and organizations on 9 other indicators related to SDGs 1, 4, 5, 11 and 16.

UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality, and in all deliberations and agreements linked to the 2030 Agenda. The entity works to position gender equality as fundamental to the Sustainable Development Goals, and a more inclusive world.