Today marks the 50th anniversary of the celebration of International Women’s Day. Attacks on the rights of women and girls, which are further exacerbated by new trends, conflicts and crises, are escalating and require a stronger response and increased efforts to protect and empower women and girls.

In recent years, hostility towards the rights of women and girls has increased globally. The UN reports that in 2024, nearly a quarter of all countries witnessed attacks on the rights of women. The rise in armed conflicts, humanitarian, climate and economic crises, as well as the rise of authoritarian tendencies, further contribute to the suppression and violation of their rights.

Rates of sexual and gender-based violence remain alarmingly high. Seventy percent of women living in areas of conflict or humanitarian crisis are victims of gender-based violence. Every ten minutes, a woman dies as a result of domestic violence. The emergence of new technologies and the rise of artificial intelligence contribute to new forms of gender-based violence, the spread of gender stereotypes and the growth of movements opposing women’s human rights.

So far, only 87 countries in the world have had a woman occupy the highest political office. In its 80 years of existence, the UN has never had a female Secretary-General. This reflects the fact that, despite significant progress in women’s participation in decision-making, the goal of gender equality in participation remains unachieved.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are priority areas of Slovenia’s foreign policy. In its work within the international community, Slovenia is particularly focused on promoting women’s participation in all spheres of public life, eliminating discrimination and violence against women, ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights and promoting the education of women and girls.

In the UN General Assembly, Slovenia, together with Spain and Mexico, leads the Rotation for Equality initiative, aiming to achieve equal gender representation in leadership positions within the UN. As a member of the UN Security Council, Slovenia works to fully integrate a gender perspective into the work of the body. This includes advocating for the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution processes, as well as for the Security Council’s response to conflict-related sexual violence and ensuring accountability for it.

Through development cooperation and humanitarian aid, Slovenia also strives to create conditions for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in developing partner countries. Gender equality as the cross-cutting issue of development cooperation and humanitarian aid is integrated in Slovenian policies and projects, which are implemented in cooperation with partners and international organizations, including UN Women and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), as well as through initiatives such as the Call to Action. In line with this, Slovenia is working to empower women and girls, strengthen capacities, prevent sexual violence and provide psychosocial support in Montenegro, Serbia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Uganda, Sudan and South Sudan. Slovenia has committed to ensuring that by 2030, at least 85 percent of development projects and programmes will include activities promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

The year marking the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark agreement among UN member states to achieve gender equality and women’s rights worldwide, should serve as an opportunity to accelerate and strengthen efforts to protect the rights of women and girls worldwide.

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