The EU is navigating profound global and internal challenges that require coordinated, forward-thinking solutions. Gender equality emerges as a critical enabler of EU success in addressing these challenges and achieving its objectives in uncertain times.
The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), established at the fourth UN World Conference on Women in 1995, remains more relevant than ever. It serves as a reference framework for eliminating gender inequalities and advancing women’s empowerment across its 12 critical areas of concern.
This report is the sixth general review of all 12 areas of concern of the implementation of the BPfA in the EU, 30 years after its establishment (‘BPfA + 30’), and covers 2019–2024. It reviews the progress made by the EU in gender equality since the previous general BPfA review in 2019, highlighting both opportunities and challenges that persist or have emerged in recent years.
These challenges include issues brought about by digitalisation and multiple crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and ongoing pushback against gender equality.