Gender Equality: The Formula to Accelerate Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development argues that gender equality is a prerequisite for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights how systemic barriers, discriminatory laws, and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women hinder environmental and social progress, while demonstrating that women's leadership in natural resource governance and climate action leads to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

• Gender inequality creates significant global economic losses. The gender pay gap is estimated to cost the global economy USD 160 trillion, and women's limited participation in entrepreneurship and employment is estimated to cost the world approximately 15% of its GDP.
• The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected women, contributing to a phenomenon termed "Shecession." As of May 2020, women accounted for 54% of pandemic-related job losses despite making up only 39% of the global workforce.
• Women's equal access to and control over agricultural resources could significantly reduce global hunger and poverty. If women farmers had the same access as men, yields could increase by 20–30%, potentially raising total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5–4% and reducing hunger by 12–17%.
• Gender diversity in leadership is linked to more stringent environmental policies and higher firm value. In the US renewable energy sector, the presence of at least two female directors on a board is associated with increased renewable energy consumption. Additionally, countries with more women in national parliaments tend to have more protected areas and stricter climate change policies.
• Systemic legal and social barriers continue to impede women's economic and political agency. In 155 countries, at least one law exists that hinders women's economic opportunities, and only 59 out of 160 countries grant women equal rights to own, use, and control land.
• Gender mainstreaming is essential for effective climate action, as seen in the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan (2019) and the Green Climate Fund's requirements for gender experts and sex-disaggregated data in project assessments.

APA

de Paula, N. (2021). Gender Equality: The Formula to Accelerate Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-03/still-one-earth-gender.pdf

Chicago

de Paula, Nicole. Gender Equality: The Formula to Accelerate Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-03/still-one-earth-gender.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Paula |first1=Nicole |title=Gender Equality: The Formula to Accelerate Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-03/still-one-earth-gender.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{depaula2021gender, author = {de Paula, Nicole}, title = {{Gender Equality: The Formula to Accelerate Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-03/still-one-earth-gender.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }