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

The document examines the systemic link between gender equality and sustainable development, asserting that discriminatory social norms and legal barriers hinder environmental and economic progress. It highlights the economic costs of gender inequality, the historical evolution of UN gender policies, and the specific benefits of women's leadership in climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, and natural resource governance. The briefing concludes with recommendations for gender-responsive policies, increased funding for women-led organizations, and ensuring women's control over productive resources to meet the 2030 Agenda.

• Gender inequality imposes significant global economic costs, with the gender pay gap estimated at USD 160 trillion and women's limited participation in employment and entrepreneurship costing the world approximately 15% of its GDP.
• The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected women, with women accounting for 54% of pandemic-related job losses as of May 2020 despite making up only 39% of the global workforce.
• Women's leadership in the renewable energy sector in the US is linked to increased firm value and higher renewable energy consumption when at least two female directors are on the board.
• Closing the gender gap in access to and control over agricultural resources could lift up to 150 million people out of hunger and poverty and increase farm yields by 20–30%.
• There is a positive correlation between the number of women in national parliaments and the implementation of more stringent climate change policies and the creation of more protected areas.
• Women's access to natural resources is severely restricted by law; only 59 out of 160 countries grant women equal rights to own, use, and control land.
• In India, the burden of fetching and carrying water falls heavily on women, totaling 150 million workdays per year and resulting in a national income loss of 10 billion rupees (USD 160 million).

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} }