Title page 1

Contents 4

Forewords 7

Foreword by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 7

Foreword by the Chair of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls 8

Foreword by the Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) 10

Foreword by the Permanent Representatives of Mexico and Chile to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva... 11

I. Introduction 14

A. Establishment of the mandate 14

B. Membership 16

C. Conceptual framework 18

D. Working methods 19

E. Sessions 23

F. Cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 25

G. Milestones 26

H. Impact 28

I. Global context: gender-based discrimination and the gender backlash 32

J. A vision of substantive gender equality: the CREATE framework 33

II. The Rights of Women and Girls: Between Progress and Regression 36

A. Political and public life 36

1. LAYING THE FOUNDATION: STATES' OBLIGATIONS AND GENDER PARITY 38

2. IDENTIFYING PROMISING PRACTICES IN POLITICAL AND PUBLIC LIFE 39

3. RESISTING REGRESSION: THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVISM OF GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN 40

4. TOWARDS SUBSTANTIVE EQUALITY: DISMANTLING BARRIERS IN POLITICAL AND PUBLIC LIFE 41

5. JOINT ADVOCACY WITH THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE AREA OF POLITICAL AND PUBLIC LIFE 43

B. Economic and social life 44

1. LAYING THE FOUNDATION: STATES' OBLIGATIONS AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS 46

2. IDENTIFYING PROMISING PRACTICES IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE 47

3. RESISTING REGRESSION: THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSFORMATIVE REDISTRIBUTION 48

4. TOWARDS SUBSTANTIVE GENDER EQUALITY: CENTRING CARE AND SUPPORT 50

5. JOINT ADVOCACY WITH THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE AREA OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE 52

C. Family and cultural life 53

1. LAYING THE FOUNDATION: STATES' OBLIGATIONS TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION IN FAMILY AND CULTURAL LIFE 55

2. IDENTIFYING PROMISING PRACTICES IN FAMILY AND CULTURAL LIFE 56

3. RESISTING REGRESSION: THE IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING EQUALITY IN FAMILY AND CULTURAL LIFE 57

4. TOWARDS SUBSTANTIVE EQUALITY: SECURING RIGHTS IN THE FAMILY 58

5. JOINT ADVOCACY WITH THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE AREA OF FAMILY AND CULTURAL LIFE 60

D. Health and safety 61

1. LAYING THE FOUNDATION: STATES' OBLIGATIONS TO EQUALITY IN HEALTH AND SAFETY 63

2. IDENTIFYING PROMISING PRACTICES IN HEALTH AND SAFETY 63

3. RESISTING REGRESSION: SAFEGUARDING THE HEALTH AND BODILY AUTONOMY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS 65

4. TOWARDS SUBSTANTIVE EQUALITY: PROTECTING SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS FROM A BACKLASH 67

5. JOINT ADVOCACY WITH THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE AREA OF HEALTH AND SAFETY 68

III. Working to End Gender Apartheid 72

A. Addressing gender apartheid: the Working Group's engagement on Afghanistan 72

B. The 2023 joint visit and report on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan 72

C. Advancing recognition of gender apartheid in international law 74

D. Gender apartheid: the sharpest edge of the escalating global backlash on gender equality 75

IV. Working to End Discrimination against Girls 80

V. In their Own Words: Reflections from Current and Former Working Group Members 86

A. Why did you decide to join the Working Group? 86

B. What motivates you to keep working to end discrimination against women and girls despite the many challenges? 89

C. Describe your experience as a member of the Working Group: what were the highlights? 91

D. How would you summarize the future you want to see for women and girls around the world in one word? 95

VI. The Way Forward 98

Annex I. List of annual thematic reports by the Working Group 100

Annex II. List of country visit reports of the Working Group by year of visit 101

Annex III. List of guidance documents and position papers by the Working Group 102

Annex IV. Biographies of current and former Working Group members 103

Figures 26

FIGURE I. Milestones (2010-2025) 26

FIGURE II. Country visits (2010-2025) 27

FIGURE III. CREATE Framework for achieving substantive gender equality 33

FIGURE IV. Political and public life: global overview (2025) 37

FIGURE V. Economic and social life: global overview (2025) 45

FIGURE VI. Family and cultural life: global overview (2025) 54

FIGURE VII. Health and safety: global overview (2025) 62

FIGURE VIII. Visions for the future 96