The United Nations has said that no country in the world has yet achieved full gender equality, warning that progress toward equal rights for women and girls remains slow despite decades of advocacy and reforms.
The global body made the statement on Sunday while marking International Women’s Day 2026, stressing that women and girls still face widespread legal, social and economic discrimination in many parts of the world.
In a post on its X handle, the UN noted that although progress has been recorded in some areas, full equality has not been achieved anywhere.
“It’s 2026, and as of yet, no country has achieved gender equality,” the organisation said, adding that at the current pace it could take centuries for women and girls to enjoy the same rights and protections as men.
The UN also cited a new report titled “Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls,” released ahead of the global celebration, which found that women worldwide hold only about 64 per cent of the legal rights available to men.
According to the report, legal discrimination continues to expose women and girls to violence, exclusion and systemic disadvantages across different stages of life.
It noted that in more than half of the world’s countries, rape laws are not based on consent, while nearly three-quarters of nations still legally permit child marriage.
The report further revealed that 44 per cent of countries lack laws guaranteeing equal pay for work of equal value, while about 54 per cent do not define rape based on consent, leaving many survivors without adequate legal protection.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said investing in women and girls remains essential to building fairer societies.
“Women’s rights are human rights and investing in women and girls is one of the surest ways to make the world a better place,” he said, urging governments and stakeholders to strengthen justice systems and support women’s movements globally.
The UN added that International Women’s Day should serve not only as a moment for reflection but also as a call to action to ensure that rights promised to women and girls become a reality worldwide.
