As the international community grapples with a landscape defined by geopolitical fragmentation and a widening "gender backlash," UN Women has convened its Executive Board to chart a transformative course for 2026. Against a backdrop of shrinking civic spaces and precipitous funding declines, the organization is doubling down on its "triple mandate" of normative work, UN system coordination, and operational impact. The latest session of the Executive Board served as both a victory lap for recent institutional achievements and a sobering call to action, highlighting a world where women and girls continue to bear the disproportionate weight of global instability.
The leadership transition within the Bureau marks a pivotal moment for the entity. With the election of a new Bureau, including Vice-Presidents representing Albania, Belgium, and Kyrgyzstan, the Board is signaling a commitment to diverse, cross-regional cooperation. These leaders, alongside representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Japan, and Uganda, are stepping into their roles at a time when the Board’s guidance is deemed more critical than ever. The session was also distinguished by the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa al Khalifa of Bahrain, whose participation underscored the growing importance of Middle Eastern leadership in the global gender equality dialogue.
The urgency of this mission is underscored by staggering new data. Today, more than 676 million women and girls live within 50 kilometers of active, deadly conflict—the highest number recorded since the 1990s. From the harrowing realities in Gaza and Afghanistan to the protracted crises in Sudan, Ukraine, and Myanmar, the "historical truth" remains unchanged: women suffer first and most. In response, UN Women has positioned itself as an indispensable actor within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), ensuring that humanitarian responses are not gender-blind. By establishing women’s advisory groups in conflict zones like Syria and Sudan, the organization has successfully moved women from the periphery of aid to the center of leadership, proving that where women lead, sustainable peace is more likely to follow.
Despite these external pressures, UN Women reports a position of significant internal strength. The organization recently celebrated its 14th consecutive unqualified audit opinion from the UN Board of Auditors, alongside a fifth year of zero long-outstanding recommendations. For an entity operating in high-risk environments, this level of financial and operational transparency is a prerequisite for maintaining the trust of Member States and donors. This focus on "organizational effectiveness" is not merely bureaucratic; it is the engine that allows for a "pivot to the field." By the end of 2026, one-third of the UN Women workforce is slated to relocate to regional hubs in Bonn and Nairobi, a strategic move designed to reduce overhead costs while increasing proximity to the communities they serve.
The 2026 agenda is particularly weighty as the UN enters the "UN80" period, a milestone that includes a high-stakes assessment of a potential merger between UN Women and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). While the decision rests with Member States, the focus remains on ensuring that any structural change delivers more, not less, for women and girls. This period of institutional reflection also includes a deep dive into organizational culture, specifically addressing racial discrimination and internal oversight. As a global champion for human rights, UN Women is acknowledging that its internal environment must reflect the justice it advocates for on the world stage.
The "backlash" mentioned by leadership is not a vague concept but a documented political reality. Funding for gender equality and women’s organizations has seen dramatic reductions globally. However, UN Women’s own resources saw a reduction of less than 11 percent in the previous year—a figure significantly lower than the average cut to global Official Development Assistance (ODA). This relative protection of the budget suggests that donors view gender equality as a "must-have" rather than a "nice-to-have" even in lean times.
The real-world impact of this sustained investment is evident in recent regional successes. In Somalia, UN Women’s advocacy was instrumental in the adoption of a 30 percent women’s quota in the national Electoral Law, a landmark achievement for representation in the Horn of Africa. In Afghanistan, despite the repressive environment, the organization managed to drive a twenty-fold increase in funding for women-led organizations through the Humanitarian Fund, moving from $250,000 to over $5 million. This "transformative and life-saving" shift ensures that even in the most restrictive regimes, women remain agents of their own survival and community resilience.
In the Arab States, the focus has remained on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, with National Action Plans being localized and implemented in countries ranging from Jordan and Iraq to Palestine and Morocco. Meanwhile, in Europe and Central Asia, the organization has successfully institutionalized gender-responsive budgeting in the Balkans, ensuring that national wallets reflect the needs of all citizens. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the focus has shifted toward the "care economy," with 22 countries receiving support to develop laws that recognize and formalize the essential labor of caregiving, which largely falls on women.
Institutional progress is also visible within the UN itself. For the first time, women have reached 50.7 percent of staff in the Professional and higher categories across the UN system. Parity has been achieved and sustained within the Senior Management Group and among Resident Coordinators. This internal shift is part of the broader Gender Equality Acceleration Plan, which seeks to harmonize gender work across all UN agencies, ensuring that the mandate is not siloed but integrated into every facet of the organization’s global work.
Looking toward the immediate future, 2026 is set to be a year of "Rights, Justice, and Action." The 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) will center on access to justice, a critical theme given that women globally still hold only 64 percent of the legal rights afforded to men. In no country do women enjoy equal protection under the law in every aspect of life. By focusing on justice as the foundation of rights, UN Women aims to mobilize the political will necessary to close the legal gap that persists in inheritance, employment, and protection from violence.
The intersection of gender and climate change will also take center stage. The upcoming 10th Progress of the World’s Women report will focus exclusively on this nexus, building on the gender action plan agreed upon at COP30 in Brazil. As Türkiye prepares to host COP31, UN Women will introduce a new "gender equality and climate policy scorecard" to hold nations accountable for their environmental commitments. This initiative recognizes that climate shocks are not gender-neutral and that women are often the first responders to environmental degradation and resource scarcity.
Finally, the 2026 calendar includes the selection of a new UN Secretary-General. The call for gender equality in leadership is expected to be a dominant theme in these deliberations. After 15 years of partnership between UN Women and its Executive Board, the organization enters this complex period from a position of "confidence, not complacency." The mandate remains the most comprehensive in the UN system, serving as an "unshakeable ground" for the pursuit of equality. As the session concluded, the message was clear: despite the headwinds of conflict and funding cuts, the push for the empowerment of all women and girls, in all their diversity, is an irreversible global movement. The year 2026 will not just be about maintaining progress, but about scaling it to meet the unprecedented demands of a world in crisis.
