Time is quickly ticking towards 2030 — the deadline set by world leaders to achieve the UN’s Global Goals — and we haven’t yet done enough to reach gender equality by that year. In fact, we're still about 300 years away.

When the 17 goals — which include things like ending hunger and achieving gender equality — were first outlined, progress on global gender equality seemed to arrive quickly through the election of women to leadership positions, laws targeting gender-based violence (GBV), and the end to discriminatory practices such as bans that prevented women from driving.

Over the past three years, however, humanity has experienced some of the biggest challenges of our lifetime, threatening our progress and making the fight for women’s rights all the more challenging.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, escalating global unemployment, the climate emergency, and global food insecurity have caused extreme poverty to rise for the first time in a generation.

In times of crisis, it’s women and girls who are impacted first and most. In fact, we’ve already started to see a rollback of women’s rights globally. That’s why one of the main areas of this year’s Global Citizen Festival campaign is Equity, which we can achieve for women and girls by removing systemic barriers that prevent them from having equal rights.

We can’t end extreme poverty without equity for women and girls; if world leaders invest in women’s health, rights, and education now, we can get back on track to achieve true equality for women and girls around the world.

Young girls will no longer need to miss school during their periods because schools will have access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities. Their families and peers will grow comfortable with the topic of menstruation because they will have the resources to manage their periods confidently and safely, combating misinformation, shame, and stigma.

When world leaders invest in family planning resources, women will be able to make smarter and safer decisions about their futures. Funding for sexual and reproductive health will lower the rates of unsafe abortions and maternal mortality, while policy changes to delay the age of marriage can end child marriage and keep more girls in school.

Read the full article about global gender equality by Jaxx Artz at Global Citizen.