UN warns of global gender equality regression

A United Nations report titled ‘Gender Snapshot 2026’ indicates that global efforts toward gender equality are regressing. At the current pace, the UN estimates that full equality between men and women will not be achieved for another 171 years.

In Germany, an Oxfam study suggests that budget cuts are undermining the feminist foreign and development policies previously championed by ministers Annalena Baerbock and Svenja Schulze. Further reductions to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) budget threaten women's rights organizations in global crisis regions.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly moving to ‘cleanse’ voter registries in New Delhi. This process is expected to strip approximately one-third of the capital's residents of their voting and citizenship rights, specifically targeting sex workers who often lack birth certificates or educational credentials.