“What’s going on in the world?” The International Agenda for Gender Equality Under Dispute
What is the current state of women’s rights and the international agenda for the eradication of gender-based violence across the world? Which actors are attacking this agenda, and what institutions and mechanisms exist to counter them? In this new edition of the “What’s going on in the world?” series of conferences, we will reflect on the growing opposition to women’s rights and the challenges this poses for international organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union.
Sala Jordi Maragall, CIDOB. Elisabets 12, 08001 Barcelona
CIDOB, IBEI and the Observatory of European Foreign Policy
2025 has begun with a major setback for gender equality and the rights of women and the LGBTIQ community. Just hours after returning to the White House, Donald Trump ended the U.S. government’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion agenda, a measure with consequences beyond the country. The halt to USAID also poses an existential threat to civil society organisations around the world that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. However, these are not isolated events. The Women, Peace, and Security agenda promoted by the United Nations, which this year marks its 25th anniversary, is not in its best moment—not only due to its difficult implementation in conflict zones but also because of the opposition and criticism received. And the European Union, which for years was a leader in promoting policies for gender equality, security, and peace, is now focusing its attention on geopolitics and defence. In a world in transition, the backlash and rollback of the international agenda to protect women’s rights is happening in parallel with the rise of violence against women in conflict zones and increasing restrictions on sexual and reproductive rights.
In this new edition of the “What’s going on in the world?” series of conferences, we will reflect on the growing contestation of women’s rights around the world and the challenges this presents for international organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union. What is the current state of women’s rights and, specifically, the international agenda for the eradication of gender-based violence around the world? Which actors are attacking this agenda, and what institutions and mechanisms exist to counter them? To discuss these issues, we will be joined by Esther Barbé, Professor of International Relations at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Senior Associate Researcher at IBEI, and co-director of the book La violencia contra las mujeres en un orden internacional en transición; Diego Badell, Professor at UAB; and Isabel Lirola, Professor of Public International Law at the University of Santiago de Compostela. The session will be moderated by Inés Arco Escriche, researcher at CIDOB.
The session will be streamed live on CIDOB’s YouTube channel.
Participants
Inés Arco Escriche
Diego Badell
Esther Barbé
