Gender Equality Action Plan, 2026–2029
Accelerating equality, delivering for girls and women.
Gender equality means that girls and boys enjoy the same rights, opportunities and protections. The UNICEF Gender Policy (2021–2030) articulates our vision for gender equality in programmes, as well as our workplaces and practices, around the globe. The Gender Equality Action Plan (2026–2029) charts UNICEF's way forward in delivering lasting change for children worldwide.
Our Gender Policy and Gender Equality Action Plan are evidence-based, integrating the recommendations of an independent evaluation of UNICEF's previous Gender Action Plan, various studies, data analyses (including on the situation of girls worldwide) and a series of background papers on new and emerging areas of critical importance.
UNICEF's key commitments
The Gender Equality Action Plan incorporates both programming and institutional commitments, integrating strategies for gender equality across internal policies, practices and accountability mechanisms. Building on past successes and lessons learned, the plan outlines three priority areas:
- Achieving positive change for adolescent girls, with adolescent girls through targeted investments in health, nutrition, education, skills and protection.
- Integrating gender equality across policies, budgets, systems and programmes so that progress for all children is sustainable and at scale.
- Cementing organizational gains and accelerating progress by committing finance and strengthening leadership, accountability, technical expertise and partnerships for gender equality.
Gender equality results
UNICEF’s Gender Equality Action Plan specifies how each of our global Strategic Plan goal areas will advance gender equality, from before birth through adolescence. This includes plans and targets related to:
- Health and nutrition, including resourced community frontline workers and quality maternal health and nutrition services.
- Learning and skills through quality education access and completion at all levels.
- Poverty reduction, including strengthened social protection and care systems.
- Protection through violence prevention and response programmes for girls, boys and women.
- Climate-resilient social services for girls and women, financing and disaster risk reduction.
Leadership and well-being of adolescent girls
This Gender Equality Action Plan reaffirms UNICEF’s commitment to driving progress with and for adolescent girls. Even today, gender disparities can prevent the realization of basic human rights. This is why we are working to help every adolescent girl access:
- Quality health and nutrition services, including critical vaccines, anaemia prevention, mental health support, menstrual health and hygiene.
- Learning and skills for the future, including science, technology and mathematics (STEM), green skills and digital skills with online protection.
- Economic opportunities to improve livelihoods, especially for the most excluded girls, as well as care and support for adolescent mothers.
- Protection against child marriage and female genital mutilation, and gender-based violence prevention and support.
- Support for climate-action leadership.
Cementing gains, accelerating progress
UNICEF’s commitments to the children we serve are matched by internal commitments to gender equality, as reflected in our institutional targets. This includes:
- Maintaining gender parity in staffing at all levels
- Minimum 15% financing for gender equality results
- Channelling more funding directly to girl change-makers and women- and girl-led organizations
- Zero tolerance for discrimination, sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment within the organization, with partners and in UNICEF’s programmes