Soroptimist International has issued an urgent appeal to United Nations entities and Member States to safeguard UN Women, warning that the UN’s deepening financial crisis must not lead to reforms that weaken global support for the rights of women and girls.
The United Nations is currently facing one of the most serious money shortages in its history. Many Member States have not paid their required contributions, leaving the UN struggling to cover basic operations. At the same time, the UN is reviewing how its agencies are organised as part of its 80‑year anniversary (UN80). During this process, some have suggested merging UN Women, dedicated entirely to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, with UNFPA, which focuses on reproductive health and population issues.
In our letter, Soroptimist International, cautions that merging UN Women with another UN agency could dilute the only UN entity dedicated solely to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
Such a move risks reversing decades of progress and could undermine key international commitments, including the Beijing Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). At a time when women’s rights are increasingly under pressure worldwide, we remind all that UN Women’s independence and visibility must be protected.
We further highlight that the financial case for a merger simply does not hold. In short, the proposal could cost more than it saves at a time when the UN can least afford it.
Soroptimist International therefore respectfully calls upon Member States to:
- Take urgent action to address the United Nations liquidity crisis through the timely and full payment of assessed contributions.
- Ensure that any reform proposals are guided by evidence, transparency, and demonstrated improvements in effectiveness and impact.
- Preserve and strengthen the existing mandate of UN Women as a distinct and independent entity within the United Nations system.
- Safeguard international commitments on gender equality and women’s rights; and
- Ensure that all women and girls do not become unintended casualties of financial or institutional restructuring.
The challenges facing the United Nations require decisive action. However, financial pressures should not be used to justify reforms that risk undermining one of the most important institutional advances for women’s rights achieved within the UN system over the past generation.
Click here to read the SI’s Letter to Member States.
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