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At this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the HeForShe Alliance – a UN Women initiative engaging men and boys in gender equality – l hosted a summit on 23 September, spotlighting Equitable Masculinities and Safe Digital Spaces. The gathering convened Heads of State, global CEOs, civil-society leaders, and youth voices to emphasize the urgency of renewed leadership and collective action to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Women and girls are subjected daily to harassment, abuse, and discrimination across digital spaces. We must take bold action against online violence and misogyny – and engaging men and boys is essential to confronting harmful digital behavior. HeForShe reflects the growing recognition that gender equality is both a shared responsibility and a shared reward”, said Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director.
The Summit launched the 2025 HeForShe Alliance Impact Report, highlighting that members have reached nearly 40 million people, including 1.24 million direct beneficiaries – primarily women and girls. Key areas of impact include preventing gender-based violence, expanding digital access to support services, promoting STEM education, and advancing economic empowerment.
“We are witnessing a drift towards radicalized discourses and attitudes, especially in young men, which are undermining gender equality and hard-earned rights. Spain is committing resources and supporting international alliances to promote counternarratives that emphasize positive, equitable and violence-free role models and to specifically address gender-based violence in digital spaces”, said President of Spain Pedro Sanchez, a HeForShe Champion. The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi also participated in the event.
UN Women presented the updated HeForShe Barbershop Toolkit 2.0, a peer-led resource developed with support of the Government of Iceland and global partners to engage men and boys in practical, intersectional conversations on gender equality.
As the global community gathers in New York for UNGA80 and marks three decades since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the HeForShe Alliance is a powerful reminder that gender equality is not a side issue, but it is central to building a just, safe and sustainable world.
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