Fifteen years of truth-telling: Why UN Women deserves our gratitude

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes with being a feminist writer. You spend your days documenting injustice, quantifying suffering, translating women’s lived experiences into words that might, just might, make someone care enough to act. Some mornings, you sit by your laptop wondering if you’re just shouting into the void. Then you remember: you’re not alone. UN Women has been doing this work for fifteen years, and they’re not stopping.

Fifteen years. That’s how long UN Women has been the world’s conscience on gender equality, refusing to let us look away, keeping meticulous records of our collective failures and occasional victories. For a decade and a half, they’ve been the reason I can write this column with confidence, knowing that behind every claim I make, there’s rigorous research and commitment to truth.

As a feminist, I appreciate what they do in ways I struggle to articulate. But let me try.

 “UN Women gives us the ammunition we need to fight battles we didn’t choose but can’t afford to lose.”

When I write about the 800 women who die daily from preventable pregnancy-related causes, I’m drawing on UN Women’s data. When I point out that only 4 percent of development assistance goes to gender equality programmes, that’s their research. When I argue that peace lasts longer when women participate in negotiations, I’m standing on the foundation they’ve built. They’ve given feminist writers, activists and advocates the one thing we need most: credible evidence that can’t be dismissed.

In a world that constantly demands women prove their oppression is real, UN Women provides the receipts. For fifteen years, they’ve been counting. The women killed by intimate partners. The girls denied education. The hours women spend on unpaid care work. The percentage of lawmakers who are men. The peace talks that exclude female voices. The numbers are devastating. But they’re also essential. Because what gets measured gets attention. What gets documented can’t be denied. What gets researched can inform policy.

I think about the writers before me, the feminists who fought without the data to back them up, who were dismissed as hysterical when they spoke about women’s suffering. UN Women has made it harder for the world to do that to us now. Not impossible, sadly. But harder.

“They’ve turned our anger into evidence and our stories into strategy.”

Every column I write for Her Space is indebted to their work. When I discuss the backlash against women’s rights, I’m relying on their monitoring. When I highlight that 119 million girls remain out of school, I’m amplifying their findings. When I point out the gender pay gap or the digital divide, I’m building on their foundation.

But UN Women does more than provide statistics for columnists like me. They’ve been on the ground, in communities, working alongside women living these realities every single day. In conflict zones, documenting how war affects women differently. In villages, measuring climate change’s impact on women farmers. In parliaments, counting female representation and pushing for quotas.

For fifteen years, they’ve been the bridge between grassroots activism and global policy, between women’s lived experiences and international frameworks, between local struggles and universal rights.

As a woman writing about women’s issues, I know how isolating this work can feel. How often you’re told you’re being too sensitive, too political, too focused on gender when there are “bigger problems” to solve. UN Women reminds us that gender equality isn’t separate from those bigger problems. It’s central to solving all of them. Their research proves it.

Countries with greater gender equality have stronger economies. Communities where women participate in decision-making are more resilient. Peace agreements that include women last longer. Climate policies designed with women’s input work better. These aren’t opinions. They’re facts, documented by fifteen years of rigorous research.

 “UN Women doesn’t just tell us what’s wrong. They show us what’s possible.”

They don’t just document problems. They highlight solutions and celebrate progress, however incremental. They’ve shown us that quotas work, that investing in care systems creates jobs, that addressing gender-based violence requires systemic change, that closing the digital divide opens economic opportunities. They’ve given us hope alongside the harsh truths. And for those of us writing week after week about gender inequality, hope is as essential as data.

I’m grateful for every report they’ve published, every statistic they’ve verified, every story they’ve amplified. Grateful for the researchers who spend months analysing data, the advocates who bring that data to policy-makers, the communicators who make complex findings accessible.

As the writer of  Her Space every week, I know I’m standing on their shoulders. Every column is a conversation with their research. Every argument I make is strengthened by their evidence. Every call to action I issue is informed by their recommendations.

Beyond the practical value, there’s something deeper. UN Women represents a commitment that transcends political cycles and changing priorities. For fifteen years, regardless of which governments were in power or which crises dominated headlines, they’ve kept their focus on women’s rights. That consistency matters more than we often acknowledge.

In a world where women’s rights are treated as negotiable, where progress can be reversed overnight, where backlash is always lurking, UN Women has been a constant. A reminder that gender equality isn’t a trend. It’s a fundamental human right worth defending year after year, report after report, statistic after statistic.

“Without UN Women’s work, columns like mine would be built on sand instead of solid ground.”

So, here’s my tribute; Thank you, UN Women, for fifteen years of truth-telling. Thank you for refusing to let the world forget about the women dying in childbirth, the girls denied education, the survivors of violence, the women excluded from power. Thank you for giving us the tools to fight back with facts, not just fury. Thank you for keeping us informed when ignorance would be easier. Thank you for maintaining hope when despair would be understandable. Thank you for believing that data can drive change, that evidence can inspire action, that women’s rights are worth measuring, monitoring and demanding.

My voice is amplified because you’ve done the work of documentation, verification and advocacy that makes feminist writing credible and compelling. I’m one of thousands of writers, activists and advocates who can say the same.

Fifteen years of service to women worldwide. Fifteen years of holding the world accountable. Fifteen years of proving that gender equality isn’t just morally right but practically essential. Your data has armed us with truth. Your consistency has sustained our hope. Your commitment has reminded us that this fight is worth having.

Here’s to fifteen more years. And to the day when your work will  no longer be necessary because equality would have finally been achieved. Until then, we’ll keep reading your reports, citing your statistics,and fighting alongside you.

With gratitude and solidarity,

A feminist writer who knows she doesn’t fight alone.

>>>Bridget Mensah is a PR, Marketing & Communications professional and General Secretary of the Network of Women in Broadcasting (NOWIB). A dedicated feminist and advocate for women in media, she champions workplace excellence while empowering voices and building bridges across the industry. Bridget is passionate about amplifying women’s stories and driving positive change in Ghana’s media. She can be reached via email at [email protected].

 

 

The post Fifteen years of truth-telling: Why UN Women deserves our gratitude appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

Read Full Story