The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare existing structural inequalities and barriers across every sphere, revealing society’s over-reliance on women, both at the front lines of the pandemic response and at home. While women have played, and continue to play, a critical role as first responders and leaders in the COVID-19 crisis, women and girls have also been among the hardest hit. 

Women’s under-representation in key decision-making roles remains a structural problem and, as we respond to the devastating effects of the pandemic, we must make sure women and girls, especially those most left behind, are at the centre of recovery efforts.  These are pivotal times and the world needs, now more than ever, more just and sustainable societies.

From the first days of the pandemic, UN Women contributed to the UN Secretary-General’s policy brief: The impact of COVID-19 on women. It warned that COVID-19 could easily reverse limited gains for gender equality and women’s rights, and proposed strategies for countries and the United Nations to keep ahead of the curve.

UN Women’s expertise has since guided the inter-agency United Nations COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, set up to support low- and middle-income countries, and steered coordinated interventions with the international financial institutions. 

As the impacts of COVID-19 reverberate, UN Women will continue tirelessly to mitigate, respond, develop solutions, and champion ways to build back better.

The below figures show UN Women’s expenses on COVID-19 from Regular Resources (core) and Other Resources (non-core) in 2021.