BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SDG 5 

Ethiopia has made gender equality an increasingly important part of its national development agenda, with policies aimed at strengthening women’s rights, economic participation, education, and political representation. The country’s legal framework recognises equality between women and men, while national strategies seek to address discrimination and improve women’s access to opportunities.

Over the past decades, Ethiopia has made progress in girls’ access to education and women’s representation in public institutions. Measures have also been introduced to reduce harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, while programmes have sought to improve women’s economic empowerment and access to resources.

Nevertheless, gender inequality remains a significant challenge. Women and girls continue to face barriers linked to poverty, limited economic opportunities, unequal access to land and financial resources, and harmful social norms. Gender-based violence, child marriage, and FGM remain particularly relevant concerns in several parts of the country.

CURRENT CHALLENGES AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Women’s political participation is an important area of discussion. Ethiopia has increased the presence of women in government and public institutions in recent years, but representation and decision-making power remain uneven across political and administrative structures.

Economic empowerment also remains a challenge. Women are highly active in agriculture and informal employment, yet access to land, credit, property, and formal employment can be more limited. Unpaid domestic and care responsibilities further affect women’s ability to participate fully in education and the labour market.

The protection of women and girls represents another major concern. FGM and child marriage continue to affect some communities, while gender-based violence remains a serious issue. Legal reforms and national programmes have been introduced, but implementation, access to justice, and regional disparities remain important obstacles.

LIST OF REFERENCES

International Organization for Migration. (n.d.). SDG 5: Gender equality. IOM Ethiopia. https://ethiopia.iom.int/sdgs/sdg-5-gender-equality

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (n.d.). Ethiopia. United Nations Human Rights Office. https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/ethiopia

Sustainable Development Solutions Network. (2025). Ethiopia: Sustainable Development Report 2025. https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/ethiopia/

SPRING. (n.d.). Ethigen. https://spriglobal.org/portfolio/ethigen/

United Nations. (n.d.). Ethiopia: SDG 5 – Gender equality. United Nations in Ethiopia. https://ethiopia.un.org/en/sdgs/5/key-activities

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). SDG indicators: Ethiopia country profile. United Nations. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/eth

United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). Ethiopia: Human Development Report data. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/ETH

UN Women. (n.d.). Ethiopia country data. UN Women Data Hub. https://data.unwomen.org/country/ethiopia

UN Women. (n.d.). Ethiopia – Results. UN Women Open Data. https://open.unwomen.org/en/country-results/ET

Embassy of Ethiopia in Canada. (n.d.). Ethiopia presents its review report on the SDGs in New York. https://ethioembassy.ca/ethiopia-presents-its-review-report-on-the-sdgs-in-new-york/

USEFUL LINKS

• Country report/Voluntary National Reviews

  • https://ethiopia.iom.int/sdgs/sdg-5-gender-equality

  • https://ethioembassy.ca/ethiopia-presents-its-review-report-on-the-sdgs-in-new-york/

  • https://spriglobal.org/portfolio/ethigen/ 

• Bibliography and UN pages about this country:

  • UN: https://ethiopia.un.org/en/sdgs/5/key-activities 

  • UNPD: https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data?/countries/NGA 

  • OECD: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/topics/policy-sub-issues/carbon-pricing-and-energy-taxes/taxing-energy-use-nigeria.pdf 

  • UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/eth 

  • UN human rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/ethiopia 

  • Index: https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/ethiopia/ 

  • UN WOMEN count: https://data.unwomen.org/country/ethiopia 

  • UN women: https://open.unwomen.org/en/country-results/ET