Brief description of its relationship with SDG-5 / Why include it?

The United Kingdom is strongly involved in the achievement of SDG 5 through national legislation, social policies, and international cooperation. Over the years, the country has introduced measures aimed at reducing discrimination, increasing women’s participation in public life, and improving workplace equality. The UK is also an influential actor within the United Nations and frequently supports global initiatives related to women’s rights and empowerment.

Topics and Critical Issues

At the same time, several challenges continue to affect British society. Issues such as the gender pay gap, domestic violence, unequal access to leadership positions, and discrimination against minority women remain important concerns. Public debate has also increasingly focused on women’s safety, especially regarding harassment and violence in both public spaces and online environments.

The United Kingdom is an important country to include in discussions on SDG 5 because it represents a developed democracy that has achieved significant progress while still facing structural and social inequalities.

Useful links:

• Country report/Voluntary National Reviews

  • https://www.britishcouncil.org/goal-5-gender-equality-and-empowerment-all-women-and-girls

  • https://sdgdata.gov.uk/5/

  • https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6017/implementation-of-sustainable-development-goal-5-in-the-uk/news/ 

• Bibliography and UN pages about this country:

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

  • UN human rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/united-kingdom-great-britain-and-northern-ireland

  • UN Women UK: https://www.unwomenuk.org/

  • UN EOCD : https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/gender-equality.html

  • sustainable development report: https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/united-kingdom/

Bibliography: 

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.  SDG indicators: United Kingdom country profile. United Nations. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/gbr

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. United Nations Human Rights Office. https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/united-kingdom-great-britain-and-northern-ireland

UN Women UK. UN Women UK. https://www.unwomenuk.org/

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (n.d.). Gender equality. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/gender-equality.html

Sachs, J. D., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G., & Iablonovski, G. (2025). United Kingdom: Sustainable Development Report 2025. Sustainable Development Report. https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/united-kingdom/

British Council. Goal 5: Gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. https://www.britishcouncil.org/goal-5-gender-equality-and-empowerment-all-women-and-girls

UK Government. UK Sustainable Development Goals indicators: Goal 5 – Gender equality. https://sdgdata.gov.uk/5/

UK Parliament.  Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 5 in the UK. https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6017/implementation-of-sustainable-development-goal-5-in-the-uk/news/