United Nations (UN) Women has warned that progress on women’s leadership is reversing in many countries, stressing that the multilateral system cannot effectively deliver peace, development and rights while women lack equal access to power.

The warning comes ahead of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81), which opens on September 8, 2026, amid a record number of conflicts, stalled progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and what the agency described as an organised backlash against the rights of women and girls.

UN Women said the 2026 Gender Snapshot, to be launched on September 17 with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), would show that women’s leadership is failing to advance globally and is reversing at various levels of power in many countries.

The report, described as the world’s leading source of data on gender equality and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, will focus on women’s leadership and participation in political decision-making.

According to UN Women, the report will underscore that gender equality in leadership requires not only increasing women’s representation but also ensuring equal access to positions of real authority and influence.

The report comes ahead of the UNGA High-Level Week, scheduled for September 22 to 26, when Heads of State and Government, ministers and civil society leaders will gather in New York.

It also comes as Member States begin the process of selecting the 10th United Nations Secretary-General, a position no woman has held in the UN’s 81-year history.

UN Women said it was calling for urgent action, arguing that realising the rights of all women and girls had become more important than ever.

As part of activities during UNGA 81, UN Women and UN DESA will launch the Gender Snapshot at a press briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 17.

The agency will also participate in the yearly meeting of the UNGA Platform of Women Leaders on September 23. The closed meeting, co-hosted by the President of the General Assembly and the Executive Director of UN Women, will focus on “Women’s leadership in restoring trust and managing transformation for a United Nations that delivers for all.”

The meeting will consider actions to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda through women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership, gender-responsive policymaking and financing, and more inclusive and accountable global governance.

Also on September 23, UN Women and the Republic of Croatia will co-host a G77 and Emerging Partners Ministerial Roundtable on Addressing Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls.

The session will examine emerging risks associated with technology, including AI-enabled abuse, and the growing impact of technology-facilitated violence on gender equality, women’s leadership and inclusive digital transformation.

UN Women will further support a Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network ministerial-level side event, which will mark the network’s 10th anniversary and seek high-level political commitments to strengthen the Women, Peace and Security agenda within national institutions and multilateral processes.

On September 25, the Government of Mexico, UN Women and Karama, alongside Member States, regional and civil society partners, will convene a High-Level Dialogue on Reinvigorating Feminist Multilateralism.

The dialogue will focus on centering women’s leadership globally and advancing a feminist approach to multilateralism capable of responding to contemporary political, social, economic and environmental challenges.

At the SDG Media Zone, UN Women will also lead discussions on women’s leadership and artificial intelligence, including a September 22 session titled “The leadership gap: can the SDGs be achieved without women in power?”

The session will examine women’s underrepresentation in political leadership and barriers including online abuse, disinformation and democratic backsliding.

Another session, “Feminism and AI,” scheduled for September 24, will examine how artificial intelligence is fuelling a backlash against women and girls while considering how the technology could be used to advance gender equality.

The discussions will explore practical responses, including survivor-centred approaches, platform accountability, stronger governance and safety-by-design, with the central message that technology should be a force for equality rather than a weapon against women and girls.