In 2025, the UN Girls’ Education Initiative celebrated its 25th year. United by a shared vision to use the transformative power of education to redress the inequalities faced by girls and ensure all learners are supported to thrive, the UNGEI Partnership has changed the way the education community talks about, thinks about, funds and is accountable for girls’ rights and gender equality in and through education. As we celebrate this extraordinary milestone, we also celebrate the hundreds of partners who have been part of building this powerful legacy. To them, we give our heartfelt thanks. We are so proud of what we have achieved together. 2025 has been another landmark year for UNGEI. From delivering the first ever West African Ministerial learning exchange on gender-transformative leadership in education, to the launch of the India Coalition for ending gender stereotypes in schools, to delivering four regional convenings for Education for Equality and Peace and a G20 side event in partnership with the South African government, the UNGEI team is proud to celebrate its achievements and reflect on our shared learnings in this report. In 2025, the UNGEI Partnership also published a statement in solidarity with the 1.17bn girls in the world. It states: Together we are strong. Together we are successful. Together we are unstoppable. This is the spirit of this partnership, and one we will carry forward into the next 25 years. Antara Ganguli, UNGEI Director On behalf of the UNGEI Secretariat
25 YEARS OF ACTION
In this zine, we look back on 25 years of action for girls, children and young people in all their diversity. Read more here.
2025
IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD
New countries, Senegal and South Africa, signed the Freetown Manifesto for Gender-Transformative Leadership in Education, with sixteen African Countries now committing to support gender equality in and through their education systems.
The Gender at the Centre Initiative delivered a first-of-its-kind learning exchange hosted by the government of Mali with Freetown Manifesto signatories Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger.
The Feminist Network for Gender Transformative Education grew to 350 organisations and developed regional and global roadmaps for change to build support for gender-transformative education.
Together with Breakthrough, UNGEI launched the India Coalition for Education for Gender Equality, a landmark community working together to advance this shared mission.
UNGEI published 15 new global public goods, including a new e-course on preventing and responding to school-related gender-based violence, and an evidence-based advocacy brief outlining the multi-impact investment potential of gender-transformative education.
The World We Want campaign reached 112 countries with a powerful call to action to support all children everywhere with safe, inclusive and gender equal education.
UNGEI was part of over 50 events, putting gender-transformative education on the agenda in spaces including the G20, Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education, the Commission on the Status of Women, Financing for Development Conference, the World Summit on Social Development and The International Conference on Family Planning.
GENDER AT THE CENTRE INITIATIVE
Jointly coordinated by UNGEI and IIEP-UNESCO, the Gender at the Centre initiative (GCI) supports Ministries of Education and national civil society actors in Africa to advance gender equality in and through education.
The India Coalition for Education for Gender Equality covers over 90% of the Indian states. Its members collectively serve more than 50 million students (50% girls).
SCHOOL-RELATED GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
UNGEI addresses school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) with global and national policy advocacy, building evidence-based standards and tools, delivering programmatic pilots and facilitating knowledge exchanges. We join and support governments, young feminist experts and civil society to address SRGBV within, around and on the way to/from schools, so that all children can learn in equal and safe environments.
We launched a unique learning resource - the online course on School-Related Gender-Based Violence. The course aims to equip education practitioners with knowledge and understanding of preventing, addressing, and responding to SRGBV. The development of the course was led by UNGEI in partnership with UNICEF and UNESCO and was guided by the Global Working Group to End SRGBV.
"Sexual violence in education settings reinforces hierarchies of gender, age and power. It tells girls, queer youth and gender diverse learners, your body is not yours. Your safety is conditional, your voice is inconvenient. And it tells boys that power means dominance, silence is strength, complicity is normal." – Shamah Bulangis, Coordinator and Co-Founder of Girls Congress, Member of Transform Education
FEMINIST SCHOOL
Developed by the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and Gender at Work, Feminist School is an action and peer-based learning programme designed for gender equality and education actors. Feminist School challenges and supports participants to apply feminist tools and principles in their own work, equipping them with practical and strategic approaches.
Transform Education
Hosted by UNGEI, Transform Education is the first and only young feminist-led network working to achieve gender equality in and through education. Transform Education has over 100 member organizations, whose leadership is 30 years of age and under, and are working in more than 28 countries. Members include LGBTQIA+ folks, those with disabilities, refugees, those living in conflict and crisis and other historically marginalized groups. Members have directly impacted over one million learners and educators.
"Despite rising anti-gender backlash and shrinking funding in 2026, young feminists have continued to lead, resist, and reimagine a more just future. At Transform Education, they have driven community action, advanced feminist justice, and championed gender-transformative education—proving that young feminist movements are more vital than ever and must be funded." – Sapphire Alexander, TE Coordinator
In collaboration with UNESCO and UNICEF’s Global Coalition for Education, Transform Education launched a power mapping tool and report entitled "Shifting the Power: Achieving Gender Transformative Education".
Feminist Network for Gender Transformative Education
FemNet4GTE is a powerful, diverse and intergenerational movement of actors that are working towards gender equality in and through education. As of 2025, the network is home to 350 organizations, experts and government representatives from over 100 countries that are all doing this important work.
Meet the UNGEI Team
Our 2025 milestones reflect the strength of collaboration, shared purpose, and solidarity across the UNGEI family. Guided by the principles of our Feminist Manifesto, we continue to champion inclusivity, mutual respect, and collective leadership in all that we do. Together, we navigated challenges, celebrated successes, and stretched beyond boundaries to advance transformative change. From amplifying voices too often unheard to forging meaningful partnerships for collaboration, each achievement represents the passion and commitment of a team united by a common vision: advancing gender equality in and through education and building a better world for every learner. Now, meet our inspiring and dynamic team!
Looking ahead, we remain steadfast in our commitment to championing gender equality in and through education. We invite you to join us in this journey—whether by partnering on new initiatives, amplifying our collective voice, or advocating for policies that leave no learner behind. Together, we can shape a brighter, more equitable future for every child, everywhere.
Credits:
United Nations Girls' Education Initiative