The Commonwealth report has recommended the promulgation and enforcement of laws against organised and well-funded opposition to gender equality, posing againt women’s safety, economic life and political participation globally.

According to a statement on Thursday, the report was launched on Wednesday, at the Commonwealth Women’s Forum in Antigua and Barbuda, on the margins of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The Commonwealth said the report which examined how coordinated opposition was shaping politics, policy and public opinion, prescribed steps that governments could adopt to protect progress. 

The report recommended that to counter the pushback, there is “the need for stronger laws to protect women and girls, including from online violence, alongside greater investment in girls’ education, digital skills, childcare and workplace protections to help more women participate in the economy.”

The report stated, “It also urges governments to ensure climate policies reflect women’s needs and strengthen women’s voice and participation in decision-making. 

“Other recommendations include sustained funding for institutions advancing gender equality, better gender data, and closer regional and Commonwealth co-operation to share approaches that work.”

The recommendation followed findings in the report, which showed that between 2019 and 2023, an estimated $1.18 billion was spent across borders on efforts to oppose women’s rights, gender equality and inclusion, adding that nearly a quarter of governments globally reported a rise in coordinated opposition to gender equality. 

The report also found that the opposition was deepening long-standing inequalities and reversing progress in some areas.

The report pointed to rising sexism, harassment and violence against women in public life, including online abuse; cuts to institutions supporting gender equality; rigid expectations around unpaid care; and resistance to recognising the impacts of climate change on women and girls. 

The report warned that the impact extends well beyond gender equality, with setbacks for women carrying wider consequences for democracy, economic growth and climate action. 

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Botchwey said, “The report reminds us that progress on gender equality is never guaranteed. It can be won and it can be lost. Organised efforts are raising the barriers women and girls already face, putting their rights, safety and opportunities further out of reach. 

“We know that when women and girls are pushed back, everyone loses. Families lose incomes, communities are less able to withstand climate shocks, democracies lose voices and trust. We cannot stand by and watch that happen. This report shows us where progress is being lost and what we must do to protect it.”

Mr Botchwey said the rising tide of discrimination and exclusion must be stopped, to build a future where every woman and girl could exercise their rights, live safely and fulfil their potential.

Mr Botchwey stated that preserving rights and securing prosperity remains central to the Commonwealth’s vision of shared prosperity.