UN-SWAP 3.0 Technical Guidance Annex

Launching UN-SWAP 3.0, a key milestone in our ongoing commitment to gender equality across the UN system

The work on the UN-SWAP constitutes a pioneering example of a unified accountability framework on gender equality and the empowerment of women across the UN system

The 2024 Version

Guidance for UN-SWAP 3.0 Performance Indicator 3 Achievement of Gender-related SDG results

UN-SWAP 3.0 Technical guidance that guides reporting and is updated with references and good practices annually

Guidance for UN-SWAP 3.0 Performance Indicator 1 Strategic Planning Gender-related SDG results 

A brief intro of the 18 performance indicators under UN-SWAP 3.0 to measure UN system-wide progress on gender mainstreaming. Participating UN entities use the indicators for the annual UN-SWAP assessment and reporting.

Guidance on the steps and content to consider when conducting a peer review under the UN-SWAP 3.0 accountability framework.

This table is to facilitate UN-SWAP focal points to collect data from business owners for the 2023 UN-SWAP reporting, in word format.

The 2024 Version

By focusing on the intersection of gender, age, and disability, this brief seeks to raise awareness regarding the situation of older women with disabilities and provides a set of recommendations for actions that stakeholders might consider and implement.
 

A series featuring in-depth analysis of the 2024 UN-SWAP results, organized by indicator sets. The first issue focuses on results-related indicators: PI 1, 2, and 3,
 

75 entities (96% of UN entities, corresponding to over 99% of the UN budget) reported on the UN-SWAP indicators in 2024.

Examples of gender-related results statements from the UN system

Concept note for the side event on Reigniting the Beijing+30 Agenda: Strengthening Financial Accountability and Partnerships through Inter-Agency Pooled Funds and the Gender Equality Marker

March 20, 2025

The United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Gender and Disability Inclusion (UNWGGDI) collected case studies for the Beijing+30 review process, looking at lessons learned and good practices on gender, disability inclusion, and intersectionality. UN Women received a total 32 case studies from six UN entities (UN Women, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, and UNOPS) and two UN Country Teams represented by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Offices in India and Honduras.

In reflection of the 12 critical areas of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, violence against women and women in power and decision-making were equally the most addressed critical areas in the case studies, while the critical areas around women and the environment as well as the girl child were equally the least addressed.

This knowledge compendium aims to share reflections for UN entities, Member States, policymakers, and civil society organizations. It synthesizes best practices, innovative approaches, and collaborative efforts to enhance sustainable development and human rights for all. By ensuring that the rights and needs of women and girls with disabilities are adequately addressed, this document reinforces the commitment of the UN system and its stakeholders to a more equitable and inclusive future.

This policy paper is focused on diverse groups of socially marginalized women with diverse disabilities. It highlights how the 12 critical areas of concern from the Beijing Platform for Action have progressed or faced continuing entrenched barriers and dealt with new challenges in the 30 years since the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing.

The focus is specifically on how gender inequality and disability exclusion both compound and create unique concerns for women and girls with disabilities. As they are not homogenous, this paper takes an intersectional approach, identifying the impacts for women and girls with disabilities facing numerous forms of discrimination while having different and multiple types of disabilities. Stereotypes and social and cultural norms are discussed in relation to stigma and discrimination.

The paper also features the voices of diverse women leaders with diverse disabilities, with case studies from various low- and middle-income countries.

The paper was produced as part of the development of the global report on accelerating disability inclusion in a diverse and changing world as well as a set of accompanying documents prepared for the Global Disability Summit 2025. Funding was provided by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany through UNICEF.

Preventing and responding to violence against women with disabilities requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach. It includes:

• strengthening legal frameworks,
• enhancing support services,
• ensuring that an inclusive lens is applied to prevention efforts,
• raising societal awareness,
• improving data collection, and
• promoting intersectoral collaboration.

It is also crucial to prioritize the voices, experiences, and agency of women with disabilities in developing and implementing policies and interventions.

This publication provides recommendations for policymakers to address the findings highlighted through the project “Addressing stigma and discrimination experienced by women with disabilities (ASDWD)”, which was developed in partnership with researchers from University College London, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women offices, local organizations of people with disabilities, and individual women with disabilities who contributed across Pakistan, Palestine, Republic of Moldova, and Samoa, with funding from the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD).