Plenty Of Words, Little Will: The UN Women Blocks The Pathway To Equality

The UN Women Council has been going for hours. Yet, the delegates seem to be going around circles. For all the passion and posturing at the UNW this weekend (11/1), the only clear thing is that the global conversation on transgender and non-binary rights is still running on the spot.

For hours, the nations keep circling the same talking points about “visibility” and “equality.” The rhetoric was polished. The answers were not. Asked to define the real structural barriers preventing transgender and non-binary people from accessing education or healthcare, Peru delivered a bland statement on fairness that does not comply with the question.

The United Kingdom stated during a discussion of media representation, acknowledging that visibility matters, before quickly qualifying that it was “not a specific trend.”

Across the chamber, nearly every one of the delegates agreed on equality in theory. Yet there was little sign of agreement on how to turn those ideals into practice. Spain's representative clearly states “equity does not begin with equality, but with acceptance.” It was a nice touch, it was eloquent. But the vagueness does not go away with how poetic it was.

What exactly does “acceptance” mean when in most countries, legal documents still force citizens to tick one of the two gender boxes?

The discussion then moved to divide between the progressive and conservative states. Tanzania expresses that nations must “be able to write their own laws, as long as the progressive countries are not pushing their beliefs to us.” The delegate agrees on compassion but rejects legal change.

It all sounded more like a symposium of sympathy rather than a council whose destination is a solution.

The thing that has been really noticeable was the fact that the discussion was too vague. Most countries agreed that, yes, discrimination is wrong. However the conversation rarely leaves a meaning as to why should the nations’ sayings be implemented nor how it should be implemented.

The tension between human rights and sovereignty is what keeps the United Nations stuck in neutral. The organisation needs universal standards, but it can't impose them without alienating half of its members. 

Croatia, on the other hand, adds another layer of ambiguity. They are calling for a “respect for all” but offering no plan to turn it into policy. And when the delegation was asked about clarifying their stances, the representative throws a “I do not have an answer for that.”

For Australia, the message was more grounded. The delegate emphasized the need to “uphold people’s rights before the law.” It shows a practical approach that recognizes human dignity without overpromising sweeping reforms.

The heart of this issue is that recognition is important, but implementation is what matters. Without a legal access to their basic needs, what the nations have been echoing about “visibility” does not appear to align with the stated objectives. What the people need is the law that recognizes them as a whole. As their people. 

And until these countries stop debating the language of inclusion and start fixing the systems that exclude, discrimination will remain as the norm which is dressed up as discussion.

The UNW Council surely deserves credit for keeping the topic alive. However, talk is not the same as change. The transgender and non-binary people do not need another declaration of awareness. They need their government to deliver their rights they already claim to support.