The year 2021 was a seminal moment for development and gender equality. A range of new laws and policies were passed to advance gender equality; meaningful progress was made to expand women’s access to health services; and grassroots civic action brought women’s rights to the fore. However, the year also saw the climate emergency deepen and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to exacerbate gender-based discrimination and inequalities. Since COVID-19 hit, seven in 10 women say that abuse by a partner has become more common while women have been nearly twice as likely as men to lose their jobs during the pandemic.1 Indeed, the emergence of new conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, has further increased the risk of conflict-related sexual violence.2 In the face of these multiple crises and a growing backlash against women’s rights, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) worked with our partners from the United Nations (UN) family and beyond to increase our support on gender equality to countries and communities across the globe.This 2021 Annual Report on the UNDP Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2021 provides a snapshot of the key results we achieved together with our partners in closing gender gaps and helping to empower all women and girls. UNDP scaled up its work with countries on gender-responsive social protection, recognizing the centrality and value of unpaid care. UNDP also boosted its engagement in tackling gender-based violence in 96 countries, including through the groundbreaking European Union-UN Spotlight Initiative. The organization also worked to improve women’s leadership in natural resource management and climate action. For instance, over 95 percent of UNDP Climate Promise countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs) now include gender considerations as compared to 48 percent of first-generation NDCs.3 UNDP also strived to place gender equality at the core of efforts towards mobilizing finance towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, the report also outlines how UNDP continued to walk the talk on gender equality within the organization. In detailing such efforts, it can help countries and partners to identify some of the most effective approaches to advancing gender equality.