HeForShe Lab May 2025: Turning Commitments into Action in a Defining Year for Gender Equality

New York May 6 – May 7, 2025. As the global movement for gender equality reaches a critical inflection point, the bi-annual HeForShe Lab serves as an engine for action, alignment, and innovation. Convened twice a year, the Labs bring together senior leaders across the HeForShe Alliance - from business, government, civil society, and the UN system - to assess progress, share insights, and co-create strategic pathways that advance gender equality globally.

The latest HeForShe Lab, held from May 6-7, 2025 and hosted by the International Rescue Committee and UN Women in New York, took place at a pivotal moment. 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the beginning of the final five-year sprint toward achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet this opportunity arrives amid growing global resistance to gender equality and increasing rollback on women’s rights. In response, UN Women is developing a bold strategic direction for 2025–2030 in close partnership with four key constituencies - Member States, the UN system, civil society, and for the first time, the private sector. The HeForShe Labs are central to this effort, serving as a space for Alliance members to align efforts, exchange knowledge, and strengthen cross-sectoral partnerships.

Throughout the Lab, members engaged in critical conversations about what it means to lead in today’s landscape. They reported on progress, shared lessons learned, and collectively shaped future strategy—drawing on diverse experiences of partners across the Alliance.

A highlight of Lab was the session on male allyship, which spotlighted fresh insights and practical tools for change. In a time of rising regressive attitudes, especially among young men, Movember presented groundbreaking research on the health and wellbeing of young men in a digital world - highlighting how these attitudes are shaping their behaviors and perceptions. The ITF’s Advantage All Men as Allies Programme shared strategies for cultivating inclusion in male-dominated industries, while UK Policing unveiled its new HeForShe Communications Toolkit, designed to help police forces adopt inclusive responses and speak to allyship in a more authentic and impactful way.

Building on the momentum of the discussions, the Lab also marked an important announcement: an upcoming update to the HeForShe Barbershop Toolkit. In response to global shifts, emerging research, and valuable feedback from implementers across sectors, the toolkit is being refreshed to better reflect current evidence, evolving global priorities, and intersectional perspectives. This update aims to ensure that the Barbershop Toolkit remains a relevant and impactful resource for engaging men in meaningful conversations about gender equality—grounded in today’s realities and informed by diverse lived experiences.

Beyond dialogue, the Lab was a reaffirmation of results. Since 2021, 64% of Alliance members have increased women’s representation in senior leadership, and 50% have raised the percentage of women on their boards. In 2023 alone, HeForShe Alliance initiatives reached over 36.9 million people and mobilized more than 307,000 employees across the globe. These numbers are more than metrics—they are proof that meaningful change is not only possible, but already underway.

With planning underway for the upcoming HeForShe Summit, the Lab served as both a milestone and a springboard, reminding all participants of the power of strategic alignment, partnership, and purpose.