Global Leaders Confront $1.5 Trillion Cost of Gender Violence, Democratic Erosion at HerPower Forum

Foreign Policy's annual HerPower Forum convened on the eve of the 81st UN General Assembly with a striking juxtaposition: new rights gains in Colombia, South Korea and Kuwait set against rollbacks in Afghanistan, a global gag rule expansion from Washington and the dismantlement of $50 billion in USAID funding. From the European Parliament president to a UN Secretary-General candidate, speakers made the case that gender equity is not a silo issue — it is the through-line connecting economic growth, democratic resilience and global security.

• UN and ILO experts peg global cost of violence against women at $1.5 trillion — roughly 2% of world GDP — and argue prevention investment pays for itself
• Open Society Foundations announces $300 million commitment pairing economic opportunity with civil liberties, funding state-level care and healthcare experiments
• Landmark Scandinavian research quantifies a 7.4% earnings penalty from menopause, fueling a wave of workplace legislation spreading from the UK to dozens of US states
• Prosper Global CEO warns USAID dismantlement removed ~$50 billion from the global humanitarian system, forcing 80% of funding into crisis response
• Congresswoman Jayapal reports growing Republican support for War Powers Resolutions on Iran and outlines a legislative wish list including universal childcare and Medicare for All
• EU Pay Transparency Directive faces corporate pushback as European Commission sets target of 1 million girls in STEM by end of next year
• Five of eight UN Secretary-General candidates are women for the first time in the institution's 80-year history