A/HRC/56/51 as access to education, health care and equal work opportunities – that ensure the sustainability of peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts, while addressing the structural conditions that make women vulnerable to violence and other human rights violations during conflicts.100 86. Impunity for atrocities committed against women and girls is still prevalent. 101 In one of its previous reports, the Working Group noted that, while some progress had been made in investigating and prosecuting crimes of sexual violence in situations of conflict, many violations of sexual and reproductive health rights continued to be either neglected or tolerated and to occur with impunity. 102 More generally, the collapse of the law in post-conflict situations risks resulting in the masculinization of the law. 103 Against this overall background, the Working Group will examine women’s and girls’ access to substantive justice in transitional phases. III. Conclusions and recommendations A. Conclusions 87. Despite some advancements, no country has achieved gender equality. Humanity is in the midst of a backlash aimed at curtailing the equal enjoyment by women and girls of their rights in all major areas of life. The backlash is escalating and undermining current achievements and prospects for further progress, reaching extreme proportions in certain countries, including the regime of gender apartheid imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, the Working Group cannot overemphasize the transformative force of millions of women and girls worldwide and of their movements and allies that strive to advance women’s and girls’ rights, resist pushbacks and build just, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable societies for all, despite, and often in reaction to, the many barriers that they continue to face. They are an inspiration to everyone and the main reason for hope and optimism for the future. 88. The status quo that denies half of the world’s population their human rights and fundamental freedoms is unacceptable. States must be held accountable for failures to respect, protect and fulfil women’s and girls’ rights to substantive gender equality. States must also be held accountable for failing to cooperate and contribute to the equality of women and girls outside their borders. They must ensure the equal recognition, enjoyment and exercise of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and work together to build substantive gender equality, as required under international human rights law. Other actors, such as those in the private sector, should support these efforts and respect and protect women’s and girls’ rights. The realization of substantive gender equality cannot be further delayed. B. 1. Recommendations Counter the gender backlash 89. International, regional and national human rights mechanisms should develop coherent, systematic, comprehensive and coordinated efforts to reaffirm the universality of women’s and girls’ rights, as well as the inalienable, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated nature of all human rights, with a view to pushing back on denials and retrogressions with regard to women’s and girls’ rights and misinformation campaigns. 100 101 102 103 GE.24-07559 See African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Study on Transitional Justice and Human and Peoples’ Rights in Africa. S/2023/725, para. 1. A/HRC/47/38, para. 35. See https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2013/02/committee-eliminationdiscrimination-against-women-discusses-0. 19