“For women’s rights, you will always have people who want to produce setbacks”

 Michelle Bachelet on the erosion of progress—and how we stay strong

Former President of Chile, first Executive Director of UN Women, and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has spent decades watching global attitudes swing back and forth. But when it comes to the status of women, she’s clear: There is no progress without backlash. “For women’s rights, you will always have people who want to produce setbacks,” she says.

The threats are real—around the world, democracies are in peril, and hard-won rights are under attack. “I think it’s a real danger in the world today,” Bachelet says. The solution? To recommit our efforts…and to consider bringing the women’s movements of the world together once again. “So we have to never give up.”