Category: Women

New York, September 19, 2024 – UN Women has today launched the Generation Equality Accountability Report 2024, which uncovers significant progress on the commitments made by this multi-stakeholder initiative since its inception in 2021. The report launches as world leaders explore solutions to intertwined global challenges at the Summit of the Future in New York,… Continue reading New Generation Equality Accountability Report Reveals Record-Breaking $50.3 Billion in Gender Equality Commitments

What makes this even worse is that because many of the provisions are ambiguously worded, we already see that they are in practice subject to arbitrary interpretation, thereby granting extensive powers of enforcement to the morality police. Thus, Afghanistan’s women do not only fear these oppressive laws, they also fear their capricious application. A life… Continue reading Speech: We must step forward – The situation is not hopeless, and we are not helpless

I was in Kabul on 15 August 2021 – the day the city was captured by the Taliban – acting as the representative for UN Women, a position to which I would later be formally appointed. The day started like any other but by midday, the dread that had been building for some days materialised… Continue reading Back to basics: Fighting for women’s rights under the Taliban

New York, 17 September – The Unstereotype Alliance, an industry-led initiative convened by UN Women, today published a first-ever global study which empirically proves inclusive advertising -content which authentically and positively portrays a full range of people and is devoid of stereotypes -has a positive impact on business profit, sales and brand value. The study… Continue reading New research proves that inclusive advertising boosts sales and brand value

16 September 2024 Women While progress has been made worldwide on gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment, critical gender gaps remain in all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals, according to the latest Gender Snapshot report released Monday by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.  “Today’s report reveals the undeniable… Continue reading Gender equality: Distant, yet achievable

[Check against delivery] Dear members of the media, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining us to launch the 2024 Gender Equality Snapshot. This report is not just about aggregation of the data; it also allows us to connect, discuss and advance solutions. As Mr. Hanif has highlighted, gender equality, the empowerment of women and… Continue reading Press Briefing at the UN Headquarters by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, at the launch of the Gender Snapshot 2024

New York, 16 September 2024 – The latest edition of Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2024, launched today by UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, reveals that progress has been made worldwide on gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment. Women hold one in every… Continue reading UN report urges immediate global action to close critical gender gaps

“The Islamic Republic of Iran relies on a system, both in law and in practice, that fundamentally discriminates on the grounds of gender,” the update noted, highlighting the far-reaching impacts on women and girls’ bodily autonomy, freedom of expression and religion, as well as a wide range of economic, social and cultural rights. The heightened… Continue reading Iran: Repression of women ‘intensifying’, two years on from mass protests

We stand with women workers worldwide in the fight to close the #genderpaygap and achieve equal pay for work of equal value. This persistent gap is a fundamental inequality that undermines women’s rights, jeopardizes women’s income security, and impedes sustainable economic development. Three decades ago, governments committed themselves to “enact and enforce legislation to guarantee… Continue reading Advancing gender equality in the world of work

I would like also recognize my colleagues, Nyaradzayi, Kirsi and their teams, our Regional Directors, colleagues in country and regional offices, and of course, Jean-Luc Bories and team who as ever kept our business smooth and efficient. I also would like to thank my team in the Executive Director’s Office. I am in no doubt… Continue reading Speech: Our job is clear and its urgency apparent

The United Nations promotes the principles that underly the ideal of democracy: peace, security, development, and human rights. In democratic systems, women and men have equal rights and are free from discrimination, and people have a say in decisions and can hold decision-makers accountable. Women’s political participation is critical for a well-functioning democracy. Their inclusion… Continue reading Why so few women are in political leadership, and five actions to boost women’s political participation

Our Bureau has always been, and I am confident will remain, the driver of the exemplary spirit of cooperation and dialogue that we enjoy with you, our Executive Board. I will say it again: the best friend is a critical one that loves you nonetheless. And I think you are that. Your support, your commitment,… Continue reading Speech: A coherent focus on results on the ground for women and girls

Media Launch of Gender Snapshot 2024 When: Monday, 16 September 2024, 12.30 pm Where: UN headquarters’ press room, New York, and UN Web TV UN Women and UNDESA will launch the 2024 edition of Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot to the media. This year’s report points out the latest trends and challenges… Continue reading UN Women at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79)

UN Women is deeply concerned about the recent enactment of a morality law by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan, which imposes extensive restrictions on personal behavior, effectively erasing women from public life and granting broad enforcement powers to the morality police. A woman is seen in a bakery in Daikundi, Afghanistan, in May 2022.… Continue reading UN Women deeply concerned by new Afghanistan morality law

Women and men interact with the environment for income generation, as well as for subsistence, leisure, tradition, religion and other purposes. Capturing the differences in women’s and men’s interactions with the environment is important to determine how they contribute to environmental conservation and degradation differently, and how they are affected by climate change, environmental degradation… Continue reading Gender and environment indicators

Wednesday, 4 September  |  9:30-11:00  EDT / 15:30 – 17:00 CESTREGISTER NOW Join us for a webinar to explore the highlights from the new flagship report, Gender Data Outlook (GDO), developed by UN Women and PARIS21. We will discuss key findings on gender data capacities across countries and examine trends emerging from the report’s cross-country… Continue reading Webinar: Gender Data Outlook 2024: At a Glance

When Hurricane Beryl tore through the Caribbean in early summer, it left a trail of destroyed homes, unpassable roads, and ruined local infrastructure. As climate change raises global temperatures, hurricanes will likely become more intense in the region, as storms feed on warm waters at the ocean surface. As nations begin to rebuild after Beryl… Continue reading UN Women assists rebuilding efforts after Caribbean hurricanes

On the occasion of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on July 15, 2024, UN Women convened feminists, experts, UN officials and other key development actors to present and discuss the Gender Equality Accelerators (GEAs) for the SDGs, particularly SDG 5. The Accelerators are solutions to drive focused, collective action to speed and scale up results… Continue reading Accelerating progress on gender equality is key for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Excellencies, This World Humanitarian Day, our staff and volunteers around the world will stand in solidarity to spotlight the horrifying toll of armed conflicts on their colleagues and on all civilians, particularly children. The brutal hostilities we are seeing in multiple conflicts around the world have exposed a terrible truth: We are living in an… Continue reading Statement: Open letter to the Member States of the UN General Assembly, on behalf of the IASC principals

We honour the brave humanitarians worldwide who sacrifice their lives to aid those in need, and we join this year’s call to #ActForHumanity. Last year, 504 men and women aid workers were killed and injured, a stark increase from 264 the previous year. The number of civilians killed in armed conflict increased by 72 per… Continue reading UN Women statement for World Humanitarian Day

Alison Davidian, UN Women Country Director in Afghanistan, briefed journalists in New York on their latest report addressing the plight of women and girls since the de facto authorities returned to power in August 2021. She described this period as “three years’ worth of countless decrees, directives, and statements targeting women and girls – stripping… Continue reading Afghanistan: Taliban rule has erased women from public life, sparked mental health crisis

Our latest publication, launched today, shows trends based on rounds of consultations we’ve done with thousands of Afghan women, from the provincial capitals to the most rural areas since August 2021. One of the first, most striking, trends is the erasure of Afghan women from public life. To date, no woman in Afghanistan is in… Continue reading Press briefing at the United Nations Headquarters by UN Women Country Representative in Afghanistan, Alison Davidian, on the three-year mark of the Taliban takeover

“I had studied journalism and worked for seven years as a journalist. After the [Taliban] takeover, I took a break from my work… I was afraid,” said Lina*, a 26-year-old Afghan journalist from Farah.  Lina* didn’t experience direct threats, but many other women have, since the Taliban took over Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, becoming… Continue reading Women in Afghanistan have not stopped striving for their rights, and neither should we

The influence of technology on our lives is undeniable. From a mouse click, or screen tap, to AI-powered analytics and blockchain applications, we have unprecedented power to connect, create, and catalyse change from the tips of our fingers. This year’s International Youth Day puts young people at the forefront of today’s digital revolution. Empowered with… Continue reading Statement: From clicks to progress – Equality in digital access advances rights for young women and girls

We live in a rapidly digitizing world, with over 67 per cent of the global population using the internet as of this year. Digital technologies and data have a critical role in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals – the global blueprint for people and the planet – and as “digital natives”, young people are at… Continue reading Interview with Hawa Yokie on youth-led innovation in Sierra Leone

The UN Women Executive Board will convene for its second regular session from 10 to 11 September 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York (Conference Room 1).   The President of the Executive Board, the Ambassador of Panama to the United Nations, will open the Session on 10 September at 10 a.m. EDT, followed by UN… Continue reading UN Women Executive Board to convene second regular session 2024 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, the UN mission has helped relocate many women human rights defenders to safer locations in recent years, facilitated women’s representation in local community dialogues in the peace process, reaching 30 and 40 per cent in several localities, and has contributed to the conviction of dozens of… Continue reading Speech: ‘Facing unacceptable prospects together’

“The natural disasters that I have experienced are falling ash and acid rain… thunderstorms, earthquakes, cyclones and the volcanic explosions which cause tsunamis,” lists ‘Eseta Uasila’a from the island of Fotua in Tonga, which is considered the third-most at-risk country in the world. “The volcanic eruption and acid rain affected our drinking water,” continues Siu… Continue reading Tonga’s first gender and environment survey incites action on family protection and disaster risk reduction

Women are increasingly registering their land and claiming their rights thanks to the gender-sensitive Multipurpose Cadastre. Amid the rolling hills and lush valleys of Montes de María, near northern Colombia’s Caribbean coast, a combination of intense geography and the legacy of armed conflict have complicated the cadastral registration of many of these lands. It’s a… Continue reading Growing rural women’s land ownership across Colombia’s countryside

Successful women entrepreneurs are pivotal to achieving broader economic development. Women entrepreneurs are building businesses, creating opportunities, and successfully competing in the marketplace. They create jobs for other women and have a solid track record of investing their earnings back into their families and communities.  However, across countries, women account for, on average, a quarter… Continue reading Untapped potential: Foreign-born women entrepreneurs and the gender gap

When his son was born in December 2023, 34-year-old Avtandil Tsereteli didn’t think twice about taking the paid paternity leave offered by his employer, TBC Bank, in Georgia. “It was one of the most significant decisions I will ever make,” he says. “When you have time with your baby, it gives you such a huge… Continue reading Time-use data help spur more fathers to take paternity leave in Georgia

The following excerpt is posted from an article originally published on The Review of Democracy. Data plays a fundamental role in mobilizing, focusing, and monitoring efforts to achieve gender equality. It helps identify gaps, streamline policies, and direct resources. However, the chronic underfunding of gender statistics and the inaccessibility of disaggregated data hamper efforts to… Continue reading Why data matters for progress on gender equality

The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, will take place this year from 11 – 22 March under the priority theme, “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions… Continue reading Gender data at CSW68

The 55th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission will be held in New York from 27 February to 1 March 2024. UN Women will be well-positioned to ensure strong representation of gender statistics across the programme of work of the Commission, through a number of strategic interventions, including on climate change statistics and citizen… Continue reading UN Women at the 55th UN Statistical Commission

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has internally displaced 7.9 million people since 15 April 2023 and reversed many gains previously made towards democracy and stability. Women and girls have been uniquely hard-hit by the crisis and face a range of gender-specific challenges. After one year of conflict, more than… Continue reading ‘Women-led organizations are heroes of the humanitarian work in Sudan’ – Interview with activist Shaza Ahmed

Janeth Jepkosgei became the first female Kenyan middle-distance runner to win gold over 800 metres in the World Championships held in Osaka, Japan in 2007. She was one of the most popular Kenyan athletes during her prime and also won the 2010 Diamond League in Shanghai, China.  Jepkosgei retired in 2015 after suffering a leg… Continue reading From World Champion to leading the way for female track coaches in the Paris 2024 Olympics – Interview with Janeth Jepkosgei

[PDF version] This statement* affirms the commitment of the IASC Principals to actively prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment by humanitarian workers, and the role of Humanitarian Coordinators and Humanitarian Country Teams to implement PSEA commitments in all response operations [1]. We, the IASC Principals, re-affirm our determination to achieve… Continue reading Statement by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment

The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, draws on existing data and provides the first detailed examination of the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence faced by girls aged 15-19 years who have been in intimate relationships.  Almost 16 per cent, or one in six, were affected in the… Continue reading Millions of young women suffer at the hands of their intimate partners: WHO

When the Fijian women’s rugby team won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, “I had hundreds of calls from girls in Fiji and Fijians overseas wanting to come and join,” said team coach Saiasi Fuli, in an interview with Radio New Zealand. That win—the first Olympic medal for a women’s team from any… Continue reading How an Olympic medal for women’s rugby helped efforts to end gender-based violence in the Pacific Islands

Rebeca Cristina Cassiano dos Anjos from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, started swimming when she was four years old. However, staying in sport was a struggle. “It’s a daily struggle against prejudice, sexism, lack of sponsorship and encouragement,” says Rebeca, now 19. Sport is a powerful tool for social transformation and empowerment, capable of teaching Brazil… Continue reading Girls in Brazil call for ‘full and equal participation in sport, with safety and support’

Women and girls around the world are facing significant threats, from wars and conflicts to devastating climate change, widening inequalities, and pushback on their human rights and freedoms.  These threats were at the top of the agenda of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), the main UN platform to assess progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda… Continue reading High-Level Political Forum places women and girls at the heart of the 2030 Agenda

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres expressed concern about the reported deaths and injuries in Bangladesh amid student protests and is calling for a thorough Government investigations into all acts of violence. About two weeks ago, student protests erupted on university campuses in the capital Dhaka and other cities, demanding an end to the Government job quota… Continue reading World News In Brief: Bangladesh student protests, Yemen’s maternal deaths, Mandela Day, honouring LGBT rights at EuroGames 2024

Each woman I met was a story of loss. More than 10,000 women have lost their lives. More than 6,000 families lost their mothers. Nearly one million women and girls have lost their homes, their loved ones, their life memories. Gaza is more than two million stories of loss. A displaced woman explained to me… Continue reading Media briefing at the United Nations Headquarters by Maryse Guimond, UN Women Special Representative in Palestine about her visit to Gaza

New York, Port au Prince – A recent report by UN Women shows the alarming living conditions and lack of security faced by 300,000 displaced women and girls in Haiti, exacerbated by ongoing political instability, escalating gang violence, and hurricane season further threatening the Caribbean Island. With women and girls accounting for 54 percent of… Continue reading 300,000 Haitian women and girls are displaced without basic safety and health services

Parliamentarians in the West African country voted on Monday to reject a bill that sought to overturn a 2015 law against the harmful practice, which involves cutting or removing some or all of the external female genitalia. FGM is mostly carried out on infants and young girls.  It can inflict severe immediate and long-term physical and… Continue reading The Gambia: UN salutes ‘monumental achievement’ as lawmakers uphold FGM ban

Banjul/Geneva/New York — “Following the vote today by the National Assembly of The Gambia, we commend the country’s decision to uphold the ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), reaffirming its commitments to human rights, gender equality, and protecting the health and well-being of girls and women. “FGM involves cutting or removing some or all of… Continue reading Statement: The Gambia’s decision to uphold ban on FGM critical win for girls’ and women’s rights

Significant progress has been made over the past three decades. Since 1990, the number of women using modern contraception has doubled. Since 2000, maternal mortality has declined by 34 per cent. By 2022, access to HIV treatment had averted an estimated 20.8 million deaths globally. More recently, however, this progress has stalled and in some… Continue reading Joint UN statement calling for sexual and reproductive health and rights for all

Women’s sports are on a winning streak, reaching new heights and shattering records. From the Olympics achieving gender parity to the growing audience for women’s sports, there is much to celebrate and explore. Yet many gender gaps remain. Here are five key things to know about women and sport:  1. Women’s sport is growing  Girls’… Continue reading Five things to know about women and sport

Women’s sports are on a winning streak, reaching new heights and shattering records. From the Olympics achieving gender parity to the growing audience for women’s sports, there is much to celebrate and explore. Yet many gender gaps remain. Here are five key things to know about women and sport:  1. Women’s sport is growing  Girls’… Continue reading Five things to know about women and sport

Speaking in the Qatari capital, Doha, after the Third Meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan, UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo expressed deep concern over the situation of women and girls in the country. “Running through all the discussions was the deep international concern – from special envoys and from me – about the ongoing and… Continue reading UN pushes for inclusive future in Afghanistan at Doha talks

During his opening statement to the all-day panel dedicated to women and human rights, Mr. Türk said there had been “extraordinary progress” thanks to the worldwide women’s movement. But the very fact that a separate panel needed to be convened on gender-based violence shows that progress has been “hard-won and fragile”, he added. The meeting’s… Continue reading UN rights chief calls time on ‘economic violence’ against women and girls

Listening to Thandolwami Zwelinjani (who prefers to be called Thando) and her peers sing and dance jubilantly, no one would guess the life-threatening challenges they’ve had to overcome. They are from Nomzamo Township in Strand, Cape Town, South Africa, and through the Young Women for Life Movement, they have found ways to break free of… Continue reading ‘You have the power to change’ – Young women in South Africa break through stigma and poverty and inspire others

From 10 – 18 June, UN Women Special Representative in Palestine visited Gaza and met with representatives of women-led organizations providing vital services on the ground. This is a summary of her briefing to the media upon return at the Palais de Nations, Geneva. I have just finished a one-week mission inside Gaza. What I… Continue reading Media briefing at the Palais des Nations by Maryse Guimond, UN Women Special Representative in Palestine

A high risk of famine persists across the Gaza Strip as long as the ongoing conflict continues and humanitarian access remains restricted, according to a new report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). Food insecurity affects women in Gaza in multiple ways. UN Women estimates that at least 557,000 women in Gaza are… Continue reading At least 557,000 women in Gaza are facing severe food insecurity

The Balaigay Women Producer Cooperative is made up of local women from the fishing village of Lumbayanague as well as women who were displaced from Marawi, a nearby city, following an attack by Islamist militants in 2017. Ahead of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day, which is marked annually on 27 June, Daniel Dickinson spoke… Continue reading From banana bread to pineapple pizzas: Women in the Philippines bake a better future

Despite progress, women are still largely excluded from positions of power and diplomacy, with the highest levels of influence and decision-making still predominantly occupied by men. A staggering 113 countries worldwide have never had a woman serve as Head of State or Government and only 26 countries are led by a woman as of today.… Continue reading In the biggest electoral year in history, 113 countries have never had a woman Head of State, new UN Women data shows

Speech: Nurturing together our crucial, radical mandate I am extremely grateful to H.E. Markova Concepción Jaramillo, president of our Executive Board, and my dear friend, for her steadfast leadership. My gratitude also to our Vice Presidents whose skilful negotiations led to our adoption of a record seven substantive decisions this session. I also thank the… Continue reading Speech: Nurturing together our crucial, radical mandate

Conflict, socioeconomic instability, and humanitarian crises continue to force millions of people to flee their homes. By September 2023, 114 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced. For women and girls, these massive displacements often result in severe violations of their rights and the loss of their livelihoods. Empowering women and girl refugees, along with… Continue reading UN Women statement for World Refugee Day

Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, and every day, UN Women unequivocally condemns all acts of sexual and gender-based violence wherever, whenever, and against whomever they are perpetrated. On this day, UN Women particularly recognizes the resilience of women and girls who continue to find solutions, build networks… Continue reading UN Women statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

In his message for the day Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated that the protection of healthcare facilities is a “fundamental tenet” of international humanitarian law, which governs the conduct of war. “But attacks on hospitals and healthcare facilities, and the targeting of healthcare workers, can severely limit access to medical care and psychosocial support for survivors,”… Continue reading Adequate healthcare crucial to support survivors of sexual violence

In search of safety – LGBTIQ+ people on the move LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers from all over the world celebrate Pride on UNHCR’s boat during the Canal Parade of Pride Amsterdam. Photo: UNHCR/Tim Mai Tan 1. Chronic lack of data on LGBTIQ+ migrants The chronic lack of comprehensive, comparable data on LGBTIQ+ migrants is… Continue reading In search of safety – LGBTIQ+ people on the move

I attended last week the Urgent Humanitarian Response Conference for Gaza – A Call for Action where UN Women brought a gender perspective to the response to a most dire situation. I welcome the recent Security Council Resolution 2735 and I hope that it will be fully implemented. The need for a permanent ceasefire, the… Continue reading Speech: UN Women: enabling, influencing, supporting and empowering

The de facto authorities in Afghanistan, the Taliban, swept back into power in August 2021 and swiftly began curtailing women’s rights, including imposing stricter dress codes, banning higher education for girls, excluding women from the job market, and restricting freedom of movement in public spaces.  This repression is bolstered by the Taliban’s use of violence,… Continue reading Systemic gender oppression in Afghanistan may amount to crimes against humanity

It’s 9 a.m.  at the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda’s Yumbe District, and Grace Neima Khemis’ phone is buzzing every five minutes. Callers are mainly village leaders preparing for a meeting taking place later that day. With enthusiasm, Khemis responds to each call. Khemis, a 34-year-old South Sudanese refugee, was elected in April 2024… Continue reading ‘Refugee women’s voices matter’ – Meet Grace Neima Khemis, the first woman Chairperson of her Refugee Welfare Committee

Uganda hosts 1,644,870 refugees today, and nearly 56 per cent of them have come from South Sudan, fleeing conflict and hunger. Globally, nearly half of all people forced to flee are women and girls, carrying untold stories of resilience and unseen potential. Often, the communities they escape to are also poor. Yet, they persevere, dream… Continue reading Breaking barriers, building futures – a second chance for women refugees and the communities that host them in Uganda

Even as the backlash against gender equality and rights intensify, only 37 countries grant asylum to persons experiencing discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, or sex characteristics (SOGIESC). A new paper by UN Women shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) migrants face heightened risk of human rights… Continue reading LGBTIQ+ migrants face unique risks, starting with the perception that they are second-class citizens – Interview with migrant rights activist Rey Perez Asis from The Philippines

In search of safety – LGTBIQ+ people on the move LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers from all over the world celebrate Pride on UNHCR’s boat during the Canal Parade of Pride Amsterdam. Photo: UNHCR/Tim Mai Tan 1. Chronic lack of data on LGBTIQ+ migrants The chronic lack of comprehensive, comparable data on LGBTIQ+ migrants is… Continue reading In search of safety – LGTBIQ+ people on the move

14 June 2024Human Rights The global fight to tackle female genital mutilation (FGM) is being undermined by the movement of some girls across national borders and beyond to undergo the procedure, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) warned in a new report published on Friday.  Although many States have intensified their efforts towards eradication, the… Continue reading Global efforts to end female genital mutilation undermined by ‘vacation cutting’

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to disproportionately affect women and girls. Women in Ukraine face higher rates of poverty, displacement, and gender-based violence, and are the majority in need of humanitarian assistance. Recent OECD data shows that, while official development assistance to Ukraine jumped from USD 1.3 billion in 2021 to USD 18.9 billion… Continue reading New alliance promotes gender-responsive recovery efforts in Ukraine

Call for action: Urgent humanitarian response for Gaza Speaking of recovery feels almost absurd in the face of what is happening mere kilometers from us today. But it is important that we are here, that we are not looking away. For the last nine months, UN Women’s gendered analysis of the war in Gaza (UN… Continue reading Call for action: Urgent humanitarian response for Gaza

UN Women is on the ground in Afghanistan, supporting Afghan women and girls every day. Photo credit: UN Women/Sayed Habib Bidell Women’s rights in Afghanistan have always been a matter of fierce struggle over regimes and generations, but the oppression that Afghan women and girls are experiencing since August 2021 is unmatched in terms of… Continue reading UN Women urges immediate global action to end oppression of Afghan women and girls

[Also available in Arabic] Cairo / New York – UN Women’s latest Gender Alert on the war on Gaza reveals the staggering challenges Palestinian women-led organizations face, highlights their unwavering commitment to save lives, and calls for urgent, coordinated investments in their operations on the ground. Palestinian women-led organizations must be at the forefront of the… Continue reading Palestinian women-led organizations must be at the forefront of the humanitarian response in Gaza and the West Bank

Feminist climate justice seeks a world where everyone can flourish on a healthy and sustainable planet, where those in power serve and are accountable to all, particularly marginalized groups such as women and girls. Achieving this will take action on many fronts—to strengthen democracy, human rights, and global collaboration. Op-ed: Building accountability to achieve feminist… Continue reading Op-ed: Building accountability to achieve feminist climate justice

Statement: Women’s leadership and collective action are crucial for our common future As we observe this year’s theme, “Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience”, we honour the visionary women who have made history protecting their environment and communities. We remember brave leaders such as Wangari Maathai of Kenya, founder of the Green Belt Movement, who… Continue reading Statement: Women’s leadership and collective action are crucial for our common future

What exactly is a dignity kit? On the heels of Menstrual Hygiene Day, marked annually on 28 May, here are five fast facts: 1. What’s a dignity kit? Responding to emergencies, UN agencies act fast to reach people in need, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA. Part… Continue reading Explainer: What’s a dignity kit?

NEW YORK/GENEVA/ROME/WASHINGTON – Time is running out for millions of people in Sudan who are at imminent risk of famine, displaced from their lands, living under bombardments, and cut off from humanitarian assistance.  Statement: No time to lose as famine stalks millions in Sudan amid intense fighting and access denials With the conflict now in… Continue reading Statement: No time to lose as famine stalks millions in Sudan amid intense fighting and access denials

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have assumed unique leadership roles in areas such as climate action, disaster risk reduction, and the protection of the world’s oceans. These small islands hold countless opportunities for resilience-building that can propel their progress and achievements towards sustainable development. UN Women advocates for gender equality at 4th International Conference on… Continue reading UN Women advocates for gender equality at 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has disproportionately affected women and girls, exacerbating pre-existing inequalities and exposing them to heightened risks of gender-based violence, economic instability, and displacement. Russia’s full-scale invasion has not only disrupted their lives but placed an immense burden on women and girls. Panama Ambassador and President of the UN Women Executive Board… Continue reading UN Women Executive Board makes landmark field visit to Moldova and Ukraine

Speech: Seize opportunities, rise beyond challenges, recommit and push forward, boldly In January 2023, Mursal a young woman, and former member of Parliament in Afghanistan, was shot and killed in her home near Kabul. She stayed behind when the Taliban took over, still clinging to hope that her contribution to the development of her country… Continue reading Speech: Seize opportunities, rise beyond challenges, recommit and push forward, boldly

Recent decades have marked major advances for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) people1 in many places, including the legalization of same-sex relations, legal recognition of gender identity on the basis of self-identification, better access to essential healthcare, restrictions on interventions on intersex minors, and increased protections against discrimination… Continue reading LGBTIQ+ communities and the anti-rights pushback: 5 things to know

Afghanistan is “not a hopeless crisis,” Edem Wosornu of the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, told journalists in New York, following a recent visit to the country, Pakistan and war-wracked Sudan.  Ms. Wosornu was part of an all-woman delegation in Afghanistan, where the climate crisis has caused widespread water scarcity, generating new food, health, and… Continue reading Afghanistan is ‘not a hopeless crisis’, top UN aid official says

As the United Nations prepares to mark the International Day of the UN Peacekeepers (29 May), paying tribute to the dedication and sacrifice made by peacekeepers around the world, UN Women spoke to Lieutenant Colonel Rubana Nowshin Mithila about her experience as a woman in peacekeeping. Uniformed women – police and military – represent less… Continue reading ‘Women peacekeepers are stronger than you think’ – Interview with Lieutenant Colonel Rubana Nowshin Mithila

Period poverty costs too much, take action to end it MHH Champion Payal Patel (pictured at right) is known as the Pad girl of Odisha, India. She has developed a basket of affordable and sustainable menstrual products for women. She has also lead the “Chuppi Todi” campaign to help create awareness, remove taboos and create… Continue reading Period poverty costs too much, take action to end it

Millions of women and girls worldwide still cannot afford menstrual products or access water and sanitation facilities to manage their menstrual health and hygiene. Periods make them miss school, work, and negatively impact their health, but it does not have to be that way. Period Poverty – why millions of girls and women cannot afford… Continue reading Period Poverty – why millions of girls and women cannot afford their periods

The world has a gender equality problem, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) mirrors the gender bias in our society. Although globally more women are accessing the internet every year, in low-income countries, only 20 per cent are connected. The gender digital divide creates a data gap that is reflected in the gender bias in AI.  Who… Continue reading Artificial Intelligence and gender equality

The theme of this year’s International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia[1], ‘Leave No One Behind: Equality, Freedom and Justice for All’, underscores the urgent need to address the persistent discrimination, violence, and marginalization faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) persons worldwide. UN Women statement on the International Day against Homophobia,… Continue reading UN Women statement on the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

After the Taliban takeover, former magazine-owner Siamoy* redirected her work towards women’s empowerment and capacity-building. Focusing on the most vulnerable women, including illiterate women and women with disabilities, her NGO now provides training and start-up funding for women-led businesses in five provinces. “UN Women gave us hope – the kind of hope I had lost… Continue reading Rebuilding the women’s movement in Afghanistan, one organization at a time

Amani Al Derbi, 35, was a hardworking mother and a psychotherapist in the Gaza Ministry of Health. Her mission: to provide comfort to those traumatized by years of conflict. After the eruption of war in Gaza, UN Women shared Amani’s story of survival in Rafah. At the time—November 2023—Rafah was a place of relative safety… Continue reading Silenced voices: Amani’s death in Gaza

[Also available in Arabic] New UN Women survey data from Rafah highlights the depth of physical and mental despair, with 93% of women interviewed feeling unsafe and over half reporting medical conditions requiring urgent attention. With any Israeli ground invasion, these numbers will soar. Intensified military operations will bring increased death and despair for Rafah’s… Continue reading Intensified military operations will bring increased death and despair for Rafah’s 700,000 women and girls

[PDF version] New York/Geneva/Rome/Washington — Escalating conflict is driving record levels of gender-based violence, displacement and hunger in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), threatening to push the country to the brink of catastrophe without urgent international action. Decades of conflict and the resulting humanitarian emergency have already exhausted and… Continue reading Statement by principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on the Democratic Republic of the Congo – Crushing levels of violence, displacement fuel unprecedented civilian suffering

The climate crisis is the most pressing issue of our times, impacting our lives and entire ecosystems. It threatens progress on gender equality, human rights, and sustainable development. By 2050, climate change will push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty. Exposing the climate and biodiversity crisis is the first step towards… Continue reading ‘Access to information is the basis of democracy’ – Interview with environmental journalist Miriam Jemio on World Press Freedom Day

UN Women Executive Board to convene annual session 2024 The President of the Executive Board, H.E. Ms. Markova Concepción Jaramillo, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations, will open the session on 18 June at 10am EDT, together with UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, who will deliver her opening statement. Over… Continue reading UN Women Executive Board to convene annual session 2024

“I know how difficult it is to be a Roma woman, because we face discrimination outside the community, but also inside the community,” said Anzhelika Bielova, who spoke at the Youth Interactive Dialogue during the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) at the UN Headquarters in New York. Bielova is… Continue reading “I want to build a network of powerful Roma women and girls” –  Anzhelika Bielova on Roma women’s activism and leadership in Ukraine

When Natacha Sangwa wanted to learn computer coding, people in her life asked, ‘do you really think you’ll be able to handle it?’ Coding needs time and focus that they believed girls lacked. After all, men hold most of the tech jobs.  “I was motivated to prove them wrong by learning how to code and… Continue reading Girls who can code and break stereotypes: an interview with Natacha Sangwa

UN Women joins young women and girls globally who are putting a spotlight on leadership in the digital world. Girls’ leadership in Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is now more crucial than ever.  To achieve full, equal and meaningful participation in ICT, young women and girls must have… Continue reading UN Women statement for the International Girls in ICT Day 2024

My first exposure to this dire issue came when I, as a playwright, started to seek to create a narrative that would amplify the voices of women and girls caught in the crosshairs of war. It was the Liberian civil war. I was seeking their unheard voices. It would become my Broadway play “Eclipsed”. With… Continue reading Speech: ‘Until we make it clear there are consequences for rape—real, dire consequences—we will never turn the tide of it’

Climate change and its deluge of devastation, in the form of epic floods, droughts, wildfires, and temperature changes, is no longer a tale of some hypothetical apocalyptic future. Between 2000 and 2019, according to UN Women’s gendered analysis of the impact of climate change on poverty, productivity, and food insecurity, global flooding caused USD 650 billion in… Continue reading Op-ed: Building women’s resilience to climate-driven poverty and food insecurity

It is seven a.m. in Tumaco, a coastal municipality in Nariño, Colombia. Anabel Magallanes walks through the mudflats of the mangrove forest in low tide, looking for piangua or concha – a nutrient-rich mollusk that is native to this area and used in the traditional cuisine of southwestern Colombia. In the Pacific coast of Colombia,… Continue reading In the Pacific coast of Colombia, guardians of the mangrove sow seeds of change

[Arabic version] New York/Cairo — Today, UN Women launches its latest Gender Alert on Gaza. Six months into the war, 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza have been killed, among them an estimated 6,000 mothers, leaving 19,000 children orphaned. Women who have survived Israeli bombardment and ground operations have been displaced, widowed, and facing starvation. This… Continue reading Six months into the war on Gaza, over 10,000 women have been killed, among them an estimated 6,000 mothers, leaving 19,000 children orphaned

Many of those attacks were committed in homes and on the streets, that report said, adding that only four victims of sexual violence were willing and able to report to the authorities, owing to stigma, distrust of the justice system, the collapse of the institutions of justice, and fear of reprisals.  A few months after… Continue reading Women grapple with unplanned pregnancies after sexual violence in Sudan war

[Also available in Arabic] Sudan’s current conflict, which marks its one-year point this week, is having a devastating impact on the people of Sudan, particularly women and girls. The conflict has reversed the gains made towards democracy and stability, leaving the country in suffering and insecurity, while facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. UN Women calls… Continue reading A year of suffering for Sudanese women and girls

A woman is seen at a poultry farm in Sudan that now hosts hundreds of people displaced by the country’s civil war. Photo: OCHA/Ala Kheir Since 15 April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has resulted in the deaths of at least 14,600 people. More than 19 million children… Continue reading Women and girls endure a year of conflict in Sudan

During negotiations in late 2023, Elmahdi noted, even an attempt to add a quota to women’s representation at the table fell short, with a mandate that women make up just 30 per cent of negotiators.  “We’ve seen researchers saying that, if you have women at the negotiating table, then you have a more sustainable peace… Continue reading ‘Women are not necessarily killed because of bullets or bombs’ – Sudanese activists describe humanitarian crisis amid civil war

On 15 April 2023, war broke out in Sudan in between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In the year that followed, some 8.2 million people have fled their homes, and an estimated 24.8 million are projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2024.  As the conflict reaches its one-year mark,… Continue reading Women share stories of hardship during year of war in Sudan

Laws and treaties prohibiting gender discrimination have failed to alter the stark fact that, globally, women are still paid significantly less than men for the same work. Achieving gender equality in the workplace requires a transformation—of attitudes, economic structures, and opportunities—to enable women’s economic empowerment. Op-ed: Improving women’s access to decent jobs Women working at… Continue reading Op-ed: Improving women’s access to decent jobs

5 May 2024Health Millions of lives each year rely on the expertise and care of midwives and yet a global shortage is squeezing the profession like never before, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency UNPFA said on Sunday, marking the International Day of the Midwife.  This year the vital role of midwives during the ongoing… Continue reading Peace or war, midwives keep delivering

Presenting her annual report, Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, noted that weapons continue to flow into the hands of perpetrators while most victims remain emptyhanded when it comes to reparations and redress.  “The essential, existential task we face is to silence the guns and amplify the voices of women… Continue reading Silence the guns, amplify women’s voices for peace to end rape in wartime

Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights, reveals that more than half of all preventable maternal deaths occur in countries which are in a state of crisis or distress. It highlights the role that racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination play in blocking progress on sexual and… Continue reading Violations of women’s reproductive health rights trigger rise in preventable deaths

Rafael Grossi told ambassadors that the first direct attacks since the Russian invasion began. earlier this month, on what is Europe’s largest nuclear facility, constituted a “step change increase in risk to nuclear safety and security”. Although the damage from drone strikes on the Russian-occupied power plant’s Unit 6 reactor building was superficial, it sets… Continue reading World News in Brief: ‘Reckless attacks’ on Ukraine nuclear plant must cease, Chibok abductions 10 years on, action against plant pests

Life in Gaza is unrecognizable today, amid growing calls to end the war and to implement the latest UN Security Council Resolution, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid. Today, more than a million people are experiencing a human-made disaster,… Continue reading “We need real action”—Palestinian women speak of hope and resilience amid the horrors of war in Gaza

You adopted robust Agreed Conclusions [advance unedited version], a blueprint that envisages a world with greater financial inclusion, increased spending on social protection, increased stability, equal opportunities, and great hope, rights, and freedoms for women and girls everywhere. A world that will no longer accept that one in ten women lives in poverty. A world… Continue reading Speech: Gender equality – just, prudent, and essential for everything we all aspire to

More than 2 billion people, across more than 60 countries, will head to the polls in national and local elections in 2024. Amid concerns that democracy and gender equality are backsliding, these elections represent a watershed for pushing forward for gender equality. On 20 March 2024, UN Women, in partnership with UNDP, UNFPA, and OHCHR,… Continue reading Pushing forward for gender equality: CSW68 event showcases strategies for countering pushback and advancing women’s rights around the world

Hunger is both a cause and result of conflict. And for the more than 614 million women and girls living in conflict-affected places, hunger is a reality. In countries facing conflict and hunger, women often eat last and least—sacrificing for their families. Conflict can cause food shortages and the severe disruption of economic activities, threatening the… Continue reading Op-ed: How conflict drives hunger for women and girls

Acknowledging that the international financial architecture is not fit for a crisis-prone world, the Commission called for reforms to enable countries to mobilize and invest resources in gender equality. These measures include debt relief and progressive taxation and ensuring that public resources are allocated to address the needs and rights of women and girls. The… Continue reading UN Women welcomes the adoption of robust blueprint to end women’s poverty

“Women in Gaza are superheroes,” said Rana Khalil, a project coordinator for the Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD), based in the West Bank. “I’m a Gazan woman, and I know how women in Gaza are. They are so strong,” she said. As the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warns of “imminent” famine… Continue reading ‘No food, no water, no tents’ – Women in Gaza fight for survival as famine looms

[As delivered.] Dear Feminists, my thanks to everyone, both in the room and online, for joining us today. I give particular thanks to UNDP, UNFPA, and OHCHR for partnering with UN Women for this flagship CSW68 [68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women] side event. Our collaboration reflects the importance the UN… Continue reading Speech: We are not deterred – Let us push forward together for gender equality

The Youth Forum brought together a vibrant mosaic of more than 400 young leaders from across the globe, ranging from activists to experts with a rich diversity of experiences. Group photo of participants in the Youth Forum opening, held in UN headquarters on 15 March 2024. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown. After an invigorating three-day assembly,… Continue reading Shaping the agenda: Youth engagement and empowerment at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Social protection is a fundamental right and expanding social protection programmes and services – such as childcare, parental leave benefits, pensions – can reduce women’s poverty, improve their access to paid work and help them cope better with crises and shocks. Yet only 26.5 per cent of women globally have comprehensive social security coverage and… Continue reading Financing social protection and care systems turbocharges economies, reduces poverty

Youth leaders from around the world have come together to discuss their vision for ending poverty and advancing gender equality at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) at the UN Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March. In this landmark election year, when 2.6 billion people are… Continue reading ‘We want to have our voices out there’ – Young women speak out at CSW68

From improving women and girls’ economic participation in Tanzania, to re-shaping the care economy in Canada, Generation Equality commitments are robustly supporting action across sectors and ushering transformative change.  At this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), Generation Equality hosted an event focused on feminist financing, sharing innovative solutions to advance gender quality… Continue reading At CSW68, Generation Equality calls for feminist financing and collective action for women’s economic justice

We are living today with the consequences of imperfect, shambolic democracies. Over the last decades, governments in many countries of the world have failed to deliver social services and public goods to their citizens. Today, 1 in 10 women are living in extreme poverty. If current trends continue, the gender–poverty gap is projected to persist through mid-century.… Continue reading Op-ed: Looking to the sun – Pushing forward for gender equality

And yet, we know women continue to contribute enormously to the economy, directly and indirectly. One out of three businesses are owned by women. Women provide the bulk of unpaid care work, spending 2.8 hours more a day than men do. If we are not ambitiously proactive, women’s economic empowerment and autonomy will be continuously… Continue reading Speech: Ambitiously proactive – Generation Equality brings hope to stalled progress and financing

“Women’s rights are human rights” has echoed throughout the UN Commission on the Status of Women for decades, including at its current session that runs from 11 to 22 March at UN Headquarters.

We know that we are meeting in troubled times – for the world and particularly for women and girls. The Sustainable Development Goals are off track – including Goal five: gender equality.  At our current rate, 340 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty by 2030. We cannot allow this to… Continue reading Speech: ‘The patriarchy may be pushing back, but so are we’

In the Middle East, Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, women and girls bear the brunt of conflicts and of wars they did not start. In all conflicts, we unequivocally condemn all acts of gender-based violence, and all forms of violence, against any woman or girl anywhere in the… Continue reading Speech: ‘We can and must choose to end poverty for women and girls’

Addressing the opening of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the pivotal forum dedicated to promoting and safeguarding the rights of women and girls worldwide, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the disproportionate impact of wars on women. “In conflict zones around the globe, women and girls are suffering most from wars waged by men,”… Continue reading UN chief calls for global action to defend women’s rights amid disturbing trends

“Equality is overdue; to achieve it, we must match rhetoric with resources,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “We must invest in women and girls, turbocharge progress and build a better world for us all.” His new UN System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan “commits to placing women and girls at the centre of our work across… Continue reading International Women’s Day: UN chief launches plan to tackle ‘baked-in bias’

Conflict is inherently violent, but for women and girls ever more so, including in sexual and gender-based ways. This is intolerable. No woman or girl anywhere, ever, should experience sexual violence or any form of violence. UN Women, alongside everyone here, condemns it unequivocally. The need for peace has never been more urgent. We salute… Continue reading Speech: ‘Be the light that brings hope and that accelerates progress towards an equal, sustainable, and peaceful future’

8 March 2024Women More than 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM); an increase of 30 million or 15 per cent compared with figures from 2016, new UN estimates revealed on Friday. Released on Friday, coinciding with International Women’s Day, the data compiled by UN Children’s Fund… Continue reading Over 230 million women and girls subjected to female genital mutilation: UNICEF

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate women and girls around the world, and we applaud all they have achieved in the fight for equality. Women and girls have made great gains – demolishing barriers, dismantling stereotypes and driving progress towards a more just and equal world. Yet they face immense obstacles.  Billions of women and… Continue reading UN Secretary-General’s message on International Women’s Day

“This year’s theme – invest in women – reminds us that ending the patriarchy requires money on the table,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement for the International Day.  “This all depends on unlocking finance for sustainable development so that countries have funds available to invest in women and girls,” he said, calling… Continue reading 5 ways to accelerate women’s economic empowerment

New York, 8 March 2024 – On International Women’s Day, UN Women calls for the world to “Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress” as the best way to accelerate economic growth and build more prosperous, equitable societies. This is particularly urgent when war and crisis are eroding the achievements of decades of investments in gender equality.… Continue reading 1 in every 10 women in the world lives in extreme poverty

Here is a brief five-point guide to this high-profile UN event. 1. Pushing for action for eight decades The work of the Commission began in 1946, days after the UN General Assembly’s inaugural meetings heard former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and part of the country’s delegation, read an open letter addressed to “the women… Continue reading Women at the UN: Everything you need to know about #CSW68

Since August 2021, Afghan women and girls have been grappling with increasingly restrictive decrees limiting their participation in all aspects of social, economic, and political life. These have confined millions of women to their home, restricting their important contributions to society. Their already dire situation has been compounded in recent months by humanitarian crises. First,… Continue reading Photo essay: A glimpse into the lives of Afghan women

In Kenya and Zimbabwe, authorities and civil society groups are using a wide array of tactics to prevent gender-based violence. As part of UN Women’s Generation Equality Forum Action Coalition on Gender-based Violence, the Government of Kenya and the civil society organization Yes Trust Zimbabwe have each forged their own paths in reducing violence against… Continue reading Kenya and Zimbabwe invest in preventing violence against women and girls

Launched in 2017, the Accelerating Women-Owned Micro Enterprises programme in Southern Africa has equipped more than 2,400 women who own micro-enterprises in Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia with the skills they needed to improve their businesses.  The programme—recently renamed EntreprenHER at the official launch of Phase III on 2 February 2024 in Botswana—engaged trainers in… Continue reading EntreprenHER programme empowers women entrepreneurs in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa

6 March 2024Women In 1953, UN Member States elected India’s political dynamo Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit as the eighth President of the General Assembly, the first woman ever elected to the role. Ahead of International Women’s Day, marked on 8 March, we look back at the huge impact this pioneer for gender equality and non-discrimination had on… Continue reading Stories from the UN Archive: UN General Assembly’s first female president

The greenhouses of the Kambuku Cooperatives stand proudly among newly planted maize fields about 23 kilometres from Malawi’s capital city of Lilongwe. The facilities stand out not just because they represent an innovative farm practice for the region, but also because they aim to address both climate change and gender-based inequalities faced by women farmers.… Continue reading Women farmers in Malawi tackle climate change and gender inequalities through greenhouse programme 

Civil unrest has led to a profound humanitarian crisis in Haiti, with more than 300,000 people displaced from their homes—including an estimated 170,000 children. Such displacement puts women and girls’ rights, economic prospects, and even their lives at risk.  Throughout this crisis, women’s groups have worked to remain active in Haiti, and UN Women is… Continue reading Haitian women and girls empowered by UN Women amid humanitarian crisis

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 33-year-old Youn Seau was self-employed cleaning and repairing motorcycles in Keurt, a village in the southwestern Cambodian province of Koh Kong. But when her household was placed in lockdown in 2021, the family struggled to have enough food to eat; even after pandemic restrictions were lifted, Seau struggled to earn an… Continue reading Grants and training programmes empower women entrepreneurs in Cambodia and Viet Nam

“Understanding and acceptance of gender equality vary within the community”, says Hua Sae-Wue, a 29-year-old ethnic Hmong woman who lives with her husband and two children in Kiew Doi Luang Village, in northern Thailand. “While it is possible to explain these concepts, older individuals may find them unrealistic and impractical, often adhering to traditional norms”,… Continue reading Women learn new skills and push back against ethnic and gender prejudice in Thailand

5 March 2024Women Progress on women’s representation in national legislatures was “slow and mixed” in 2023, registering a growth of 0.4 per cent over the preceding year, the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) reported on Tuesday. The global proportion of women in the world’s voting chambers inched up to 26.9 per cent on the back of… Continue reading Women in parliament: Slow progress towards equal representation

In Rwanda, women spend an average of seven hours per day on unpaid care work, compared to men’s average of 2.1 hours. This imbalance severely limits women’s ability to achieve economic opportunities on par with men. One approach to address that challenge is found in UN Women’s partnership with the district of Nyaruguru to establish… Continue reading Investing in women’s safety and economic empowerment in Rwanda

Media contact: [ Click to reveal ] United Nations, New York — In a year where almost half of the population lives in a country undergoing an election, this International Women’s Day on March 8 is a crucial opportunity to define the future we want. As conflict, climate change and polarizing societies are eroding decades of progress… Continue reading Media Advisory: On International Women’s Day, UN Women calls on investing in women as the best solution to face growing crises

The 68th session of the Commission on the Status of (CSW68) will take place from 11 – 22 March under the priority theme: “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”.   Held in New York every year,… Continue reading Your guide to CSW68

When Azhar Riyati, a Jordanian woman with six children, first joined UN Women’s Oasis Centre programme, “I was afraid I wouldn’t do a good job” while juggling her family commitments, she said. But fortunately, she found, that “interacting with staff and participants from different ages and backgrounds made me enjoy my time, overcome fears, get… Continue reading Women rise from poverty and gain economic independence through Oasis Centres in Jordan

Salma, a 29-year-old, carries her infant while walking on Rashid Street, west of Gaza City, on 11 January 2024. Photo: UNICEF/Omar Al-Qattaa New York, 1 March 2024 – As the war on Gaza approaches its five-month mark, Gazan women continue to suffer its devastating impact. While this war spares no one, UN Women data shows… Continue reading Press release: 9,000 women have been killed in Gaza since early October

More women than men are living in poverty overall. Currently, more than 10 per cent of women globally are trapped in a cycle of extreme poverty, living on less than USD 2.15 a day. At the current rate of progress, as many as 342 million women (8 per cent) will still be living in extreme… Continue reading How can gender equality reduce poverty?

There are 614 million women and girls living in conflict affected areas today. From Gaza to Ukraine, Haiti, Sudan, and Afghanistan, their numbers are going up, as geopolitical conflicts, climate change, health and food crises intensify. When crisis hits, women and girls experience increased risk of gender-based violence and loss of property and income. In… Continue reading Why investing in women’s organizations is critical during crisis: Five stories of resilience

She only felt safe enough to return when she found that the perpetrator had also left the village, and enough time had passed that it seemed clear he would not return. By then, Ma Shwe had a child, and she wanted to live with her family and raise her child in her home village. However,… Continue reading ‘I’m not afraid of people anymore’: How training on gender-based violence changed attitudes in a Myanmar village

Investing in women benefits women and society as a whole. At the current rate of investments however, more than 340 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty by 2030. It has never been more urgent to advance women’s economic empowerment, as marked by the 2024 theme for International Women’s Day: “Invest in… Continue reading Five things to accelerate women’s economic empowerment

Investing in women benefits women and society as a whole. At the current rate of investments however, more than 340 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty by 2030. It has never been more urgent to advance women’s economic empowerment, as marked by the 2024 theme for International Women’s Day: “Invest in… Continue reading Five things that are guaranteed to accelerate women’s economic empowerment

Flor de María Ramos, 23, is a young farmer and single mother who lives and works in Chalatenango, El Slavador, where she has participated in UN Women economic empowerment initiatives. UN Women/Silverlightsv.com. Investing in women is both an economic imperative and a human rights issue. It is a human rights issue because the global economic… Continue reading Why investing in women is a human rights issue

[Also available in Ukrainian]  New York, 22 February – Two years of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine has taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions, traumatized a generation, torn families and communities, and devastated the economy. The total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine is estimated by the World Bank, European Commission,… Continue reading Over 8 million women and girls in Ukraine will need humanitarian assistance in 2024

“A business is not just about making money. It also has obligations to bridge gender gaps and empower women”, says Yuliia Zavalniuk. Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zavalniuk operated a successful flower business in the village of Kolonshchyna, in Kyiv Oblast. During the early days of the war, Kolonshchyna was occupied by Russian… Continue reading Ukrainian entrepreneur uses flower business to bridge gender gaps during wartime

Upon arriving in Moldova, Evghenia was unsure of how to navigate the next steps in her life until she found the SheLeads Project, a training programme that offered 10-day courses in business and entrepreneurial skills. The courses, along with her work volunteering to teach arts and crafts classes to children at a refugee centre, inspired… Continue reading Ukrainian refugees launch businesses and build a new community in Moldova

Credit: Veronica Grech Workers around the world look forward to payday. A paycheck may bring a sense of relief, satisfaction, or joy, but it can also represent an injustice—an expression of persistent inequalities between men and women in the workplace. Globally, the gender pay gap stands at 16 per cent, meaning women workers earn an… Continue reading Explainer: Everything you need to know about pushing for equal pay

Two years ago, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to mass displacement within and outside the country as millions of Ukrainians left in search of safety and support. Anastasiia Pyrohova is a psychologist and the coordinator of the Women’s New Horizons project, run by the local group Women’s Perspectives in the Western city of Sambir, where… Continue reading In the words of Anastasiia Pyrohova: ‘I help women live through their challenges and adapt to their new lives’

Pregnant women are seen at the Kyiv Maternity Hospital in March 2022. Photo: UN Women/Serhii Korovainyi As of 24 February 2024, Ukrainian civilians have endured two years of war and upheaval following Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. The conflict has touched the lives of everyone living in Ukraine, and has had particularly dire effects… Continue reading Women and girls after two years of war in Ukraine

NEW YORK/GENEVA/ROME, 21 February 2024 – In the less than five months that followed the brutal 7 October attacks and the ensuing escalation, tens of thousands of Palestinians – mostly women and children – have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip. More than three quarters of the population have been forced from their… Continue reading Civilians in Gaza in extreme peril while the world watches on: Ten requirements to avoid an even worse catastrophe

“Living through the war is like living through a nightmare,” said Safa Btah. A 29-year-old mother of two, Btah was displaced from her home in Gaza City while six months pregnant with her third child. “We were forced to flee our home, leaving behind everything we knew and loved”, she said. Btah and her family… Continue reading Voices from Gaza: Safa’s perseverance through pregnancy and displacement

Congratulations also to the other newly elected Members of the Bureau, Vice President H.E. Mr. Jonibek Ismoil Hikmat, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations; Vice President H.E. Ms. Halley Christine Yapi Bah, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Côte d’Ivoire to the United Nations; Vice President H.E. Mr. Andreas Von… Continue reading Speech: Shared vision, effective collaboration, and unswerving determination

Global perspective Human stories A Brazilian student working on a robot in Rio de Janeiro “Sadly, women and girls continue to face systemic barriers and biases that prevent them from pursuing careers in science,” he noted in a message for the day. Today, women make up only a third of the global scientific community and,… Continue reading Gender bias in science ‘deprives our world of great talent’: Guterres

Science, technology, and innovation continue to radically and rapidly transform how people live, socialize, pay their bills, order food, study, and work. For women and girls across the world, these changes have brought new freedoms, new forms of access to information, and new opportunities for creativity, along with new risks to their safety, representation, and… Continue reading UN Women statement for the International Day for Women and Girls in Science

On 27 January, thousands of women and men marched in Nairobi and other major cities in Kenya calling for an end to femicide and violence against women. Protesters carried placards with messages including “We Are Human Beings”, “Say Their Names”, and “Stop Killing Us!” Femicide cases in Kenya fuel urgent calls for action to end… Continue reading Femicide cases in Kenya fuel urgent calls for action to end violence against women

Putting survivors at the forefront of the global movement to end female genital mutilation “More than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation. This year, nearly 4.4 million girls will be at risk of this harmful practice. This equates to more than 12,000 cases every day. “In keeping with the… Continue reading Putting survivors at the forefront of the global movement to end female genital mutilation

“Even one mutilation is one too many,” António Guterres said in his message to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), observed annually on 6 February. The UN estimates that globally, more than 200 million women and girls have been subjected to some form of FGM, which involves the removal… Continue reading Guterres: End ‘abhorrent practice’ of female genital mutilation

NEW YORK/GENEVA/ROME, 30 January 2024 – The allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the heinous attacks on Israel on 7 October are horrifying. As the Secretary-General has said, any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable.  However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to… Continue reading Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee: We cannot abandon the people of Gaza

More than 24,620 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip and more than 1.9 million people have been displaced, including almost 1 million women and girls. The entire population of Gaza — roughly 2.2 million people — face acute food insecurity. Those figures and more are presented in “Gender alert: The gendered impact of the… Continue reading ‘Scared, exhausted, and expecting the worst’ – Women in Gaza describe humanitarian crisis

(New York) 19 January 2023 – The Gaza crisis is impacting women and girls at unprecedented levels with loss of life and catastrophic levels of humanitarian needs. This is the main conclusion of the “Gender Alert: The Gendered Impact of the Crisis in Gaza” issued by UN Women. Press release: Two mothers are killed in Gaza… Continue reading Press release: Two mothers are killed in Gaza every hour as fighting exceeds 100 days 

It is now more than 100 days since the horrors of the Hamas attacks on Israel of 7 October and the horrors that have followed, especially in Gaza.  Since then, we have seen evidenced once more that women and children are the first victims of conflict and that our duty to seek peace is a… Continue reading Statement on Gaza by UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous

In the village of Jabait, in eastern Sudan, one can see hundreds of women waiting for aid at the office of the Women and Children Development Association. Some of the women at the WCDA office are locals from Jabait, while others have arrived from throughout the country. Nine months after conflict erupted between the Sudanese… Continue reading Women in Sudan seek relief amid spiraling displacement crisis

The UN Women Executive Board will convene for this year’s first regular session from 12 to 13 February 2024 at the United Nations’ Headquarters in New York. The President of the Executive Board, H.E. Ms. Markova Concepción Jaramillo, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations, will open the Session on 12 February… Continue reading UN Women Executive Board to convene first regular session of 2024

In elections which took place on 10 January, the UN Women Executive Board opened the year by electing its new Bureau for 2024. The UN Women Executive Board elects its 2024 Bureau In 2024, the Presidency of the Executive Board is held by the Latin American and Caribbean group, who has nominated H.E. Ms. Markova… Continue reading The UN Women Executive Board elects its 2024 Bureau

In the village of Jabait, in eastern Sudan, one can see hundreds of women waiting for aid at the office of the Women and Children Development Association. Some of the women at the WCDA office are locals from Jabait, while others have arrived from throughout the country. Nine months after conflict erupted between the Sudanese… Continue reading Women in Sudan seek relief amid world’s biggest displacement crisis

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today [2 January 2024] the appointment of Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda of Zimbabwe as [UN Assistant Secretary-General and] Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, United Nations System Coordination and Programme Results at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). UN Secretary-General appoints Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda of… Continue reading UN Secretary-General appoints Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda of Zimbabwe as UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, United Nations System Coordination and Programme Results

In an interview with UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming on the sidelines of SDG Summit 2023 held at UN Headquarters in New York in September, Ms. Portman discussed combatting violence against women and reframing masculinity to be less aggressive and more empathetic towards gender issues. Melissa Fleming: The UN 2023 Gender Snapshot report painted a… Continue reading INTERVIEW: Actor Natalie Portman celebrates women and girls’ voices

UN Women works around the world with local partners and other UN agencies, including UNHCR, to ensure that programming for refugees takes gender into account, enhancing women’s leadership and self-reliance in displacement settings.  UN Women facilitates displaced women’s access to training, livelihood opportunities, and leadership positions. During the recent Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, UN… Continue reading UN Women programming supports refugees worldwide

Home to the majority of the world’s population, cities often offer the closest point of contact between government and the people.  Cities are sites of innovation, creativity, connection, and change, but are also where intersecting crises have played out in recent years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to conflict, climate change, social inequality, water scarcity, migration,… Continue reading City mayors make commitments to advance action on gender equality globally

Women and girls are estimated to make up about half of the world’s 281 million international migrants. Whether they move for economic opportunities, to escape conflict or climate change, to flee gender-based violence, or to pursue an education, they are all making essential contributions to societies around the globe. In focus: International Migrants Day 2023… Continue reading In focus: International Migrants Day 2023

In early September 2023, fewer than 300 people per day crossed the official border points from Pakistan to enter Afghanistan. But since the Government of Pakistan decreed on 15 September that undocumented immigrants would be required to leave the country—a policy that applies to an estimated 1.3 million Afghan refugees—the number of daily crossings increased… Continue reading Hundreds of thousands of Afghans face harsh return after expulsion from Pakistan

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown. In a world facing multiple crises that are putting immense pressure on communities, achieving gender equality is more vital than ever. Ensuring women’s and girls’ rights across all aspects of life is the only way to secure prosperous and just economies, and a healthy planet for future generations.   One of the… Continue reading International Women’s Day 2024 Invest in women: Accelerate progress  

During the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, UN Women stands united with survivors, activists, decision-makers, global citizens, and the UN system. Together, we are spotlighting the urgent need for robust funding, essential services, and financing of prevention initiatives and data collection that shape better-informed responses to gender-based violence. Ending violence against women… Continue reading Take action: 10 ways you can help end violence against women

During the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, UN Women stands united with survivors, activists, decision-makers, global citizens, and the UN system. Together, we are spotlighting the urgent need for robust funding, essential services, and financing of prevention initiatives and data collection that shape better-informed responses to gender-based violence. Ending violence against women… Continue reading Take action: 10 ways you can help end violence against women

“Gender-based violence continues to be a pervasive threat to the safety and dignity of – first and foremost – women and girls all over the world, including in the Nordic countries.” Those are the words of Karen Ellemann, Secretary-General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, who on 4 December 2023 spoke at a high-level panel… Continue reading Leaders discuss best practices for gender-responsive policing at Copenhagen conference

“We used to get complaints from our clients about how badly they were treated at police stations”, said Ella Mangisa, Executive Director of the local women’s rights group Ilitha Labantu. “A woman running away from a violent situation would be told to go back and sort things out with her abuser or be told these… Continue reading South African women’s group trains police to respond to gender-based violence

Dubai/New York, 4 December 2023 – On today’s gender day at the UN climate conference, COP28 in Dubai, UN Women launched its “Feminist Climate Justice: A Framework for Action” report. By 2050, climate change will push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty and lead to 236 million more women into hunger.… Continue reading As climate changes pushes millions of women into poverty, UN Women calls for a new Feminist Climate Justice Approach

By 2050, climate change may push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty and see 236 million more face food insecurity. The climate crisis fuels increases in conflict and migration, as well as exclusionary, anti-rights political rhetoric targeting women, refugees, and other vulnerable groups. Those dire trends—and ways to reverse them—are charted… Continue reading New report shows how feminism can be a powerful tool to fight climate change

Since 2012, UN Women has established 22 centres across Jordan to provide Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanian women with safe, inclusive spaces. Known as the Oasis programme, these centres have provided crucial cash-for-work, skill development, and early childhood services to more than 30,000 people, including many women with disabilities. The initiative focuses on addressing gender… Continue reading UN Women’s Oasis programme empowers Jordanian and Syrian women 

We deeply regret that military operations have resumed in Gaza, and we reiterate that all women, Israeli women, Palestinian women, as all others, are entitled to a life lived in safety and free from violence. We unequivocally condemn the brutal attacks by Hamas on Israel on 7 October. We are alarmed by the numerous accounts… Continue reading UN Women statement on the situation in Israel and Gaza

This World AIDS Day, let’s step-up funding and support to vital women’s movements that are leading the way towards ending AIDS.  Let’s put women and girls in all their diversity at the forefront of all our responses and pay particular attention to the environments that can hamper their effectiveness to lead. Among the top demands… Continue reading Statement: Communities must lead on ending AIDS — women’s voices must lead communities

New York — Amidst the unfolding COP climate conference in Dubai, UN Women underscores the pressing threat of irreversible climate tipping points, with a particular focus on their disproportionate impact on women and girls. Recent projections suggest that by 2050, up to 158 million more women could be pushed into poverty, and 236 million could… Continue reading Media advisory: Launch of Feminist Climate Justice publication

Tukuri Marie Chantal, 52, collects crops in the township of Yoko, Cameroon. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown. The impacts of crises are not gender-neutral. Protracted conflicts and the accelerating impacts of climate change have increased care demands on women and girls. When these demands grow, and public systems are unable to cope with increased pressure, women… Continue reading Unpacking the care society: Caring for people and the planet

“My life has been full of pain”, says Angela Muhindo, surveying the green landscape where she spent her childhood in Kasese, in Uganda’s Western Region. “In my community, women have less power, but if you are disabled, you are even more vulnerable to exploitation”. Muhindo, who has had a physical disability since childhood, said she… Continue reading Spotlight Initiative programme helps Ugandan survivors of gender-based violence advocate for their rights

In the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, the Yunnan Mingxin Social Work Service Center has worked for nearly 10 years aiding survivors of gender-based violence. The organization’s services range from an abuse hotline to a shelter, “Nesting House”, that operates in an undisclosed location. Since April 2023, the organization has been a member of the network… Continue reading How men and boys can help women survivors of gender-based violence: Shu Hang’s story

23 November 2023Women A feminist activist and acclaimed writer from the United States, Gloria Steinem has been on the front lines of social activism for decades and received countless honors, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her service to humanity. Co-founding the groundbreaking magazine Ms. in 1972, Ms. Steinem and her colleagues brought… Continue reading Stories from the UN Archive: Feminist icon calls out violence against women

Women in the village of Fadiga, in the Kédougou region of Senegal, have worked for many years in agriculture. Photo: UN Women/Alioune Ndiaye. At this year’s UN Climate Change Conference, COP 28, UN Women will ensure that women and girls’ rights, abilities, and needs are taken into account in climate debates and incorporated into government… Continue reading In-focus: Women’s leadership at the COP 28 climate conference

22 November 2023Women UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed has called for greater investment in preventing violence against women and girls, an issue that transcends all borders and cultures. Such investment is not just practical but transformative, she said in a video message to the official UN commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of… Continue reading Step up investment to end violence against women and girls: UN deputy chief

[As delivered.] Thank you for joining us as we commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. We do so at a time when we are perhaps more acutely aware of violence against women and girls around the world than ever before. I just came from the Security Council, where I briefed… Continue reading Speech: Time to get serious about ending violence, allocating serious resources

I hope that this is the beginning of a permanent truce and lasting relief for the people of Gaza and all the hostages held by Hamas. We have witnessed six rounds of violence in Gaza in the past 15 years. Yet, the ferocity and destruction that the Gazan people are being forced to endure under… Continue reading Speech: Now more than ever we must seek peace

Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, a report “What Counts? The state of funding for the prevention of gender-based violence against women and girls” by UN Women partners the Equality Institute and the Accelerator for GBV Prevention, working together under the Collective Commitment of the Generation… Continue reading Press Release: UN Women calls for bold investments to end violence against women in light of new report showing prevention is severely underfunded

Gender-related killings (femicide/feminicide) are the most brutal and extreme manifestation of violence against women and girls. Defined as an intentional killing with a gender-related motivation, femicide may be driven by stereotyped gender roles, discrimination towards women and girls, unequal power relations between women and men, or harmful social norms. Despite decades of activism from women’s… Continue reading Five essential facts to know about femicide

In the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, the Yunnan Mingxin Social Work Service Center has worked for nearly 10 years aiding survivors of gender-based violence. The organization’s services range from an abuse hotline to a shelter, “Nesting House”, that operates in an undisclosed location. Since April 2023, the organization has been a member of the network… Continue reading How men and boys can help women survivors of gender-based violence: Shu Huang’s story

[PDF version] Violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains alarmingly high in every sphere of their lives, whether private, public, or online. Each year, 245 million women and girls aged 15 and older globally experience physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by a current or former intimate partner [1]. In 2022, nearly 89,000 women and girls… Continue reading Call to action: UNiTE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls!

Less than 1 per cent of aid spending targets gender-based violence, according to new reports In Janakpur, Nepal, in 2019 hundreds gathered to march and chant slogans in an effort to call attention for the need to reclaim women’s rights and access to safe public spaces. Photo: UN Women/Uma Bista The collective calls for USD… Continue reading Less than 1 per cent of aid spending targets gender-based violence, according to new reports

One in five Sri Lankan women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner according to a 2019 survey. Nearly half of the women who experienced sexual violence by a partner did not seek formal help due to shame, embarrassment, fear of being blamed or not being believed, or thinking the violence was… Continue reading Women’s shelters in Sri Lanka support survivors of gender-based violence

New York/Vienna — Nearly 89,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2022 across the globe, says a new research paper, “Gender-related killings of women and girls (femicide/feminicide)”, from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women. The figure represents the highest yearly number recorded in the past two decades. Data currently available… Continue reading Press release: More women and girls killed in 2022 even as overall homicide numbers fall, says new research from UNODC and UN Women

The United Nations Observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women takes place on Wednesday, 22 November 2023, 10:00 am – 11:30 am (EST) at the ECOSOC Chamber, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual campaign that begins on… Continue reading Official UN commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

In Egypt, UN Women Executive Director reiterates calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian access and assistance for women and girls in Gaza In Egypt, Bahous stressed that: “The international community has a pressing duty to ensure the protection of the people of Gaza, and of women and girls. Most urgent among these… Continue reading In Egypt, UN Women Executive Director reiterates calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian access and assistance for women and girls in Gaza

Media advisory: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women will call for long-term, sustainable investments to prevent violence against women and girls The event will launch a report by the Accelerator for GBV Prevention and the Equality Institute—formalized as a Collective Commitment with the Generation Equality Action Coalition on GBV—showing that financial commitments… Continue reading Media advisory: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women will call for long-term, sustainable investments to prevent violence against women and girls

Photo: UN/Martine Perret. Violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the world, affecting one in three women. Addressing and eradicating it requires more than just reacting to violence when it happens; it mandates proactive and innovative solutions. A key to these solutions lies in investing in and… Continue reading Ten ways to prevent violence against women and girls

Photo: UN Women/Johis Alarcón. UN Women kicks off a UN-wide annual campaign on 25 November, the International Day to End Violence against Women. Over the following 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, we are we are asking governments, institutions, and citizens to show us how much the world cares about ending violence against women and girls… Continue reading In focus: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence

Photo: UN/Martine Perret. Violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the world, affecting one in three women. Addressing and eradicating it requires more than just reacting to violence when it happens; it mandates proactive and innovative solutions. A key to these solutions lies in investing in and… Continue reading Ten pathways to prevent violence against women and girls

Making investment in violence prevention a priority State investments in violence prevention are more important than ever Only one quarter of countries have systems to track budget allocations for gender equality overall, and data on national budgets to address violence against women and girls are hardly available. According to the latest research, 78 per cent of… Continue reading Making investment in violence prevention a priority

Photo: UN Women/Johis Alarcón. Women’s rights organizations are essential in tackling gender-based violence and driving progress toward a more equitable and violence-free world for women and girls. Despite the critical role of feminist activism to end violence against women, there has been a surge in anti-rights movements and backlash against women human rights defenders globally.… Continue reading Why funding women’s organizations prevents violence against women

Gender-responsive budgeting is a strategy that creates budgets that work for everyone. By considering and analyzing the unique and diverse needs of every person, gender-responsive budgets strive for a fair distribution of resources.  Current economic models and budgets can lead to fiscal policies and budgets that are biased. By not considering women’s needs, budgets can… Continue reading What is gender-responsive budgeting?

Photo: UN Women/James Ochweri. Despite the enormous potential of technology, digital tools, and the internet, these have also perpetuated gender disparities and introduced new forms of oppression for women and girls. For many, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, is new terminology but not new phenomena. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence takes many forms, including cyberbullying, online harassment, hate speech,… Continue reading Creating safe digital spaces free of trolls, doxing, and hate speech

“The nights in Gaza have been transformed into a never-ending nightmare. Sleep is a luxury we can’t afford, and death lurks around every corner.” In the heart of Gaza City, Nourhan, a 29-year-old lawyer and activist, is a symbol of resilience to those around her. She is an active member of the “YV Mic” initiative,… Continue reading Voices from Gaza: Nourhan’s story of survival amid airstrikes

Addressing an international conference in Jeddah on the rights and the role of women in Islam, she called for action in the areas of education, economic empowerment and peace.  End Israel-Gaza conflict  With “the human catastrophe unfolding in Israel and Gaza”, she reiterated the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the killing of civilians, and the taking of… Continue reading Women in Islam: Mohammed calls for action on education, empowerment and peace

[PDF version] New York/Geneva/Rome — For almost a month, the world has been watching the unfolding situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory in shock and horror at the spiralling numbers of lives lost and torn apart. In Israel, some 1,400 people have been killed and thousands have been injured, according to the Israeli… Continue reading ‘We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire’ – Statement by principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today [30 October 2023] the appointment of Kirsi Madi of Finland as [UN Assistant Secretary-General] and Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). UN Secretary-General appoints Kirsi Madi of Finland as UN… Continue reading UN Secretary-General appoints Kirsi Madi of Finland as UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships

Amani works as a psychotherapist in the Gazan Ministry of Health. Her mission is to provide support to patients processing the traumas of living amid years of conflict. But she also carries the heavy burden of protecting her own family. “In every single moment, an eerie uncertainty surrounds us. I live in continuous fear of… Continue reading Voices from Gaza: Amani’s story of loss

Speech: Care is the thread that weaves across our societies and underpins all aspects of our daily lives and wellbeing I would like to thank the Governments of Spain and Chile again for co-sponsoring this event. Their commitment to addressing care as a gender equality, human rights, and sustainable development issue has made today’s observance… Continue reading Speech: Care is the thread that weaves across our societies and underpins all aspects of our daily lives and wellbeing

UN Women, local organizations, and the Colombian government have been working together to ensure that women’s rights and voices are at the center of a lasting peace in the country. The reconciliatory and pacifist commitments of more than 1,000 Colombian women have been collected into a national action plan, which seeks to guarantee women’s human… Continue reading How women’s voices are shaping Colombia’s path to peace

Families flee their shattered homes in Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, seeking refuge in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: UNICEF/Eyad El Baba. Following the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and the Israeli Armed Forces’ strikes on Gaza in response, UN Women has worked to analyse the differentiated impact on women, men, boys, and girls,… Continue reading In-focus: The conflict in Gaza

“It’s a miracle I’m alive”, says Maria Maldonado, from Argentina. Like many women across the world, she has survived years of abuse from an intimate partner. One in three women experience physical or sexual violence at least once in their life, a figure that has remained largely unchanged over the last decade.  UN Women’s new… Continue reading Documentary series shares stories of women’s survival, hope, and activism

Even before Niger’s political crisis this summer, an estimated 10.6 million people, or 41 per cent of the population, faced moderate to acute food insecurity. The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland took power on 26 July, and there are now more than 500,000 internally displaced people, 84 per cent of whom are… Continue reading Women’s groups in Niger push for justice amid coup and economic crisis

“We must work together to formulate a clear vision to achieve the aspirations of the Sudanese people, bringing back security, peace, and the establishment of a civil state where all citizens are equal, and opportunities are provided regardless of their gender, ethnic, religious, or tribal backgrounds.” Those are the words of Samia Argawi, a lawyer… Continue reading Sudanese women advocate for peace at conference in Uganda

“I was overjoyed”, she says, but joy turned to panic when she found she had no blankets to cover her firstborn. “My baby began to weaken gradually, and a bluish colour started appearing around her mouth. Eventually, my newborn’s breath was taken away by the extreme cold, and I, who had just held my beloved… Continue reading Trapped in their homes: Women and girls comprise majority of earthquake casualties in Afghanistan

“We thank God every day we wake up alive. We are like funerals postponed, dressed and ready to die, waiting for our turn”.  In southern Gaza, 44-year-old Hayam Farahat is navigating life with her family amid the ongoing war. Voices from Gaza: Hayam’s story  Hayam Farahat’s family home is seen after an Israeli airstrike in… Continue reading Voices from Gaza: Hayam’s story 

We meet at a time when the impacts of conflict on women and girls have never been more stark, nor the price we collectively pay through spurning women’s leadership more obvious, as millions upon millions suffer the consequences of the wars of men. As we meet, the Middle East is witnessing a dramatic escalation of… Continue reading Speech: A call for urgent, transformative action

New York — More than 600 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022, a 50 per cent increase since 2017. Civilians around the world need greater humanitarian aid than ever before—but countries are instead increasing military spending, which topped USD 2.2 trillion in 2022. Press release: Women are increasingly at-risk in conflict and… Continue reading Press release: Women are increasingly at-risk in conflict and underrepresented in peace processes, according to a UN report

New York, 25 October- More than 600 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022, a 50 per cent increase since 2017. Civilians around the world need greater humanitarian aid than ever before—but countries are instead increasing military spending, which topped USD 2.2 trillion in 2022. Women are increasingly at-risk in conflict and… Continue reading Women are increasingly at-risk in conflict and underrepresented in peace processes, according to a UN report

On 25 October, the United Nations will mark the adoption in 2000 of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to improve the protection of women and girls during conflicts, and recognize their leadership and unique roles in peace processes.  Today, more than 600 million women and girls live in conflict-affected countries. In 2022, the United Nations verified nearly 2,500… Continue reading Explainer: Why women’s role in sustaining peace is more critical than ever

In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths among women aged between 15 and 44.  In 2020 – the latest year for which data is available – the country recorded 12,000 new cases and 8,000 deaths from cervical cancer. Under the new immunisation protocol,… Continue reading Nigeria to vaccinate 7.7 million girls against leading cause of cervical cancer

As UN Member States and civil society groups prepare to mark the twenty-third anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, the world is in crisis.  Horrifying conflicts continue to unfold with devastating impacts on civilians in Sudan, Ukraine, Haiti, Kosovo1, the Sahel, Afghanistan, and beyond. These conflicts are now accompanied by… Continue reading Expert’s take: What does the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace mean for women?

In Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, artists (left to right) Edith Congane, Linda Bindu Rose, and Esther Amisi Estam create works of art that reflect peace and tolerance as part of a UN Women-supported arts organization The Art of Peace. The murals they create also serve to inform the public about Security Council Resolutions 1325… Continue reading In-focus: The women, peace, and security debate

More than 600 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022, a 50 per cent increase since 2017. Civilians around the world need greater humanitarian aid than ever before—but countries are instead increasing military spending, which topped USD 2.2 trillion in 2022.  That is the picture painted by a new report by UN… Continue reading Women are increasingly at-risk in conflict, underrepresented in peace processes, according to UN Secretary-General report

New York — On Wednesday, 25 October 2023, the UN Security Council will convene its annual open debate on Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security (WPS), the landmark resolution that recognized the impact of conflict on women and girls and the importance of women’s leadership in peacebuilding and peacemaking. Media advisory:… Continue reading Media advisory: Open debate and side events on UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security

“Even if I feel like a drop in the ocean, being that drop can make a difference”, says Valentina Urtan, a human rights advocate in Ukraine.   Urtan, 28, recently discussed her beginnings as a youth activist in 2014 and how her work has changed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 on “Holosy” (“Voices”… Continue reading New podcast explores gender issues during the war in Ukraine 

New York — UN Women’s “Rapid assessment and humanitarian response in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” sheds light on the profound impact of the ongoing conflict on the people in Gaza, including on women and girls. Following the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel and the ensuing Israeli attacks on Gaza, UN Women has analysed… Continue reading Press release: UN Women report reveals devastating impact of the crisis in Gaza on women and girls

Women are seen in the Nasr neighbourhood of Gaza City on 7 October 2023 after their home was destroyed. Photo: UNICEF/Mohammad Ajjou. Following the 7 October 2023 horrific attack by Hamas on Israel and the ensuing intense bombardment on Gaza by Israel, UN Women has worked to analyze the differentiated impact on women, men, boys,… Continue reading Facts and figures: Women and girls during the war in Gaza

Countries attending the landmark Conference, held in Cairo, agreed a Programme of Action which promised that women and girls must have the power to make decisions about their own lives, their bodies and their futures. Mr. Türk commended the “leaps” made during the past three decades which include a reduction in deaths during pregnancy, and… Continue reading Women’s sexual and reproductive rights an ‘unfinished agenda’

Originally published on un-women.medium.com The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is the world’s largest yearly meeting of world leaders. It’s an action-packed week of deliberations, speeches, side events and even celebrity sightings. While UNGA has been the setting for several historic moments for gender equality, much is still to be achieved regarding women’s representation and participation.… Continue reading Gender equality and the UN General Assembly: Facts and history to know

UN Women condemns the attacks on civilians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory and is deeply alarmed by the devastating impact on women, girls, boys, and men. We reiterate the UN Secretary-General’s call to all parties to ensure the safety of civilians and civilian infrastructure. International humanitarian law and human rights law must be… Continue reading UN Women statement on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Counting on a Sustainable Future: Global Conference on Gender and Environment Data  Event of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28)  WHEN: 28-29 November 2023  WHERE: Dubai, United Arab Emirates  RSVP NOW For a sustainable future, we need gender data and environment data to show us the way, but do we have… Continue reading Counting on a sustainable future

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous has established her new global Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG). The advisory group, comprising feminist leaders from women’s rights organizations, youth and LGBTIQ+ groups, academia, and male gender equality networks, will play an advisory role to the Executive Director on key strategic and political issues for the period 2022–2025.… Continue reading UN Women Executive Director welcomes her new Civil Society Advisory Group

An estimated 13.4 million babies were born early in 2020, with nearly one million dying from preterm complications, UN agencies and partners said in a new report on Thursday. The data is equivalent to around 1 in 10 babies born early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy worldwide. Health experts blame poor maternal health and malnutrition… Continue reading 1 in 10 babies worldwide are born preterm, with complications, UN agencies warn

Since 2019, UN Women has partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on “Contributing to the Empowerment of Women in Africa through Climate-Smart Agriculture”, a programme to provide technical farming skills, recommendations on best business practices, and climate-conscious agriculture methods to tens of thousands of women farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.  About… Continue reading UN programme instructs women on climate-resilient farming

Roza Otunbayeva, a former President and Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan, serves as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in the country, UNAMA. She has to live and work in a State whose de facto authorities have practically outlawed women, forbidding them to work, study, and… Continue reading ‘Patience’ and dialogue with Taliban only way forward: Afghanistan mission chief

On 21 September, Indian legislators passed the first legislation considered in the country’s new Parliament building: the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023. The bill, which passed both houses of Parliament almost unanimously—with just two votes against—will ensure that women occupy at least 33 per cent of the seats in state legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha,… Continue reading India passes law to reserve seats for women legislators

Gender equality and safe working environments can only be achieved in a world free from violence and harassment. Governments, civil society, and the private sector have critical roles in advocating for and adopting prevention measures to foster safe work environments for all, particularly women and girls who are at greatest risk. Four actions to forge… Continue reading Four actions to forge workplaces free from sexual harassment and violence

The growth of artificial intelligence has shown the technology’s potential to create new ways of working, but also to exacerbate existing inequalities and stereotypes. At UN Women’s recent HeForShe Summit, leaders from the public and private sectors discussed the potential risks of AI, and the need to develop the technology safely. At the summit, leaders… Continue reading HeForShe summit discusses gender bias in AI and how to encourage male feminist allies

A new UN Women survey has found high support for expanded paternity leave policies throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and for increasing fathers’ participation in childcare. Researchers surveyed 1,154 people in governments, the private sector, and civil society organizations in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia, none of which currently offer parental leave… Continue reading Survey shows high support for paternity leave across North Africa and Middle East

As of 15 September 2023, 28 women around the world serve as heads of state or government. On Wednesday, 20 September 2023, a group of those leaders gathered during the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the challenges faced by women and girls around the world. The Platform of Women Leaders, established in… Continue reading ‘Gender equality is not an option, but an imperative’ – Women leaders gather at UN summit

Over the last year, UN Women has collaborated with UNAMA [United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan] and IOM [International Organization for Migration] to regularly consult Afghan women inside the country, and to try and put women at the centre of international decision-making, as required by our women, peace, and security agenda. This last quarter, women… Continue reading Speech: The women’s rights crisis: Listen to, invest in, include, and support Afghan women

Speech: Ready to be respectfully disruptive UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous delivers the opening address at the 2023 HeForShe Summit, held in Gotham Hall, New York City, on 21 September 2023. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown. The HeForShe Champions—dedicated individuals from across government, business, non-profit, and academia—have shown what stepping forward looks like with their… Continue reading Speech: Ready to be respectfully disruptive

Over the last two years, Uganda has seen a flowering of climate activism led by young women and girls. Girls for Climate Action, a local youth-led movement headed by Joanita Babirye, aims to train more than 1,000 young women in climate policy and advocacy as part of 2030 commitments to Generation Equality’s Feminist Action for… Continue reading Young women in Uganda lead nationwide action against climate change

Generation Equality, the world’s leading initiative to boost investment and implementation of gender equality, marked its midpoint milestone at a summit with the co-leadership of the governments of Tanzania and Iceland and UN Women on 17 September 2023. The event, which included more than 50 speakers from more than 25 countries in the areas of… Continue reading UN Women champions historic actions at Generation Equality Midpoint 2023

This article was originally posted by the UN SDG Action Campaign. As we approach the halfway point of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it’s time to shift our focus from persistent challenges to promising opportunities that lie ahead in the realm of gender equality. This moment in time is truly exceptional. The recent G20 New… Continue reading Accelerating Gender Equality: The Power of Smart Data Investments

Statistics South Africa, in collaboration with the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and under the guidance the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics, will host the 9th United Nations Global Forum on Gender Statistics in Johannesburg, South Africa from 29 to 31 August 2023.  Gender statistics reflect… Continue reading 9th United Nations Global Forum on Gender Statistics

UN Women and UNDP came together to launch a transformative initiative: the unveiling of experimental twin indices on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This event marked a pivotal moment in the global pursuit of gender parity, as these innovative indices aim to redefine the measurement and understanding of progress towards gender equality. Through rigorous research… Continue reading The paths to equal: Twin indices on women’s empowerment and gender equality

As 44 countries present their progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York this week, the gathering is an opportunity to reinforce the importance of producing and using gender data and building the alliances needed for long-lasting change. The HLPF is specifically reviewing progress towards Goal… Continue reading Four steps leaders can take to harness the power of gender data for the SDGs

How women and men spend their time – including how much of it they devote to paid versus unpaid work – can yield important insights for economic development. But many countries have never been able to measure this through a proper statistical survey. Until recently, this was the case for Senegal. But the findings of… Continue reading Time-use data in Senegal spur advocacy, policy and programme revisions

In Kyrgyzstan, data journalism is being harnessed as a powerful tool to improve data accessibility and use – one of its main objectives of the Women Count programme.  With support from UN Women, in 2019 a group of young journalists from the School of Data non-governmental organization (NGO) partnered with the popular Kloop Media outlet… Continue reading In Kyrgyzstan, data journalists innovate to inform new audiences about gender inequalities

The UN World Data Forum brings together data and statistical experts and users from governments, civil society, media and other key stakeholders to build a pathway to better data for sustainable development. The Forum took place in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in China from 24-27 April. This year, UN Women had a strong presence, putting gender… Continue reading UN Women at the 2023 UN World Data Forum

In Pakistan, 154 women die for every 100,000 live births—a high maternal mortality rate shaped by socio-economic status, barriers to healthcare access in rural areas, and limited decision-making power, especially among young women.  Evidence indicates that midwives can play a critical role in helping reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. They can also strengthen the provision of… Continue reading Pakistan midwife training programme addresses maternal mortality

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the fragile state of global care systems and highlighted the vital yet unpaid roles predominantly assumed by women. During the pandemic, women took on 29 per cent more childcare than men and faced higher job losses due to care duties. COVID-19 also highlighted the need to view care as a public… Continue reading Global Alliance for Care leads changes in the care economy

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has renewed its partnership with UN Women, underlining each organization’s commitment to using sport to promote gender equality and to empower women and girls. The new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed by IOC President Thomas Bach and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous during a meeting in New… Continue reading Press release: The International Olympic Committee and UN Women sign new agreement to advance gender equality through sport

[As delivered.] Welcome on behalf of UN Women, the global convenor of Generation Equality. Welcome to our Generation Equality Midpoint Moment. We meet on the eve of the SDG Summit, seized by the challenges and the urgent imperatives to accelerate progress. Our latest research tells us that at the current rate of progress, more than… Continue reading Speech: This is the moment, the opportunity, to finally call time on gender inequality

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with many confined to their homes and businesses forced to shutter, digital systems became essential across all parts of life. This moment exposed a stark gender divide: many women-owned businesses operated offline and faced significant challenges when they suddenly needed to transition. But it also presented an opportunity to increase their… Continue reading E-commerce platform bridges the digital gender divide in Rwanda

One year ago, Jina Mahsa Amini died in custody in Tehran, Iran, sparking widespread protests against injustice and deadly reprisal. To date, calls for accountability have remained unanswered. But the women and girls of Iran are not unheard. We must heed their calls for all their rights, without fear of violence, torture, prosecution, or persecution… Continue reading UN Women statement marking one year since death of Mahsa Amini

Scene outside the General Assembly building (with the #UNGA hashtag sign) following the observance of International Women’s Day 2023 at UN Headquarters in New York on 8 March 2023. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown. The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) opened on Tuesday, 5 September 2023, with the high-level debate beginning on Tuesday,… Continue reading In focus: 78th session of the UN General Assembly

The 78th session represents a crucial milestone in the journey towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), since it marks the halfway point to the global goals’ deadline. At the SDG Summit, leaders will review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 SDGs, providing high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions.… Continue reading Media advisory: UN Women at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78)

Women and young people with disabilities in Fiji are forging a new path—one that gives them information, access, and inclusion in advancing their sexual and reproductive health and rights.    Women lead sexual health and disability rights seminars in new Fiji programme Women Enabled International worked with the Fijian government and other stakeholders to launch… Continue reading Women lead sexual health and disability rights seminars in new Fiji programme

“Would I vie for a political seat again? Absolutely NOT!” says Helen Tullie Apiyo, popularly known in the Kenyan city of Kisumu as Tullie Tuls. While running to be a member of the County Assembly in Kisumu’s Kilimani ward in 2022, she said, “I realized that politics is a man’s world”. Online harassment risks pushing… Continue reading Online harassment risks pushing Kenyan women out of politics

I also thank the Vice-Presidents for their valuable leadership contributions within their regional groups and their rich contributions through the year. In particular, I recognize Ambassador Massari from Italy who chaired the afternoon session yesterday, and Ambassador Greco, also from Italy, who has chaired us through this morning, as well as the invaluable contributions of… Continue reading Speech: Rising to the challenge, driving forward solutions

As always, I would like to warmly thank our President, H.E. Ambassador Mr. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine, and the entire 2023 Bureau for their exemplary and unwavering support: H.E. Ms. Leonor Zalabata Torres, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Colombia; H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Italy; H.E. Mr. Suriya Chindawongse,… Continue reading Speech: Building a strengthened UN Women – Solutions to close the gender gaps

On the 17th of September, UN Women together with the governments of Iceland and Tanzania, will mark the midpoint moment for Generation Equality to bolster its agenda for gender equality acceleration at a critical time for women’s rights.   Generation Equality is the world’s leading initiative to boost investment and implementation of gender equality. It brings… Continue reading In Focus: Generation Equality Midpoint

Goal 1: No poverty: The report forecasts that by 2030, 8 per cent of the global female population (approximately 342 million women and girls) will continue to live on less than USD 2.15 a day. Only 42 per cent of countries have sex-disaggregated poverty data readily available, impeding targeted interventions. Goal 2: Zero hunger: While… Continue reading Global gender equality in 2023: Urgent efforts needed to reach 2030 goals

1. Lack of women in leadership With just 27 per cent of parliamentary seats, 36 per cent of local government seats, and 28 per cent of management positions held by women, there is a lack of diverse perspectives in decision-making processes, hindering comprehensive policy formulation. 2. Poverty and lack of economic opportunities More than 340… Continue reading The 11 biggest hurdles for women’s equality by 2030

New York — Despite global efforts, the world is falling short of achieving gender equality. This year’s edition of the UN Women and UN DESA “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2023”, launched today, paints a worrisome picture halfway through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “The gender snapshot 2023” warns that,… Continue reading Press release: The world is failing girls and women, according to new UN report

Halfway through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world is failing to achieve gender equality, making it an increasingly distant goal, according to “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2023”, the latest edition in the annual series produced by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN… Continue reading Media advisory: How (un)equal is our world? Latest UN report to reveal the state of gender equality globally

Women in the village of Fadiga, in the Kédougou region of Senegal, have worked for many years in agriculture. Photo: UN Women/Alioune Ndiaye. As we approach the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the G20’s political leadership will be critical to move economies towards sustainability and to… Continue reading Op-ed: Three priorities for climate action

“The draft law could be described as a form of gender apartheid, as authorities appear to be governing through systemic discrimination with the intention of suppressing women and girls into total submission,” the independent experts said. They stressed that the proposed parliamentary Bill to Support the Family by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab… Continue reading Iran: Draft hijab law tantamount to ‘gender apartheid’ say rights experts

30 August 2023Women The UN agency championing gender equality has underlined its strong stance against abuse or harassment of women taking part in sport.  UN Women issued a statement on Tuesday hailing the decision by the global football organization FIFA to suspend Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales for kissing star player Jennifer Hermoso on… Continue reading UN Women welcomes FIFA’s suspension of Spanish football federation chief

UN Women, as a supporter of women’s sport and partner of FIFA, welcomes FIFA’s decisive action with regard to the actions of the Spanish football federation president and the launching of a full investigation after a clearly inappropriate act towards a sportswoman at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. UN Women joins all those… Continue reading Statement: Zero tolerance for abuse or harassment in women’s sports

The Women Deliver Conference, a flagship event advocating for gender equality and women’s rights, took centre stage in Rwanda on 17–20 July 2023, gathering more than 6,000 activists, policymakers, and changemakers from around the world. The conference, officially opened by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, provided a platform for UN Women to bring together key… Continue reading UN Women at Women Deliver 2023: Promoting data, action, and accountability for gender equality

Following the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and the historic drought in the Horn of Africa, international organizations have faced the same criticism: humanitarian response is often too slow in reaching the people who need it most. When it does get to communities, it often fails to adapt to rapidly evolving… Continue reading Interview with Theresia Ngoe: Women’s organizations want to be seen as partners, not only be told what to do

Did you watch the game? That is a question many people were asking in taxis and on the streets around the world. What they were really asking was, “Did you watch the Women’s World Cup?” The fact that it was just “the game” speaks volumes about just how far this World Cup has come in… Continue reading FIFA Women’s World Cup™ 2023 – Game changer for gender equality

Having survived two years of brutal civil war, women and girls in Ethiopia are now facing a rapidly evolving humanitarian crisis as the country struggles to rebuild. The widespread violence, which reached a ceasefire in November 2022, left 600,000 people dead and millions displaced. Women and girls fled hundreds of miles, fearing run-ins with armed… Continue reading In Ethiopia, a rapidly changing humanitarian crisis demonstrates the need for a flexible response

Today is the 20th year that we remember the suicide bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 humanitarian aid workers. In the two decades that have passed, the humanitarian landscape continues to be marked by many challenges, from increasing numbers of people in need of humanitarian assistance to growing incidents of climate disasters and… Continue reading Statement: Life-saving support by humanitarian aid workers, #NoMatterWhat

Cameroon has been hit by repeated crises, including climate disasters, attacks on civilians by insurgent groups, and the economic impact of COVID-19 and rising inflation due to the war in Ukraine. In 2022, 3.9 million people required humanitarian assistance. Additionally, 979,000 people were in need of gender-based violence (GBV) services—94 per cent of whom were… Continue reading Tackling discriminatory gender norms in Cameroon

Mengistie Tegenie’s four sisters were married before the age of 18. Bright and academically gifted, their schooling—like that of many young women in Ethiopia—stopped after their arranged marriages. During his first year at university, Tegenie says he felt guilty that he was able to continue his studies while his sisters were not. For many young… Continue reading In Ethiopia, UN Women and partners fight gender-based violence by helping to change social norms and attitudes

Decades of occupation and conflict have jeopardized women’s economic security, protection, and access to services in Palestine. Women and girls far too often face physical violence and sexual harassment, which occurs in the streets, workplaces, homes, and refugee camps. Nearly 1.9 million women currently need gender-based violence (GBV)–related services and interventions, 65 per cent of… Continue reading Giving a voice to gender-based violence survivors in Palestine

In Rakhine State, Myanmar, the productive fields are left unharvested. Normally teeming with agricultural workers—the majority of whom are women and girls from the local villages—the fertile landscape has become another deadly battlefield. Landmines, planted after the military coup in 2021, are causing soaring numbers of civilian casualties. Women and girls who dare to venture… Continue reading Women’s organizations remain at the front line of the crisis response in Myanmar

UN Women partnered with Mona Chalabi to illustrate the scope and the severity of the restrictions on women and girls’ access to public space and public life in Afghanistan. In international treaties this is referred to as “freedom of movement”. Together, these illustrations show the sheer speed at which progress on gender equality can vanish,… Continue reading Women in Afghanistan: From almost everywhere to almost nowhere

[ PDF version ] New York/Geneva/Rome — For four gruesome months, the people of Sudan have been engulfed in a war that is destroying their lives and their homeland, and violating their basic human rights. People have witnessed their loved ones gunned down. Women and girls have been sexually assaulted. Families have seen their possessions… Continue reading After four months of war, humanitarian leaders urge action to end the tragedy in Sudan

It is now two years since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, during which time it has imposed the most comprehensive, systematic, and unparalleled assault on the rights of women and girls. Through more than 50 edicts, orders, and restrictions, the Taliban have left no aspect of women’s lives untouched, no freedom spared. They have… Continue reading Statement on Afghanistan by UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous

Photo: UN Women/Habib Sayed Bidell. On 15 August 2021, everything changed for women and girls in Afghanistan. First came the curbs on girls’ education and women’s right to work, then the enforcement of strict dress codes and impositions on women’s freedom of movement and access to public life. Two years after their takeover of Afghanistan,… Continue reading In focus: After August – Voices of Afghan women two years after the Taliban takeover

One week before the Taliban takeover, I received my admission to university with a full scholarship to study my bachelor’s degree in information technology and computer science. I was delighted and hopeful about my future. I was very excited to go to the university campus, study with classmates, and make the best memories of my… Continue reading In the words of Ghotai*: ‘Afghanistan has become the graveyard of buried hopes.’

In the words of Arefa*: ‘I had a job before. I had bread and peace. I am now under house arrest.’ Photo: UN Women/Habib Sayed Bidell. Before 15 August [2021], I worked as teacher and a midwife in various public and private hospitals. After the fall of Kabul, I became unemployed because it was not… Continue reading In the words of Arefa*: ‘I had a job before. I had bread and peace. I am now under house arrest.’

I grew up in an educated but conservative family. My family had a good economic status, so women’s work was not seen as valuable. According to my family, only women with an economic need should work. Before the Taliban takeover, although I didn’t have that much freedom, civic freedoms were respected, and I secretly participated… Continue reading In the words of Hira*: ‘Imagine a generation in depression.’

Before August 2021, I was a teacher. After August 2021, I tasted the bitter taste of being a woman in a traditional patriarchal society, and I participated with other women in a self-organized May protest against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. When the Taliban took control last August and returned to power for the second… Continue reading In the words of Adela*: “I went to the streets every day to fight even harder than the day before.”

Fleria Mukula, 65, has lived in Bungoma County in Western Kenya all her life. She felt she could bring more to her community and, while raising a family and running a farm, she became one of its leading voices on peace and conflict. In 2022 she was included in the Government of Kenya’s honours list,… Continue reading In the words of Fleria Mukhula: “I was born a peacebuilder.”

The United Nations General Assembly, through a groundbreaking resolution (A/RES/77/317), has proclaimed an International Day of Care and Support, to be commemorated on 29 October. The resolution calls upon Member States, the UN system, civil society, the private sector, academia, and the public to observe the international day annually. It acknowledges the disproportionate burden of… Continue reading Member States agree on International Day of Care and Support: A milestone for gender equality and sustainable societies

UN Women Executive Board to convene second regular session 2023 The President of the Executive Board, H.E. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, will open the session on 12 September at 10am EDT, followed by UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous, who will deliver her opening remarks. Over the… Continue reading UN Women Executive Board to convene second regular session 2023

Argentina has a well-established track record in human rights and social organization and a clear role for youth in catalysing social and political agendas. This legacy led me to become involved in environmentalism and to understand the climate crisis not as a technical problem that only requires replacing one energy source with another, but as… Continue reading From where I stand: “In the climate fight, the youth component cannot be relegated to a symbolic level.”

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous conducted a three-day mission in Rwanda, where she represented the UN Secretary General at the Women Deliver 2023 conference in Kigali, and met with government officials, civil society, women’s rights activists and partners to strengthen collaboration and mobilize greater action for gender equality and women’s empowerment in Rwanda and… Continue reading UN Women Executive Director visits Rwanda, applauds remarkable progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment

In our new joint report, UN Women and UNDP have proposed the Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) and the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI) as twin indices for measuring the human development of women and girls. Taken together, these two indices offer a comprehensive picture of women’s empowerment and gender equality.   Expert’s take: Most of… Continue reading Expert’s take: Most of the world’s women and girls struggle with large gaps in equality and empowerment

New York — UN Women and FIFA are coming together during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023 (20 July to 20 August 2023) to celebrate the skills and achievements of the teams and players, to advance gender equality in football, and to prevent abuse and discrimination on and off the… Continue reading Press release: Women’s World Cup 2023 – UN Women and FIFA join forces for gender equality

18 July 2023Women Low women’s empowerment and large gender gaps are commonplace in many parts of the world, the UN’s lead agencies on gender equality and international development said in a new report published on Tuesday.  Out of 114 countries studied, none has achieved full gender parity, the report by UN Women and the UN… Continue reading Majority of women live in countries with large gender gaps, UN report reveals

Kigali, 18 July 2023 – No country has achieved full gender parity and fewer than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap, according to a new global report launched by UN Women and UNDP today at the Women Deliver Conference. The report provides—for… Continue reading Press release: Less than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and high gender parity

We are here because we are committed to ensure that the women’s movement rises from strength to strength, in solidarity. Women Deliver is the largest community of feminists, of the women’s movement and its allies. It is, indeed, an unstoppable force. We are here because we believe in the power and imperative of gender equality.… Continue reading Speech: This is your future, and you must have an opportunity to shape it

The UN Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (UN Women) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) will launch the joint Report, “The Paths to Equality: Twin Indices on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality,” in Kigali, Rwanda on 18 July 2023. The Report highlights the global challenges faced by women and provides a roadmap for… Continue reading Media advisory: UN Women-UNDP to launch joint Report, “The Paths to Equality: Twin Indices on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality”

A mother cuddles her newborn baby. (file) 12 July 2023Women Women and girls of African descent face a “systemic and historical pattern” of racial abuse in the health sector in countries across the world, leaving them at increased risk of death during childbirth, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency said on Wednesday. “The scourge… Continue reading Scourge of racism haunts Black women and girls seeking healthcare

One in two women in Spain report that they have experienced violence. In 2004, the Government passed a comprehensive protection measures law to address gender-based violence (GBV) across the country. Ms. Itziar Abad Andújar is the Deputy Director General for Awareness, Prevention and Studies of GBV at the Government Delegation against GBV. Here, she explains… Continue reading Take Five: How Spain is using administrative data to help end violence against women and girls

The study provides the first in-depth analysis of gender inequalities in drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in households, revealing that women and girls bear the brunt of the global water and sanitation crisis. Billions lack access Globally, 2.2 billion people still do not have safely managed drinking water at home, and some 3.4 billion… Continue reading Women and girls bear brunt of global water and sanitation crisis

Since the start of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, large numbers of women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups have been internally displaced, with significant cross-border movement to neighboring countries. 24.7 million people—about half the population of Sudan—are reported to need humanitarian aid and protection.   In response to the war, more than 49… Continue reading Women are leading the humanitarian response in Sudan

They called for an immediate end to gender-based violence, including sexual violence as a tactic of war to terrorize people; for prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigations into all alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law; and for perpetrators to be held accountable. They stressed that all… Continue reading Press release: Sudan – Top UN officials sound alarm at spoke in violence against women and girls

As the impacts of climate change intensify around the world, adaptation efforts are crucial to ensuring that communities, ecosystems and economies are able to survive. National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes are a way for governments to direct resources to such efforts, focusing particularly on vulnerable sectors such as agriculture, water resources and infrastructure, and enhancing… Continue reading Mainstreaming gender in climate change adaptation in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

Speaking to the Council’s annual meeting in Geneva on protecting the rights of women and girls, the UN High Commissioner said it was an urgent task, and there needed to be zero-tolerance of gender-based violence.  He highlighted the alarming reality that female human rights defenders, women journalists, and those in public office and political decision-making… Continue reading Time to end gender-based violence, boost role of women in politics, public life

Worsening climate change, environmental degradation, and extreme weather, coupled with poor planning and adaptation measures, are intensifying disasters at an alarming rate. The impacts of such disasters are highly gendered, with women and girls carrying the brunt of impacts such as the destruction of natural resources and infrastructure.   Women typically have lower levels of resilience… Continue reading Accelerating action for gender responsive disaster risk reduction

“The tendency of family courts to dismiss the history of domestic violence and abuse in custody cases, especially where mothers and/or children have brought forward credible allegations of domestic abuse, including coercive control, physical or sexual abuse is unacceptable,” said Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, in a report to the Human Rights Council… Continue reading Urgent reform needed to shield women and children from violence during custody battles

Sakna Mahmoud, 32, spent her early childhood in the village of Hassania, close to the city of Mosul, Iraq. When she was just 13, her family arranged her marriage to a man nine years her senior, putting an end to her education. Breaking stereotypes and empowering widows in Iraq The Dispute Prevention and Response Strategies… Continue reading Breaking stereotypes and empowering widows in Iraq

Media contact: Aijamal Duishebaeva, [ Click to reveal ] As the global champion for women and girls, UN women will strongly collaborate with  Women Deliver 2023 Global Conference, bringing together civil society and women’s rights activists; along with the next generations of changemakers, including youth and visionaries who were instrumental in building and driving the momentum… Continue reading Media Advisory: UN Women at Women Deliver 2023 Global Conference

Cannes, France – The Unstereotype Alliance, an industry-led coalition convened by UN Women to eradicate harmful stereotypes in advertising, today reveals society is awash with harmful stereotyping, with marginalized communities targeted in particular in their day-to-day lives. Globally, three in four (73%) people state they regularly see or hear stereotyping yet only one in three (30%) will… Continue reading UN Women-convened Unstereotype Alliance announces the rise of silent stereotypers, as it is revealed societies are awash with harmful stereotyping

Around the world, conflict, violence, crises and fragility have forced more than 108 million people to flee their homes; among whom are 35.3 million refugees. Common to them all are the hopes of finding safety, security and prosperity and the fears of further harm and loss. For women and girls, these fears are all too… Continue reading Statement: Centring women’s and girls’ rights and priorities in humanitarian response

Women in the Central African Republic have had the parity law and a 35 per cent quota in all decision-making bodies since 2016. This remains in effect until 2027. The Government’s first national action plan on women, peace and security was adopted in 2014, and they are working on the third iteration of this plan.… Continue reading Briefing: Fulfilling our commitments to the women of the Central African Republic

At every stage of their displacement journey, refugees experience high levels of trauma and stress. Forced from their homes, at high risk of violence, and faced with separation from family, loss of livelihood and deep uncertainty about the future, the severe mental distress caused by displacement often long outlasts the journey itself.   According to a… Continue reading Hope away from home: Addressing mental health issues among refugees

From 15 April 2023, when fighting broke out in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, violence has spread across multiple regions—leaving hundreds of civilians dead and over a million people displaced. Amidst the chaos and destruction, women, girls and people of all genders are facing another, often less visible threat: heightened sexual and gender-based violence.  … Continue reading In Sudan, women’s organizations fight back against sexual violence in conflict

Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, violence has become a daily reality for millions of Ukrainians, with more than 20,0000 recorded civilian casualties and over 13 million people displaced. Confronting destruction, loss and death, women, girls and people of all genders face another, often less visible threat: heightened rates of rape and sexual… Continue reading In Ukraine, activists step up to support conflict-related sexual violence survivors

Every time we meet in this Board, we share our concern at the global state of gender equality. We do so today against a backdrop of deepening inequality, economic instability, the deterioration of global peace and security including in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Sudan among many others, we also look at rising food insecurity, climate change… Continue reading Speech: Gender equality – prerequisite and catalyst for progress

“Equal land rights both protect land and advance gender equality,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, in a video message, urging all governments to eliminate legal barriers to women owning land, and to involve them in policy making. “We depend on land for our survival, yet we treat it like dirt,” the UN chief added, emphasizing… Continue reading Women suffer disproportionately from ravages of drought, desertification

In Kyrgyzstan, data journalism is being harnessed as a powerful tool to improve data accessibility and use—one of the main objectives of the Women Count programme.  With support from UN Women, a group of young journalists from the School of Data non-governmental organization partnered with the popular Kloop Media outlet in 2019 to produce five compelling stories based… Continue reading In Kyrgyzstan, data journalists innovate to inform new audiences about gender inequalities

Press release: Geneva summit garners action to tackle gender discriminatory nationality laws Convened by the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF, and UN Women, the Global Summit heard from Eswatini, Iraq and Kiribati states, which reaffirmed their commitment to achieve gender equality in their nationality laws.  While in many… Continue reading Press release: Geneva summit garners action to tackle gender discriminatory nationality laws

14 June 2023Women Urgent action is needed to end gender-based bias in public and political life against women which remain deeply entrenched around the world, said the UN human rights chief on Wednesday. “Patriarchy must be a thing of the past. Our future depends on women and girls being at the table everywhere when decisions… Continue reading Türk calls for action to enable ‘equal and meaningful’ participation of women in public life

Speech: The importance of joint development solutions and quality financing in the face of multiple crises At the same time, gender equality offers our best hope to bring all the SDGs back on track. It is both a prerequisite and catalyst for progress across the goals.   That is why this question of how we can… Continue reading Speech: The importance of joint development solutions and quality financing in the face of multiple crises

Commonwealth Parliamentarians will benefit from a new partnership that will provide training and development programmes on gender equality. A new agreement between the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), with its membership of almost 180 Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network, and UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender… Continue reading Press release: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association partners with UN Women to promote gender equality through parliamentary engagement

On the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, we honour the courage of peacekeepers serving under the UN flag and appreciate the importance of their endeavours. We recognize the essential role that female peacekeepers play across UN missions, and their critical contribution to achieving lasting peace.  Statement: Inclusive peace begins with women Women peacekeepers enhance the… Continue reading Statement: Inclusive peace begins with women

Observed every year on 29 May, the International Day of UN Peacekeepers honours all uniformed and civilian individuals who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations around the world for their valuable contributions to peace.  This year’s celebration also marks the 75th anniversary of UN Peacekeeping. The 2023 theme, “Peace begins with… Continue reading Celebrating women peacekeepers from across Europe and Central Asia

Speech: Accelerating action for gender-responsive disaster risk reduction Time is not on our side, dear friends; we are already halfway to 2030. We face worsening climate impacts and unchecked environmental degradation. Disasters are intensifying at an alarming rate. More extreme weather, combined with poor planning and adaptation measures, is exposing millions of people who do… Continue reading Speech: Accelerating action for gender-responsive disaster risk reduction

We recognize today as the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia, and mark the theme for this year: “Together always: United in diversity”. This is a day to celebrate the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) across humanity. It is also a day for a reckoning with… Continue reading UN Women statement: International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia, 17 May 2023

UN Women Executive Board to convene annual session 2023 The President of the Executive Board, H.E. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, will open the session on 19 June at 10am EDT, together with UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, who will deliver her opening remarks. Over the three… Continue reading UN Women Executive Board to convene annual session 2023

Around the world, families are on the front lines of the struggle for gender equality —and can be “make or break” for women and girls when it comes to achieving their rights. They can be places of love and support, but too often are spaces where women’s and girls’ rights are violated and their voices… Continue reading Gender equality starts at home: Five ways to drive change within the family

But, for hundreds of thousands of women globally, this gratitude only goes so far, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said on the occasion of Mother’s Day, observed on Sundays throughout May. According to recently released data, a woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes, with the vast majority of these deaths due to… Continue reading Best reasons to stand up for mothers this Mother’s Day

With the Sustainable Development Agenda deadline only seven years away, there is still much work to be done to achieve SDG5, which calls for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. UN Women research indicates that at the current rate of progress, it will take centuries to reach this goal. However, gender… Continue reading Gender bonds: A promising solution to accelerate SDG5

How do we crack the barriers to economic recovery? A significant part of that answer lies in the equal role of women in the economy and what enables—or disables—their participation. In March this year, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women set out in its Agreed Conclusions multiple actions to be taken across… Continue reading Op-ed: Digital rights are women’s rights

The report, Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth, assesses the latest data, which have similar risk factors and causes, and tracks the provision of critical health services. Overall, the report shows that progress in improving survival has stagnated since 2015; with around 290,000 maternal deaths each year, 1.9 million stillbirths – babies who die after… Continue reading One pregnant woman or newborn dies every 7 seconds: new UN report

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous carried out a two-day mission in Kenya, where she saw UN Women’s work first-hand, and met with civil society groups and partners, to strengthen partnerships, ignite public discourse towards Generation Equality and galvanize action for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country.    UN Women Executive Director visits… Continue reading UN Women Executive Director visits Kenya, galvanizes action for Generation Equality

Women’s economic empowerment is an investment with high returns. It improves the conditions of individual women and their families. It lays the groundwork for global gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. It brings fresh perspectives, ideas and energy to businesses and industries. And yet, around the world, women remain underrepresented in formal employment… Continue reading Supporting women’s entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan

2 May 2023Human Rights The practice of child marriage has continued to decline globally, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a new report published on Wednesday, warning that a ‘polycrisis’ including war, climate shocks, and the continuing COVID pandemic, is putting the fragile gains made towards ending the scourge, under threat. Currently, one in… Continue reading Fragile gains on reducing child marriage, under threat from ‘polycrisis’: UNICEF

The aim is to reinvigorate international engagement around key issues, such as human rights, in particular women’s and girls’ rights, inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking. “The meeting is intended to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban on these issues,” the UN said in a… Continue reading UN chief convenes meeting in Doha to discuss key issues in Afghanistan

She shared with UN News her on-the-ground accounts of “extremely difficult conversations” with victims and their children, and how the UN is addressing issues from child support to DNA testing. Jane Connors of Australia is the first Victims’ Rights Advocate for the United Nations. UN News: How would you assess progress made to date? Jane… Continue reading INTERVIEW: ‘Extremely difficult conversations’: Seeking justice for sexual abuse victims

For girls across the world, digital technology holds both power and potential.  Digital literacy, online safety, and cybersecurity skills, especially for adolescents, are an essential part of modern life. 19-year-old Dilanaz Guler is a Turkish, Generation Equality Adolescent Girl Leader.  She said, “I have a very deep, fundamental belief that technology can change the world… Continue reading Statement: Digital skills for life

26 April 2023Women Around 90 per cent of adolescent girls and young women do not use the internet in low-income countries, while their male peers are twice as likely to be online, according to a new UNICEF analysis, coinciding with the UN’s International Girls in ICT Day. “Closing the digital divide between girls and boys is about more than just having access to the internet… Continue reading New report shows 90 per cent of adolescent girls in low-income economies are offline

UN Women joins our partners in expressing our grave concern over the continued conflict in Sudan.  As in all crises, this will surely have dire and disproportionate impacts on the lives of Sudanese women and girls. We stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan and remain committed to supporting them.  Statement on Sudan by… Continue reading Statement on Sudan by UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous

Gender plays a crucial role in mediating the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation, with unequal resource distribution, discriminatory social norms and other gender imbalances leaving women particularly vulnerable. But a scarcity of data on the issue has made it difficult to address—or even fully understand.  Amidst worsening environmental fallout, UN Women and partners… Continue reading In Tonga, illuminating the connections between gender and the environment

In its State of the World’s Children 2023 report, UNICEF says that vaccination coverage levels decreased in 112 countries during the pandemic, “the largest sustained backslide in childhood immunization in 30 years”. According to the agency, a rise in misleading information on vaccines is one of the factors at play. UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell… Continue reading Millions of children deprived of life-saving vaccinations amid COVID pandemic, misinformation surge

The climate crisis is not gender neutral.   As its impacts worsen, women and girls are experiencing unique and disproportionate harm—with the fallout amplifying existing gender inequalities. Typically more dependent on natural resources and disproportionately responsible for securing food, water and fuel, women are highly vulnerable to environmental shocks. They face heightened exposure to gender-based violence… Continue reading Empowering women, protecting the earth

Our globe counts on each of us to sustainably manage nature—and in every part of the world, women and girls play key roles in nature conservation and climate change action. They are users, managers, and stewards of the land and its resources, leaders raising their voices for the protection and defense of nature, and environmental… Continue reading Overcoming gender-based violence as a barrier to human rights and environmental sustainability

11 February 2020Women With more than half of all maternal deaths occurring in countries affected by humanitarian crises and fragility, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling for greater international support to provide life-saving reproductive health and protection services in these locations.  The sexual and reproductive health agency has launched a $683 million appeal this year to assist nearly 48 million women, girls and young people in 57 countries affected… Continue reading $683 million appeal to deliver reproductive health services, where they’re most needed

11 February 2020Women Promoting education for adolescent girls is an “indispensable foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”,  Secretary-General António Guterres declared at the launch event of the Drive for 5 education initiative at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, hosted by the Irish Mission to the United Nations. Drive for 5  is a global call to action… Continue reading Teenage girls’ education, ‘an indispensable foundation’ for achieving development goals: Guterres

Pledging to end the gender imbalance in science, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his  message for the Day that “dismantling gender stereotypes” was an essential step. He highlighted the fact that “girls and boys perform equally well in science and mathematics, but only a fraction of female students in higher education choose to… Continue reading With science ‘held back by a gender gap’, Guterres calls for more empowerment for women and girls

New modelling by the UN agency to coincide with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, marked on Thursday, reveals that the cost of treating the total health impacts of FGM would amount to $1.4 billion globally per year.  The figure sees individual countries devoting nearly 10 per cent of their yearly… Continue reading Female Genital Mutilation costs $1.4 billion annually: UN health agency

6 February 2020Women A year since the signing of a peace deal between the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and 14 armed groups, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Thursday that millions of children across the country remain threatened by violence and a lack of access to food, health care and other basic needs.  With more than 500 grave child rights violations reported between January… Continue reading Central African Republic: One year after peace deal, a ‘long, steep’ road ahead to ensure child rights protections

4 February 2020Women “My flesh has been taken away, but I can never give away my heart”; those are the powerful words of resolve from Abida Dawud, one of three women survivors of female genital mutilation, or FGM, from Ethiopia, who have been speaking to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) about their experiences. Zahra Mohammed… Continue reading FROM THE FIELD: ‘A piece of me’ was taken

4 February 2020Women The expert leading UN efforts to stamp out sexual violence committed during wartime has welcomed the release of 78 women and 50 children by an armed group in South Sudan.  They were among more than 500 women and children abducted between April and August 2018 by the pro-Riek Machar Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO RM) and subjected to repeated… Continue reading South Sudan: UN official welcomes release of women and children abducted by armed group

30 January 2020Women Six young women from Namibia are on the path to a career in the field of information and communications technology (ICT), with the support of the UN office in the country.  They were among a group of 39 counterparts from across the region who participated in the African Girls Can Code camp held in Pretoria, South Africa, last April. … Continue reading Coding in Namibia: UN supports young women’s computing career dreams

More than 70,000 people from the northeast remain displaced in Al-Hasakah, Ar-Raqqa and Aleppo governorates due to ongoing conflict in the area. Over 17,500 of the IDPs are women of reproductive age. In addition to continued drops in temperature, women face hazardous living conditions and increased risks. And without adequate health care and other services,… Continue reading Health services for Syrian women caught up in war, foster safety and hope: UNFPA

17 January 2020Women Tackling violence against women is crucial to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In January, the United Nations launched a Decade of Action to support meeting the 17 goals by 2030.  In this blog, UN News has invited Roberto Valent, the UN Resident Coordinator in Argentina to highlight what efforts are being… Continue reading Tackling femicide in Argentina: a UN Resident Coordinator blog

Since 28 December, intercommunal disputes in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) have left more than 40,000 civilians displaced, of whom an estimated 10,800, are women of reproductive age. More than 50 were killed and 60 others injured, the UN has reported, and thousands of civilians in recent weeks crossed the border into Chad, seeking… Continue reading Sudan: Lives of traumatized, displaced women in West Darfur under threat

Beth Ribblett is the owner of Swirl Wine Bar and Market in the New Orleans’ neighbourhood of Faubourg St. John. At college she studied costume design, and subsequently exercise physiology, but then decided she wanted to open a wine bar. Her business is now almost 14 years old and is focused on serving the local community.  “Swirl Wine Bar and Market is really a post-Hurricane Katrina story. I was interested in wine for a long time and… Continue reading FIRST PERSON: Community helping to heal New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina

25 December 2019Women The International Labour Organization (ILO) is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has launched a photography project called “Dignity at Work: The American Experience” to document the working life of people across the United States. UN News joined the ILO on a visit to the southern US state of Louisiana.  Kai Bussant… Continue reading FIRST PERSON: Feeling the milliner’s vibe

23 December 2019Women The International Labour Organization is marking its centenary in 2019 and as part of the commemoration has launched a photography project called “Dignity at Work: The American Experience” to document the working life of people across the United States. UN News joined the ILO on a visit to the southern US state of Louisiana.    Roseann Rostoker moved to New… Continue reading FIRST PERSON: Chef’s ‘labour of love’ key ingredient for life in the kitchen

“We’re seeing encouraging signs, but the burden of suffering and death caused by malaria is unacceptable, because it is largely preventable”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), the agency behind the World malaria report 2019. Progress stalled The report notes a significant increase in the number of pregnant women… Continue reading Malaria: Focus on pregnant women and children, stresses UN health agency report

“As we go about our business, one woman in three that we encounter has been or will be subjected to violence,” said Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, UN Chef de Cabinet, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General. “In some regions, and for some groups of women, the rate is even far higher—and this is only the… Continue reading Violence against women a barrier to peaceful future for all

21 November 2019Human Rights A group of thirty men in Gaza have succeeded in preventing the early marriage of girls under the age of 18, from 50 different families, thanks to a training programme supported by the UN gender agency, UN Women. One of them, Mossa Abu Taema, convinced the father of a 16-year-old in… Continue reading FROM THE FIELD: Gaza men advocate for an end to early marriage 

12 November 2019Women The global goal of a sustainable future for all cannot be achieved until women, girls and young people gain control over their own bodies and lives, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told world leaders meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday. The Kenyan capital is hosting a three-day summit to mark 25 years since… Continue reading Nairobi summit: Women’s empowerment a ‘game changer’ for sustainable development

Amina Mohammed was speaking on Monday in Nairobi, where countries are meeting this week to mark 25 years since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The landmark gathering held in Cairo concluded with a Programme of Action “that placed individual dignity and human rights, including the right to plan one’s family, at the… Continue reading 25 years on from landmark conference, millions of women and girls still in danger: UN deputy chief

5 November 2019Peace and Security At the core of peacekeeping lies the notion of shared responsibility, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Tuesday, presenting this year’s award for Female Police Officer of the Year, to a woman who “has made a career of speaking up and speaking out on behalf of all vulnerable populations”. Police Major… Continue reading UN policewoman recognized for ‘speaking up and speaking out’ on behalf of the vulnerable

“The foundations have been laid for a transition from peace to sustainable development”, she said, but building on these “will require unity and cooperation across the region and common ground internationally”.  This is particularly the case surround the issue of tens of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons, many vulnerable to trafficking, along with… Continue reading Unity, regional cooperation and international support needed for Horn of Africa to develop sustainably 

Major Seynabou Diouf, of the Senegal National Police, leads a task force that helps to prevent and end sexual exploitation and abuse with the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in Goma, North Kivu. She also manages the UN Police Women’s Network, which connects female officers for mentoring, training, professional… Continue reading New UN Female Police Officer of the Year prioritizes ‘preventing sexual exploitation and abuse’

The 2009 mandate had “sent a clear message that sexual violence during times of upheaval and conflict is not the inevitable collateral of war but a horrific violation of human rights and international law”, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed spelled out. She said the international community had been galvanized by the 2009 decision to intensify advocacy and… Continue reading Reparations for sexual violence in conflict – ‘what survivors want most, yet receive least’

‘Historic’ new Syria talks should focus on relief for war-weary civilians, says UN negotiator Work on drafting a new foundational text for war-torn Syria officially began at the UN in Geneva on Wednesday with representatives from the Syrian Government and opposition sitting face to face and preparing to discuss the country’s future for the first time in… Continue reading Wednesday’s Daily Brief: Iraq protests, ‘historic’ Syria talks, Chile pulls out of COP25, Guinea-Bissau, South Sudan, new nuclear watchdog chief

He spoke of “the sad fact” that the commitment “reflected around this table is not translating into real change around the world”, lamenting, “it is not coming fast enough or far enough”. “Change is coming at a pace that is too slow for the women and girls whose lives depend on it, and for the… Continue reading ‘Real change’ involving women in peace and security, still too slow, Guterres tells Security Council

28 October 2019Women More women are entering the workforce across Latin America, with an increase in 11 per cent in the last 30 years, putting the region ahead of the curve when it comes to growth in female labour force participation, according to new data published by the United Nations on Monday.  The research gathered jointly by the UN’s Economic Commission… Continue reading More women in Latin America are working, but gender gap persists, new UN figures show

‘Multi-generational tragedy’ in Israel and Palestine demands political will for two-State solution Pervasive deteriorating facts on the ground in Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “are pushing us every further” from achieving a viable two-State solution, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council on Monday. With the spotlight on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,… Continue reading Monday’s Daily Brief: Israeli-Palestinian conflict, gender gap in Latin America, Syria talks in Geneva, human rights in Egypt, the future of digital telecommunications

25 October 2019Women Around two-thirds of sexually active women surveyed in a new UN study indicated that although they wished to avoid or postpone having children, they had stopped relying on contraception out of concern for how it was affecting their health. As a result, around a quarter of all pregnancies are unplanned.  That’s according to World… Continue reading One-in-four pregnancies unplanned, two-thirds of women foregoing contraceptives 

Companies ‘failing’ to address offline harm incited by online hate: UN expert  States and companies are “failing” when it comes to combating online hate, the UN independent rights expert, or Special Rapporteur, on freedom of speech and expression said on Monday, ahead of the launch of a landmark report to reinforce legal standards for internet spaces.   Cautioning that hate speech… Continue reading Monday’s Daily Brief: Online hate, gender equality in Africa, Chile protests, African migrants in Europe, Security Council in South Sudan

Safe and affordable menstrual hygiene products are essential to ensuring the sexual and reproductive health of women, girls and all people who menstruate. But for those without sufficient economic resources, obtaining access to such products is an ongoing struggle. Known as period poverty, this lack of access—exacerbated by longstanding taboos around menstruation—remains a key barrier… Continue reading In Lebanon, women fight period poverty and taboos to promote menstrual health

UN Women strongly condemns the Taliban’s latest discriminatory decision to ban Afghan women from working with the United Nations in Afghanistan. We stand in full solidarity with our colleagues, and all women who everyday put their lives at risk to serve their country and we salute their dedication, professionalism, and bravery. We re-assert their inalienable,… Continue reading Statement on Afghanistan by Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women

New York, 30 March 2023 — At an event that brought together more than 350 representatives from Member States, UN organizations, academia and civil society, the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) launched a third call for funding proposals to support the meaningful participation of uniformed women in UN peace operations.   Press release: The Elsie Initiative Fund launches… Continue reading Press release: The Elsie Initiative Fund launches new call for proposals to continue investing in women’s meaningful participation in peacekeeping

Nirmala Pariyar working on a farm inHetauda, Makwanpur District. Photo: Srijana Nepal When the Government of Nepal imposed the first nationwide lockdown beginning in March 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Nirmala Pariyar, from Hetauda, Makwanpur District, could no longer leave her home for work. Forty-year old Pariyar worked as a daily wage farmer… Continue reading Comprehensive relief package provides support to women and excluded groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal

New York, 21 March — The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding today in New York.  Press release: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women join forces for gender equality… Continue reading Press release: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women join forces for gender equality

18 March 2023Women The 2023 Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the largest UN gathering on gender equality, successfully wrapped up on Saturday, with Member States calling for a full and equal participation of women and girls in the development of digital technologies. The priority theme for this year’s CSW, an annual, two-week long… Continue reading Flagship UN gender event closes with ‘blueprint’ for greater role of women in tech

New York City  — The 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67)— the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality,  the empowerment of all women and girls and their human rights—successfully closed its two-week long session today (6 to 17 March) with the acknowledgment of the critical role of technology and innovation… Continue reading Press release: UN Commission on the Status of Women reaffirms the role of technology and innovation, and education in the digital age in accelerating gender equality

CSW67 closing statement: Game-changing Agreed Conclusions for a more equal and connected world for women and girls Today, you have joined forces to reframe technology and innovation as a powerful accelerator for development, for human rights and for women’s rights.  You have contributed to shaping an open, safe, and equal digital future for all women… Continue reading CSW67 closing statement: Game-changing Agreed Conclusions for a more equal and connected world for women and girls

During the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), the Mexican singer Magos Herrera, in collaboration with the Italian composer Paola Prestini and other prominent musicians from around the world, performed at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The concert, titled “Con Alma” [With Soul], was held on 14 March… Continue reading “Con Alma”: Artivism for an inclusive digital world to achieve gender equality

UN Women Arab States has launched GenTRACK – a new data portal to visualize the situation of women and girls in the region using the most relevant gender data. It highlights 194 gender indicators across a variety of thematic areas, sourced from nine global datasets and indices.  “GenTRACK is UN Women Arab States’ ultimate data… Continue reading The Arab States now has a dedicated gender data portal

The 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) marked a momentous milestone for youth representatives, who took part in an interactive dialogue around the CSW priority theme on Monday, 13 March. The event, organized by UN Women, saw the inclusion of youth leaders in the official negotiations for the first time,… Continue reading Young leaders take center stage at CSW67 interactive dialogue

Crises are gendered. Because women and girls start off at a disadvantage in every society, they often have fewer resources to be able to withstand the impacts of crises and shocks. The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a “big revealer” in this regard. School and care service closures meant that women did an estimated 512 billion additional hours of unpaid childcare globally, adding to… Continue reading Op-ed: Always on the frontline in every crisis

Ugandan police join UN Women Uganda as part of the ‘Orange the World’ campaign to end violence against women and girls. Through its global program Women Count, UN Women’s data collection and analysis has led to policies to address violence against women in Uganda and several other countries. Photo: UN Women/Martin Ninsiima In his February 2023… Continue reading Op-ed: Gender data can reinvigorate the SDGs

On 13 March, UN Women, in partnership with the Generation Equality Action Coalitions on Feminist Movements and Leadership and Gender-Based Violence (GBV), gathered partners from across sectors to exchange experiences and identify strategies to counter the pushback on gender equality and strengthen civic space and women’s digital rights.   The flagship side event engaged participants at… Continue reading To tackle the pushback on gender equality, foster and fund inclusive feminist movements

“The gender digital divide is fast becoming the new face of gender inequality,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres during a town hall with women’s civil society held on Monday, 13 March, during the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.   Technology is playing key role in gender equality reversals, says UN… Continue reading Technology is playing key role in gender equality reversals, says UN chief

The 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women is a global opportunity for us to celebrate the achievements of women and girls around the world, and to deepen our resolve to accelerate progress on gender equality.   In dealing with a major issue at the centre of the advancement of women and girls,… Continue reading Op-ed: Technology and Gender Equality – bringing women and girls to the centre of innovation

The town hall with representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was held as part of the annual session of the UN Committee on the Status of Women (CSW), which meets in New York every March.   Its latest two-week session – known as CSW67, which runs through Friday – is focused on the theme of innovation,… Continue reading Digital technology new source of discrimination against women: Guterres

Ndeye Rose Sarr When a girl starts to menstruate, that’s when the problems usually start. From the age of 10, she begins to be looked at as a potential bride for an older man. And if she has not yet undergone FGM, there will be those in her community who will want to make sure… Continue reading INTERVIEW: ‘Every other young girl you see in The Gambia has undergone female genital mutilation’

The following excerpt is posted from an article originally published on SDG Action. When crises strike, women and girls consistently suffer disproportionately. We need urgent, systemic change to ensure that gender equality is at the center of crisis response. COVID-19, climate, conflict, cost of living. Over recent years, the world has been rocked by repeated… Continue reading Always on the frontline in every crisis

The following article was originally published on SDG Action. Gender equality is critical to realizing all the SDGs, yet progress remains unacceptably slow. Humanity’s future demands that we urgently fix the multitudinous factors blocking women and girls from achieving their potential Everywhere, crises continue to exact their highest toll on women and girls. Violent conflict,… Continue reading Accelerating action on gender equality

Gender equality in the judiciary has been historically unbalanced, including at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.   The first woman to be elected as a member of the ICJ in 1995 was Dame Rosalyn Higgins, who in 2006 also became the first female President of the Court.  … Continue reading Women in justice: Three trailblazing World Court judges send a powerful message

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) is a “once in a generation” opportunity to build a feminist digital future. This was the urgent message shared by speakers and attendants that participated in the Generation Equality high-level event hosted by UN Women, in collaboration with the United Nations Foundation and the Leaders of the Generation… Continue reading Open, Safe and Equal – Shaping a Feminist Digital Future

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) is a “once in a generation” opportunity to build a feminist digital future. This was the urgent message shared by speakers and attendants that participated in the Generation Equality high-level event hosted by UN Women, in collaboration with the United Nations Foundation and the Leaders of the Generation… Continue reading Every corner of the internet must be open, safe and equal for women and girls

Valentina Muñoz is a 20-year-old feminist activist and programmer from Chile. In 2021, she was selected by the UN Secretary-General to serve as an SDG Advocate—becoming the first Latin American women ever appointed to the role. She is the co-founder of the Association of Young Women for Ideas (AMUJI Chile), an organization that aims to empower… Continue reading Revolutionizing STEM to bridge access gaps and uphold digital rights