Peace Lab at the 3rd Capital Meeting of Women, Peace and Security Focal Points, tackles the challenges of youth participation in peace and security

Date: Monday, April 15, 2019

UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka with participants at the Youth Peace lab, one of the working groups at the 3 rd Capital Level Meeting of the Women Peace and Security Global Focal Points Network. Photo: UN Women/Otae Mkandawire  Multi-coloured pieces of paper are strewn across tables along with bright markers, glue and note paper as youth activists from across the world, intensely discuss challenges and solutions to ensuring that young people and young women, are...

Take action to eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030

Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Thanks to the collective action of governments, civil society, communities and individuals, female genital mutilation is in decline. But we are not aiming for fewer cases of this practice. We are insisting on zero.

Press release: UN Women announces Danai Gurira as Goodwill Ambassador

Date: Sunday, December 2, 2018

During the global annual advocacy campaign, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November – 10 December), UN Women today announced the appointment of internationally renowned award-winning actor-playwright Danai Gurira as its Goodwill Ambassador. As a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Gurira will lend her name and dedicate her support to putting a spotlight on gender equality and women’s rights, as well as bringing unheard women’s voices front and centre.

Media Advisory: UN Women and Key Stakeholders to host an Africa Youth Conference in Nairobi

Date: Friday, October 19, 2018

WHAT:  The commitment to ‘leave no one behind’ has been a key feature of all the discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Towards this end, UN Women, in collaboration with diverse stakeholders and partners, will hold an Africa Youth Conference on  Unleashing the Potential of Youth in Africa - Prioritizing Investment in Youth Development in the Post-2015 Agenda , from 23 – 25 October 2018, at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya. The...

UN Women and IAWRT: Placing women at the heart of Elections

Date: Monday, September 24, 2018

Ahead of the October 7 presidential elections, UN Women and the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Cameroon have sensitized over 40 media women to take interest in covering politics and gender sensitive elections coverage and positive portrayals of women during a seminar which took place on Friday, 21 st September 2018. A cross section of participants during the opening statement of Ngoro Joseph, UN Women Programme Specialist. Photo: UN Women/ Teclaire...

UN Women and European Union in Nigeria advocate for the inclusion of more women in politics ahead of 2019 elections

Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Female aspirants from different political parties in Nigeria converged at a breakfast meeting in Abuja organized by UN Women and the European Union Delegation to Nigeria on 09 August 2018, to strategize on how to enhance support for women in politics, prior to the upcoming political party primaries and General Elections in 2019. Participants at the Breakfast Meeting Photo: UN Women In his opening remarks, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation, Mr. Richard Young, noted that the...

UN Women calls on the private sector to become activists, advocates and investors in gender equality

Date: Friday, March 16, 2018

UN Women calls on the private sector to become activists, advocates and investors in gender equality

SheDecides Flagship Event marks a year of accelerated global support for women and girls to realise their sexual and reproductive health rights

Date: Monday, March 5, 2018

It has been a year since SheDecides, a global movement to promote, provide, protect and enhance the fundamental rights of every girl and woman was launched. The movement is about getting women and girls to be the ones to make decisions about their bodies, lives, health and futures.

Take Five: 'Thousands of people leave their homes, families and, often, countries in order to help humanity as UN Volunteers'

Date: Thursday, March 1, 2018

How do you see the partnership between UN Women and UN Volunteers and why is this important? Ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls is a basic human right. It is also vital to accelerate sustainable development. It has been proven that empowering women and girls has a multiplier effect, and helps increase economic growth and development across the board. That is why, to contribute to equality for all genders, UNV has mobilized and continuous to mobilize hundreds of highly...

Efforts to localize the SDGs and build peace in Sudan

Date: Monday, September 18, 2017

The Sudanese Women Parliamentary Caucus in partnership with UN Women Sudan organized a celebration of the National Day of Women Parliamentarians on 31 July 2017. The event was held in Khartoum under the auspices of Professor Ibrahim Ahmed Omer, President of the National Legislative Council and Speaker of Parliament and Mr. Omer Suliman, Head of the Council of States. The event was intended to coincide with the African Woman’s Day and the 10 th Anniversary of the creation of the SWPC. ...

Speech by the Executive Director: The new Strategic Plan—time for bold changes

Date: Thursday, August 31, 2017

[As delivered]   Madame President,  Members of the Executive Board,  Distinguished delegates,  Colleagues and friends, Thank you so much, Madame President, for a very inspiring and encouraging presentation. It is hard to believe that this is the last Executive Board session presided over by yourself. It has been an intense but very fast year. Thank you so much for all your support and your dedication as President of the Executive Board; for your constructive and open...

Strengthening humanitarian assistance for women and girls in South Sudan

Date: Monday, August 28, 2017

L to R: Ms. Dolly Anek, Hon. Gatwech Peter Kulang, Ms. Rukaya Mohammed, Mr. Takanobu Nakahara, Mr. Lansana Wonneh and Ms. Elizabeth Awate |Photo: UN Women, Rogers Musyoki   On 23rd August 2017, UN Women with funding from the Government of Japan carried out capacity strengthening workshop for 30 practitioners from leading Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organizations partners working with UN Women in South Sudan. Since April 2015 UN Women has been implementing a Humanitarian...

Women in Mugunga Refugee Camp prepared to transition to life outside the camp

Date: Friday, July 28, 2017

The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, concluded her visit to the Mugunga Refugee Camp in the suburbs of Goma in the province of North Kivu. The aim of the joint United Nations high-level African mission on July 27, 2017, was to understand the humanitarian situation in Mugunga. The camp was set up in 2008 following internal conflict in the region and currently hosts 3,998 people mostly women and children. During the mission, the UN team met with the camp...

Rural women in Ethiopia get involved in income generating activities

Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Mrs.Kebela Gure, is a 30 - year old wife and mother of five from Adamitulu District, Oromia region in Ethiopia.  She dropped out of school in 8 th grade to work and financially support her family. Mrs. Gure’s key priorities are to give her children a good education and improve her family’s livelihood. In Dodola District, still in Oromia region, is a 38-year old Mrs. Teletech Bekelpe. Her husband’s sudden death forced Mrs. Tadelech, who was financially dependent on him,...

Zimbabwean women farmers on their way to financial freedom

Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The Reserve Bank in Murehwa, Zimbabwe assured Zimbabwean women farmers (participating in a UN Women Zimbabwe supported initiative to improve women’s incomes) that they will receive financial support to up-scale production and access markets is high on the Central Bank’s agenda. The Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, Dr Charity Dhliwayo, told the women, “The Reserve Bank will soon establish a Women Empowerment Fund to meet the financial needs of lower-income earning women...

Transformational leadership for women and youth in agribusiness is essential for sustainable development

Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Agriculture in Africa provides an estimated two-thirds of the population with employment and contributes up to a quarter of GDP. About 80 percent of the workforce in the sector are women and girls yet they do not have equal access to opportunities for agricultural transformation as their male counterparts. There is an untapped potential in agriculture to help reduce poverty, create jobs, and establish food security. This requires a guiding framework in agriculture and a strategy for women and...

TAKE 5: Women and Sustainable Development Goals

Date: Monday, June 12, 2017

Dinah Musindarwezo addressing participants at the SDG Conference | Photo credit: FEMNET Dinah Musindarwezo, the Executive Director of FEMNET recently spoke with UN Women about Women and the astounding SDGs. This was after the legendary conference; Safeguarding Our Gains: African Women Collective Action on Defining the Pathway to Achieve 2030 Agenda & Africa Agenda 2063. The conference dedicated space for African women groups and development partners to discuss and foster...

African girls have what it takes to drive technology: Girls in ICT Day 2017

Date: Friday, May 12, 2017

Over 230 eager, energetic and tech-savvy high-school girls filled the conference room at the African Union Commission, in Addis Ababa, for the celebration of 2017 Girls in ICT Day

UN Women awarded for its support to women and girls affected by Boko Haram

Date: Friday, May 12, 2017

On 25 April 2017 in Yaoundé, 12,000 beneficiaries who were mainly vulnerable women and girls received impeccable support from the Government of Japan.

“All the skills that I learned helped me to nearly double my profit” – South African small business owner

Date: Friday, June 5, 2015

For many in the room this may have been similar to other business breakfasts – an early start for a room full of professionals at a 5-star hotel in Cape Town. But for one person it was anything but typical. By 7 a.m. on a typical morning 40-year-old Noko Maganyele has prepared food for the day’s trade and is opening the doors of her small business in Diepsloot, a densely populated township north of Johannesburg where makeshift shacks are built on every available piece of land.