Fulfilling our promise to girls in East and Southern Africa will give voice to and secure their equal future

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Thirteen-year-old Lydia Mwela from Zambia has observed too many girls in her community becoming pregnant, suffering gender-based violence and testing positive for HIV. She does not wish to end up in a similar situation herself. Through knowledge she is gaining at school, she has become empowered to make her own informed choices and create the future she dreams of for herself. She is learning about healthy relationships, good values, the human rights she is entitled to, and sexual and...

From Where I Stand: "Due to COVID-19 people were not going to the police"

Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020

“Since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Ethiopia, one-stop crisis centres and shelters haven’t been able to support survivors because of the lack of isolation rooms for newcomers and insufficient human resources and personal protective equipment. To fill this gap, a transitional shelter was opened to serve as a space where survivors could stay during the quarantine period. Once the survivors are tested for...

Statement by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka for International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2015

In her statement to mark this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka says “if we all work together: governments, civil society organizations, the UN system, businesses, schools, and individuals mobilizing through new solidarity movements, we will eventually achieve a more equal world—a Planet 50-50—where women and girls can and will live free from violence”.

A Safe Space to Dream and Hope

Date: Sunday, September 6, 2015

3 September 2015, Oromia region, Ethiopia. About two hours from Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, concrete steps to implement gender equality commitments and frameworks to end violence against women and girls are being taken. This week, these steps included the opening of a second Safe House for women and girls survivors of violence in Adama, Oromia Regional State. The safe house was officially opened in the presence of the Head of Oromia Bureau of Women, Children and Youth Affairs (BoWCYA)...

Kigali sings for a Safe City for women and girls

Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2014

The two finalists of a song competition performed before a crowd of 3,000 dignitaries and agents of change on 25 November, as Benetton’s UNHATE Foundation announced new funding to support a transformative arts-for-change project in Kigali schools.

From Kigali to Quito, a journey towards safer cities

Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2013

In the first south-south exchange under UN Women’s Safe Cities Global Programme, the Deputy Mayor of Kigali, Rwanda, recently visited Quito, Ecuador to share experiences and discuss challenges.