Empowering women through education is one of the most crucial concerns of the Millennium Development Goal on gender equality. The United Nations and its agencies have long encouraged the world community to discourage gender stereotypes and to strengthen the status of women within the family and in society as a whole. One of the key ways of doing so is by supporting the education of women, and especially girls.

The UN Chronicle regularly features United Nations efforts in the advancement of women in a number of areas, such as education, health, housing, microcredit, media, refugees and trafficking. The following articles, selected from past issues, give an idea of the range of efforts of the entire UN system in support of the advancement of women and eliminating gender disparity.

Issue 4, 2003
Bridging the Gender Gap
By Rita Mijumbi Epodoi

Marginalization of Women in the Media
What the United Nations Should Do
By Sonia Gill

Issue 3, 2003
FieldWatch
Helping Women Become Economically Independent
By Richenda Van Leeuwen

Issue 2, 2003
Exploited, Not Educated
Trafficking of Women and Children in Southeast Asia
By Mikel Flamm

Issue 2, 2002
WomenWatch
Transcending Difference: The United Nations Role
By Sherin Saadallah

Voices that Deserve to Be Heard
By NGO Working Group on Women,
International Peace and Security

Breaking the Silence
By Cathy Shepherd

Issue 1, 2001
Gender Equality
Addressing Women's Concerns
By Diana Lee-Smith

Issue 2, 1999
Educating the Girl Child
By Mary Joy Pigozzi

Links of interest on issues relating to advancement of women

Women Watch -- The UN Internet Gateway to the Advancement and Empowerment of Women

The State of the World's Children 2004: Girls, Education and Development

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

Stop Violence Against Women

These stories and more can be found at UN Chronicle Online at www.un.org/chronicle.

The UN Chronicle print edition is published by the United Nations Department of Public Information in English and French, and co-published in Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. It is not an official record; the views expressed in individual articles do not necessarily imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

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