WomenWatch: United Nations Internet Gateway on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women in the UN System http://www.un.org/womenwatch Copyright © United Nations WomenWatch 2008 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en-us Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400 womenwatch@un.org (UN WomenWatch) Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400 womenwatch@un.org (UN WomenWatch) Despite considerable progress in the past decades, societies continue to fail to meet the health care needs of women at key moments of their lives, particularly in their adolescent years and in older age, a new WHO report has found. WHO, 2009 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/women_health_report_20091109/en/index.html http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/women_health_report_20091109/en/index.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Innovative web platform by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to stimulate, count and showcase actions on ending violence against women. UNIFEM, 2009 http://www.saynotoviolence.org/ http://www.saynotoviolence.org/ Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has spotlighted the slow global progress towards reducing gender inequality and violence against women on the first day of a three-day official visit to Chile. UNDP, 2009 http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/november/undp-administrator-visits-chile.en http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/november/undp-administrator-visits-chile.en Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The World Survey on the Role of Women in Development is the flagship publication of the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women. It is presented to the Second Committee of the General Assembly at five-yearly intervals. The 1999 World Survey focused on globalization, gender and work and the 2004 World Survey addressed women and international migration. The General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to update the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development for the consideration of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session; noting that the survey should continue to focus on selective emerging development themes that have an impact on the role of women in the economy at the national, regional and international levels. The theme for the World Survey in 2009 is “Women’s control over economic resources and access to financial resources, including microfinance”. DAW, 2009 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/WorldSurvey2009.pdf http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/WorldSurvey2009.pdf Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400 This new website highlights a number of successful stories of the Convention’s implementation from around the world, which serve to illustrate how national partners and the global community can work together to ensure gender equality is a reality for all women and girls. http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/84534.html http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/84534.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400 This new website highlights a number of successful stories of the Convention’s implementation from around the world, which serve to illustrate how national partners and the global community can work together to ensure gender equality is a reality for all women and girls. http://www.unifem.org/cedaw30/ http://www.unifem.org/cedaw30/ Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Within the framework of the Forum on Gender Equality, UNESCO's Bureau of Strategic Planning is organizing a Round Table entitled "Beijing: 15 Years On", on 19 October at UNESCO headquarters. Live webcast starting 6 pm (Paris time). http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46724&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46724&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and cosmetics giant L’Oréal today announced the names of five exceptional women scientists, selected by a panel headed by a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, who will receive major awards. http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46707&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46707&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400 On 15 October 2009, the second International Day of Rural Women will be commemorated around the world. The International Day of Rural Women was established by the General Assembly in resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007 in recognition of the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty. The International Day is commemorated on the eve of the World Food Day in order to highlight the role played by rural women in food production and food security. On this day in 2009, Governments, international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, and civil society groups, will take the opportunity to highlight the situation of rural women in all parts of the world. The International Day has particular relevance in the context of the economic and financial crisis and the global attention to the challenges of climate change. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/idrw/ http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/idrw/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Security Council resolution 1888 (2009), adopted on 30 September 2009, mandates peacekeeping missions to protect women, girls from sexual violence in armed conflict. UN Security Council, 2009 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/women_and_armed_conflict_3005.htm#scr1888 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/women_and_armed_conflict_3005.htm#scr1888 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has highlighted the need to strengthen the involvement of women in peace processes worldwide, noting that nine years after the adoption of a landmark United Nations resolution on the issue, obstacles to their full participation remain. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32374&Cr=gender&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32374&Cr=gender&Cr1= Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The Security Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding that all parties to armed conflict immediately take appropriate measures to protect civilians, including women and children, from all forms of sexual violence. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that violence against women is, "not cultural but criminal." UN TV online video (02:57), 2009 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/women_and_armed_conflict_3005.htm#untv1888 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/women_and_armed_conflict_3005.htm#untv1888 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The Security Council today demanded that all parties to armed conflict take immediate action to protect civilians, including women and children, from all forms of sexual violence, and urged greater measures by States and the United Nations to combat this scourge. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32370&Cr=sexual+violence&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32370&Cr=sexual+violence&Cr1= Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The United Nations joined with other partners today to launch a new initiative in the fight against sexual violence against girls, a scourge which affects 150 million victims in a given year and contributes to the spread of HIV and AIDS. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32252&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32252&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Women are especially vulnerable to the impact of climate change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, urging that they be given a greater say in addressing the challenge. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32230&Cr=&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32230&Cr=&Cr1= Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Female police officers serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world have taken part in a training conference this week as part of the world body’s ongoing efforts to try to recruit more females to the ranks of its police. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32221&Cr=&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32221&Cr=&Cr1= Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 A former foreign minister of Bulgaria, Irina Bokova, will become the first woman to lead the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) after she won a narrow victory today in the fifth and final round of voting for the post. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32139&Cr=unesco&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32139&Cr=unesco&Cr1= Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 To coincide with the Summit on Climate Change on 22 September 2009, and to mark Global Climate Week, WomenWatch launched a new online feature on the gender perspectives of climate change on 19 September 2009. Visit http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/climate_change/ to view the in-depth thematic online feature, developed in close collaboration with the UN Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) Task Force on Gender Equality and Climate Change, an initiative co-chaired by UNDP and UNESCO. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/climate_change/ http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/climate_change/ Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Four United Nations agencies and offices will be amalgamated to create a new single entity within the Organization to promote the rights and well-being of women worldwide and to work towards gender equality. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32066&Cr=women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32066&Cr=women&Cr1= Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spotlighted the “shocking” abuse, violence and discrimination suffered by women, in a call for action to empower the gender that make up over half the world’s population. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32064&Cr=women&Cr1=violence http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32064&Cr=women&Cr1=violence Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has stressed that the tragic deaths of a 12-year-old Yemeni child-bride and her baby after three days in labour underscores the urgent need to better protect girls against early marriage. UNICEF, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32052&Cr=yemen&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32052&Cr=yemen&Cr1= Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The scourge of violence against women has worsened as a result of the global financial downturn over the past year, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today as she urged some of the world’s richest countries to lead the way in turning the many international pledges to support women and girls into concrete results. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31993&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31993&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Deputy Susana Malcorra, Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Field Support opened a military workshop on sexual exploitation and abuse in Goma with the message that any breach of discipline is one too many. MONUC, 2009 http://monuc.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=932&ctl=Details&mid=1096&ItemID=5563 http://monuc.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=932&ctl=Details&mid=1096&ItemID=5563 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro delivers the keynote address at a ministerial-level international conference on violence against women being held under the auspices of the Italian presidency of the Group of Eight (G8). UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31962&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31962&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Women suffer the most from consequences of climate change. Gender issues must be considered as we react to climate changes. Today UNDP Administrator Helen Clark made a commitment to focus on gender and climate change as she received a MDG3 Torch from Danish Minister of Development Cooperation Ulla Toernaes. UNDP, 2009 http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/september/gender-climate-change-are-linked-together-in-danish-torch-ceremony.en http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/september/gender-climate-change-are-linked-together-in-danish-torch-ceremony.en Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Gender issues informed the design of nearly half of Bank lending in 2008. Gender coverage for economic sectors rose to 34%, reflecting the Bank's Gender Action Plan commitment to improve gender coverage in those areas. The World Bank, 2009 http://go.worldbank.org/4Q540W02N0 http://go.worldbank.org/4Q540W02N0 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 A South African lawyer who has also worked as an academic in the human rights field and a campaigner against domestic violence has taken over as the new United Nations independent expert to tackle violence against women. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31870&Cr=violence&Cr1=women http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31870&Cr=violence&Cr1=women Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 For nearly two and a half years, Roselidah Ondeko has been at work in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), helping local women find their voices to speak out about the epidemic of gender-based sexual and physical violence in the region. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31801&Cr=Humanitarian+Day&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31801&Cr=Humanitarian+Day&Cr1= Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 This publication is the result of extensive consultations and a response to the call for clear policy and practical guidance for mainstreaming gender perspectives into disaster risk reduction. It offers much-needed policy and practical guidelines for national and local governments to further implement the Hyogo Framework for Action. UNISDR, 2009 http://www.preventionweb.net/files/9922_MakingDisasterRiskReductionGenderSe.pdf http://www.preventionweb.net/files/9922_MakingDisasterRiskReductionGenderSe.pdf Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 An estimated 50 million women in Asia, who are either married or in long-term relationships with men who engage in high-risk sexual behaviours, are at risk of becoming infected with HIV from their partners, according to a new report published by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). UNAIDS, 2009 http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/intimate_partners_report_en.pdf http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/intimate_partners_report_en.pdf Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Divorce affects men and women differently, so women need extra legal protection, according to an expert on the UN Anti-discrimination committee. UN Radio, 2009 http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/79627.html http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/79627.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Report Recommends Mechanisms to Eradicate Practice, End Culture of Impunity. UN Security Council, 2009 http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7UQ2ZF?OpenDocument&RSS20=18-P http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7UQ2ZF?OpenDocument&RSS20=18-P Fri, 7 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Women officers have special role to play in societies affected by conflict; ‘Power to Empower’ theme of campaign to move United Nations towards gender equity. DPKO, 2009 http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/pko218.doc.htm http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/pko218.doc.htm Fri, 7 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 UNIFEM is pleased to announce the first call for proposals for the Fund for Gender Equality, a multi-donor initiative dedicated to the advancement of high-impact gender equality programmes that focus on women’s economic and/or political empowerment at local and national levels. UNIFEM, 2009 http://www.unifem.org/partnerships/fund_for_gender_equality/application_guidelines.php http://www.unifem.org/partnerships/fund_for_gender_equality/application_guidelines.php Thu, 6 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Noeleen Heyzer, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), today urged countries to promote women’s economic interests as part of government packages aimed at dealing with the global financial crisis. UNESCAP, 2009 http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2009/aug/g54.asp http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2009/aug/g54.asp Wed, 5 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Poor farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America are set to receive a productivity boost through new United Nations-led agricultural projects funded by a €34 million donation from the European Union (EU), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced today. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31665&Cr=wfp&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31665&Cr=wfp&Cr1= Mon, 3 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 A newspaper produced entirely by women in rural India is among the four winners of this year’s Literacy Prizes awarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO, 2009 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46200&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46200&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Mon, 3 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Kenya’s Ministry of Lands has granted UN-HABITAT title to almost 55 acres to be used to build affordable housing, aiming to help low-income women in housing cooperatives to become home owners, so they can have greater tenure security and an investment in their futures. UN-HABITAT, 2009 http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=7012&catid=303&typeid=6&subMenuId=0 http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=7012&catid=303&typeid=6&subMenuId=0 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon, mainly against women, is rife in armed conflicts in Africa, Asia and Europe, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today in his latest report on the scourge, calling for States to strengthen prevention and protection measures against the crime. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31602&Cr=sexual+violence&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31602&Cr=sexual+violence&Cr1= Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Violence against women and girls is an emergency. In order to maintain vital support, we need an urgent infusion of funds and your support. Please donate to the UN trust Fund — make sure that women and girls at risk are not forgotten. UNIFEM, 2009 http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=910 http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=910 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The United Nations committee which monitors compliance with the international convention on eliminating discrimination against women is 30 years old this year, but as it meets this week at UN Headquarters in New York, it is considering some very modern problems. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31539&Cr=cedaw&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31539&Cr=cedaw&Cr1= Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Thanks to UNDP, women like Kakuli and Aleya are running thriving businesses, helping to shrug off historical prejudice, and relating to the abilities and roles of women... UNDP, 2009 http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/july/tailoring-a-better-life-for-women-in-bangladesh.en http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/july/tailoring-a-better-life-for-women-in-bangladesh.en Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 New homes built by UN-HABITAT for teachers in the district of Lira in northern Uganda will attract female teachers in a community recovering from two decades of war and in need of strong female role models, say local school inspectors. UN-HABITAT, 2009 http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=6957&catid=303&typeid=6&subMenuId=0 http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=6957&catid=303&typeid=6&subMenuId=0 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 The United Nations must both be on the cutting edge of change and practice fully what it preaches when it comes to achieving gender equality and parity, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told the Group on Equal Rights for Women in the UN (GERWUN). UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31482&Cr=gender+equality&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31482&Cr=gender+equality&Cr1= Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Survivors of child, domestic and gender-based violence in Rwanda will now be able to access the support and services they need at a new "one-stop" centre that will open in the capital, Kigali, thanks to a partnership between national authorities and several United Nations agencies. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31448&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31448&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Top United Nations officials have called for investing in women and girls during the global financial crisis to help promote economic recovery and tackle poverty and inequality. UNFPA, 2009 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/3064 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/3064 Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Experts from all over the world converged in Nairobi today for a three-day meeting to review reports on a global assessment of gender mainstreaming in local governance. UN-HABITAT, 2009 http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=6908&catid=303&typeid=6&subMenuId=0 http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=6908&catid=303&typeid=6&subMenuId=0 Wed, 1 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0400 Governments need to provide social protection and promote green jobs for women through alternative investments that provide decent employment, such as public-private and community-related partnerships, according to representatives from governments, the United Nations, civil society and academia, who met in New York today to discuss how to respond to the impacts of the economic crisis addressing gender issues. http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=896 http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=896 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:45:00 -0400 The United Nations is helping to restructure the prison system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on the heels of the rapes of nearly two dozen female inmates during an attempted prison break earlier this week in the country’s far east. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31286&Cr=democratic&Cr1=congo http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31286&Cr=democratic&Cr1=congo Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:40:00 -0400 "If sexual violence is not fully addressed in ceasefires and peace processes, there will be no peace for women," said former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland at a United Nations high-level meeting on peace negotiations that convened this week in New York. http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=894 http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=894 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:30:00 -0400 Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has pledged the support of the United Nations in ending violence against women, which she said will require adopting new laws, enforcing the ones that exist and working to change the backward mindsets that contribute to this scourge. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31211&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31211&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:30:00 -0400 Gender advocates, indigenous peoples, labour representatives and the youth have become increasingly visible and coordinated in their efforts to build awareness of the human face to climate change, as well as the need to include all stakeholders in designing and implementing an effective response. http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=890 http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=890 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:32:00 -0400 Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro will speak on the work of the United Nations to end violence against women and girls when she addresses European justice ministers at a conference in Norway next week, the world body announced today. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31131&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31131&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:34:00 -0400 The United Nations today called for greater efforts to combat the underlying poverty that leads to child labour, especially better access to quality education for girls in poor and rural areas. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31120&Cr=child+labour&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31120&Cr=child+labour&Cr1= Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:32:00 -0400 An increase of Latin American and Caribbean women in the workforce is challenging the traditional interplay between work and family life, a joint United Nations report said today, adding that responding to this phenomenon is an essential step towards gender equality and more productive economies. UNDP, ILO, 2009 http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/june/primer-informe-sobre-trabajo-y-familia-en-amrica-latina-y-el-caribeatina-y-el-caribe.en http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/june/primer-informe-sobre-trabajo-y-familia-en-amrica-latina-y-el-caribeatina-y-el-caribe.en Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:36:00 -0400 Important information about the communications procedure of the Commission on the Status of Women and the approaching 14 August 2009 deadline for submissions for CSW54. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/communications_procedure.html http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/communications_procedure.html Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:32:00 -0400 The financial crisis threatens to push more children – especially girls – into child labour, the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a new report. http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_107801/index.htm http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_107801/index.htm Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:21:00 -0400 The Human Rights Council held its annual full-day discussion on women's human rights entitled equality before the law: concrete steps to further women's equality. The discussion focused on non-discrimination in the law, with a view to identifying concrete steps to further women's equality. http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/93E5B89790828EB5C12575CB005023B9?opendocument http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/93E5B89790828EB5C12575CB005023B9?opendocument Thu, 4 Jun 2009 11:44:00 -0400 Two United Nations agencies have teamed up to combat violence against women and girls in the world’s cities, including by proposing measures such as improved street lighting and female-only modes of transportation. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31022&Cr=Women&Cr1=violence http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31022&Cr=Women&Cr1=violence Thu, 4 Jun 2009 11:41:00 -0400 Many victims of the Darfur conflict are women suffering rape and other abuse, but these crimes often go unreported because of traditions and religious practices. Female police advisors like Lubasi Matakala from Zambia and Rashida Sultana from Bangladesh, who serve with the United Nations Africa Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID), are playing a major role in breaking these barriers. http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/unifeed/d/12900.html http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/unifeed/d/12900.html Wed, 27 May 2009 12:23:09 -0400 The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers will be marked on 29 May at UN Headquarters as well as its peacekeeping missions and offices around the world, with a special focus on women peacekeepers, as the United Nations tries to move towards gender equity in its ranks. http://www.un.org/en/events/peacekeepersday/2009/index.shtml http://www.un.org/en/events/peacekeepersday/2009/index.shtml Tue, 26 May 2009 12:26:12 -0400 The global economic crisis will drastically reduce African women’s individual incomes as well as the budgets they manage on behalf of their households, with particularly damaging consequences for girls. The World Bank, May 2009. http://go.worldbank.org/HBLTTGNP00 http://go.worldbank.org/HBLTTGNP00 Thu, 21 May 2009 11:30:12 -0400 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has strongly condemned the looting and destruction of relief supplies in the Somali town of Johar, warning that this will have an enormous impact on efforts to aid the country’s women and children. UNICEF, 2009 http://www.unicef.org/media/media_49736.html http://www.unicef.org/media/media_49736.html Wed, 20 May 2009 16:28:22 -0400 UN-INSTRAW will participate in a seminar on the financial crisis organized by the Universidad del País Vasco (University of the Basque Country), in which answers and alternatives from a feminist economic viewpoint will be discussed (25-26 June 2009). UN-INSTRAW, 2009 http://www.un-instraw.org/en/media-centre/e-news/alternativas-a-la-crisis-desde-el-punto-de-vista-de-las-mu-2.html http://www.un-instraw.org/en/media-centre/e-news/alternativas-a-la-crisis-desde-el-punto-de-vista-de-las-mu-2.html Thu, 21 May 2009 11:06:33 -0400 The economic and financial crisis puts a disproportionate burden on women, who are often concentrated in vulnerable employment, are more likely to be unemployed than men, tend to have lower unemployment and social security benefits, and have unequal access to and control over economic and financial resources. DESA, 2009 http://www.un.org/esa/desa/financialcrisis/gender.html http://www.un.org/esa/desa/financialcrisis/gender.html Thu, 21 May 2009 11:04:23 -0400 Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today paid tribute to Helvi Sipilä of Finland, a renowned women’s rights advocate and former United Nations official, who passed away on 15 May at the age of 94. UN News Centre, 20 May 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30860&Cr=gender+equality&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30860&Cr=gender+equality&Cr1= Wed, 20 May 2009 17:25:01 -0400 Russian tennis ace, Olympic bronze medallist and Grand Slam champion Vera Zvonareva was named today as a Promoter of Gender Equality by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO, 2009 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=45259&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=45259&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Wed, 20 May 2009 17:23:21 -0400 The United Nations is convening a three-day summit of world leaders from 1 to 3 June 2009 at its New York Headquarters to assess the worst global economic downturn since the Great Depression. The aim is to identify emergency and long-term responses to mitigate the impact of the crisis, especially on vulnerable populations, and initiate a needed dialogue on the transformation of the international financial architecture, taking into account the needs and concerns of all Member States. http://www.un.org/ga/econcrisissummit/ http://www.un.org/ga/econcrisissummit/ Mon, 18 May 2009 12:55:03 -0400 UNCTAD's inaugural Public Symposium highlighted the 'human face' of the global economic crisis, including a session on "The global downturn: Are women disproportionately affected?". It provided a platform for civil society organisations to voice their concerns and offer ideas firmly anchored in grassroots realities. UNCTAD, 2009 http://www.unctad.info/en/Public-Symposium-Website/ http://www.unctad.info/en/Public-Symposium-Website/ Fri, 15 May 2009 15:43:09 -0400 This resource guide aims to inform practitioners and policy makers of the linkages between gender equality and climate change and their importance in relation to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. UNDP, 2009 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/downloads/Resource_Guide_English_FINAL.pdf http://www.un.org/womenwatch/downloads/Resource_Guide_English_FINAL.pdf Fri, 8 May 2009 12:01:25 -0400 Ensuring gender equality and promoting the participation of women in the search for peace in Darfur are among the aims of a new initiative launched by the United Nations in the strife-torn Sudanese region. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30637&Cr=darfur&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30637&Cr=darfur&Cr1= Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:01:22 -0400 The real measure of women’s progress in peace and security issues is not the setting up of processes but women’s participation in sustainable peace agreements and post-conflict reconstruction efforts, the UN Deputy-Secretary-General said today. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30595&Cr=Women+Peace+Security&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30595&Cr=Women+Peace+Security&Cr1= Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:01:22 -0400 Women and girls uprooted by the conflict in northern Sri Lanka need assistance to maintain their health and dignity, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, said today. The Fund is collaborating with district health authorities to provide personal hygiene supplies to displaced people in Vavuniya district. UNFPA, 2009 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2544 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2544 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:33:06 -0400 The African First Ladies Health Summit concluded with a commitment by these influential women to use their positions to improve maternal health, stop the AIDS epidemic and promote girls’ education. UNFPA, 2009 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2540 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2540 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:31:45 -0400 Empowering women is essential to build better lives for all, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for greater efforts to achieve gender equality. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30518&Cr=women&Cr1=peace http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30518&Cr=women&Cr1=peace Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:21:44 -0400 It’s a long way between the glamorous world of pop-stardom and the decidedly unglamorous world of violence against women. Or is it? Gabriela “Gaby” Villalba (24) and Barbara “Barbie” Sepulveda (20), the female half of the Chilean band Kudai, think maybe not. UNFPA, 2009 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2517 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2517 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:43:25 -0400 Issue No. 3 of Words to Action, an electronic newsletter on violence against women, features the outcome of the 53rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the S-G’s Campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women and the launch of the S-G’s database on violence against women. DAW, 2009 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/v-e-newsletter.htm http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/v-e-newsletter.htm Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:45:34 -0400 A WomenWatch special feature page on the topic "Gender perspectives of the financial crisis" which was discussed during the fifty-third session of CSW as the emerging issue. The online feature serves as a follow-up information sharing initiative and provides access to the work of the entire UN system on that issue. It will be expanded on an ongoing basis. UN WomenWatch, April 2009. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/financialcrisis/ http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/financialcrisis/ Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:40:01 -0400 UNIFEM participated actively in the advocacy efforts of the Global Gender Climate Alliance at the climate talks in Bonn from 29 March to 8 April, organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Alliance emphasized the gender dimensions of global warming and the need for women’s equal participation in decision-making processes on climate change. UNIFEM, 2009 http://unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=866 http://unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=866 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:21:52 -0400 The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today expressed her deep concern over reports that a Saudi Arabian court has ruled that the marriage of an eight-year-old girl is legally binding. UNICEF, 2009 http://www.unicef.org/media/media_49263.html http://www.unicef.org/media/media_49263.html Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:45:11 -0400 Coming on the heels of a devastating food and oil crisis, which saw 50 percent of households cut back on food, the UN fears the recession in Cambodia’s major export markets will have severe and wide-ranging implications for the country’s women and children. UNDP, 2009 http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/april/in-cambodia-women-and-children-hit-hardest-by-economic-crisis.en http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/april/in-cambodia-women-and-children-hit-hardest-by-economic-crisis.en Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:25:34 -0400 A new survey examining living conditions in Gaza during the recent Israeli military offensive reveals that the conflict has prevented four in ten pregnant women who needed pre- or post-natal care during the crisis from receiving such services. One third of these women could not reach health facilities due to life-threatening dangers. Others were unable to do so because these facilities were either destroyed by shelling, packed with war casualties or had stopped working. UNFPA, 2009 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2468 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2468 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:23:47 -0400 Thousands of Filipino women continue to die due to complications related to childbirth, according to health specialists. Some 230 women die here for every 100,000 live births, compared with 110 in Thailand, 62 in Malaysia and 14 in Singapore, according to United Nations figures. UNFPA, 2009 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2452 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2452 Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:05:28 -0400 Greater efforts are required worldwide to end violence against women and girls, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stated, stressing that men and boys in particular must play their part. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30335&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30335&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:53:11 -0400 This publication discusses entry points and opportunities for engaging men in work on gender equality, focusing on issues of violence, health, fatherhood, the workplace and the need to engage youth. UN DAW, 2009 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/W2000andBeyond.html http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/W2000andBeyond.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:08:12 -0400 'Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods' - a joint project of the Government of India and United Nations Development Programme - trains and engages village women as "Barefoot Solar Engineers" for generating renewable solar energy. UNDP 2009 http://www.undp.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=440&Itemid=643 http://www.undp.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=440&Itemid=643 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:45:23 -0400 With the illiteracy rate among Iraqi women twice as high as that of men and women making up only 18 per cent of the country’s labour force, a United Nations conference that opened in Baghdad today is seeking ways to improve the situation of women in the fledgling democracy. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30236&Cr=iraq&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30236&Cr=iraq&Cr1= Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:14:12 -0400 Yesterday’s action by President Barack Obama to pave the way for the release of United States funding for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, reminds the world of his commitment to women’s health, rights and equality, according to UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid. UNFPA, 2009 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2180 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2180 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:01:56 -0400 A decline in trade resulting from shrinking global markets may cost many women in developing countries their jobs, the head of the United Nations agency that promotes commerce to fight poverty warned today. UNCTAD, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30136&Cr=financial+crisis&Cr1=trade http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30136&Cr=financial+crisis&Cr1=trade Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:34:09 -0400 UNDP report outlines protection policies for countries receiving and sending migrant women. UNDP, 2009 http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/march/asian-migrant-women-face-health-and-social-vulnerabilities-in-the-arab-states.en http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/march/asian-migrant-women-face-health-and-social-vulnerabilities-in-the-arab-states.en Mon, 9 Mar 2009 10:25:13 -0400 Focus: Closing the Gap on the Implementation of National and Local Laws, Policies and Action Plans that Address Violence against Women. UNIFEM, 2009 http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=843 http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=843 Mon, 9 Mar 2009 10:18:13 -0400 With years of conflict curbing progress towards equality for women in Iraq, the United Nations has called for bolstered steps to ensure their rights are protected and advanced. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30120&Cr=women&Cr1=iraq http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30120&Cr=women&Cr1=iraq Mon, 9 Mar 2009 10:13:41 -0400 The Government of Liberia today launched a United Nations-backed national action plan aimed at furthering gender equality, sustainable peace and security in the only African nation with a democratically elected female head of State. UN-INSTRAW, 2009 http://www.un-instraw.org/en/media-centre/press-releases/liberia-breaks-new-ground-for-women-peace-and-sec.html http://www.un-instraw.org/en/media-centre/press-releases/liberia-breaks-new-ground-for-women-peace-and-sec.html Sun, 8 Mar 2009 17:42:33 -0400 The Regional Coordination Mechanism Thematic Working Group on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women will present a half-day event to include keynote presentations on the gender dimensions of the economic crisis followed by a dialogue with practitioners on the diverse impacts of the crisis on women and required responses. The dialogue will be followed by short films and an inter-agency exhibition. UNESCAP, 2009 http://www.unescap.org/ESID/GAD/Events/WomensDay2009/index.asp http://www.unescap.org/ESID/GAD/Events/WomensDay2009/index.asp Sun, 8 Mar 2009 15:12:45 -0400 8 March 2009 http://www.unescap.org/oes/statements/ST20090309-019-International-Women-s-Day.pdf http://www.unescap.org/oes/statements/ST20090309-019-International-Women-s-Day.pdf Sun, 8 Mar 2009 15:10:22 -0400 This year, International Women's Day addresses an issue which shames the world. UNICEF, 2009 http://www.unicef.org/media/media_48501.html http://www.unicef.org/media/media_48501.html Sun, 8 Mar 2009 14:51:28 -0400 Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today added his voice to a chorus of United Nations officials calling for an end to the routine violence suffered by women and girls around the world, in a message marking the International Day for Women. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30118&Cr=women&Cr1=secretary-general http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30118&Cr=women&Cr1=secretary-general Sun, 8 Mar 2009 13:12:50 -0400 The UN Special Representative for Afghanistan has urged more women be appointed to senior positions in the country and leaders speak out in support of women. UNAMA, 2009 http://www.unama-afg.org/_latestnews/2009/09march08-srsg-story.html http://www.unama-afg.org/_latestnews/2009/09march08-srsg-story.html Sun, 8 Mar 2009 13:09:42 -0400 Deeply rooted discrimination against women in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres weakens society as a whole, the United Nations human rights chief said on the occasion of International Women’s Day. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30116&Cr=women&Cr1=day http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30116&Cr=women&Cr1=day Sun, 8 Mar 2009 13:04:11 -0400 The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay issued the following statement to mark International Women's Day. UNHCR, 2009 http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/507EE878B351FF12C1257571003FCF49?opendocument http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/507EE878B351FF12C1257571003FCF49?opendocument Fri, 6 Mar 2009 14:55:09 -0400 The collaborative initiative of UNICEF, UNFPA, ILO, UNESCO, UNIFEM and WHO aims to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals by targeting disenfranchised adolescent girls in developing countries. UNICEF, 2009 http://www.unicef.org/policyanalysis/index_48500.html http://www.unicef.org/policyanalysis/index_48500.html Fri, 6 Mar 2009 14:51:28 -0400 Focus on Gender: Ending violence and empowering women. UN News Centre, 2009 http://un.org/apps/news/photostories_detail.asp?PsID=40 http://un.org/apps/news/photostories_detail.asp?PsID=40 Thu, 5 Mar 2009 16:46:34 -0400 The global economic crisis will plunge a further 22 million women into unemployment and make decent work for women increasingly more difficult to find in 2009, predicted a new report by the International Labour Organization. ILO, 2009 http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_103447/index.htm http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_103447/index.htm Thu, 5 Mar 2009 16:28:43 -0400 Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated his urgent call to bring an end to violence against women, a scourge whose impact is devastating and immeasurable, as the United Nations began a series of events to mark International Women's Day. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30097&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30097&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Thu, 5 Mar 2009 16:12:55 -0400 New York, 5 March 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3733 http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3733 Thu, 5 Mar 2009 16:10:32 -0400 Statement of ITU Secretary General, Mr. Hamadoun Touré. ITU, 2009 http://www.itu.int/gender/iwd-09/role-ict.html http://www.itu.int/gender/iwd-09/role-ict.html Thu, 5 Mar 2009 16:09:41 -0400 Women around the world are no longer fearful of speaking out against the violence they encounter, according to Yakin Erturk, whose mandate as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences, expires in June. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30092&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30092&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1= Thu, 5 Mar 2009 16:08:09 -0400 Deputy Secretary-General launches database on violence against women, hailing it as first global ‘one-stop shop’ for information on measures by member states. http://webapps01.un.org/vawdatabase/home.action http://webapps01.un.org/vawdatabase/home.action Thu, 5 Mar 2009 16:05:12 -0400 Official website for the International Women's Day 2009, including background information, history of the day, messages, events and online resources. Department of Public Information, 2009 http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2009/ http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2009/ Thu, 5 Mar 2009 11:23:57 -0400 Official website for the International Women's Day 2009, including background information, history of the day, messages, events and online resources. Department of Public Information, 2009 http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/march/international-womens-day/international-womens-day-special-faces-of-strength-and-courage.en http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/march/international-womens-day/international-womens-day-special-faces-of-strength-and-courage.en Thu, 5 Mar 2009 11:19:28 -0400 The global economic, food and climate change crises have hit African women the hardest, a delegation of African and United Nations female officials attending a conference on gender equality cautioned today. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30090&Cr=gender&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30090&Cr=gender&Cr1= Wed, 4 Mar 2009 12:56:21 -0400 UNESCO’s celebrations from 9 to 25 March - including round tables, a campaign promoting women journalists and a series of cultural events and exhibitions - focus on gender equality as a global priority. UNESCO, 2009 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44706&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44706&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Wed, 4 Mar 2009 12:54:34 -0400 Each year, International Women’s Day (IWD) provides an occasion for taking stock of progress and reflecting on the challenges that remain in the pursuit of gender equality. UNESCO, 2009 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44629&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44629&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Wed, 4 Mar 2009 12:51:45 -0400 The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organized a forum to reflect on the ramifications of the present financial and economic crisis and their implications for international cooperation in general. The event gathered more than 20 experts and decision-makers; four prominent women guest speakers were invited to discuss the gender differentiated impacts of and responses to the financial crisis. UNESCO, 2009 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44703&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44703&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Mon, 2 Mar 2009 16:11:46 -0400 The International Labour Office (ILO) will mark International Women’s Day 2009 with the launch on Thursday, 5 March, of a new report assessing the impact of the global financial crisis on women in the world of work. ILO, 2009 http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_103394/index.htm http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_103394/index.htm Mon, 2 Mar 2009 10:29:12 -0400 Too many women shoulder the heaviest burden in caring for people living with HIV and AIDS, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today, calling for greater balance in responsibilities between men and women. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30066&Cr=women&Cr1=aids http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30066&Cr=women&Cr1=aids Mon, 2 Mar 2009 10:29:12 -0400 The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the cosmetics company L’Oréal announced the names of the 15 promising young women post-doctoral researchers selected for fellowships as part of their efforts to foster global scientific cooperation. UNESCO, 2009 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44674&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44674&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Mon, 2 Mar 2009 10:27:16 -0400 Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited today with women and girls who have been victims of sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country that the United Nations says has witnessed some of the highest levels of such abuses in the world. UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30050&Cr=congo&Cr1=sexual http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30050&Cr=congo&Cr1=sexual Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:56:35 -0400 The theme for 2009 is: “Women and men united to end violence against women and girls”. Visit the WomenWatch Special Feature for a list of worldwide UN observances, statements, background information and webcast. United Nations, 2009 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd/2009/ http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd/2009/ Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:19:22 -0400 "The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS," will be the focus of the fifty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which will convene at United Nations headquarters in New York from 2-13 March. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:18:13 -0400 Women and girls caught up in the ongoing warfare in northern Sri Lanka are at grave risk, according to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. The Fund is assisting civilians who have escaped the combat area but remains greatly concerned about the health and safety of the tens of thousands who remain, particularly pregnant women. UNFPA, 2009 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2035 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2035 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:18:13 -0400 Strengthening accountability for commitments made by governments will be vital to achieving gender equality and women’s rights, according to a new report released by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). UN News Centre, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29965&Cr=unifem&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29965&Cr=unifem&Cr1= Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:17:56 -0400 UNIFEM, as Chair of the UN Team Group on Gender, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Country Team (UNCT) in Nigeria, organized a Gender Audit Exercise for eight UN agencies and their partners, including government ministries, at the UN House in Abuja on 9-20 February. UNIFEM, 2009 http://unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=828 http://unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=828 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:12:34 -0400 Executive Director Inés Alberdi received on behalf of UNIFEM the Equality Award (“Avanzando en Igualdad”) of the Spanish Federation of Public Services (FSP), a branch of the Workers’ General Union (UGT). The ceremony was held in Valencia on February 13, in recognition of UNIFEM’s work toward the implementation and defense of gender equality. UNIFEM, 2009 http://unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=823 http://unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=823 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:45:32 -0400 This issue, written by Nicholas Burnett, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO, focuses on education as central to giving children, youth and adults the knowledge and skills they need to make choices, improve their livelihoods and actively participate in shaping their societies. Education is thus seen as a human right, a development imperative. UNESCO, UNDP, 2009 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/millennium_development_goals_10381.htm#nx-090219 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/millennium_development_goals_10381.htm#nx-090219 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:42:09 -0400 The February 2009 issue of UNIFEM's electronic newsletter reports on the first phase of the Say NO to Violence against Women campaign, which has received the support of various governments, civil society organizations and the private sector. UNIFEM collected more than 5 million signatures supporting the cause and presented them to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. This month’s issue also details the importance of a gender perspective in climate change decision-making processes. UNIFEM, 2009 http://unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=827 http://unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=827 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:11:46 -0400 This handbook is designed to assist UN-Habitat Agenda Partners, which include national and local governments and civil society, to incorporate gender equality issues into urban development policies, plans and programmes by learning from the experiences of others. UN-HABITAT, 2008 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/un_habitat_10613.htm#nx-gm_local http://www.un.org/womenwatch/directory/un_habitat_10613.htm#nx-gm_local Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:32:09 -0400 As a step towards gender equality, three officials were sworn in on 27 January as administrators of the new Gender Observatory in Rwanda. UNIFEM has been a strong advocate for the establishment of the Gender Observatory, in conformity with article 185 of the National Constitution of Rwanda. http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=786 http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=786 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:12:07 -0400 The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has lauded President Barack Obama's decision to restore United States funding for its operations, hailing the new leader for his efforts to advance women's health, rights and equality. http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/1562 http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/1562 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:52:47 -0400 In the run-up to provincial polling across Iraq at the end of the month, the top United Nations official to the war-torn country today stressed that the full participation of women is imperative for the success of the elections. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29629&Cr=iraq&Cr1= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29629&Cr=iraq&Cr1= Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:32:12 -0400