UN gender equality news feed

International Day on the Elimination of Violence Against Women Geneva, 25 November 2009 - The Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences, Ms.

Sixteen Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women started around the world on Wednesday to bring greater attention to this pervasive problem.

UNITED NATIONS — It should have been one of the happiest nights of their lives. A young soldier and his new wife were alone for the first time on their wedding night. Much to the husband’s surprise, there was no blood after they consummated the marriage. They knew the kind of danger this result could bring if anyone found out. Elder women from the village would want to see the sheets, and if there was no blood, the young bride could be hurt, or even killed, for tarnishing her family’s honour.

Every day, women and girls are subject to domestic violence, exploitation, sexual violence, trafficking, honour crimes, harmful traditional practices, such as bride burning and early marriages, and other forms of violence against their bodies, minds and human dignity. In the 16 days leading up to Human Rights Day and every day, let us come together to demand an end to the most pervasive yet least reported human rights abuse in the world.

NEW YORK – Men hold the key to ending violence against women and reducing gender inequalities. A new photography exhibit, entitled ‘Influential Men’, highlights their power through striking images of positive male role models. Its aim is to raise awareness of the importance of including and engaging men and boys in creating a world in which every individual is treated with dignity and respect.

The United Nations has not only played a significant role in developing core values such as human rights and gender equality but also in giving those ideas their practical form and carrying them forward, according to two eminent scholars overseeing a project to document the intellectual history of t...

United Nations launched regional component of global campaign to put an end to violence against women

IFAD President in India – Day Two At their meeting in New Delhi, IFAD’s President and Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), got straight down to business. Along with other high-level personalities, Pachauri has been invited to take part in a Pl...

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led a chorus of United Nations officials today in calling on the international community to make greater efforts to tackle the global pandemic of violence against women and girls.

Frustrated by their poverty and the lack of food for the family, Jamila's husband used to beat her. But the violence subsided after she enrolled in a WFP project which eased the food problem and also taught her a trade. Nov.25 is Int'l Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women.

25 November 2009 Statement by Michel Sidibé, Executive Director Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) UNAIDS is fully committed to stop violence against women and girls. The response to HIV provides an opportunity to reduce intimate partner and sexual violence and develop comprehensive responses to gender-based violence and HIV prevention within and beyond the health sector.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by launching a Network of Men Leaders, a major new initiative bringing together current and former politicians, activists, religious and community figures to combat the glo...

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today marked the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by launching a Network of Men Leaders, a major new initiative bringing together current and former politicians, activists, religious and community figures to combat the global pandemic.

UNIFEM issues a call to action to tackle a "pandemic" of violence affecting almost three quarters of women at some point in their lives. International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is 25 November 2009. UNIFEM / UNTV / FILE

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has launched a Network of Men Leaders to work to end violence against women and girls.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is a unique opportunity to remind governments and societies of persisting and dramatic inequalities.

A UNDP report, "HIV vulnerabilities faced by women migrants: from Bangladesh to the Arab States," reveals the social, economic and health toll that migration imposes on emigrating women, particularly low-skilled ones who are lured by job prospects.

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) welcomes the launch of the AIDS Accountability Scorecard on Women: This independent assessment and rating is developed through a comprehensive consultative process with global health experts and civil society representatives from across the...

United Nations Population Fund (2009)

Latin America and the Caribbean is a dangerous place for women. More than 50 percent of the women on the continent...

On December 10, the International Human Rights Day, Austrian President of Parliament Barbara Prammer will ask the National Assembly to sign on to UNIFEM's Say NO - UniTE to End Violence against Women initiative. In her talk with UNIFEM, Prammer stresses the importance of action at the national level. UNIFEM: ...

Bajo el lema "Latinoamerica: Únete para poner fin a la violencia contra las mujeres" se lanza en America Latina el capitulo regional de la Campana global para luchar contra la violencia contra mujeres, ninas y jovenes. En el afan de generar tanto la conciencia publica sobre el problema que representa ...

Marking the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will call Tuesday for increased action to deal with the global pandemic of violence against women and girls. "We must demand accountability for the violations, and take concrete steps to end impunity. ...

The United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) will award nearly US$10.5 million in 2009 to 13 projects and initiatives that are addressing gender-based violence in 18 countries. Resources for the UN Trust Fund fell drastically short to meet the vast demand. ...

Speech by Ghida Anani, 2009 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 24 November 2009

Speech by Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, Launch of Network of Men Leaders on the Occasion of the Official UN Observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 24 November 2009

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) today honoured HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand for her exceptional contribution to ending violence against women. In an awards ceremony held at UN headquarters ...

As World AIDS Day (1 December) approaches, AIDS Accountability International is releasing the first-ever global scorecard analysing country responses to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of women in the context of the AIDS epidemic: The AIDS Accountability Scorecard on Women 2009 - Are governments keeping their promises? This independent assessment and ...

As World AIDS Day (1 December) approaches, AIDS Accountability International is releasing the first-ever global scorecard analysing country responses to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of women in the context of the AIDS epidemic: The AIDS Accountability Scorecard on Women 2009 - Are governments keeping their promises? This independent assessment and ...

Poverty is 1.7 times higher among children under 15 than in adults and 1.15 times greater among women than men

The number of researchers, on the rise world-wide, jumped by 56% in developing countries between 2002 and 2007, according to a new study published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). In comparison, their number increased by only 8. ...

On 17 November UNAIDS hosted a reception for the opening of an exhibition at the United Nations in New York entitled The House Is Small But The Welcome Is Big, a project of the Los Angeles–based Venice Arts of over 40 extraordinary photographs made by South African women living with HIV and Mozambic...

Organizer: Inter-Parliamentary Union and World Health Organization
Event dates: 23-25 November 2009
Venue: Kampala

Although the number of researchers working in developing countries over the last five years has increased by 50 per cent, women only occupy a very small percentage of these positions in some regions, according to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report released today.

UNESCO organizes a one-day workshop for journalism academics and media practitioners in order to present the findings of the Audit of Gender in Media Education and Training in Namibia. The Audit assessed the situation in two institutions in Namibia, in the framework of a larger audit being conducted...

Statement by Inés Alberdi, UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 10th Anniversary, 25 November 2009

Liberian girls and women should draw inspiration from the all-female Indian police unit serving with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to join law enforcement agencies in the service of their own nation, the top UN official in the West African country said today.

The winning photographs of a contest organized by UNDP feature environmentalists planting trees in a water catchment area in Kenya, Moroccan women turning plastic bags into handbags as part of a fair trade project, and a Kenyan couple planting a tree on their wedding day.

Reaffirming their commitment to women?s empowerment, Ministers and senior officials from 40 countries closed a three day high-level meeting reviewing regional progress in gender equality with the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration for Beijing +15 which will intensify the region?s effort to improve ...

A United Nations report urges policymakers to heed the role of women - who make up the majority of the poor - in combating climate change. UNFPA

The United Nations Population Fund UNFPA has released the 2009 State of the World Population Report . The report, entitled Facing a Changing World: Women, Population and Climates is available in; Full Text PDF(English) , Full Text PDF(French), , Full Text PDF(Spanish), Full Text PDF(Russian) and F...

The progress of and challenges facing African women is the subject of a conference taking place in Banjul, The Gambia this week.

Hawa Mahmadou, 12, was devastated when she was forced to drop out of school two years ago because her parents couldn't afford the fees. She spent her days doing household chores.

LONDON - Women bear the disproportionate burden of climate change, but have so far been largely overlooked in the debate about how to address problems of rising seas, droughts, melting glaciers and extreme weather, concludes The State of World Population 2009, released today by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

Women must be part of the climate change debate, according to a new report from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

The latest edition of the State of World Population report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) shows that women bear the disproportionate burden of climate change, but have been largely overlooked in the debate on how to address problems of rising seas, droughts, melting glaciers and extreme weather. ...

Every day, women and girls are subject to domestic violence, exploitation, sexual violence, trafficking, honour crimes, harmful traditional practices, such as bride burning and early marriages, and other forms of violence against their bodies, minds and human dignity. In the 16 days leading up to Human Rights Day and every day, let us come together to demand an end to the most pervasive yet least reported human rights abuse in the world.

UNICEF with the government of Cameroon and Recamef, an association of mothers, is going into villages to try and convince families and traditional leaders to send girls to school. Friday, 20 November is the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF

QUANG TRI PROVINCE, Viet Nam — Life has never been easy for Nguyen Thi Lanh, 51, and Nguyen Duc Phi, 52. After enduring years of war, they married in 1977 and a year later had their first baby. “We were very poor at that time,” Lanh explains. “My husband had to take care of his family because his mother had died. We hardly had rice to feed our child, and we had to rebuild our house, which had collapsed during the war.”

“It is important to build bridges, not only to connect different government ministries or women’s organizations but also across all the sectors...

Climate change strikes it fiercest blow against the poorest, most vulnerable people around the world, according to a United Nations report released today, urging policymakers to heed the role of women - who make up the majority of the poor - in combating climate change.

Although melting glaciers, rising sea levels and polar bears may be the faces of climate change, women - who bear the brunt of global warming - are on the front lines of its ravages.

32 women media professionals from the Arab Region attended a training workshop last week in Tunis (Tunisia), which was organized by UNESCO's Office in Beirut, in cooperation with the Arab Women Organization. The four-day specialised workshop focused on writing for radio and television.

The project will support the Government's efforts in prevention and response to HIV and AIDS, in line with Rwanda's development priorities as reflected through the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2008-2012.

Working with rural women and operational implications The situation of women in Afghanistan is not easy. Therefore, the targeting of women requires a special attention. During the first part of the day participants discussed their experiences in working with rural women and targeting. IFAD oft...

UNIFEM and the Palestinian Ministry of Women's Affairs, with support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), organized for the first time in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) an event marking the International Day of Rural Women.

In Balan, when two World Food Program (WFP) vehicles rolled into town recently to supervise the cafeteria at a small public school, residents rushed to meet them, hoping for food. The WFP serves one meal a day to more than 500 000 Haitian schoolchildren, providing them with what is often their only ...

Gender experts, civil society organizations and governments representatives were urged to commit themselves to action towards equality and empowerment of African women.

Nearly 15 years after the landmark United Nations conference on women in Beijing established an agenda to empower women, the Asia Pacific region has made tangible progress in advancing gender equality. This was the main theme of the first session to review the follow-up to the 1995 United Nations Fo...

Based on interviews with male and female parliamentarians in Afghanistan, the report analyzes the role of women Members of Parliament and the challenges they face.

A week-long United Nations-backed conference on achieving the equality and empowerment of women in Africa has opened in Banjul, The Gambia, with calls for an urgent revamping of current practices on the continent.

Para promover la representación de las mujeres en los medios de comunicación, tanto como agentes de las noticias, trabajando como periodistas,...

UN-HABITAT recently launched two new publications aimed at making cities safer for women. The books were released at the 2nd Metropolis Women International Network Forum in Seoul. UN-HABITAT initiated the Global Assessment on Women's Safety to fill a void in information-sharing between organisations and community bodies, many of which conduct innovative work to promote safety and security for girls in cities, but are largely unaware of each others efforts.

Despite tangible progress in Asia and the Pacific in advancing gender equality, obstacles and challenges remain.

The report Tracking progress on child and maternal nutrition: a survival and development priority (full text, pdf 4.32MB) published by UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) emphasizes that "undernutrition jeopardizes children's survival, health, growth and development, and it slows national progress towards...

Most of the world's chronically undernourished under fives – 83 million children -- are in South Asia, according to a new UNICEF report: 'Improving Child and Maternal Nutrition,' released today.

Today I will talk about expanding engagement and partnership at the community level in service delivery of sexual and reproductive health programmes by Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs). I will not address the issue of youth perspective because this would be another keynote address by itself. This issue requires more knowledge and understanding especially as the youth culture has two poles – religiosity and progressive activism and young people have a special culture of their own. I would suggest that young people from diverse institutions including FBOs should be the ones to address their own perspective on culture and religion.

Women are the secret weapon to fight hunger, WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran told first ladies gathering in Rome on the eve of the World Food Summit.

Nearly 15 years after the landmark United Nations conference on women, countries in Asia and the Pacific have made tangible progress but obstacles and challenges remain, a meeting convened by the world body's regional arm heard today.

The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women has just published Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management Framework 2008-2011. This framework aims to ensure that the UN Trust Fund is fully equipped to systematically generate, capture and disseminate knowledge through increased i...

The announcement was made on 10 November 2009 by consultant Joana Foster (on Gender, Women, and DDR) from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) during a one day visit to the DDRRR transit camp in Goma in North Kivu province.

In March 2010, Governments will assemble in New York to review progress made in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), fifteen (15) years after its adoption. In this context, Africa, supported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), is reviewing its performance in delivering the outcomes agreed upon in 2004 in Addis Ababa at the Seventh Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +10).

NEW YORK — In Ethiopia, 22,000 women and girls die each year as a result of complications during pregnancy or childbirth, and more than 500,000 suffer from pregnancy-related disabilities. That means that one out of every 27 Ethiopian women will end up dying from straining to give life. Reducing the high maternal mortality ratio is one of the greatest public health challenges facing the country.

The report Tracking progress on child and maternal nutrition: a survival and development priority (full text, pdf 4.32MB) published by UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) emphasizes that "undernutrition jeopardizes children’s survival, health, growth and development, and it slows national progress towards...

Ninety new United Nations development projects will be launched over the next three years, a top official said today, to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at slashing a host of social ills, including extreme hunger and poverty, infant and maternal mortality, and lack of access to education and health care - all by 2015.

At least 83,000 Somali children and women benefited from the Child Health Days Campaign carried out with United Nations support in the Afgooye corridor, which hosts displaced people who fled their homes owing to the violence in the capital, Mogadishu.

The number of women in Eastern Europe and Central Asia dying from complications in childbirth and pregnancy has been slashed by more than half over the last 10 years, participants at a high-level United Nations gathering in Istanbul heard today.

The Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists honors Academy Award winner Emma Thompson and presents its Inspiration Award to psychotherapist Helen Bamber. Both women have been active in campaigns against human trafficking. UNTV / FILE

12 November 2009 -Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has drawn attention to the disturbing realities of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well as the treacherous conditions in which many migrants move and live.

General Secretary of Nepal Bar Association, Raman Kumar Shrestha, Members of Constitutional Assembly, Lawyers, Human Rights activists, ladies and gentlemen, Thank you for coming to this programme today. It is my great pleasure to welcome you all here.

ISTANBUL – Decision-makers and government officials from 20 countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have pledged to step up the fight against needless deaths and suffering resulting from pregnancy and childbirth. In a Statement of Commitment issued in Istanbul late last night, delegates to a high-level meeting recognized that investment in the health and rights of women is smart economics, especially during a financial crisis, and that family planning is one of the most cost-effective investments in reducing the maternal deaths that continue to affect the region.

The Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists honored Academy Award winner Emma Thompson and Psychotherapist Helen Bamber, with the Inspiration Award at United Nations Headquarters Wednesday. Both women were recognized for their efforts against human trafficking.

Fifteen years after the historic Fourth World Conference on Women took place in Beijing in 1995, ESCAP is reviewing the situation of women from a regional perspective in preparation for the global fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in New York in March 2010. The Beijing +15 Regional Review Meeting entitled "Accountability and Implementation: Making Change Happen through the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action" will be held from 16 to 18 November 2009 at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok.

Although the country lost much of its health personnel and infrastructure as a result of the genocide that shattered the country 15 years ago, Rwanda has brought its health care system back to life. The government has initiated bold reforms and innovative approaches to make health care accessible and affordable for everyone, with a strong emphasis on reproductive health, including family planning. This is part one of a four-part series that examines Rwanda’s rapid development progress.

The experts in UN-INSTRAW’s Gender Training Community of Practice will meet virtually to discuss about the empowerment of women for their leadership...

Gender equality in the news media came under scrutiny by the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) in some 127 countries around the world today. UNIFEM supports the project, recognizing the importance of fairness and balance in the representation of gender in the news. The International Federation of Journalists and ...

Durante los días 12 y 13 de noviembre de 2009, la sede de UN-INSTRAW en Santo Domingo cuenta con la presencia...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new report on Women Health: Women and health: today's evidence tomorrow's agenda highlights both women's health needs and their contribution to the health of societies. The full report is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and...

In a landmark report on the health of women and girls across the globe, WHO states that AIDS is the main cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age (15-44 years). This supports the contention in Women and Health: Today’s Evidence, Tomorrow’s Agenda that in a multiplicity of areas fem...

Numerous studies from around the globe confirm the links between violence against women and HIV. These studies show that women living with HIV are more likely to have experienced violence, and that, women who have experienced violence are more likely to have HIV infection.

UNRWA unveiled a building today in Dera'a that will house a new school for girls. The Ein Karemen Girls School was funded generously by a USD 822,600 donation from the United States government.

It's 6 a.m. at the Agadez bus station, and the members of the town's Child Protection Committee are keeping a close watch on the waiting passengers for the bus heading towards the northern town of Dirkou.

This new WHO report uses currently available data to take stock of the health of girls and women around the world and to draw attention to the consequences and costs of failing to address health issues at appropriate points in their lives.

9 November 2009 -- Despite some 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 old age, a WHO report has found.

The innovative platform will spotlight global efforts and demonstrate the groundswell of support and actions on the issue. Based on country data, it is estimated that up to 70 percent of women experience physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime.

Studies in Asia indicate that most women in the region acquire HIV because of their partners who engage in unsafe behaviours. It is estimated that more than 90% of women living with HIV acquired the virus from their husbands or boyfriends while in long-term relationships. An effective AIDS response ...

Date: 06 Nov 2009 Source: World Health Organization

9 November 2009 -- In launching the new report Women and health: today’s evidence, tomorrow’s agenda – WHO's Director-General Dr Margaret Chan underscored that the report to gives a baseline of data about the health of women and girls throughout the life-course, in different parts of the world, and in different groups within countries.

World Health Organization (2009)

Many of the world's countries continue to fail to meet the health-care needs of women at key stages of their lives, such as when they reach adolescence or when they are elderly, a new United Nations report has found.

In a landmark report on the health of women and girls across the globe, WHO states that AIDS is the main cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age (15-44 years). This supports the contention in Women and Health: Today’s Evidence, Tomorrow’s Agenda that in a multiplicity of areas female health is neglected and must now be considered an urgent priority.

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) today launched the global advocacy initiative Say NO - UNiTE to End Violence against Women, which will stimulate, count and showcase actions on ending violence against women. The innovative platform will spotlight global efforts and demonstrate the groundswell of support and actions ...

UNESCO and the Nepal Press Institute, in a joint collaboration with Sancharika Samua, Media and Democracy Group, OHCHR, UNFPA/WOREC, INHURED International and Article 19, concluded today in Janakpur the second and last phase (25 October - 5 November) of a four-month training course exclusively dedic...

Remittances, the portion of migrant workers' earnings that are sent back home to their families, have been a critical means of financial support for families in the Philippines for a few decades now. For the most part, however, these inflows have been historically hidden from plain view and are no...

During her first official visit to India on 2-4 November, UNIFEM Executive Director Ines Alberdi met with representatives from national and local government and the national women's machinery, visited NGO partners and signed a partnership agreement on a new programme on women and governance. Executive Director Alberdi met with Krishna Tirath, Minister ...

A project, run by UNIFEM in collaboration with UNAIDS and UNDP in Rwanda, has been selected for a grant of US$140,000 from a UNDP funding window on protecting women and girls against violence and restoring justice to vulnerable women, including survivors of violence and those living with HIV and AIDS. The ...

Dozens of United Nations peacekeepers implicated in cases of sexual abuse and exploitation have been disciplined and punished, a spokesperson for the world body said today.

UNITED NATIONS, New York — In a new report to be issued on Wednesday, 18 November, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, will show how people, especially empowered women, could make a difference in the fight against climate change.

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman opens the exhibit of the "Art in All of Us," based on a book that features children's photography, poetry and art. She also introduces UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu and filmmaker Guy Jacobson, who screened their film, "Redlight," about child trafficking...

The November 2009 issue of UNIFEM's electronic newsletter reports on the recent UN General Assembly resolution in support of the establishment of a single UN body to promote the rights and well-being of women worldwide and work towards gender equality, and two UN Security Council resolutions that strengthen women's protection ...

This is the Final Research Report on Poland in the Religion, Politics and Gender Equality Project.The prestige and the influence of the Polish Church is closely linked to its historical presence and activity during the long period when Poland was occupied by foreign countries (throughout the 19th century) and under communist rule. Its popularity reached new heights in the 1980s with the mass following of the independent trade union, Solidarnosc, which also had links with the clergy. The post-communist era reinforced the power of the Church through the Concordat that it signed with the State in 1993; this institutionalized the Church’s presence within the education system and gave the priests the status of ordinary teachers. Using its formal and informal ties with political parties, over the past two decades the Church has reinforced its power in public debates. Catholicism is the de facto religion of the State, even though Poland remains a secular country.

Date: 04 Nov 2009 Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks

This is the Final Research Report on Iran in the Religion, Politics and Gender Equality Project. Through various case studies, this article demonstrates that the way religion has been re-introduced into formal politics in Iran, and the manner in which it has been appropriated and re-appropriated by different social and political forces reveals how religion, like secularism, can lend itself to a variety of interpretations, with variable impact on women. It is clear that reformist forces have not been able to democratize their institutions and to respond to women’s needs, nor have they been able to organize women at the popular level with the same degree of success as have conservative forces. It now appears unlikely, given the present state structure and the triumph of the religious right in government, that women will be able to make inroads unless the state structures become more democratized.

A new anti-human trafficking film by UNODC in collaboration with Danish Doc Production recently premiered in Europe. Affected for Life promotes awareness of human trafficking. The film is targeted at prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers and other specialized audiences, and illustrates the ...

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.

The Government of Egypt has announced plans to expand an innovative programme, piloted by UNIFEM, to extend gender equality in private sector companies. The Gender Equity Model Egypt (GEME) has set up a voluntary certification scheme with minimum standards for hiring, training and promoting women in private sector firms. Companies that ...

UNU-ONY is holding a Book Launch to discuss issues raised in "Sexed Pistols: The Gendered Impacts of Small Arms and Light Weapons". Every day, small arms and light weapons (SALW) kill and maim, wound and threaten millions of adults and children, whether combatants and civilians in war zones or gang...

Written statements to CSW may be submitted by ECOSOC-accredited NGOs on the thematic issues considered by CSW in accordance with ECOSOC resolution 1996/31.

Fifteen years after the 4th World Conference on Women took place in Beijing in 1995 the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is reviewing the situation of women from a regional perspective in preparation for the global fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action...

UNODC film premieres in Europe 2 November 2009 - A new anti-human trafficking film by UNODC was recently featured at a European Union ministerial conference in Copenhagen, at Scotland Yard and at the Danish parliament.

More than 20 trials involving sexual violence have been held. Members of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Kalemie condemned 10 of the 14 accused to terms of imprisonment and they were ordered to pay compensation to the victims.

Progress that has been made in the advancement of women in Europe since the Beijing conference 15 years ago, are being threatened by the current global economic and financial crisis.

Fifteen years after the 4th World Conference on Women took place in Beijing in 1995 the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is reviewing the situation of women from a regional perspective in preparation for the global fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action...

The Executive Board of UN-INSTRAW, meeting in its Resumed Sixth session on 1 October 2009 in New York, commended the Institute...

WHAT: UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman and Executive Director Ines Alberdi to launch global advocacy initiative Say NO - UNiTE to End Violence against Women. WHEN: 3:00 p.m. (Nairobi Time), Friday 6 November WHERE: Tribe, The Village Market Hotel, Gigiri suburb, Nairobi, Kenya WHO: Esther Murugi Mathenge, Minister of Gender, Children and Social ...

The Government of Spain will contribute EUR 31.5 million to UNIFEM this year, as part of its efforts to boost official development assistance (ODA) and in line with the emphasis on gender equality and women's empowerment in its international cooperation policy. Increasing its total contribution by EUR 12 million from 2008, ...

Cohabitation and women heads of households are on the rise in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Council stressed that it was ready to impose targeted measures against persons who are determined to be a threat to the national reconciliation process in Côte d'Ivoire, as well as those threatening human rights there.

This is the Final Research Report on Turkey in the Religion, Politics and Gender Equality Project. The paper explores the implications of the democratic paradox. It first traces how religion and politics are intertwined in Turkey and then examines the social and political effects of this intertwining in contemporary politics from a gender perspective.

Women: a weekly 14-minute news magazine that looks at issues affecting women around the world.

The way in which the provision of care is organized and divided across household, market, state and non-profit institutions has important implications for who accesses adequate care and who bears the burden. Feminist scholars and activists have repeatedly pointed out that current divisions of care labour are far from even. Instead there exists what economists would call a “free-rider” problem, with some individuals and social groups (mostly women and girls, especially those in low-income households) doing the bulk of the work and the rest of society benefiting from the outputs of this work. That most care work is done on an unpaid basis does not mean that it comes without costs. Because women and girls take on the lion’s share of unpaid care, they have less time for paid employment, self-care, rest, leisure, organizing and political participation. The political and social economy of care is therefore central to gender equality.

This paper addresses the relationship between religion, politics and gender equality through four aspects: (i) what authority, if any, states can cede to religious communities or groups without beginning to threaten gender equality; (ii) the informal impact of religions on attitudes and lives, beyond any institutionalized power; (iii) the possibilities and limits of internal reform; and (iv) the possibilities and difficulties of alliances between religious and secular groups. The central theme running through the essay is that religions most threaten gender equality when they are conceived of—and conceive themselves as—corporate bodies, capable of speaking with a unified voice. The key protection for women is a strong politics of individual rights. In arguing this, however, this paper stresses the difficulties surrounding the politics of rights. It is crucial both to recognize the centrality of individual rights and acknowledge the problems in their interpretation and implementation. This is not something that can be resolved at a purely theoretical level. It alerts us, rather, to the political issues.

The United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) has launched a new website to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Conveintion was adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 197...

A new campaign in Zambia backed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) calls for an end to gender-based violence, the second biggest scourge in the nation, following HIV and AIDS, according to the African nation's leader.

UNIFEM opened a liaison office in Sakai City, Japan, on 29 October. The office will represent UNIFEM to the Government of Japan, relate with think-tanks, NGOs, academia, media and the diplomatic community in the country, and share information about UNIFEM's work. The liaison office in Sakai City is established along the ...

Speech by Inés Alberdi, UNIFEM Japan Liaison Office Opening, 29 October 2009

Speech by Inés Alberdi, UNIFEM Japan Liaison Office Opening, 29 October 2009

Parliamentarians from some 115 countries pledged to promote sexual and reproductive health as well as women's rights to decide how and when they give birth.

18 December 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). UNIFEM, in collaboration with a working group of the United Nations' Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), has planned a number of ...

ADDIS ABABA — Lawmakers from 115 countries reaffirmed their support today to the principles and goals of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and underlined the indispensable role of its Programme of Action in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). They also committed to supporting accessible and affordable health services that promote family planning, HIV prevention and the health and well-being of women and girls.

WHO Regional Office for Europe, on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2009)

Sudan is one of the world's more dangerous places for mothers, the top United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) official there said today, calling for increased maternal care services.

In the area of women's repression, she said that there were many different country situations: "There is no true equality, but there are certain societies where a lot of progress had been made," she stated.

ADDIS ABABA - We meet as we commemorate the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). We are gathered here to advance the visionary and holistic ICPD Programme of Action, which recognized the diversity the 179 governments participating in the conference, taking into consideration the diverse cultural values and religious beliefs that are not against human rights. Fifteen years ago, 179 governments explicitly recognized sexual and reproductive health as a human right. Since then, the political commitments articulated within the ICPD Programme of Action have helped transform the international legal framework on reproductive rights, as well as national laws worldwide.

The World Survey on the Role of Women in Development 2009 has been released. This year's survey focuses on women's control over economic resources and access to financial resources, including microfinance.

Consistent with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur as defined by the Human Rights Council, section III offers an analysis of counter-terrorism measures from a gender perspective.

States should consider gender-sensitive reparation schemes for victims of terrorism, as women undergo specific forms of abuse by terrorist groups, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, said today at a Headquarters press conference.

ADDIS ABABA - We meet as we commemorate the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). We are gathered here to advance the visionary and holistic ICPD Programme of Action, which recognized the diversity the 179 governments participating in the conference, taking into consideration the diverse cultural values and religious beliefs that are not against human rights. Fifteen years ago, 179 governments explicitly recognized sexual and reproductive health as a human right. Since then, the political commitments articulated within the ICPD Programme of Action have helped transform the international legal framework on reproductive rights, as well as national laws worldwide.

ADDIS ABABA — Ending the needless death and suffering of women during pregnancy is one of the greatest moral, human rights and development challenges of our time, agreed more than 150 delegates that met here yesterday. Facing that challenge requires concrete action to protect and fulfill everyone’s right to sexual and reproductive health, they declared.

KOINADUGU, Sierra Leone, 27 October 2009 – Lack of access to affordable health care is one of the major contributing factors to pregnancy and childbirth-related deaths in Sierra Leone.

Organizer: United Nations Population Fund
Event dates: 27-29 October 2009
Venue: Bogota, Colombia

The target of slashing maternal mortality and ensuring universal access to reproductive health is the furthest from success of all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the world set itself in 2000, a senior United Nations official has warned, calling for renewed political will, funding and international solidarity.

iKNOW Politics, an online network dedicated to the advancement of women in politics, launched a new Arabic language version here today, opening it up to potentially millions of new users in a region where women are underrepresented politically. About 150 women leaders, political candidates, activists and representatives of women's organizations primarily ...

NEW YORK, USA, 26 October 2009 – Women and children in north-western Pakistan are once again on the move because of conflict in the region.

Women's access to economic and financial resources is critical not only for the achievement of gender equality, but also for sustainable economic development.

Martin Scheinin, the UN expert, who reports on how countries protect human rights while countering terrorism, says his report to the General Assembly this year has become a topic of controversy, because it focuses on the gender perspective of counter-terrorism measures.

"We are here for one reason and one reason only: to accelerate action to improve maternal health and end the needless death and suffering of women," UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid told a gathering of high-level officials meeting in Addis Ababa. "Women are dying because for too many years, women’s lives, dreams and rights have not been given the priority attention they deserve," she continued.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and the UN special rapporteur on trafficking in persons will brief on, "Giving Voice to Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking." The Secretary-General will deliver opening remarks at the special event which will take place at headquarters tomorrow. UNTV / FILE

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterates calls to alleviate poverty, underdevelopment and lack of equal opportunity, which make people, especially women and children, vulnerable to trafficking. UNTV/ FILE

This is the Final Research Report on Serbia in the Religion, Politics and Gender Equality Project. This paper argues that the intersection of national and religious identities and ideologies in the context of nation-state formation in Serbia which started in the 1990s made religion an integral part of the political process. The Serbian Orthodox Church has been using this newly opened political space to assert itself as the moral and spiritual arbiter and to impose its norms in all areas of social life.

Despite the official separation of church and state in the United States, religion and politics are closely intertwined.

A joint study launched by the Council of Europe and the UN says a new international convention is needed to prevent trafficking in organs, tissues and cells (OTC), protect victims and prosecute offenders. UNTV

Women who have been forced by terrorists to provide shelter, food and sexual services should never be denied asylum on the ground that they gave material support to terrorism, an independent United Nations expert said today.

She has her two legs firmly on two different boats – journalism – and the other is the hope of her parents – to be a medical doctor. Ultimately, 19-year-old Faza Noorzai thinks, her choice will prevail in her long-term career.

Women business executives have a major role to play in helping help to achieve a green economy, safeguard the environment and improve living conditions around the world while at the same time ensuring the profitability of their enterprises, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

By Cornelia Walther KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, 23 October 2009 â Maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan are among the highest in the world. In the southern region, 1,600 women out of every 100,000 die in childbirth.

There are cries of hunger from desperately underweight babies in many parts of Ethiopia and Sonali Wickrema, a World Food Program director in Ethiopia, says her organisation is struggling to provide relief. "There are about one million mothers and malnourished children currently in Ethiopia who require special assistance," she said.

Trafficking of human beings is a crime that affects all countries in one way or another - either as a source of trafficked persons, or as a transit or destination country. The majority of victims are women and girls, who are trafficked for sexual exploitation. To address this crime effectively, human rights experts say it is important to listen to the victims and survivors of trafficking. At an event at the United Nations in New York this week, several women shared their stories of survival.

By the terms of the first text approved, "cooperatives in social development", the Year would be proclaimed in recognition of the major role cooperatives play in economic and social development.

The United Nations hosted a special event at its New York Headquarters today for the victims and survivors of human trafficking, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issuing a broad-based call to action for States to tackle the root causes and ensure swift justice against the perpetrators.

Representatives from the UN-INSTRAW programme “Gender, governance and women’s political participation,” will participate in the “III International Congress, which will focus on...

Representantes del programa “Género, gobernabilidad y participación política de las mujeres“ de UN-INSTRAW participarán en III Congreso Internacional de Estudios Electorales: Partidos,...

The massive and irreversible inclusion of Latin American and Caribbean women in the workforce has highlighted the challenges of the traditional interplay between work and family life. Relieving these tensions is an essential step towards gender equality and more productive economies, says a joint report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

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.

NAIROBI Thursday, October 15, 2009 (IRIN) - Countries where women's literacy rates and access to education are significantly worse than men's tend to have higher levels of hunger, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

BEIJING , China — The effort to ensure that all Asians can access reproductive health services is falling short, despite global agreement that this is essential to meeting other development goals. That was the consensus at a regional forum here involving a wide range of experts, activists and practitioners in the field.

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman and Mallika Dutt, anti-violence group Breakthrough's Executive Director, today supported the call for a comprehensive approach by the United States to address ending violence against women. Ms. Kidman and Ms. Dutt, speaking to members of the U.S. House of ...

Speech by Mallika Dutt, U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight, 21 October 2009

NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC as well as NGOs that were accredited to the Fourth World Conference on Women or to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly may now pre-register their representatives to attend the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

UNIFEM and the Heinrich Böll Foundation launched a research report in Kabul on 15 October, focusing on Afghanistan's first class of women Parliamentarians. The report, Afghanistan's Parliament in the Making: Gendered Understandings and Practices of Politics in a Transitional Country, is written by Andrea Fleschenberg. Based on interviews with ...

Based on interviews with male and female parliamentarians in Afghanistan, the report analyzes the role of women Members of Parliament and the challenges they face.

2009 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development will be launched at a panel event at (1:15-2:30 p.m, Conference Room 2) on Monday, 26 October 2009. The report focuses on “Women’s control over economic resources and access to financial resources, including microfinance".

In the run up to EU Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued a report based on the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (launched in February 2009), which shows that trafficking in persons is an under-detected crime in Europe.

Despite much progress, recent food, financial and weather crises have triggered an unrelenting growth in hunger around the globe. Today, a record one billion people – mostly women and children – go to bed hungry each night.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched, in Brussels on Monday, a new campaign against trafficking in people for profit.

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, Room IX, from 6 pm to 7.30 pm. Live webcast starting 6 pm (Paris time).

A coordination workshop for UNIFEM programmes on women's economic security and rights in Latin America was held in Quito in Ecuador on 12-14 October. The 40 participating specialists in the field of economics and gender focused their discussion on economic security and women's rights in the context of the global ...

Speech by UNIFEM, speech delivered by Gabriela Alvarez, 64th Session of the UN General Assembly, Third Committee, 19 October 2009

For a decade, the lives of young Cambodian women were transformed by jobs in the textile industry. But the global economic crisis changed all that, threatening to undo ten years of progress. UNTV

The United Nations (UN) and the Council of Europe (CoE) have released a new study calling for an international convention to combat organ trafficking (news release). The study, Trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the removal of organs (pdf), ca...

DAKAR, Senegal – Nearly 35 participants from UNFPA country offices in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Arab States, Asia and Europe, along with partners from governments and the civil society, met here this week to reflect on the most appropriate and efficient strategies to fully engage men and boys in the promotion of gender equality and in the prevention of HIV.

Conversations for a Better World is a shared blog about the burning issues of our time, especially population, health and gender. It is a place on the Internet, where people exchange ideas and opinions, a place for us to be ourselves. The idea is to get people talking about how we can co-create a b....

In the run up to the EU Anti-Trafficking Day to be marked on 18 October, UNODC has issued a report based on the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (launched in February 2009), showing that trafficking in persons is an under-detected crime in Europe. Along with the new report,...

Gender equality experts from Latin America and representatives from United Nations entities met in Chile to share best practices for public policies.

UNIFEM and the Palestinian Ministry of Women's Affairs, with support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), organized for the first time in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) an event marking the International Day of Rural Women. The event took place in the marginalized village of Anata in East-Jerusalem, ...

Although Central American women entrepreneurs have worked for decades in the local production of food, ceramics, craftworks and accessories, their contribution to the economy has seldom been acknowledged by analysts, local authorities or financial institutions. According to Rita Cassisi, Coordinator of the UNIFEM programme 'Women and Local Economic Development' (MYDEL), ...

Especialistas en igualdad de género de toda América Latina y representantes de organismos de Naciones Unidas, se reunieron en Chile para compartir...

Although Central American women entrepreneurs have worked for decades in the local production of food, ceramics, craftworks and accessories, their contribution to the economy has seldom been acknowledged by analysts, local authorities or financial institutions. According to Rita Cassisi, Coordinator of the UNIFEM programme 'Women and Local Economic Development' (MYDEL), ...

UNITED NATIONS, New York—More than 160 ministers, parliamentarians, and representatives of regional intergovernmental organizations and other world leaders will gather in Addis Ababa for a High-Level Meeting on Maternal Health – Millennium Development Goal 5. The 26 October event, organized by the Netherlands and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is intended to push maternal health higher on the political agenda and increase political and financial commitment for improving maternal health at the country level.

UNFPA and WEDO have developed a comprehensive resource kit on gender, population and climate change. Learn how gender equality can reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts and how women are uniquely positioned to help curb the harmful consequences of a changing climate. Climate change is already impacting populations and ecosystems around ...

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 ...

NAIROBI, 15 October 2009 (IRIN) - Countries where women's literacy rates and access to education are significantly worse than men's tend to have higher levels of hunger, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

NEW YORK — Women are uniquely positioned to help curb the harmful consequences of a changing climate, according to a new comprehensive on-line resource kit on gender, population and climate change launched today by UNFPA and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO).

The L'ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science partnership on 14 October announced the five exceptional women scientists from around the world who will receive the 2010 L'ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards in the Life Sciences.

Organizaciones del movimiento feminista, organizaciones de migrantes y asociaciones de empleadas de hogar se encuentran para dialogar y alcanzar acuerdos con el...

Statement by Ban Ki-moon, International Day of Rural Women

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict says her report to the General Assembly includes sexual violence against boys.

The feminist movement as well as migrant organizations and associations of domestic workers will gather to discuss and reach agreements...

The UN project will focus on sustainable integrated highland agriculture and other income generating activities, assist with local environment and natural resource management plans, help provide education for all, but especially for girls and women living in remote areas, and  revise school curriculum and learning materials.

Speech by Inés Alberdi, 64th Session of the UN General Assembly, Second Committee, 14 October 2009

UNFPA and IPPF, the International Planned Parenthood Federation share a vision – to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women, men and young people around the world. UNFPA directly supports governments while IPPF provides comprehensive services at the community level and holds a strong civil society presence. This publication provides an overview of the joint programme of UNFPA and IPPF, funded by the European Commission and the African, Carribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. The 23 country sheets highlight key statistics, achievements and lessons learned from each project.

The German Government will fund a United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) project in Iraq worth  EUR 3.5 million aimed at promoting micro-industries and developing other income-generating activities. (...) The two-year project was designed to improve the livelihoods of widows, women heads of households, young people, marginal farmers, manufacturing workers, and returnees affected by the conflict.

A new, binding international treaty is needed to prevent trafficking in organs, tissues and cells (OTC), protect victims and prosecute offenders in this exploitation of the deeply impoverished, according to a joint study launched today by the United Nations and the Council of Europe.

UN-INSTRAW participated in the event entitled “First international seminar – Migration in the dawn of the XXI Century” which was held...

BANGKOK, 13 October 2009 (IRIN) - Women are being excluded from the debate over climate change, despite being most at risk, and governments should do more to ensure their situations and views are represented, campaigners and experts say.

UN-INSTRAW participará en el evento “1er seminario internacional - Migración en los albores del siglo XXI” que se llevará a...

The rampant and brutal abuse of women in war zones continues unchecked, the chair of a United Nations committee said today, urging all nations to ratify the international Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

UNITED NATIONS — The General Assembly today marked the fifteenth anniversary of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which adopted a 20-year plan to provide access to reproductive health, reduce maternal deaths, promote women’s rights and help reduce poverty. During the all-day event, speakers from around the world voiced their support for the ICPD consensus and shared experiences on how it has helped their countries, communities and families.

In continuing promotion of its mandate to protect civilians, UNAMID has conducted a workshop on sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in the Rwanda internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Tawilla, North Darfur, about 50 kilometers from El Fasher.

UNITED NATIONS --- The Programme of Action puts people at the centre of development. It calls for the collection and analysis of population data to guide equitable policy decisions. It positions reproductive health, including family planning, and the healthy relationships and well-being of individuals, as a right. It makes clear that when women are empowered and supported to determine the number and spacing of their children—a decision that is seemingly simple yet so complex – they improve their own lives and the well-being of their families, communities and countries.

Pointing to the recent reports of widespread sexual assault against women in Guinea, US Senator Barbara Boxer stressed the urgency of appointing a Special Representative to oversee efforts to stop such sexual violence in conflict areas.

California's United States Senator Barbara Boxer (D) comments on the pace of the UN to appoint a special representative to oversee efforts to stop the sexual violence against women in combat areas. "There isn't enough movement here at the UN and my message is that the women of the senate and the Ame...

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called for recommitting to the 1994 Cairo Programme to empower women.

Fifteen years after a United Nations conference on population vowed to put gender equality and reproductive rights at the centre of development, the number of maternal deaths from childbirth - "a staggering toll of more than half a million women each year" - has not changed, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today.

Speech by Joanne Sandler, 64th Session of the UN General Assembly Third Committee

MANILA Monday, October 12, 2009 (IRIN) - Nine months pregnant with her first child, Chona de la Cruz, 30, waded through murky flood waters amid heavy rain to reach a government hospital in Manila's suburban Cainta district.

Tanzania has been hosting refugees from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the early 1990s. Over the past few years, a large number of refugees have returned to their home countries. With the official recognition of the Forces Nationales de Libération as a political party in Bur...

NEW YORK — On 12 October, the General Assembly of the United Nations will hold a high-level meeting to mark the 15th anniversary of International Conference on Population and Development and discuss the visionary 20-year Programme of Action that came out of it. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the president of the General Assembly, and the Member States are expected to call attention to what ICPD has meant to the world, and to highlight the continuing importance of population dynamics, reproductive health and rights, women’s empowerment and related issues to improving the quality of life of people around the world.

NEW YORK — Some 450 business and community leaders, dignitaries and philanthropists gathered last night at Gotham Hall to celebrate the 2009 Americans for UNFPA Honourees for the Health and Dignity of Women.

Investing in quality health care in poor countries can make a dramatic difference to the survival rates of the estimated 500,000 women worldwide who die each year while giving birth, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in an address this evening spotlighting the need to support the work of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

UN and Africa - a weekly 15-minute radio programme on political, social, economic and other developments related to Africa.

UNITED NATIONS, New York—UNFPA will sponsor a special event on 12 October to open a major exhibition on violence against women around the world. The show, to be attended by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, other senior United Nations officials and representative of the diplomatic community, is also intended to observe the 15th anniversary of the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and will follow a full-day session of the General Assembly commemorating the anniversary.

Kisangani, 8 October 2009 - MONUC's Child Protection section, UNICEF and the provincial ministry for Gender the Family and Children yesterday launched to Kisangani a protection campaign for children in Oriental Province.

In accordance with its multi-year programme of work, in 2010 the Commission on the Status of Women will review the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly. It will also review its contribution to shaping a gender perspective towards the full realization of the Millennium Development Goals. In preparation for the session and to assist the Commission in its deliberations, the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women will convene an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on the link between the Platform for Action and the MDGs. The EGM will take place from 11 – 13 November 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has launched a child protection campaign in a war-ravaged eastern province of the African nation.

BANGKOK—Following the recent series of natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is providing humanitarian assistance in affected countries throughout the region. As part of the coordinated United Nations response and working through local partners, the Fund is primarily addressing reproductive health needs, particularly those of displaced pregnant women.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the increased participation of women in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction. This is the second meeting in less than a week, in which the Council has focused on women in armed conflict. Both resolutions build on the historic resolution 1325.

According to a new World Bank report, getting more women into the labor force in Turkey would cut poverty and spur economic growth. WORLD BANK

"UNV volunteers are frequently at the heart of the UN's presence on the ground," says Helen Clark, UN Development Programme Administrator, in a foreword to the report. Miss Clark notes that UNV volunteers support elections, empower women and assist refuges to enhance local governance.

Scores of millions of children worldwide are subject to trafficking, sexual abuse or child labour, lack parental care or documents needed to access schools and health care, or face violence in their homes, schools or communities, according to a new United Nations report released today.

To address the technical and political challenges of reaching sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, and other sexual minority groups while also supporting strong country ownership, the Global Fund, UNAIDS and the Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS is hostin...

UN-HABITAT has signed a milestone agreement with the Huairou Commission to strengthen the involvement of grassroots women in projects and programmes for better housing and sustainable urban development. The agreement signed Monday on World Habitat Day strengthens areas of existing work, and also ventures into newer areas, such as information technology.

Statement by Inés Alberdi,

Speech by Inés Alberdi, Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security

The UN Security Council on 5 October called for a wide range of measures to strengthen the participation of women at all stages of peace processes. Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 1889 (2009), the Security Council reaffirmed its landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, ...

The Security Council today unanimously urged all countries and international bodies to take further steps to ensure full participation of women in all stages of conflict resolution and peace-building, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling it "a top priority for the United Nations."

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for greater participation of women and girls in peace making efforts following conflict.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — FIGO, the International Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, has conferred its Recognition Award on Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, for her major contributions to women’s health and rights. This is highest honour that FIGO bestows on those who are not gynaecologists or obstetricians.

Kinshasa, 2 October 2009 - From 30 September to 1 October last, 22 focal points from MONUC police were sensitized by MONUC's Conduct and Discipline section, on the code of conduct and discipline in relation to sexual exploitation and abuse.

Thousands of young Indonesian women seek work abroad as domestic help. Some use work agencies to facilitate their training, travel and placement, but many end up being abused by their employers. UNDP

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged countries not to waver in their commitments to women and girls in the midst of the ongoing economic crisis, particularly in ensuring their basic human rights.

A joint United Nations programme to counter human trafficking in Zambia which involves IOM, UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) has been boosted by Euros 1.6 million funding from the European Commission.

2 October 2009 - Domestic violence in Viet Nam is still often regarded as a private matter to be dealt with behind closed doors. While there exists legislation for criminal justice service providers to intervene in cases of domestic violence, putting it into practice remains a big hurdle. UNODC rece...

New York — When AIDS first struck in the 1980s, it mainly affected men. Today, women account for about half of the 33 million people living with HIV worldwide, and 60 per cent of those infected in sub-Saharan Africa. The large majority of these women acquired the virus through heterosexual intercourse, mostly through unprotected sex with their husbands or long-term primary partners.

NEW YORK — Improving maternal health and reducing newborn deaths is a complex undertaking because, among other things, it involves strengthening health systems, scaling up programmes to reach remote rural areas and marginalized populations, and ensuring that appropriate resources are committed to what some consider a 'woman's issue.'

In a meeting chaired by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on September 30, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that specifically mandates peacekeeping missions to protect women and children from sexual violence during armed conflict. The Security Council also requested the UN Secretary-General to appoint a ...

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the unanimous adoption of the Security Council resolution to combat sexual violence in armed conflict.

MANILA, Philippines, 1 October 2009 – It was a day that would be etched forever in Lea Mariano's memory. On 26 September, she and 90 million other Filipinos went about their day in the usual fashion: enjoying a typical Saturday with family, running errands, going to the mall or taking care of their babies.

Organizer: UNFPA
Event dates: 1 October 2009
Venue: Bogota, Colombia

The Security Council unanimously approves 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, ...

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.

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.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the UN Security Council for unanimously adopting a resolution to end sexual violence against women and children in conflict-related situations.

At a Security Council meeting to be chaired by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday (30 September), the United States is expected to introduce a resolution to further strengthen efforts to curb sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict. UNTV / FILE

NAIROBI Monday, September 28, 2009 (IRIN) - When pregnant women in Tanzania choose whether to give birth at home or in a clinic, the attitude of health workers and availability of drugs are more important factors than cost and distance to the clinic, a new study suggests.

BEIRUT Wednesday, September 30, 2009 (IRIN) - Abbey was a nurse at a French hospital in Madagascar when a recruitment agency suggested to her boss that she travel to Lebanon for three years to work and learn Arabic so she could better care for the Arab sailors whose ships docked at the Indian Ocean island.

DAKAR Tuesday, September 29, 2009 (IRIN) - Putting medicines for haemorrhage and infection in the hands of community health workers could mean significantly fewer maternal deaths in Africa, according to researchers at University College London.

These briefing cards outline why decision-makers should prioritise saving mothers’ and newborns’ lives and key investments they should make in order to achieve that goal. Designed for use by policymakers, civil society groups, and advocates, the cards explain why the world needs to invest now in maternal, newborn, and reproductive health and the strategic actions needed to improve vital health services for mothers and their newborns in the developing world.

DAKA, Bangladesh — Slim and graceful, Hasina Akter still has a winning smile, luxuriant dark hair and one large bright eye. But she’s no longer the beauty she one was – not since Amir, an employee of her father’s, threw acid on her face, leaving her disfigured and partially blind.

UNFPA has been tracking donor support for contraceptives and condoms since 1990. This annual report for 2008 is intended to enhance coordination among partners at all levels and to continue progress toward universal access to sexual and reproductive health, as set forth in the ICPD Programme of Action and, subsequently, the Millennium Development Goals.

Despair is giving way to cautious optimism even in the most HIV-affected African nations as antiretroviral drugs become more widely available to stop HIV-positive women from infecting their unborn child or infant, thus edging closer to United Nations targets for an HIV-free generation of children.

Date: 30 Sep 2009
Source: Amnesty

30 September 2009 -- A new report shows increases in the numbers of HIV-positive people receiving antiretroviral therapy in low and middle income countries, expanded HIV testing and counselling services , and improved access to services to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child. However more than five million people in need still do not receive antiretroviral treatment.

This Framework aims to ensure that the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women is fully equipped to systematically generate, capture and disseminate knowledge of what approaches work most effectively to ensure that women and girls live a life free of violence.

Multilateralism, with a revitalized United Nations playing the pivotal role, is vital for combating a host of ills threatening West African countries, such as drugs, arms and human trafficking, organized crime and terrorism, Cape Verde said today.

UNITED NATIONS — A key forum on ways to meet the long-neglected sexual and reproductive health needs of people affected by protracted crises, such as conflicts, will be held from 28 to 30 September in Granada, Spain. The event, Consultation on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Protracted Crises and Recovery, is being organized by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Andalusian School of Public Health.  

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Grammy-winning world music artist Angélique Kidjo has launched 'Give the Gift of Life', a new campaign with Pampers to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) by 2012.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay on Monday stressed the need to eliminate gender discrimination.

The latest report of the Secretary-General on Women and peace and security has been issued (S/2009/465). The report focuses on actions to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) since October 2008....

In a message to an event titled 'Peace and Security through Women's Leadership: Acting on 1325 and Climate Change', UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged for women's equal participation in addressing the challenges of climate change. The event at UN Headquarters in New York on 24 September was convened by ...

Health officials, many from countries either in or recovering from long-running crises, are meeting at a United Nations forum in Granada, Spain, to find ways to meet the neglected sexual and reproductive health needs of people during and immediately after crisis situations.

Iceland today welcomed recently announced plans to amalgamate four United Nations agencies and offices that promote the rights and well-being of women worldwide and encourage gender equality into one single entity within the Organization.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton along with UN partners 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. UNTV / FILE

UNAIDS partners in new Clinton Global Initiative to address sexual violence against girls

A key forum aimed at finding ways to meet the long neglected sexual and reproductive health needs of people affected by protracted crises, such as conflicts, will be held 28-30 September in Granada, Spain.

This paper explores the implications of the democratic paradox. It first traces how religion and politics are intertwined in Turkey and then examines the social and political effects of this intertwining in contemporary politics from a gender perspective.

The United Nations system is in urgent need of reform to ensure there is gender equality in all its organs and related agencies, Liberia's Vice-President told the high-level General Assembly debate today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), five United Nations organizations (UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNIFEM, WHO) and private sector supporters will join together later today via the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in a new approach to address the rights violations and health impacts of sexual violence against girls. ...

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.

Providing free healthcare to millions of women and children in some of the world’s poorest countries has come a step closer, with the unveiling on 23 September of a US$5.3 billion financing package by British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

Every purchase of the new FEED 10 Pouch, a set with Bobbi Brown lip glosses, will provide ten disadvantaged women with food and job training through the United Nations World Food Program. Celebrated makeup artist Bobbi Brown and model/activist Lauren Bush collaborated to create the set (..).

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.

This guide is intended to contribute to the development and more effective use of gender-sensitive indicators so that services are delivered more efficiently and effectively to women. It should be seen as a generic and basic tool to map and anlyse governance of basic service delivery from a gender perspective. It includes indicators and measurement tools and presents examples of newly developed and innovative measurement initiatives in women’s access to public services.

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women has been selected as a Commitment to Action by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). Ricky Martin presented the UN Trust Fund during the CGI Annual Meeting, among other initiatives, on ending violence against women, sponsored by the NoVo Foundation, ...

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown hosts a global forum on maternal mortality, "Investing In Our Common Future: Healthy Women, Healthy Children." France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy hosts "Protecting Mothers and Children against HIV." UNTV

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.

The United Nations agency tasked with helping the rural poor has announced it will provide more than $16 million for a programme in Burkina Faso that aims to help thousands of young people and women in the landlocked West African nation develop non-farm enterprises.

This publication presents the key findings of the expert consultation “Tracking and Monitoring Gender Equality and HIV/AIDS in Aid Effectiveness.” It highlights the need for a framework that links structural, social and individual determinants of gender inequality as well as presents opportunities (provided by the Paris Declaration) to strengthen the focus on intersections between HIV, violence against women, and sexual and reproductive health access and rights. The publication also underscores the need for comprehensive gender equality indicators for use in monitoring progress to meet key targets and goals outlined within the United Nations Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS.

23 SEPTEMBER 2009 | UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK - At a landmark event at the UN in New York convened by The Partnership , some 300 high-level participants announced an unprecedented array of commitments to save maternal and child lives in developing countries and achieve the internationally-agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 & 5. As well as pledging more than US $5 billion in multi-year funding, leaders committed to a global Consensus for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

BEIRUT Wednesday, September 23, 2009 (IRIN) - As lawmakers struggle to form a government three months after Lebanon's parliamentary elections, women's rights activists await the opening of parliament to debate a new bill on domestic violence.

The Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chose Irina Gueorguieva Bokova from Bulgaria as candidate to the post of Director-General. If she is confirmed by the General Conference, she will be the first woman elected to this position....

What organisations as diverse as corporate foundations like Nike's, Novo's, Exxon Mobil's and Goldman Sachs', and girl's education charity Camfed and the safe motherhood advocates, the White Ribbon Alliance and the World Food Programme have understood is that early investment in girls and women -- with education, good nutrition and economic empowerment -- yields the greatest of results with rising economic contributions of those invested-in girls and women for themselves, their families, their communities and our world.

In partnership with governement agencies, development groups, civil society organizations and donors, UNIFEM works to implement Results-Based Initiatives (RBIs) to advance and measure the impacts of women’s economic empowerment. This brochure is a snapshot of what results-based initiatives are and how they work to economically empower women.

No woman should die needlessly in childbirth with the resources and technology available in the world, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a high-level gathering on the margins of the General Assembly today.

Ahead of a high-level event Wednesday (23 September) on maternal health led by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it is "just unacceptable" that in the 21st century, a woman still dies every minute from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. UNTV / UNICEF / FILE

UN-INSTRAW welcomes the General Assembly decision to adopt Resolution (A/RES/63/311) in support of the establishment of a strengthened gender architecture that will...

The 58 members of UNESCO's Executive Board on 22 September designated Irina Gueorguieva Bokova (Bulgaria) as candidate to the post of Director-General. On 15 October, the nomination will be submitted to the approval of the General Conference, which brings together representatives of the Organization's 193 Member States. Once confirmed, she will be the first woman Director-General of the Organization.

NEW YORK, USA, 22 September 2009 – The Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem serves students from minority and low-income families. It is a pioneer in all-girl public education, and a model of success.

(...) WFP has adopted a new strategy that reformulates our entire approach to nutrition. We will prioritise children under two and pregnant and lactating mothers. This is a revolution in the way we do business. (...)

The rains have come in Katine, but it is too soon for the most vulnerable groups - women, children or the elderly – to breathe a sigh of relief (..). The NGO World Vision, which has distributed food rations to about 2,000 households in the Soroti region - in which Katine is found - on behalf of the World Food Programme, says 69% of households in the district are food insecure, with most households surviving on one meal per day.

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman meet with students and staff at the Young Women's Leadership School in East Harlem to discuss the important role that quality education plays in improving children's lives. UNICEF

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy echoed UNAIDS call to virtually eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015 while addressing the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and leaders at a side event to the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

22 SEPTEMBER 2009 | NEW YORK - A new Consensus for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, agreed this year by a broad range of governments, non-governmental organizations, international health agencies, and individuals, through the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), will be launched at a high-level event at the United Nations on Wednesday, September 23rd.

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.

Violence against women, the transition from war to peace and the criminalization of drug use and homosexuality are among the political, economic and social factors driving the HIV/AIDS pandemic, according to a United Nations-backed report released today.

Organizer: Global Fund, UNICEF (HIV Division) and UNAIDS
Event dates: 23 September 2009, 16-17 pm
Venue: United Nations Trusteeship Council Chamber

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has visited a girls' school in New York to shine the spotlight on the crucial role that quality education plays in improving children's lives, in her official role with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The Internship Programme at UN-INSTRAW is designed to acquaint students or recent graduates with gender issues and the work of UN-INSTRAW...

The United Nations University Office in New York is organizing a multi-part panel discussion of policy perspectives on how climate change affects the ability of people to manage their risks - through migration and displacement, or through mechanisms such as risk reduction and insurance, as the impacts of climate change become more pronounced in vulnerable areas of the world.

US Fund for UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu delivered an impassioned speech here this week to raise awareness about the estimated 1.2 million children who are trafficked worldwide every year.

While praising the progress made in fighting HIV and AIDS, with more than 4 million people in developing countries now on AIDS treatment compared with virtually no one five years ago, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for more funding and "a more ambitious approach" to save lives and help mothers and children around the world.

The World Bank will contribute a further US$130 million towards meeting Nepal’s Education for All goals. The program will also finance a range of activities intended to ensure equitable access and quality basic education for all children in the 5-12 age group, prepare pre- school age children for basic education through Early Childhood Education Development and deliver basic numeracy and literacy to youth and adults, especially women.

Efforts to curb HIV transmission from mothers to their children in Africa have received a boost, thanks to a new partnership between the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and a UN-backed initiative seeking to help lift villages on the continent lift themselves out of poverty.

UNAIDS and the Millennium Villages Project signed an agreement in New York to strengthen efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa. The aim of the partnership is to help local governments create “Mother to child transmission-free zones? in 14 ‘Millennium Villages’ across ten African countries.

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.

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) 2008 Report has been issued (A/64/164). It provides a review and update of progress of the UNIFEM as framed in its strategic plan, 2008-2011(DP/2007/45)....

We are glad and proud to hear some more voices of participants from different parts of the world. The first is Mr Sergey Savchuk, an ILO Kiev official in charge of the review of labour legislation in Ukraine, and the second is a participant in the same training activity. The others are participants in Gender and Non-Discrimination training activities.

Some 2.5 million Guatemalans have been affected by the worst drought to hit the Central American country in 30 years, with hundreds of thousands, including many pregnant women and children, facing severe hunger, the United Nations reported today.

Net primary enrollment in Sindh increased by 25 percent between 2002 and 2007 - from 40 to 50 percent. Gender parity got a big boost with girls’ enrollment increasing by more than 45 percent; the transition of rural girls from primary to secondary school jumped from 42 percent in 2006 to 51 percent in 2008.

AMMAN, 17 September 2009 – "UNICEF is deeply concerned about reports that civilians, including children, died in an air raid on a camp for displaced persons in northern Yemen. "The raid left a high number of casualties, mainly women and children.

A global action plan linking reproductive health, women?s rights and development remains an urgent priority 15 years after its adoption, Asian and the Pacific governments affirmed Thursday. Senior officials from 30 countries pledged to do more to promote safe motherhood, family planning, gender equality and adolescent health, at a forum reviewing regional progress since the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). ESCAP and UNFPA organized the meeting as part of a worldwide series of activities commemorating the landmark 1994 Cairo conference.

This study aims to decipher the gendered impact of climate change in indigenous societies in Asia with a particular focus on the Adivasi ethnic and tribal group of India. In conclusion, the study offers policy recommendations to enhance women’s resiliency to these impacts.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for action to protect women against abuses and discrimination. Secretary-General Ban made the remarks yesterday in New York at a panel discussion and book signing ceremony for Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a book by Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

The targets of a landmark global action plan, adopted 15 years ago, linking reproductive health, women's rights and development remain an urgent priority today, top officials from 30 Asia-Pacific nations have concluded at a United Nations-backed gathering.

The UN General Assembly has decided to consolidate the existing activities of agencies that deal with women's issues into one main organization.

While the global economy is showing tentative signs of recovery, 43 low-income developing countries are still suffering the consequences of the global recession, which highlights the need to increase support to the poorest countries dealing with economic volatility and crisis, the World Bank said.(...)The crisis is slowing dramatically the steady progress achieved in reducing global poverty, notes the paper. In Cambodia, 62,000 garment workers have lost their jobs in this key sector for the economy, with women making up 90 percent of this workforce.

UNAIDS welcomes the adoption of a resolution by the 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations calling for the creation of a new UN agency on women.

The Cheha District of Ethiopia abandons Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) through community dialogue and the implementation a campaign to rid the country of the controversial practice. UNICEF

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.

"It was with great sadness that we learned of the untimely death of 12-year-old Fawziya Youssef from Yemen. Fawziya was forced into a child marriage with a man at least twice her age.

La situación en la cual mujeres migrantes viajan desde el sur hasta el norte para trabajar en el sector de cuidados,...

This report provides a comprehensive picture and analysis of the increasingly imbalanced sex ratios at birth occurring in Viet Nam. In 2000 the country's sex ratio at birth, an important demographic indicator, was at normal levels and was estimated to be fairly close to normal (105 boys to 100 girls). That ratio increased to 112.1 in 2008. The current growth of 1 point per year since 2006 means that the ratio might cross the 115 mark within three years, which would significantly affect the country’s demographic and sex structure.

NORTH KIVU, DRC — in the eastern corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been described as one of the  most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. According to the latest report by the United Nations Secretary General, over the last decade at least 200,000 cases of sexual violence have been recorded, but because of gross under- reporting, the true numbers are assumed to be much higher.

Trafficking in persons is a priority concern for UNODC. Given that in India and elsewhere poverty is one of the main factors leading to human trafficking, UNODC has initiated a pilot training course for a group of young people vulnerable to being trafficked.

Fancy Rajshahi, a 40-year-old Bangladeshi woman who lives in grinding poverty, was thrilled earlier this year when she started to receive bags of fortified wheat flour from WFP to help nourish her three boys. Now it seems her good luck could be about to vanish.

Female labor force participation can yield substantial social and economic dividends, says a new report from the World Bank and the Turkish Government

In Guatemala, WFP’s vital programme providing nutritious food supplements to 100,000 children and 50,000 pregnant and lactating women, is hanging by a thread.