UN gender equality news feed

The UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability releases its report, "Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing." The report contains 56 recommendations to put sustainable development into practice and to mainstream it into economic policy.

American rap star Curtis Jackson, known to fans as 50 Cent, calls the sights he saw in a refugee camp in Somalia "devastating." The United Nations World Food Program recently hosted Jackson on a tour of Somalia and Kenya so he could see the fight against hunger in the Horn of Africa. Jackson spoke Thursday about a visit to the Kabasa camp in southern Somalia's Dolow region, where thousands have sought refuge from war and drought. Jackson said women and children risked everything just to get food.

Lack of access to reproductive health services in Myanmar has led to high rates of maternal deaths and unplanned pregnancies among the country's displaced, migrant and refugee populations, say health experts. Without skilled birth attendants or contraception, complications from unsafe abortions and post-partum haemorrhage are common along the Thai-Burmese border, where there are more than 150,000 Burmese refugees, according to a new report by the international NGO, Ibis Reproductive Health.

It has been one year since a wave of political change set Egypt on a challenging but promising path to reform. Yet, while women played a crucial role in bringing the transition about, many feel that they are yet to fully benefit from it.

UN Women works with Rwandan co-ops to increase women farmers' access to agricultural services. Trainings provided to co-op leaders have enabled them to think about the needs of women and men farmers. A testimony to their success is the sentiment expressed by many of the women members about the life they can now provide for their children and the future.

This 2011 manual highlights the issues of women in shelter homes. Very little efforts have been made earlier to understand the problems and concerns of these women. The issues of the staff who work in shelter homes are hardly addressed too. This lack of understanding can lead to the inadequate care and support and at times injustice to the residents who have been victims of difficult circumstances. This manual aims to enable the care givers of these shelter homes to understand the needs of the women and gives them an insight into the spectrum of psychosocial interventions.

Produced jointly by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UN Women and the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) in 2011, this publication reviews human trafficking and the law in South Asia and provides a further country analysis in this context of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

More than 400 children have been killed in the ongoing conflict in Syria, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports. Meanwhile, hundreds of other youngsters are being held in detention where they face torture, sexual abuse and other horrors. Dianne Penn reports. Duration: 2'07″

The goal of this guidance document is to provide a framework for developing an essential Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) package. It focuses on two priority areas: 1) integrating family planning into maternal and newborn care services, and 2) integrating services for preventing and managing sexually transmitted infections/reproductive tract infections into primary healthcare services.

There's a clear geographical distinction when it comes to cancer and women. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is more common in industrialized countries while cervical cancer overwhelming affects women in the developing world. Cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV, which is sexually transmitted. It has a low cure rate. 4 February marks World Cancer Day and WHO's Dr. Andreas Ullrich explains why a woman's access to cancer care makes all the difference.

To help provide opportunities for girls and young women in Gaza, UNRWA has partnered with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) to offer rare on-the-job placements. During their school break, young refugee women shadow professionals for one week, in fields such as primary health care, human resources, and emergency preparedness. The programme complements their formal instruction at school while providing refugee students with an opportunity to serve their own communities.

On 2 February 2012, the Pakistan Senate unanimously approved the "National Commission on the Status of Women Bill 2012″ to protect women's rights against every kind of discrimination. The new bill replaces the National Commission on the Status of Women Ordinance from 2000 and strengthens the Commission by giving it financial and administrative autonomy through an independent Secretariat.

WHO and partners are launching a new website on results, resources and oversight related to women's and children's health. The site will track progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the Accountability Commission and inform the international community about the work of its independent Expert Review Group (iERG). The website will also serve as a global database for the accountability issues related to women's and children's health.

Women at the grassroots in Nepal are being empowered to address all forms of violence against them and their children. Community-based Paralegal Committee programmes, supported by UNICEF, were created initially to stop the trafficking of persons. But more recently, the committees are settling domestic disputes, matters relating to property rights, fighting discrimination and also promoting family health rights. In this audio segment, John Britte, UNICEF's Chief Communications Officer, describes how these paralegal committees work.

Dramatizing violence! That's the motto of the community-based Seeds Theatre Group to address violence against women and girls in the densely populated communities of the Lae District in the Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. Funded through UN Women's Pacific Fund to End Violence against Women, the Seeds Theatre Group consists primarily of unemployed youth and uses theatre as a powerful tool to raise awareness in urban communities with high risks of HIV/AIDS, crime and drugs.

Message of UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, on the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, 6 February 2012.

A network of 50,000 women is helping Nepal to make great strides in health care. The Female Community Health Volunteers, or FCHVs as they are known, bring essential health services and medicine to remote areas of the country. They are supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). John Brittain, UNICEF's Chief of Communications in Nepal, talks about the vital role these women are playing, including in driving down child mortality rates.

Women in 15 African countries are working to abandon the deeply rooted traditional practice of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C). The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates up to three million girls a year undergo the procedure. Senegal looks set to become the first African country to stamp out FGM/C, according to the agency. Dianne Penn spoke to Nafissatou Diop, coordinator of a joint UNFPA-UNICEF programme on FGM/C. She explains how Senegalese women are helping to change attitudes.

Maternal death rates in Afghanistan are down 22% since 2000 thanks to the growing popularity of midwifery training programmes, according to the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA. In Afghanistan, the combined total of midwives, nurses and doctors amounts to less than 1 for every 1,000 people. The lack of health workers trained in maternal care is compounded by the fact that Afghan women on average have just over five children. Dr. Laurent Zessler spoke to Jocelyne Sambira about how midwives have been key to saving lives.

Almost 2,000 communities across Africa have abandoned female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in 2011. This brought the total number of communities renouncing the practice to 8,000 over the last few years, according to new findings by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.

During a press conference 2 February to mark UN Women's first year anniversary, the organisation's Executive Director Michelle Bachelet said that her priority this year is to enhance the economic empowerment and political participation of women. She called for the support of the international community as well as concerted effort by the entire UN system to ensure success.

In a ceremony of poetry, drama and music, the Buremudaytu and Argoba districts in the Afar region officially abandoned female genital mutilation/cutting earlier this month. The event – attended by government and religious leaders, clan elders, former circumcisers and other community officials – was a remarkable achievement in an area where an extreme form of FGM/C was almost universally practiced for centuries.

When Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman began offering a course in community development in the 1990s meant for mature, illiterate women farmers, the main goal was to expand the students' role in the economic life of their communities. But over the years, many such courses have expanded to touch on more intimate subjects, including reproductive health, early marriage and even female genital mutilation/cutting, a longstanding tradition in the area.

Training women conflict mediators in countries in Africa and Asia, helping ethnic Moroccan women to inherit property, and creating "safe spaces" for school girls in Zambia. These are just some of the successes of UN Women, which celebrates its first anniversary this month. Agency chief Michelle Bachelet has outlined her six-point plan for 2012 which focuses on political and economic empowerment, as well as efforts to combat gender-based violence and expand women's role in conflict resolution.

Economic empowerment and the political participation of women have been identified as key issues in 2012 for the United Nations agency dealing with women's issues. The Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet said equality and empowerment depend on support from across the world.

Opening remarks of Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director of UN Women, on the one year anniversary of UN Women.

At a press conference in New York Thursday, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet called for galvanizing greater commitment and action for women and gender equality, as political and economic upheaval threaten progress on women's rights.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in the Middle East as part of his efforts to push forward Israeli Palestinian peace talks. During his trip, Mr. Ban visited the Khan Younis school of "hope" for girls in the southern Gaza Strip.

Investing in the social and economic development of women and girls yields big payoffs for them, their families and their communities, according to the United Nations. But women are still shut out of some professions, such as information and communication technologies, or ICTs, which are viewed as "stereotypically male." The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) says girls remain underrepresented in computer science and engineering programmes which could lead to careers in ICTs. Patrick Maigua spoke to the ITU's Susan Schorr about what the agency is doing to level the playing field.

Produced by UN Radio, this audio news report draws attention to innovative irrigation methods helping Kenyan farmers, Uzbek day care centres that cater to the needs of HIV-positive families, and young displaced Haitian women who are training in fashion design.

UNESCO and technical professional association, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), signed an agreement to implement projects to support the engineering community in Africa. UNESCO and IEEE agreed to collaborate on several projects and initiatives including accreditation programmes, faculty training and initiatives encouraging the participation of women in engineering.

The European Commission, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today announced the launch of a multi-country initiative to enhance women's participation in peace-building and post-conflict planning and economic recovery.

As Senegal edges closer to becoming the first African country to fully abandon the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting, younger women are supporting campaigns to change social norms surrounding the practice. In Pata, a village in the Kolda region of southeastern Senegal near the Gambian border, a celebration in November drew a huge crowd to formally announce the decision of 69 communities in Kolda to stop cutting.

The Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Tuesday that former Haitian dictator Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier should be tried for torture, rape and killings committed during his rule, not merely on corruption charges as reports indicate.

A UN Survey says that 75 percent of Afghans are happy with the role of the local police and more than 50 percent approves of the participation of women in the force.

This project, under the slogan "Help my hand write my future," aims at training 40,000 young girls and women in seven regions of the country, with emphasis on the use of ICTs to acquire skills in national languages.

Cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), as well as domestic violence, are increasing in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared independent Republic of Somaliland. Social workers attribute the trend to hard economic times made worse by recent drought in the region.

"We feel safe here," says Labakal Kalahin, an exhausted mother of four who lost one of her children while fleeing to the village of Pibor from the fighting which erupted late last year in South Sudan's Jonglei State. She's among tens of thousands of people driven from their homes by the fighting whom WFP is now moving to assist with food and basic necessities.

Intel and UNFPA have announced a joint commitment to strengthen the skills of midwives and community health workers through technology and training materials from the two organizations. Intel will build on its commitment to the United Nations Every Woman, Every Child initiative to help train one million frontline health workers by 2015 under the Intel 1Mx15 Health initiative. According to the United Nations, every year, about 360,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth and up to 2 million babies die within the first 24 hours of life, largely because they don't have access to properly trained health workers.

In 2012 the United Nations celebrates the International Year of Cooperatives. As important partners for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), cooperatives are helping to improve the lives of millions of smallholder farmers and their families, including marginalized groups, such as youth and women.

For the third time in a decade, drought has returned to the Sahel region of West Africa bringing hunger to millions of people across the region. The World Food Programme is pre-positioning food assistance ahead of the annual lean season when the vulnerable – especially women and children – are most at risk of malnutrition.

Italy must do more to protect women from violence and urgently address the underlying structural causes of gender inequality and discrimination, an independent United Nations human rights expert warned after visiting the country.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos on 27 January, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet participated in the panel, "Women as the way forward," — the first public meeting in Davos focused on women's leadership. Moderated by Nick Kristof, columnist for The New York Times, the event included panelists Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook; Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand; and Desmond M. Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, peace activist of South Africa, and president of The Elders, a non-governmental organization dedicated to peace and human rights.

Produced by UN Radio, this audio news report draws attention to a leading medical journal's recent study that suggests hormonal contraceptives, particularly injectables, may double the risk of uninfected women acquiring HIV. The audio clip also highlights the lack of decent jobs for African women and Egyptian women's demands for reform.

UN Women highlights gender equality and the empowerment of women as the cornerstone for sustainable development in its inputs to the Rio+20 consultations. ASG and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women, Lakshmi Puri calls on Member States for action-oriented inclusiveness of gender equality considerations at the initial consultations on the Zero Draft of the Rio+20 Outcome Document.

UNESCO will cooperate with Barefoot College to offer technical support for establishing environmentally sound Community Empowerment Centres in villages around the world. These centres will promote girls' and women's education, vocational skills, women's entrepreneurship, literacy and lifelong learning, in line with the aims of the Global Partnership launched by UNESCO in May 2011 to narrow the gender gap in secondary education and adult literacy.

Testimony by Michelle Bachelet Executive Director of UN Women at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. Strasbourg, France. 26 January 2012.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today on business leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to increase their investment in women's education and health to ensure their well-being and encourage their participation in the world economy.

The Executive Director of UN Women will travel to Strasbourg on 25 and 26 January to address the Parliamentary Assembly on women's rights worldwide. She will then travel to Davos, to meet with government officials, civil societies and businesses, and participate in a panel on "Women as the way forward" with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.

Egyptians have gathered in the thousands in Tahrir Square, Cairo, to mark the first anniversary of the uprising which toppled former President, Hosni Mubarak. Islamist party supporters are celebrating successes in the first elections in the post-Mubarak era, while many people, especially women, are calling for more political reform.

As the annual gathering opens, Cherie Blair, Founder, CB Foundation for Women, joins others in mapping out the tough challenges ahead for global well-being, including how to ensure women's economic inclusion. The World Food Programme has found that when girls and women earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of the money in their families. For men, that figure is more like 30 percent to 40 percent.

A private sector side event related to the UN Secretary General's Every Woman, Every Child effort is being co-organized with PMNCH. Keynote speakers include the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and CEOs from Merck and Johnson & Johnson. This event will be aligned closely with the central theme in Davos this year, The Great Transformation: New Business Models.

An investigation has been launched into two allegations of sexual exploitation and the abuse of minors by United Nations Police in Haiti. According to a United Nations spokesman, the first case involves United Nations police officers based in Port-au-Prince. The officers have been removed from their duties to reduce any contact with the local population.

In this ILO TV interview Dorothea Schmidt, a Senior ILO Employment Specialist based in Cairo, speaks about rising unemployment across North Africa and the impact it is having in particular on young people and women. Based on findings from the ILO's Global Employment Trends 2012 report, she also discusses the lack of productive growth in North Africa and the need for further development of labour market institutions such as public employment services.

Statement of Michelle Bachelet Under-Secretary- General and UN Women Executive Director at First Regular Session of UN Women Executive Board 24 January 2012.

The United Nations launched a new web portal today focusing on helping girls and women access job opportunities, training and career advice in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

Just two years ago, Elizabeth Sakala-Banda, a mother of seven in Zambia's eastern Petauke district, was unemployed and had no way of knowing that an Asian micro-credit scheme could turn her life around, and help put her children through school. During 2010, Elizabeth and some 829 other women joined a local fund, modelled after the Bangladeshi Grameen Bank, which provides small loans to the poor, particularly women, without requiring collateral.

The woman who made history when she became Africa's first female head of state has been sworn in for a second term. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who also recently jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize, will serve another six-year term as President of Liberia. Daniel Dickinson reports Duration: 2'57″

A Kenyan study has found that more women than men feel HIV is a less serious threat after their male partners are circumcised. The study's authors say the findings highlight the need to involve female partners in the male circumcision process, which has a strong counselling component, impressing upon men the partial nature of the procedure's protection against HIV.

Fighting between Sudan's army and SPLM-North rebels has forced 80,000 people from Blue Nile state to seek refuge in neighbouring South Sudan. The UN's refugee agency is providing humanitarian assistance to refugees arriving in Jammam camp. A young mother from the Blue Nile state shares her struggle to survive with her family.

Despite progress on many fronts, India's high malnutrition rate, low birth weight and maternal mortality rate continue to rival those of sub-Saharan Africa.

The aim of having all children in school by 2015 is one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals that will come closest to achievement. (..) In some countries, parents who keep their girls in school get sacks of food from the World Food Programme.

The main threats to women in South Sudan derive from chronic deficits in health, economic opportunities, access to food and gender equality, rather than weapons, despite the prevalence of militias and armed conflict, according to the Small Arms Survey.

UN Women commemorates its first anniversary this month with some 114 governments contributing to core funds in 2011, resulting in a 73 percent increase in core funding compared to the combined budget of its former four predecessors the year prior. The entity's total income target for 2012-13 is set for US$700 million.

Today’s launch of Oxfam’s report, Left behind by the G20? challenges the assumption that strong growth is enough in itself to prevent poverty. It shows that income inequality is actually growing in most G20 countries at the same time as unsustainable economic expansion is depleting natural resources.

A new study by the New York Guttmacher Institute states that the number of women having induced abortions has stayed stubbornly high since the last such report in 2003, and that the marked reduction in the eight years before that has not been maintained.

Backes and Strauss, the London-based watchmakers, have formed a partnership with UNODC in connection with the launch of an exclusive line of "Victoria Blue Heart watches" to raise funds for victims of human trafficking. The watches were launched yesterday at a special event at the Hote...

Recently, after travelling on the bumpy to non-existent "roads" of South Sudan, I came away impressed -- impressed with the hopeful vision of a country that has enormous potential to move quickly into a state of relative food self sufficiency, perhaps within less than a generation.

Faudhia, a little girl from Tanzania, fought to change her life when so many others would have given up. Before the help of WFP, as an HIV-postitive orphan, she struggled to find food and irregularly went to school. Since now receiving food and proper medicine, she succeeds in her schoolwork.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, has joined Tokyo FM Radio and other Japanese partners, including the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; Sanrio, maker of the popular 'Hello Kitty' doll; UNIQLO, the global clothing company; and Japan Airlines in the Hellosmile Project—a worldwide effort to prevent cervical cancer.

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women has extended its deadline for submissions of applications to 23 January 2012, 23:59 EST (GMT–5).

Many countries are moving forward with their nuclear power programmes and, in these countries, more and more women are taking on key leadership roles in developing the national nuclear agenda.

Produced by FAO, this video explores how the world cannot eliminate hunger without closing the gap between men and women in agriculture. With equal access to productive resources and services, such as land, water and credit, women farmers can produce 20 to 30 percent more food, enough to lift 150 million people out of hunger. Watch video: English | Spanish | French | Chinese | Russian. Learn more about the issue at www.fao.org/sofa/gender.

The Government of the Netherlands is supporting the UNICEF education programme in Zambia with US$10 million (50 trillion Zambian kwacha) with a focus on the most vulnerable boys and girls in the country.

What's it like to grow up in the slums of Nairobi? In Spring 2011, WFP gave a small video camera to a 12-year-old girl named Molly and asked her to record scenes from her daily life. The result is a window into one of the poorest places on earth through the eyes of a curious little girl.

This report is the result of an expert group meeting that took place in Ghana in September 2011 on enabling rural women's economic empowerment in preparation for the 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (27 February - 9 March 2012).

This report states that women are often in the frontline in respect to the impacts of a changing climate. Globally the world is seeing increasingly frequent droughts and floods which are having economic but also profound social consequences. The women and people of Asia are currently at greatest risk with over 100 million people affected in this region annually.

Remarks of Michelle Bachelet Executive Director of UN Women at Panel discussion on Democratic Transitions at the American University of Beirut. 16 January 2012.

This report examines a number of success stories in the fight against HIV. Examples come from countries such as Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Nigeria and the Caribbean region. These countries' governments, civil societies and the private sector have united to educate the public and to empower individuals, especially women, to insist on their right to protect their health through correct and consistent condom use.

Involving men is increasingly being promoted as a key element in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and while its benefits are well-documented - in one Kenyan study it reduced the risks of vertical transmission and infant mortality by more than 40 percent compared with no involvement - it can occasionally lead to domestic discord and even violence.

Speech by Michelle Bachelet Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, at the High-level Meeting on Reform and Transitions to Democracy. Beirut, 15 January 2012.

Women's groups in Azerbaijan are fighting back against property developers who are being accused of forcing women out of their homes. Many residential properties have been declared too dirty or too old to live in, but many women say they are being driven out against their will. Now, they're being given the opportunity to defend [...]

Breaking the silence surrounding the issue of violence against women has been one of the greatest achievements of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. That's according to the Head of the grant-making body, Meryem Aslan. According to the UN, one out of three women globally has suffered violence at least once in [...]

Public health experts have called for comprehensive plans and better coordination among various departments to improve the state of nutrition among children and women in Sindh (Pakistan), after a national nutritional survey report launched on Tuesday showed that food insecurity was the highest in th...

UNICEF has launched an international fundraising initiative called Schools for Asia to improve education for millions of children in the region. The campaign will help the most marginalized, excluded or otherwise vulnerable children, including girls and children from poor families and of ethnic minorities. The aim is to improve the access and quality of education [...]

According to a survey conducted by National Nutritional Survey (NNS) in 2011, almost 58% of Pakistanis are food insecure. (..) A representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) said, "The situation has gone from bad to worse especially in Sindh where malnutrition and food insecurity among women and...

When is an equity investment fund more than just a money machine? When it focuses on development rather than quick riches. That's exactly what a unique IFAD project has been doing in Armenia since 2009, with investments in the country's food-processing sector designed to expand markets and...

Violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo perpetrated by armed groups and the military continues to affect the civilian populations, and in particular the youth. Sexual violence is still a big problem, and many children are often forced to fight for rebel groups. To protect them, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, has set up [...]

The head of the United Nations refugee agency has praised efforts to find a lasting solution for tens of thousands of long-term refugees in eastern Sudan, most of them Eritreans, but voiced concern over the vulnerability of the younger ones to human trafficking.

New data out of Iraq shows what many psychologists suspected though little research had confirmed: Girls who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are more prone to mental disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Masuda, 10, eagerly greeted UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake at the gate of a five-story drop-in-centre, a safe haven for girls living and working on the streets of Dhaka.

Two years after the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, more than 500,000 people still live in camps as reconstruction efforts have not kept up with demands for housing and cholera remains a serious killer. As humanitarian relief operations wind down to make room for long-term development projects, hundreds of thousands of displaced people continue to rely on aid to survive. Gender-based violence has become an alarming issue in the camps as well, where the combination of minimal lighting and cramped conditions creates insecurity. In some of the larger camps, rapes are almost part of everyday life.

It is a lesser known reality of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on 12 January 2010 and left more than 200,000 dead. The merciless disintegration of the Haitian State created a situation of utter chaos for the country's most vulnerable.

Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of UN Women, will travel to Beirut on 15 and 16 January to participate in the High-level Meeting on Reform and Transition to Democracy that will bring leaders from around the world to provide insights and share experiences relevant to the uprisings and ongoi...

Gender equality issues rose a step higher on the international climate change agenda at the recently concluded UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa.

In Bajaur Agency, one of seven tribal areas in northwestern Pakistan, very few girls go to school due to threats by the Taliban.

Pakistan is saying NO to violence against women and breaking the silence with its One Million Signature campaign. UN Women Pakistan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Rights, the End Violence against Women Alliance in Pakistan and UN partners, launched the "One Million Signature ...

Women from the municipality of La Asunta recently received training under Jatun Sach'a, a development project meaning "big tree" in Quechua, the language of the indigenous people of Bolivia. The aspiring entrepreneurs learned how to exploit the possibilities offered by native Andean p...

Violence in the eastern DR Congo perpetrated by armed groups and the military continues to affect the civilian populations, and in particular the youth. Sexual violence is still a big problem, and many children are often forced to fight for rebel groups. To protect them, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, has set up child-friendly spaces [...]

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reported today that it will continue to distribute food aid to some 1.5 million people each month through its school meals scheme, mother and children nutrition and food-for-work programmes in Haiti, but insufficient funding remains a concern.

A growing number of women are facing exploitation on the streets of Mexico City one of the world's largest cities that's according to organizations in the Central American country that are working to protect women from prostitution and homelessness.  More and more young people, especially women, are ending up on the streets of the metropolis. [...]

Despite increasing stability in many areas, violence still prevails in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Civilian populations continue to endure frequent small-scale attacks by armed groups and armed forces.

It was a busy, successful year for UNFPA, UN Population Fund, as it continued to work in 2011 with partners to address universal access to reproductive health, including maternal health, treatment for obstetric fistula and family planning, and to improve the lives of women and young people around the world.

Two years since an earthquake shook Haiti on 12 January 2010, support to survivors of violence remains critical in a country that continues to re-build itself from ground up. Responding to the need, UN Women provided technical support to six safe houses across five region...

Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences, just last month a woman was executed on charges of sorcery and witchcraft.

Women around the world are acting with dignity and determination to overcome the abuses that they frequently face. That's according to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, who has been discussing the challenges the world body faces in 2012.  He said the establishment last year of the new agency UN Women showed the United Nations is [...]

UNICEF and partners today welcomed the opening of 35 new schools in Muzaffargah, Rajanpur and Rahimyar Khan in Southern Punjab, three districts hit by the 2010 monsoon floods.

Ban Ki-moon has begun his second term as Secretary-General of the United Nations by pledging to harness "the strong power of partnerships" to respond to the planet's biggest challenges, such as tackling climate change, combating poverty and empowering women and girls. In an interview today with the UN News Centre and UN Radio to mark [...]

For Chaluay Kawaonag, and her community in the province of Pathum Thani in Thailand, the flood waters that inundated their homes in October were not unexpected. About 46 kilometres from Thailand's bustling capital of Bangkok, they live in the low-lying areas by the Chao Phraya river, along canals th...

MOGADISHU — Somalia Medina Hospital, one of Mogadishu's two major hospitals, sits in a spacious compound in the western part of the capital. It focuses on trauma and emergency maternal medicine, treating several hundred war-wounded patients and expectant mothers every month.

Upon their release from prison, female inmates in Afghanistan often have nowhere to go. Frequently mothers of young children, former prisoners may face rejection by their communities and families, and lack a safe place to receive help with their reintegration into society. As of January 2011, Af...

This e-publication highlights the results of a survey of women clients of microfinance institutions in 14 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, with a special focus on the effects of the social services provided by those institutions. It  finds that microfinance, when offered in conjunction with health education services, can both empower women and improve their sexual and reproductive health.

Publication provides facts, for example, on the decline in fertility and increase in unemployment among women.

The poorest women in Liberia, are being given cash handouts as a first step to getting out of poverty. It's estimated that almost half of the population in the West African country are living in poverty…that's despite years of economic growth there. The amount of money the poorest people receives is relatively low…just $25 a [...]

The United Nations World Food Programme, WFP announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to contribute $3 million dollars towards a project to help the urban poor cope with high food prices. (..) About 18,900 households including some 113,000 individuals, mostly poor women and households headed by th...

Human Development Report 2011- Sustainability and Equity: a better future for all

ADDIS ABABA 04 January 2012 (IRIN) - Ethiopia’s new plan to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015 cannot be attained unless men are more meaningfully involved in reproductive health, experts say.

Papua New Guinea, like most Asia Pacific Islands, is a very traditional society. Women suffer from low status, poverty and many are illiterate, says Georges Collinet of the World Bank. But women groups there are working hard to promote their rights and interests in the country. You're about to listen to George Collinet of the [...]

In Guatemala, a country where two women are murdered each day and where sexual abuse is rife, women are finally getting the help they need. The Central American country is said to be one of the most dangerous places for women in all Latin America. The majority of crimes against women go unpunished. Jocelyne Sambira [...]

This publication discusses the global scale and recognition of the problem of female genital mutilation, and touches on how to engage health professionals to support abandonment of the practice. It describes changing patterns and practices, including medicalization, and analyzes the challenges FGM/C poses to the achievement of Millennium Deve...

This report generates specific, detailed lessons for successful implementation of initiatives that engage men and boys in advancing gender equality and reproductive health. Four case studies from Bangladesh, Philippines, Cambodia and Uganda are presented followed by lessons learnt and recommendations for supporting work in the field of male engagement.

This report summarizes the proceedings and recommendations of the November 2010 global consultation on violence against women that brought together various stakeholders, including United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the 10 pilot countries selected under the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Young leaders from 38 African countries have pledged to act as role models for their fellow youths by "protecting ourselves, our partners and families from HIV, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, harmful practices and gender-based violence which negatively affect the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people." The young leaders were participating in a three-day training course before the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) this month in Addis Ababa.

UNITED NATIONS, New York—UNFPA is working with international and local partners to provide essential reproductive health supplies to respond to the needs of over 12,000 pregnant and lactating women in various evacuation centres in areas affected by Tropical Storm Washi in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities in the Philippines.

Barriers to improving maternal and child health among ethnic minorities boil down to beliefs and practices that do not fit neatly into modern practices and services. The disconnect between age-old rituals and use of current medicine is often wide, so understanding traditions can be helpful in addressing health-care challenges.

PART I: Migration between developing countries increases   3'26″ PART II: Men and women face poverty differently, says gender expert 3'09″ PART III: Uzbek kids undergo disaster risk training for fun 3'55″ PART IV: IAEA develops plan to make nuclear power safe  2'12″ Narrated and produced by Ambalika Misra Duration: 15'00″

In 2011 volatile food prices and famine in East Africa focused world attention on issues of food and agriculture. As FAO rallied international support for long-term steps for reducing vulnerability in the Horn of Africa, it was active on other fronts as well. One spot of good news: the eradication o...

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, recently discussed with Forbes magazine such important population trends as low fertility in some developed countries, managing migration and increasing aging populations, rising urbanization and inequities, violence against women and the exclusion of indigenous people.

About 6,000 Ethiopian migrants, many of them women and children, have been stranded in Yemen for several months in desperate conditions, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM says the vulnerable people are amongst nearly 18,300 Ethiopian migrants registered in the northern town of Haradh on the border with Saudi Arabia. IOM spokesperson [...]

Twenty years ago, Prudence Nobantu Mabele received the news that changed her life: HIV positive. It came as a shock. At the time, AIDS was a disease associated with homosexual men, or prostitutes. Not run-of-the-mill students. "I tried to understand how I got it," she says. "My life was like most people's. I went to church on Sundays; on Saturdays I would meet friends and sometimes we had parties together. It didn't make sense."

Raised by her grandmother and surrounded by strong women, Prudence grew up in the outskirts of Johannesburg in the 1970s. She received a good education despite the skewed apartheid education system.

 

This report of the global meeting on Skewed Sex Ratios at Birth: Addressing the Issue and the Way Forward, held in  Viet Nam in October, provides an overview of the meeting and delves into some key trends, determinants, consequences and responses on the issue. Challenges and recommendations are also included.

MDGInfo 2011 is available online. This database system is designed for the compilation and presentation of development indicators to support data users in their MDG monitoring. The MDG goals and targets are imbedded in the system linked to the MDG indicators in a goal monitoring framework.

MDGInfo has been adapted from DevInfo and presents country-level statistics available as of July 2011 for the global monitoring of progress achieved towards the MDGs since 1990.

Click here for the online version of MDGInfo 2011

The President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, received on 15 December from the Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, the Portuguese version of the report "Social Protection Floor for a Fair and Inclusive Globalization". The report calls for the implementation of a social protection floor in order to stimulate economic growth and increase social cohesion in light of the economic crisis.

A one-day gathering on Afghanistan took place in Bonn, Germany at the beginning of December. It brought together some 100 delegations and aid organizations to discuss the future of Afghanistan after foreign troops leave the country in 2014. Gerry Adams reports. Duration: 3'16″

The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, today called for an end to gender-based violence at a training and awareness-raising event at the Agency's Qalandia Training Centre.

UNRWA has launched a new programme to provide training for single mothers and other women who head households in the Gaza Strip, as part of a broader strategy to achieve gender equality for Palestine refugees.

In 2011, significant strides were made in improving the education of children around the world: More children are now enrolled in primary schools than ever before. Still, in spite of remarkable progress, civil unrest and natural disasters have slowed down improvements in affected areas.(...) Girls' education has also improved significantly, even though girls still comprise more than half of all children out of school.

At a secret location in the capital city of Sarajevo, Bosnia's capital, the Green Line Safe House is the last place of refuge for women escaping domestic violence. UNFPA

KARACHI 26 December 2011 (IRIN) - In certain cafés close to medical colleges in Pakistan, and of course within the institutions themselves, students studying gynaecology speak of some unexpected sights they have seen.

Poverty and unemployment, exacerbated by the current political unrest, are driving up child marriages in Dhamar Governorate and elsewhere in Yemen, says Asmaa al-Masri, a sociologist at Dhamar University.

Statement of Michelle Bachelet Executive Director of UN Women, following the attacks on women and children in Egypt. Wednesday, 21 December 2011.

MANANJARY 22 December 2011 (IRIN) - Legal aid clinics are playing an important role during Madagascar's current political and economic crisis, especially for poverty-hit rural women who are under-served by the country's ailing judicial system.

DHAMAR 22 December 2011 (IRIN) - Poverty and unemployment, exacerbated by the current political unrest, are driving up child marriages in Dhamar Governorate and elsewhere in Yemen, says Asmaa al-Masri, a sociologist at Dhamar University.

The head of the United Nation entity tasked with promoting gender equality today voiced concern over reports of attacks against female protesters in Egypt who turned up to exercise their freedom of assembly and expression.

A United Nations envoy dealing with children's rights today hailed the decision of Member States to adopt a new protocol aimed at protecting children from abuse and violence.

For the past five years, Achieng*, a 35-year-old widow and mother of six, has sold fish on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria; like many women in the fish trade, Achieng often has to have sex with fishermen in order to get the best catch of the day, a system known in the local Luo language as 'jaboya'.

(...) "Gender equality starts in school," said the Director General, adding, "the Millennium Development Goal on achieving Education for All will only be reached if we provide young girls and women the proper conditions for their development and for them to make informed choices for their own future."  The UNESCO program to promote girls' literacy is supported by the Packard Foundation and a number of U.S. private sector companies, including CISCO and Procter and Gamble.  

Disparities in the well-being of children and women persist in Viet Nam, according to the findings of a United Nations-backed survey released today, which also shows that the differences vary across regions by gender, area of residence, wealth, and ethnicity.

The "genius of women artists from around the world" will be the main focus of the United Nations-backed International Centre for Women Artists (ICWA), a museum and arts education project that will open in Jordan next year.

Women from South Sudan are exercising their right to help build their nation and plan for its future. South Sudan remains one of the world's poorest countries, with just 30 miles of paved roads and only 15 percent literacy. An International Engagement Conference on South Sudan, IEC, is taking place in Washington DC in the [...]

As part of SEED's partnership with UN Women, a special Gender Equity Award was given to the "Solid Waste Management and Community Mobilization Program" in Nepal. The programme is a waste collection and recycling initiative of over 1,000 households and businesses and is run by a women's environment c...

Paola Brigneti has supported the Nigerian NGO Delta Women, donating countless hours of her time towards advocating for ending female sexual harassment in institutions of higher education in Delta State, Nigeria. Passionate about the organization and its cause, Paola developed advocacy strategies, ac...

The human rights of gay and transgender people are being systematically violated across the world according to the UN's first ever report on the issue. Homosexuality is illegal in over 70 countries. The report to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says that gay men and women and transgender people have been [...]

Under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Center for Women Artists will be a museum and arts education project celebrating the genius of women artists from around the world. Scheduled to open in Amman Jordan in 2013, ICWA is the first such undertaking ever to have received the approval of all the UN's Member States from its inception.

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today stressed that efforts to restore peace and stability in Africa's Great Lakes region will not come to fruition unless the scourge of sexual violence is completely eradicated and justice systems are strengthened to end impunity.

The first ever UN report on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people details how people are killed or endure hate-motivated violence, torture, detention, criminalization and discrimination because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

LUCKNOW, India, 14 December 2011 – Nineteen-year-old Laxmi Nishad had wanted for years to talk about the burden of care for her five family members, including her alcoholic father. Her chance finally came at the OneMinutesJr. workshop organized by UNICEF in Lucknow, India.

The United Nations Environment Programme has published a new report titled; Women at the frontline of climate change - Gender risks and hopes. The reports focuses on women, gender issues and climate change. Women are often in the frontline in respect to the impacts of a changing climate. Globall.....

A Ugandan woman has been elected to serve as a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Julia Sebutinde won absolute majorities in the Security Council and General Assembly to beat rival candidate Abdul G. Koroma of Sierra Leone. The new judge will serve a nine-year term [...]

On the eve of the first international meeting on the future of South Sudan, women leaders from the world's newest nation today put forth concrete policy recommendations on development, security and governance priorities for their country.

The conference room of the activity centre at Kuaiqiao Village was packed when professors from China Agricultural University and China Irrigation and Drainage Development Centre were conducting a training course. Yet those listening attentively were not university students. Instead, 62 out of a to...

Paraguay will improve employment opportunities for youth and women with IDB support

During the 16 Days Campaign to End Violence Against Women, UNRWA in Gaza organized a large signature campaign for the United Nations Secretary-General's global ...

Alternative title: Message for Human Rights Day Today on Human Rights Day, we look back on a year of people marching in the streets to end injustice, inequality and tyranny and to demand their fundamental rights and freedoms. In 2011...

UNICEF Pacific Representative Dr Isiye Ndombi signed a joint UN poster committing to UNiTE to end Violence Against Women and Girls. Sev...

As part of activities worldwide to mark 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, UN agencies and civil society organizations brought together an audience of 1,000 people on 8 December 2011 for the 2nd Central Festival to Combat Violence Against Women in the Gaza Strip. Held at the Rashad Al-Shaw...

Women Inspiration Center organized Campaigns to 10 secondary schools in Nigeria sentizing the students on the need to Say No to violence against Women and Girls. The girls was sensitized not to keep silence on any violence against them while the boys was sensized to respect women and girls...

From 1999 to 2008, floods affected almost one billion people in Asia, 28 million in the Americas, 22 million in Africa and four million in Europe, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). A new United Nations report says that women are most at risk from such climate disasters. Gerry Adams asked UNEP's spokesperson Jim [...]

On World Aids Day, UN Women PNG staff visited two schools in Port Moresby, namely Gordon Secondary and Port Moresby National High School. Students of the schools were called to assemble to hear t...

DURBAN 09 December 2011 (IRIN) - While heads of state and negotiators gathered behind closed doors at the 17th conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, more than 500 women from across Africa arrived by the busload at the nearby University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) chanting and singing.

Message of Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women on the occasion of Human Rights Day. New York, 10 December 2011.

The United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women is accepting applications for its 16th grant cycle (2011) from government authorities, civil society organizations and networks.

The active participation of women in public protests witnessed in many parts of the world recently reflect their strong desire to promote social change, including a yearning for the rule of law and human rights, the United Nations independent expert on violence against women said today.

The 2^nd Central Festival To Combat Violence Against Women in the Gaza Strip will take place on Thursday, 8 December 2011, in Gaza City.

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Women are facing high risks to their livelihoods and health due to climate change, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The report, which focuses on the effects of climate change on women, was released Tuesday at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa. UNEP says that women [...]

Making a difference: An assessment of volunteer interventions addressing gender-based violence in Cambodia (Partners for Prevention, 2010) highlights the crucial role and the far-reaching positive effects that community volunteers play in the prevention and response to gender-based violence.

PULIH Aceh collaborated with the New Men's Alliance, Rifka Annisa and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) to initiate the project, Working with Men and Boys to Prevent Violence Against Women in Indonesia. It is supported by Partners for Prevention, w...

Although militancy has receded, women in Swat face a double burden. The devastating floods of 2010, followed by less intense but still damaging flash floods in 2011, took a big toll on agriculture, chiefly the maize crop. (..) The District Coordination Officer of Swat told IRIN that "reconstruc...

Alternative title: #AskUNiTE and chat with UN Women

06 December 2011-On 26 November, UNRWA launched its 16-day campaign to end gender-based violence in West Bank refugee camps through ongoing activities in its schools, centres and clinics.

A new type of UNICEF integrated emergency facility is providing protection and assistance to tens of thousands of flood-displaced children and women in Pakistan.

BULILIMA, Zimbabwe, 7 December 2011 – After completing the fourth grade at the top of her class, 13-year-old Ellen Mbedzi was forced to drop out of Mafeha Primary School in Bulilima, a district in south-western Zimbabwe. Her unemployed father did not see the value of spending the family's limited resources on a girl.

UN Women Press Release For immediate release Media Contact: Oisika Chakrabarti, Media Specialist, oisika.chakrabarti[at]unwomen.org, +1 646 781-4522. UN Women commends sustained efforts of Afghan women and their engagement at the 10th Annual Afghanistan Conference United Nations, New York — On 5 Dec...

Human rights and freedoms are fundamental to sustainable development. UNESCO promotes a culture of rights in all of its work. (...) Our overall goal is clear: to foster democratic values and gender equality throughout the world, thereby advancing sustainable human development.

Two United Nations agencies have strongly condemned the recent murder of a Mexican peace activist and the attempted killing of the chief of a women's rights organization in the same country and called on the Government to investigate and prosecute those responsible.

Statement of UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet at the Second Regular Session of UN Women Executive Board meeting. New York, 5 December 2011.

Thousands of women in India are shunned from society when their husbands die. Excluded and marginalized, they face a life of poverty and injustice. Some even live on the streets begging for a bite to eat. But, one woman, a widow herself, is working to change their lives. Pat Duffy reports from India. Duration: 3'20″

Milena left her husband seven years ago after enduring years of physical and emotional violence. She could not take the abuse any longer or the way the rest of her family ignored it and remained silent. Milena lives in Armenia, but her story is universal—as relevant in New York City as it is in a remote village in Zambia.

In Shahinoor's household there were days when she struggled to put even one meal on the family table. She and her husband are among Bangladesh's ultra-poor; those with no land, no assets and little hope of breaking out of hunger and poverty. But a new programme to unlock the entrepreneurial spirit o...

Action Date: Friday, December 2, 2011 - Wednesday, December 28, 2011 Other Partners: The Youth Union ...

On the final day of Silke's trip to central Afghanistan, she meets three women, each of whom impress her with their determination to improve their own lives, and those of their families and their community. One of them is thrilled at simply having a job in a government office. As a child the idea of...

"We continue to believe that when women are healthy and educated, and can live free from violence and discrimination, they can participate fully in society and accelerate progress on all fronts," says UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

GUINEA — The rite of female genital mutilation/cutting may be hard to end, but it is slowly happening in at least one corner of eastern Guinea, Guinée Forestière, in West Africa.

Action Date: Friday, November 25, 2011 UN Women Albania this year followed a new approach in support of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence by partnering with Women's Media. Editors of prominent women magazines and women ...

The Love Journey, a social media campaign aimed at preventing gender-based violence through interaction with youth, will begin accepting idea submissions on Decemb...

NEW YORK, USA, 22 November 2011 – They broke records at the Latin American Grammy's last week by sweeping 9 awards in a night , and now Calle 13 are breaking new ground with a campaign against human trafficking and exploitation.

20-22 NOVEMBER 2011 | OTTAWA - "Delivering Results for Women and Children Forum", WHO and Canada are co-hosts of the second International Stakeholders Meeting on Implementing the Recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability (COIA) and the first Expert Review Group (ERG) meeting in Ottawa on November 21-22.

Opening Remarks of Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women at panel event on the relevance of the UN One Programme in Middle Income Countries. Montevideo, Uruguay 9 November, 2011.

Keynote message of Michelle Bachelet Executive Director of UN Women at the Ford Foundation event; The XX Factor: Advance Women's Rights. Change the World. New York, 17 November 2011.

During Silke Buhr's third day in Afghanistan, she visits Bamyan Hospital and learns how important food assistance is for patients at the tuberculosis clinic. She also meets Khadeja, a woman who's found a new lease of life thanks to involvement in a plant nursery, which is indirectly helping to impro...

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged business leaders in the Asia and Pacific region to support the United Nations-led global effort to improve the health of women and children to create healthier communities across the world.

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today called for greater effort to raise the number of women holding senior positions at the United Nations, saying that the majority of them remain in the lower ranks although more women are now being hired to fill management posts.