In conflicts across the globe, sexual violence – including rape, abuse, coercion and trafficking – is increasingly being wielded as a weapon to terrorize women and girls, often leading to devastating physical and psychological trauma. At least 20,000 women and men were raped or abused during the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jasna (name changed) is one of these survivors. She has gained stability and healing through Snaga Žene, an NGO offering psychological, legal, social, and economic support, including access to a greenhouse to cultivate and sell vegetables.
Members of the Green Valley Women’s Association take part in Vanuatu’s International Day of Rural Women celebrations in the village of Emua. Emua is one of five market sites on Efate Island that are part of UN Women’s Markets for Change programme. After it was devastated by Cyclone Pam in March 2015, it was one of the first markets to be up and running again. Over a decade, the programme operating in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, has demonstrated how local markets can become engines of women’s empowerment and economic growth, not just places to buy and sell goods.
Fifteen years ago, UN Women was created with a bold mission: to become the United Nation’s powerhouse for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Active in more than 80 countries, UN Women has become a driving force, leading campaigns, reshaping laws, and rallying people everywhere to stand up for the rights, equality, and empowerment of the world’s 4 billion women and girls.
In the West African country of Guinea-Bissau, more than 400,000 girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation. Despite decades of effort, the prevalence of the harmful practice has remained. Now, communities are coming together to change that. In the Gabu region, in the eastern part of the country, 24 rural communities recently united in a show of solidarity and hope, gathering to advocate for the right of women and girls to live free from harm – and to sign a declaration of intent to end the practice for good. Here, a look inside the powerful event.
With over 5.5 billion people online - nearly all of them active on social media - digital platforms have become the main arena for public debate.
But a steady rise in misogynistic content online is fuelling a toxic environment that not only silences women and girls but also reinforces harmful gender norms, the UN Agency for gender equality, UN Women, warns.
Experts say that addressing this trend requires more than just protecting girls. It also means building a world where boys are free from the pressures of toxic masculinity and restrictive gender expectations.
UN Women’s Kalliopi Mingeirou, who leads the effort to end violence against women and girls, outlined to UN News’s Ana Carmo the alarming spread of online misogyny – and what can be done to stop it.
Women remain underrepresented in legislatures worldwide, limiting their influence on policymaking. UN Women and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) work to advance women’s political participation through leadership training, inclusive laws, and collaboration. The IPU’s Forum of Women Parliamentarians empowers female MPs, promotes male allyship, and backs the 2025 theme: “Achieving gender equality, action by action.” Founded in 1889, the IPU promotes conflict resolution through dialogue and supports democratic institution-building in post-conflict nations.
Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, yet many face bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Studies show that over 50% of female seafarers, and significant number of male seafarers, have experienced harassment at sea that threatens their safety, mental wellbeing and career progression. On 25 June, the global maritime community comes together to celebrate the Day of the Seafarer. This year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched the campaign 'My Harassment-Free Ship', a bold initiative to promote a culture of respect and zero tolerance for bullying and harassment at sea.
Despite global commitments to gender equality, women remain significantly underrepresented in diplomacy and political leadership, with recent trends showing troubling regression. The Human Rights Council and UN Women both highlight systemic barriers, including discrimination, gender stereotypes, and political violence, which continue to exclude women from high-level decision-making. Bold action is needed - from implementing quotas and leadership appointments to mentorship and anti-harassment measures - to achieve meaningful, equal representation and uphold the promises of the Beijing Platform and Sustainable Development Goals.
Millions of people around the world are unable to have the number of children they want – whether they want more, fewer, or none at all. Recently, fertility declines are making headlines, with women all too often blamed for these demographic shifts. Some governments are employing drastic measures to incentivize young people to make fertility decisions in line with national targets. But the real crisis is that the most consequential reproductive decision a human being can make – when, whether and with whom to have a child – is being undermined. Together with YouGov, UNFPA conducted a survey of 14 countries to ask people whether they are having the families they desire. We found that alarmingly high proportions of adults are unable to realize their fertility intentions.
Thirty years after the Beijing Platform for Action, women remain underrepresented in UN peace operations, yet their leadership is crucial to building lasting global peace and security.
This year's Menstrual Hygiene Day, 28 May, urges collective action to ensure that menstruation does not limit access to education, health, or opportunity. Marked since 2014, Menstrual Hygiene Day, is about the persistent inequalities surrounding menstrual health and hygiene. The Day raises awareness that investments in menstrual health can have transformative impacts on girls’ and women’s lives. Menstruation hygiene support is crucial in humanitarian crises. Activists in Türkiye are fighting for menstrual justice in the aftermath of the severe earthquake there.
According to Estelle Koussoube, a senior economist at the World Bank, and Kehinde Ajayi, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), investing in the economic success of adolescent girls in Africa can transform the continent. To learn more, listen to a new episode of the World Bank's Afronomics podcast.
The journey of Viany Nguemakoue Djouffa — a former domestic worker turned entrepreneur, activist, and community leader - is one of defying expectations, reclaiming dignity, and building networks of support that transcend nationality and circumstance. Djouffa’s story began like many migrant workers’ in Lebanon. She arrived from Cameroon in 2015 seeking work to support her family, entering into Lebanon’s kafala system — a sponsorship-based labour structure that often leaves migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. However, unlike many who remain trapped within the system, Djouffa found a way to carve out her independence. Drawing on her skills as a trained tailor, she launched her own workshop, creating a sustainable livelihood outside the confines of domestic work.
“Girls in ICT for Inclusive Digital Transformation" is the theme of this year's International Girls in ICT Day 2025 (24 April). This global initiative serves as a powerful platform to inspire girls and young women to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as information and communications technology (ICT). The aim is to empower them to become active contributors to the digital society, economy and ecosystem. Let's work together to make a lasting impact. Join us today and help make every day a celebration of #GirlsinICTDay.
Maryam was forced to record a message for her parents while in detention, facing a mock execution for protesting against systemic discrimination against women and girls in Iran. Despite her fear, she expressed determination, saying she would die with purpose. Two and a half years after the protests began, women and girls in Iran still face severe persecution. A recent UN Human Rights report confirms that Iranian authorities are implementing new restrictions on their rights and intensifying crackdowns on supporters of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. The report was recently presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.