Ahmed Fakih, 38, a life skills teacher and Douaa Affarah, 31, a Business Administration student, have been married for seven years and have two children – Juri and Nasser. “Since the day of our engagement we have been fostering a small society built on equality,” explained the couple. Although they live in a conservative society, the couple have worked hard to create a different environment and upbringing for their children, away from gender-discriminatory ideas and norms. Ahmed Fakih enjoys being equally involved in his children’s upbringing. "Marriage is an institution based on cooperation, management and participation between the wife and the husband, including for the father to have a primary role in caring just like the mother. This does not detract from his manhood and would not put him in an inferior position as some might think," Ahmed says.

From an FGM survivor to a practitioner to now an advocate working to eliminate the practice in her community, Priscilla Nanagiro is among 60 community activists working with a UN Women.

As part of UNFPA’s Dear Daughter campaign, women in the internally displaced persons camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, learn about the harmful effects of female genital mutilation (FGM).

Problems always arise when a woman forces her way into a man’s world. Men will wonder “what is she doing here, why doesn’t she cook or sew?” Entrepreneur, Takhmina Bakhronova, broke into the male-dominated taxi business in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe – introducing innovations that have left her competitors standing. See the full multimedia story on ILO's Voices - a platform with first person perspectives on the world of work.

Anne Hathaway, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, at the opening session of the SDG Action Zone entitled "The Big Picture."

Why does the portrayal of women scientists and engineers in films and in the media matter? Would you say that there's a conscious effort to change the numbers and images of women characters as scientists and engineers? What concrete actions can content creators put in place to support and promote strong female characters and role models? Geena Davis, Academy Award winning Hollywood actor, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and ITU's Special Envoy for Women and Girls in ICT, answers these questions in an exclusive interview with ITU.

The second wave of COVID-19 in India brought unprecedented losses. UN Women and health sector experts answer frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and how it impacts women and girls in India.

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted women’s employment not only because they make up the majority of the hardest hit sectors but because mothers have been feeling more pressures at home due to lockdown measures and school closures.  Have a listen to Isabel Torres, co-founder and CEO of Mothers in Science, which aims to raise awareness of the career obstacles faced by mothers in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) and advocates for workplace equality and inclusion. UNDP’s Chats with STEMinists is a podcast series sharing conversations with people working to advance girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. 

Who decides whether or when you can have sex? Watch what people on the streets of Paris had to say and join the conversation. As the Generation Equality Forum drew leaders and activists from around the world, UNFPA highlights the critical importance of realizing bodily autonomy for all. 

The World Health Organization announced multiple commitments focused on ending gender-based violence; advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights; and supporting health workers as well as feminist movements and leadership.

Convened by UN Women, the Generation Equality Forum is taking place in Paris, on 30 June to 2 July. Here’s how it’s set to be catalytic with actions that accelerate progress on women’s rights.

Register now for the Generation Equality Forum in Paris, a milestone global event to advance action and investment for gender equality, from 30 June to 2 July 2021.

Diane Ndarbawa is a youth activist for economic justice: "Through my organization, Manki Maroua, I work every day to foster respect for women’s economic rights, including improved working conditions."

UNFPA works to ensure the sexual and reproductive health and rights of, and access to HIV programmes for, gender-diverse communities in Bangladesh, a largely conservative country.

The Gender Equality Seal incentivizes UNDP Country Offices to integrate gender equality into all aspects of their development work.