On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.
Despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: girls still account for more than half of the 67.4 million out-of-school children in the world, and two-thirds of the 796 million adult illiterates are female. (UNESCO, 2010)
The World at 7 Billion People: Major Event to Highlight Women and Girls Washington, D.C., USA, 13 September 2011
Host / Sponsor: Sponsor organizations include UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund;
U.S. Department of State;
U.S. Agency for International Development;
United Nations Foundation;
Americans for UNFPA;
National Geographic;
PSI (Population Services International); Population Action International;
International Women’s Health Coalition;
Aspen Global Health and Development;
Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health;
and Monique Coleman’s GimmeMo.
The United Nations, U.S. Government, Advocates and Celebrities focus on Unleashing the Power of Half the World’s Population
In late October 2011, world population will reach 7 billion people. Given this new reality, unleashing the power of women and girls is key to alleviating poverty and accelerating progress on global development goals.
At the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, women political leaders will strongly call for increasing women’s political participation and decision-making across the world. Stressing that women’s participation is essential in all contexts — during peace, through conflict and post-conflict, and during political transitions — the leaders will sign on to a joint statement, as a call to action, with concrete recommendations on ways to advance women’s political participation. The event will be webcast live.
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In accordance with its multi-year programme of work for 2010-2014, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will consider 'The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges' as its priority theme during its fifty-sixth session in 2012.
In order to contribute to a fuller understanding of the issue and to assist the Commission in its deliberations, the UN Women) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) will convene an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on 'Enabling rural women's economic empowerment: institutions, opportunities and participation' from 20-23 September 2011 in Accra, Ghana.
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations as an annual observance of global non-violence and ceasefire. Every year, people in all parts of the world honour peace in various ways on 21 September... > Read More
Empowering Rural Women for Food and Nutrition Security
New York, USA, 22 September 2011
Host / Sponsor: UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Government of Bangladesh and the Netherlands Mission
Gender inequality is a major cause and effect of hunger and poverty. It is estimated that 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls.
Realizing the potential of rural women represents a major opportunity to simultaneously boost food and nutrition security, empower rural women and promote economic development and social welfare. Studies indicate that productivity gains from ensuring equal access to fertilizers, seeds and tools for women could reduce the number of hungry people by between 100 and 150 million.
During the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly, an interactive luncheon event will focus on the urgent need to empower rural women for food and nutrition security. The event is co-hosted by the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Government of Bangladesh and the Netherlands Mission. The discussion will be moderated by award-winning ABC News anchor, Christiane Amanpour.
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As the world population approaches 7 billion in 2011, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is calling on individuals, organizations, media and governments to come together around a common dialogue and to take action on issues that affect humanity through its 7 Billion Actions Campaign. All actions must be based on and promote the human rights of individuals and be devoid of coercion or discrimination.
Learn how you can take action today to make a difference in people's lives at: www.7billionactions.org/
