Mercy Akout is a firm believer in educating women and young girls. A South Sudanese refugee living in Kenya's camp, Mercy escaped forced child marriage to become a vocal activist, fighting for women's rights. She works in her community, encouraging families to send their daughters to school and stop harmful cultural practices like child marriage.    More

In Nepal and throughout the developing world. According to UNFPA data, an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 new cases of obstetric fistula develop each year. As the leader of Campaign to End Fistula, UNFPA provides technical guidance, medical supplies, training and funds for fistula prevention, treatment and social reintegration programmes. UNFPA also strengthens...    More

UN Women and the World Food Programme (WFP) are breaking new ground by using blockchain to assist Syrian refugee women participating in UN Women’s cash for work programmes at the Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps in Jordan.      More

In the four days it took her family to flee from violence in Myanmar to safety in Bangladesh, 25-year-old Tahara endured a journey plagued by monsoon rains, armed forces and lack of food. When she crossed the border, UNHCR met her most urgent needs, including health care and nutrition for her four-month-old daughter Shahana.    More

The Occupied Palestinian Territory now suffers the highest unemployment rate in the world, with incomes and agricultural production going down, the United Nations trade and development agency said on Wednesday, noting that women and young people were worst affected, as the Israeli occupation continues.    More

On 1 August, just one week after the World Health Organization declared an end to the ninth Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the tenth struck. Through it all, no group has been hit harder than women and girls, who account for roughly 60 per cent of those infected. Over half of them are of reproductive age.     More

When she first arrived in Jordan as a refugee from Sudan five years ago, Waed was painfully shy, refusing to talk to anyone outside her family. Now, sprinting around a basketball court flinging passes and shouting encouragement to her teammates, she says she is unrecognizable from the girl she once was. Waed attributes her transformation to Reclaim...    More

Founder Samira Harnish, an Iraqi immigrant, is named Nansen Award regional finalist from the Americas.    More

Midwives play a critical role in South Sudan’s fight against maternal mortality. But for one midwife in Rumbek, their efforts cut even deeper. “My father has eight wives and 24 children,” said Peter Door, a father of one who decided to pursue a career in midwifery two years ago. For Peter, spreading awareness about – and providing access to – family...    More

India's Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a key section of a colonial-era law which made specific sexual acts between adults illegal. "Today is a day of gay pride, a day of celebration, a day when respect and dignity was finally restored in India for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people," Michel Sidibé, Executive Director...    More

As Iraq continues to face complex post-conflict challenges, the importance of an inclusive dialogue on peace and security is vital. Women are an important part of that discussion, and Iraq was the first Arab nation to issue a National Action Plan based on UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in 2014.    More

Trends in child marriage Over the past decade, child marriage has continued to decline. Globally, the proportion of young women who were married as children decreased by 15 per cent, from 1 in 4 to about 1 in 5.    More