Stories
- Executive Director (867)
- Ending violence against women and girls (838)
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment (666)
- Economic empowerment (617)
- UN Women administration (516)
- Peace and security (376)
- 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (375)
- Leadership and political participation (368)
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (261)
- Deputy Executive Director, Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships (234)
- Partnerships (233)
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Ask an activist: Why is economic independence important for indigenous women in Kenya?
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Agnes Leina is an Indigenous woman from northern Kenya. She is the founder and Executive Director of the I’llaramatak Community Concerns (ICC), a resource centre offering livelihood options for women and working with pastoralist communities to recognize the equal value and potential of women and girls to contribute towards their families and communities. Ms. Leina was one of the participants of the 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the UN’s largest annual gathering on women’s rights issues. More
From where I stand: “Technologies are the best and most effective tools for making change”
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Nino Nanitashvili was just 18 when she became the only girl in Georgia involved in a Google developer group. She went on to found Women Techmakers, which encourages women to explore new roles in IT. More
From where I stand: “Just the act of wearing our traditional clothes is an expression of resistance”
Monday, April 22, 2019
Sonia Maribel Sontay Herrera is an indigenous woman and human rights defender from Guatemala. Her vision is for Guatemala to respect the rights of indigenous women and hear their voices. More
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Ruth Spencer, GEF/SGP National Coordinator from Antigua connects with people everywhere she goes—in the market, in church, at the parking lot or in the halls of the United Nations. She builds networks and capacity of local community groups through education, training, resource mobilization and partnership-building, especially for climate action. Recently, she has set up a network of local groups and individuals in the island of Antigua and Barbados to promote sustainable waste management. As a participant in a workshop on gender-responsive global biodiversity framework, she spoke to UN Women about women’s conservation efforts. More
Take five: “Changing everyday habits will have an impact”
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Milena Zindovic is an urban planner and gender expert and member of the Association of Women Architects in Serbia. Zindovic, with the support of UN Women studied current waste management practices in Serbian households to understand the role of women in both waste creation and management. The study will be used by UN Women to create targeted campaigns to raise awareness of waste management and climate action among women and their communities. More
Thursday, April 18, 2019
On 11 April 2019, the conference room at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management pulsated with energy, as 40 youth activists from around the world debated challenges and solutions to ensure young women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding processes in their countries and regions. More
From where I stand: “Girls have to contribute towards innovation and technology”
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
At 16, Jakomba Jabbie is one of the most vocal advocates for the education of all girls in the Gambia, especially when it comes to science and technology skills. More
The Tunis Forum on gender equality
Friday, April 12, 2019
Women, youth, champions of gender equality from all corners of the world gather in Tunis to take stock of progress made on women’s rights, leading up to the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This will be the first of many global meetings leading up to the year 2020, calling for actions to accelerate progress and protect the hard-won gains of women’s rights. More
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is visiting Namibia this week to attend the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Focal Points Network meeting being held in Windhoek from 10 to 11 April. More
UN Women’s texting video series nominated for a Webby Award
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
For three years in a row, UN Women has been nominated for a Webby Award, a prestigious international award honouring excellence on the Internet. UN Women’s “Changing the narrative – texting video series to end violence against women” has been nominated under the “Public Service & Activism” category for Social Media. More
Executive Director to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in France
Thursday, April 4, 2019
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on 5 April in Dinard, France, as a member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council established by French President Emmanuel Macron. The G7 meeting will discuss reducing gender inequality globally, with a focus on protecting women from sexual violence in conflict and strengthening the role of women in peace processes and crisis resolution. More
Ask an athlete: How can we empower women and girls in sport?
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Marta Vieira da Silva is a Brazilian soccer player and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for women and girls in sport. Marta, as she is popularly known, is widely regarded as the best female soccer player of all time. She is the all-time top scorer of the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament and has been named Player of the Year six times. More
Taking the wheel of her destiny on the roads of western Nepal
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Padma Chaudhary, a 38-year-old mother of two, leaves early in the morning from her home in the village of Phulwari to her e-rickshaw stall almost 20 km away, in Dhangadhi bazaar. Decked in a smart, long red coat that matches her bright red chariot on wheels, she marvels at how much her life has changed in the months since she acquired the vehicle, which has allowed her to work independently. More
A teacher in Moldova learns to lead, changing her community for the better and inspiring others
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
A local teacher in a remote village in Moldova helped improve the lives of her students and now has her sights set on local leadership, after participating in the UN Women supported "INSPIR-O!" (Inspire it) Mentorship Programme. More
From where I stand: “We need more female umpires so that I’m not the exception”
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Po Chun Liu, 40, is the first woman international baseball umpire from Chinese Taipei. She was awarded this year’s World Trophy at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Women and Sport Awards, co-hosted by UN Women and the IOC, for her advocacy for female empowerment through sport. More
Op-ed: Empowering women through sport
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
In an op-ed for Olympic Review UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka describes sport as one of the great drivers of gender equality. More
“I want to change the way the world looks at itself”—Executive Director
Monday, April 1, 2019
Opening remarks by Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, at the Unstereotype Alliance Global Member Summit in New York on 28 March 2019 More
The Elsie Initiative Fund launched to increase uniformed women in UN peacekeeping
Friday, March 29, 2019
Today, a little more than five per cent of uniformed personnel in UN peacekeeping forces are women. At an event in New York on 28 March, UN Women, in partnership with the Government of Canada, the office of the UN Secretary-General, the UN Department of Peace Operations, and the UN Development Programme’s Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office, launched the Elsie Initiative Fund for uniformed women in Peace operations (Elsie Initiative) to increase meaningful participation of uniformed women in UN peacekeeping operations. More
In rural Cambodia, biogas helps offset the effects of climate change
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Sok Sopheap sets off to run errands and pick up her two grandchildren from school in Tropang Thom village, southern Cambodia. Sopheap is in her 50’s – a stage in life when many women in her country might slow down – but like many local women, she is bearing an increasingly heavy burden as a result of climate change. More
Press release: Support from Alibaba Foundation empowers UN Women flagship programmes
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Two major initiatives of UN Women—“Making Every Woman and Girl Count” and “Buy from Women” are receiving signifcant support from Alibaba Foundation as part of the 5-year, USD 5 million commitment the Foundation made to UN Women. More