Stories
- Women with disabilities (31)
- Gender, culture and society (14)
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment (10)
- Health (7)
- Ending violence against women and girls (7)
- Human rights (6)
- Deputy Executive Director, Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships (4)
- Commission on the Status of Women (4)
- Executive Director (3)
- UN Women administration (3)
- Intergovernmental processes (3)
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Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Amira Kushta* was diagnosed with a rare tumor in the spine and was paralyzed after back surgery when she was 19. Her house became her prison for 24 years. More
Friday, September 14, 2018
Remarks by Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, at the UN-Women Executive Board informal briefing on UN-Women’s work and approach to achieve gender equality and empowerment of women and girls with disabilities More
From where I stand: “Not being able to see was not an obstacle”
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Palmira Martínez, a blind professional runner from Mexico, is among the 70,000 women who ran for gender equality as part of the largest 5K race for women in the world. More
Take five: “Nothing about disability should be done without women with disabilities”
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Renowned disability rights activist, Ana Peláez Narváez, from Spain, is the first woman with disability to be elected to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) on 7 June, 2018. More
In the words of Nidhi Goyal: “These spaces belong to everyone”
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Nidhi Goyal, 32, is a disabled feminist from India who works on disability rights and gender equality. After losing her sight as a teenager, Goyal committed herself to changing the lives of persons with disabilities, and particularly women and girls with disabilities. As a researcher, writer, trainer, stand-up comedian and advocate, she works to raise awareness on the intersection of the disability rights movement, and the women’s movement. More
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
More than 70,000 women ran for gender equality in Mexico as part of the Carrera Bonafont con Causa [Bonafont Race for a Cause], the largest 5K race in the world for women in the world. More
From where I stand: “I am different, but that doesn’t mean that I should be condemned”
Monday, December 18, 2017
Olga Berdeu, 50, is a woman with disabilities from Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, who attended UN Women’s "We have abilities, we want possibilities!" initiative, which aims to strengthen the leadership skills of women with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova. The initiative ran from June to October 2017 and was part of the UN “Women in Politics” Programme, financed by the Government of Sweden. More
Executive Director’s blog series: Violence against women and girls with disabilities
Sunday, December 3, 2017
The ninth blog in a 16-part blog series by UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. More
Editorial spotlight: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Friday, December 1, 2017
An estimated 1 in 5 women worldwide will experience disability in their lifetime. They are mothers, daughters, leaders, lawyers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and are vital members of their communities. This year, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December) will focus on the theme, “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”. More
In the words of Jana Mustafa: “Disability should not stop anyone from starting over”
Friday, November 10, 2017
Jana Mustafa is a former employee of a local NGO and a survivor of violence. One day she hopes to open a small business to support her six-year-old son Jamal and prove that her disability is not an issue. More
Ending violence against women with disabilities in Serbia’s custodial institutions
Thursday, September 28, 2017
A recent study has uncovered that women, like Edith, with mental disabilities who are being held in Serbia’s institutions often suffer multiple forms of violence. More
In the words of Elena Kochoska: "Women bear a double burden because of their gender and disability”
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Elena Kochoska is a vocal advocate for persons with disabilities in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and works at the local organization, Polio Plus, Movement Against Disability. She participated in training and mentoring sessions on gender-responsive budgeting (GRB)—analyzing a budget to ensure women’s needs are met—organized by UN Women’s regional programme on GRB, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Austrian Development Agency. Thereafter, she prepared a report that did a cost-benefit analysis showing the benefits of including children with disabilities in mainstream education. More
Editorial spotlight: Amplifying the voices of women with disabilities
Monday, June 12, 2017
At the 10th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, taking place from 13-15 June, UN Women will amplify the voices of women with disabilities and highlight the importance of their representation in decision-making. More
Friday, June 9, 2017
Malvika Iyer, a Disability Rights Activist and motivational speaker, received a standing ovation for her speech at the CSW61 Youth Forum. After losing her hands from a bomb blast, she became a strong advocate for inclusion of disability rights and gender. More
From where I stand: “We must be at the table making decisions”
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
For Pratima Gurung from Nepal, empowering indigenous women with disabilities starts with making them count as active participants and decision-makers, not just observers of decisions. She points to the need to strengthen their voices in disability fora, as well as indigenous peoples’ fora. More
From where I stand: “Technology sees skills before gender and disability”
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Casar Jacobson, a disability rights activist and a UN Women Youth Champion, shares her personal story of living with hearing disability and persevering to carve out a place in the world of work. She stresses on the power of technology in ensuring that no one is left behind. More
In the words of Ndèye Daro Niang: “I am a valued member of my community”
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Ms. Niang is one of 213 women with disabilities who have benefited from the Gender Equitable Local Development programme implemented by UN Women in 58 local councils in Senegal, with financial support from Luxembourg. Through workshops and information sessions, women with disabilities have been sensitized and trained on Senegal’s landmark social orientation law, adopted in 2010, and on addressing the unique and specific needs of disabled women in menstrual hygiene management. More
UN Women statement on the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Friday, July 1, 2016
UN Women recognizes the unique and intersecting challenges that women with disabilities face. This makes it all the more critical that women with disabilities are fully represented on panels, committees, human rights treaty bodies and across all areas of leadership so that their voices are heard. It is therefore regrettable that the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) will have just one female representative. More
Women with disabilities raise their voices during session on rights treaty
Thursday, June 16, 2016
As part of the 9th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, being held in New York from 14-16 June 2016, and as the UN treaty approaches its 10th anniversary, women and girls with disabilities took part in a series of side events, emphasizing that they are the key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, so that "no one is left behind." More
“Embrace empowering young women and girls with disabilities” — Lakshmi Puri
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at the 9th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, on 15 June in New York. More