From where I stand: “Disability will not stop me from achieving my dreams.”

Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2019

The status of women’s political participation in Nigeria is low, with less than 5 per cent of women holding political positions. Lois Auta, 38-year-old polio survivor from Abuja, is all about changing the status quo. Auta is a candidate in the upcoming elections for the House of Representatives and received capacity-building training from UN Women. More

From where I stand: “People with disabilities don’t talk about the violence they experience because often it means reporting the people closest to them”

Date: 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

Executive Director remarks at the Women Executive Board informal briefing on UN Women’s work and approach to achieve gender equality and empowerment of women and girls with disability

Date: 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”

Date: 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”

Date: 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”

Date: 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

Running for a cause in Mexico

Date: 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”

Date: 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

Date: 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

Date: 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”

Date: 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

Date: 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”

Date: 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

Date: 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

From where I stand: “Being a person with disability is challenging. Being a woman with disability adds extra challenges”

Date: 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”

Date: 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”

Date: 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”

Date: 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

Date: 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

Date: 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