News: Women’s economic empowerment is a pre-condition for sustainable development, say UN High-Level Panel members

Date: 17 July 2017

The UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment held an event on 17 July 2017 titled, “Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment to Achieve the 2030 Agenda”, in the context of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in New York. The event was co-hosted by the Group of Champions of Women’s Economic Empowerment, led by the Government of Costa Rica and the United Kingdom, together with UN Women and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). More

Editorial spotlight: High-level Political Forum

Date: 06 July 2017

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the main UN platform for review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York from 10 – 19 July. More

New films on Global Goals spotlight women’s journeys of resilience

Date: 12 June 2017

On 12 June, the Leave No One Behind Coalition, together with UN Women launched four new films that show how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—a set of 17 global goals unanimously adopted by governments worldwide—can truly transform the lives of women and girls. More

Press release: UN Women highlights women’s role in the energy of the future during EXPO 2017

Date: 09 June 2017

UN Women will showcase its best solutions on women’s role to boost the world’s access to energy, while at the same time fighting climate change, at this year’s EXPO in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 10 June to 10 September 2017. More

Making the SDGs work for women: Experts meet at the UN ahead of High-Level Political Forum

Date: 18 May 2017

UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) will convene an expert group meeting from 30 to 31 May at UN Headquarters in New York, to discuss “Strategies to Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls through the Gender-responsive Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. More

Innovation with purpose to spur gender equality and sustainable development

Date: 27 April 2017

UN Women Deputy Executive Director highlights the importance of innovation, technology and partnerships for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals at the launch of the SAP Next-Gen Programme in New York More

Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030

Date: 28 February 2017

Message by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on International Women's Day, 8 March 2017 More

From where I stand: “I became the first fisherwoman in my community”

Date: 24 February 2017

Yayi Bayam Diouf became the first woman to fish in her small rural fishing village in Senegal. Paving the way for other women, she now runs a training centre for women where they can learn entrepreneurship skills and access support. More

Take five: On the front line of disasters, women are more at risk and less heard

Date: 11 November 2016

Nguyen Ngoc Ly is the founder and director of Center for Environment and Community Research, an organization in Hanoi, Viet Nam, advocating for participatory and inclusive environmental governance and climate change action. She is part of the Climate Change Working Group that UN Women works with to expand women’s leadership and participation in climate change action and disaster risk reduction. Ms. Ly will be speaking at a side event on “Addressing the Gender Inequality of Risk towards Ensuring More Resilient Communities in a Changing Climate” co-organized by UN Women at COP22 on 15 November. More

Putting gender equality at the heart of the New Urban Agenda

Date: 14 October 2016

At Habitat III and processes leading up to it, UN Women strongly advocated and supported the development of the New Urban Agenda by placing women’s rights at its heart, encouraging all stakeholders to seize the opportunity to shape sustainable, gender-responsive and inclusive cities, and support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in its true spirit of inclusion and equality. More

World's Largest Lesson teaches Albania the ABCs of the SDGs

Date: 04 October 2016

Ahead of World Teacher’s Day on 5 October, UN Women highlights teachers in Albania who are bringing the Sustainable Development Goals into the classroom. In a week of action, awareness-raising and accountability, Global Goals Week introduced Albanian kids to SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. More

“Luxembourg is well positioned to take a leading role…in the national implementation of the SDGs”—Lakshmi Puri

Date: 27 September 2016

Statement by Lakshmi Puri, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General & Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, at the Foundation of Luxembourg’s Cooperation 2016 conference on gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals. More

Take five with Papa Seck: Getting better at gender data—why does it matter?

Date: 21 September 2016

As the new UN Women “Making Every Woman and Girl Count” programme is launched on 21 September at an event in New York, Papa Seck, Chief Statistician of UN Women, talks about why having data and accurate information on gender equality and women’s rights is an urgent need. More

From where I stand: Lenche Zdravkin

Date: 14 September 2016

Lenche Zdravkin is a legend in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for her work with the refugees. Her home in Veles is located just across the railway track, which thousands of refugees traversed at the beginning of the crisis, trying to reach a safe haven in Europe. Ms. Zdravkin helps refugees and migrants when they stop at her house by the railroad, providing food, water, clothes and other necessities. More

Media advisory: ‘Making Every Woman and Girl Count’ programme high-level launch event

Date: 08 September 2016

A newly established public-private partnership to support UN Women’s “Making Every Woman and Girl Count” programme will be launched on 21 September at an event jointly organized by UN Women, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Data2X (United Nations Foundation) and the Government of Australia. More

“This is the time…to put gender equality and women’s empowerment at the centre of the changes to which we all aspire”

Date: 01 September 2016

Opening remarks by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, to the Executive Board Second Regular Session 2016 More

From where I stand: Florah Maswanganyi

Date: 29 August 2016

Florah Maswanganyi, 54, is a farmer from Giyani Village in Limpopo province, South Africa. She took part in a workshop on the effects of climate change on rural women and women smallholder farmers, which aimed to strengthen rural women’s voices in advocating for gender-sensitive climate change agreements. More

From where I stand: Haidara Djeneba Sy

Date: 23 August 2016

Haidara, Djeneba Sy is a religious woman leader from Mali, and a fearless advocate for women’s economic empowerment and rights. Women can play a significant role in combating extremism, she says, but not when they are poor and weak. More

From where I stand: Flor Isava-Fonseca

Date: 20 August 2016

Flor Isava- Fonseca, 95, is a tireless Venezuelan activist, athlete, journalist and writer. Ms. Isava-Fonseca and Finnish sprinter Pirjo Häggman were the first women to be elected to the International Olympic Committee. More

In the words of Ndèye Daro Niang: “I am a valued member of my community”

Date: 16 August 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