UN Women - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Diana Urioste, a women's rights activist from Bolivia. Photo Courtesy Diana Urioste

Twenty-five years ago, they were at the Fourth World Conference on Women

“Thanks to the Beijing Conference, the magnitude of violence against women became visible” — Diana Urioste, Bolivia. Learn more

UN General Assembly

The 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly starts on 15 September. Gender equality is on top of the agenda for decision-makers this year. Get news, updates and more with UN Women. Learn more

A woman and young child commuting via ferry, Thailand. Photo: UN Women/Pathumporn Thongking

Five big wins ushered in by the Beijing Platform for Action

Twenty-five years ago this week, thousands of activists and governments came together at the Fourth World Conference on Women to adopt the Beijing Platform for Action. Here are five gains it brought for women and girls. Learn more

Screengrab of the virtual high level meeting on ending gender-based violence in the context of the global pandemic.

As COVID-19 exposes the fault lines of gender equality, a strong focus on violence against women at the UN General Assembly

On the margins of the UN General Assembly, stakeholders came together to discuss the issue of gender-based violence in this pandemic world. Learn more

Highlights

In Focus: 75th session of the UN General Assembly

The 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 75) will open on 15 September and mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations through a High-level meeting on 21 September. With COVID-19 continuing to disrupt lives and economies around the world and putting at risk the hard-won gains of women’s rights, gender equality is on top of the agenda for decision-makers this year as they convene, mostly virtually, at UNGA 75. Get news, live webcast and updates on gender equality at the UNGA here. More

Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!

The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign will mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from 25 November to 10 December, under the theme, “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”. More
In Focus: Gender equality matters in COVID-19 response

The COVID-19 pandemic is not just a health issue. It is a profound shock to our societies and economies, and women are at the heart of care and response efforts underway. UN Women is bringing up-to-date information and analysis on how and why gender matters in COVID-19 response. More
COVID-19 and its economic toll on women: The story behind the numbers

While everyone is facing unprecedented challenges, women are bearing the brunt of the economic and social fallout of COVID-19. Here’s how COVID-19 is rolling back on women’s economic gains of past decades, unless we act now, and act deliberately. More
The Shadow Pandemic: Violence against women during COVID-19

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. This is the Shadow Pandemic growing amidst the COVID-19 crisis and we need a global collective effort to stop it. More
UN Women response to COVID-19 crisis

UN Women has developed rapid and targeted response to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on women and girls and to ensure that the long-term recovery benefits them. UN Women’s response to COVID-19 includes policy advice and programmatic interventions and is part of the broader UN-wide response. More
COVID-19: emerging gender data

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold human suffering and is likely to heighten gender-based inequalities around the world. UN Women is working with partners to bridge the gender data gap and deliver a more accurate picture of the gender dimension to the response so that it can be more effective for women and girls. For gender-related data on COVID-19 visit this page. More

Live webcast

Tune in live for “Gender-based violence in a COVID-19 context: Activating collective responses, innovative partnerships and proven policies”, Tuesday, 29 September, 9.30–11.45am EDT.

Featured publication

From insights to action: Gender equality in the wake of COVID-19
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, shrinking working hours, increased care burdens, and heightened violence have exacerbated the challenges that women and girls face. Unless action is taken, by 2021 around 435 million women and girls will be living in extreme poverty, including 47 million pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19. This publication presents the latest evidence on the multiple impacts of the pandemic on women and girls.

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Events

01/10/2020
High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Accelerating the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls

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"Unite to fight gender-based violence"

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Photo: Kea Taylor.

In her speech at the high-level side event of the UN General Assembly, “Gender-Based Violence in a COVID-19 context – activating collective responses, innovative partnerships and proven policies”, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka emphasized that all of us must contribute, collaborate and expand our work in order to end gender-based violence. More

Featured video

25 years of progress and promises for women’s rights

In 2020, the global community marks the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). A five-year milestone will be reached towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 2020 is therefore a pivotal year for the accelerated realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, everywhere.

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