In focus: 77th Session of the UN General Assembly

18 September, 10:05 – 11:50 am EDT 

The inaugural Global Africa Business Initiative highlighted business opportunities on the African continent, where every sector of the economy from manufacturing to agriculture to services to finance is on a growth trajectory. Under the leadership of the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, the Initiative was designed to place Africa in its proper spot on the world stage, bringing to focus a roadmap for Africa that is sustainable, inclusive, just, and managed by Africans for Africans. The Unstoppable Africa session featured remarks from UN Secretary General António Guterres and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, among others.  

19 September, 3:00 – 4:30 pm EDT 

As the world gathered for a once-in-a-generation Summit on Transforming Education, the UN Secretary General galvanized collective commitments and a renewed partnership for concrete transformative actions to advance gender equality in and through education. This spotlight session offered a space for a high-level dialogue among heads of state, leaders and key influencers to commit to accelerating progress on gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment in and through education.  

20 September, 1:30 – 3:00 pm EDT

This year’s theme for the UNGA Platform of Women Leaders is “Transformative Solutions by Women Leaders to Today’s Interlinked Challenges”. Women Heads of State and Government will be invited to share experiences executing decisive and inclusive leadership and policies, with recommendations for building solutions to interrelated and complex crises that respond to society’s needs. The event is hosted by the Offices of the President of the General Assembly for the 77th and 76th sessions and UN Women.

21 September, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT

The 2022 HeForShe Summit convened Prime Ministers and Presidents, global CEOs, civil society, thought leaders and celebrities in a critical dialogue focused on male action and allyship to advance gender equality. During the Summit, new members were officially welcomed into the HeForShe Alliance and announced their parity commitments. The Summit showcased UN Women’s substantive work in the field of social norms including the engagement of men and boys, emphasizing regional initiatives and advocacy efforts. It also highlighted the impact of successful practices and shared additional actions for engaging with the private sector to advance gender equality.

21 September, 4:00 – 6:00 pm EDT

This High-Level Side Event, hosted by the Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality, will be a critical moment to launch a year of ground-breaking action around the theme of gender and technological change. The event will convene high-level leaders from Governments, corporate CEOs and Executive Heads of UN entities and Civil Society organizations to discuss approaches and solutions to shaping a more inclusive digital transformation. The event will celebrate key achievements of the Action Coalition over the past 12 months and highlight pivotal milestones in the forthcoming year in the movement to make the digital future gender equal, such as CSW67, the Women Deliver Forum and the Global Digital Compact. 

22 September, 8:00 – 9:00 am EDT 

The SDG Action Zone 2022 will bring together activists, champions and allies from across gender, geography, sectors and generations to engage in conversations and propose solutions to today’s most pressing issues around poverty and inequalities, gender and climate. Day two of the conference will focus specifically on gender and will feature UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous in conversation with activist Amika George.  

22 September, 1:00 – 2:30 pm EDT 

This high-level roundtable will focus on the effects of the global food crisis on women and girls, with an emphasis on the increased risk of gender-based violence. It will highlight the necessity of a gender lens in addressing food insecurity, advocating for the prioritization of the needs of women and girls in countries most affected by food insecurity. It will also include a discussion of ways to address gender-based violence and strengthen women’s meaningful participation in humanitarian action addressing food insecurity. This event is hosted by the Governments of Denmark and Nigeria in partnership with OCHA, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, WFP, Save the Children, together with representatives from women-led organizations. 

23 September, 8:30 – 10:00 am EDT

Within the context of the Ukraine conflict, this event will address a critical issue: the trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It will raise awareness around the current prevention and protection challenges, with the aim of garnering political will to support coordinated efforts to address them. The discussion will highlight the role of demand and technology in facilitating sexual exploitation. This event is organized by the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict and OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator on combatting Trafficking in Human Beings.

23 September, 1:15 – 3:00 pm EDT

The Generation Equality Accountability Moment highlights the progress made towards the Generation Equality agenda. The event will be an important moment to reflect on one year of accountability and progress on the Generation Equality journey and to announce key developments, such as the membership of the Multi-Stakeholder Leadership Group. 

27 September, 9:00 - 10:30 am EDT  

The Global Alliance for Care will host an interactive high-level panel discussing strategies for advancing the social transformation of care work through a co-responsibility model. This entails redistributing care work more equally between women and men, as well as between states, financial institutions, communities, families and others. The panel will also discuss and learn from practices on the ground and identify policy recommendations to further strengthen the societal reorganization of care to help shape more equal and inclusive societies.