UN Women opens new global office in Bonn, strengthening global efforts for gender equality
Bonn, Germany - 21 November 2025: UN Women has officially opened its new UN Women Bonn Global Office – a move that boosts the organization’s global presence and strengthens efforts to advance women’s rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of all women and girls at a time when progress is under threat in many corners of the world. The Bonn Office now stands alongside New York, USA, and Nairobi, Kenya, as one of UN Women’s three Global Offices, and will play a key role in driving the organization’s worldwide mandate and deepening coordination across regions.
“Our three global locations in New York, Nairobi, and Bonn bring UN Women closer to the communities we serve and strengthen our ability to deliver better, faster, and more effectively for all women and girls, everywhere,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. “Germany’s leadership on gender equality remains critical, and UN Women is grateful for our longstanding partnership to advance women’s rights. We look forward to working with you from Bonn to unlock the immense opportunities of equality, as the key to advancing sustainable development, peace, and security globally.”
Coinciding with the adoption of the UN Women Strategic Plan 2026–2029, the UN Women Bonn Global Office marks a major expansion of the organization’s global footprint and its ability to respond to fast-changing needs. The new hub brings together elements of strategic public and private partnerships, communications and advocacy, management and administration, strategy, and finance under one roof, fostering innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence. Bonn will also serve as the headquarters of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which leads the UN’s only system-wide, General Assembly-mandated pooled fund dedicated to ending all forms of violence against women and girls.
Located within the UN Bonn Campus, home to over 25 UN entities, the new office embeds UN Women in a dynamic ecosystem focused on sustainability, climate and environment, global development, and human rights. This close alignment ensures that gender equality remains central to UN action across these critical areas.
“We want to extend a warm welcome to UN Women! We are delighted that their new Bonn office has just been inaugurated. Because championing equality and gender justice worldwide is one key aspect of our efforts to support multilateralism and sustainable development,” underlined Reem Alabali Radovan, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development. “If women have the same rights and opportunities as men, there is less poverty, less hunger, and more stability in the world. German development cooperation and UN Women share that common goal. Our work together shows that the only way to successfully tackle major global challenges is by joining forces. Germany remains committed to this kind of cooperative approach, particularly at a time when some others prefer the path of isolation. And so the strengthened presence of UN organizations in Germany is also a visible sign of the increasingly important role our country plays on the international stage.”
As Germany’s United Nations city and a global centre for sustainability, human rights, and development cooperation, Bonn plays an essential role in supporting UN organizations and fostering international collaboration.
Mayor Guido Déus of the City of Bonn remarked, "The opening of the UN Women office in Bonn is an important step in the development and growth of Bonn as an international UN and sustainability location, as well as in expanding its portfolio of activities. UN Women will find excellent working conditions and a high quality of life for its future staff of up to 90 employees, as well as many professional connections and networking opportunities here in Bonn.”
With the opening of the Bonn Global Office and the Nairobi Global Office in Kenya, UN Women is investing in modern ways of working and more agile global operations. This model strengthens its ability to deliver for all women and girls, everywhere, and to work closely with Member States, civil society, and partners to accelerate progress for gender equality.
About UN Women
UN Women exists to advance women’s rights, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. As the lead UN entity on gender equality, we shift laws, institutions, social behaviours and services to close the gender gap and build an equal world for all women and girls. We keep the rights of women and girls at the centre of global progress – always, everywhere. Because gender equality is not just what we do. It is who we are.
About the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has been supporting UN Women since its inception in 2010. Germany is the organization’s second-largest donor.
About Bonn – German City of the United Nations
The United Nations has maintained a presence in Bonn since 1951. The foundation for Bonn's development as the German city of the United Nations was established in 1996 with the creation of the Volunteer Programme (UNV), followed shortly by the Climate Secretariat (UNFCCC).
Today, the UN is represented in Bonn by 27 agencies and approximately 1,000 staff members. It has become the center for sustainability within the UN, surrounded by a growing network of government, scientific, economic, and civil society organizations.
In addition to federal authorities and German development cooperation organizations, numerous scientific institutions, companies, and around 150 international and internationally active non-governmental organizations are based in Bonn as well. Further information is available here.
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