Events

Below is a list of events where UN Women is participating. For a full list of General Assembly events, visit the General Assembly website.

19 September

United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants

The UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

At the first high-level UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants, Heads of State and Governments will come together to migrants to discuss a “Global Compact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration” and a “Global Compact on Responsibility-Sharing for Refugees”. The all-day summit, which will take place on 19 September, beginning at 8.30 a.m. in the UNHQ General Assembly Hall,  is expected to generate global commitments to address the root causes of large movements of refugees and migrants; to ensure at all stages, the human rights, safety and dignity of refugees and migrants; to provide protection from violence; and to prevent discrimination and xenophobia.

20 September

HeForShe IMPACT10X10X10 Inaugural University Parity Report Launch

Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited Bob Moritz, Under Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Actor Edgar Ramirez, Actor and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö and Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr celebrate the second anniversary of UN Women's HeForShe initiative. Photo: UN Women/Celeste Sloman
Photo: UN Women/Celeste Sloman

As part of the HeForShe IMPACT10X10X10 initiative, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO and Emma Watson, British Actor and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador will join ten Presidents from some of the world's leading universities at a press conference to unveil the first-ever HeForShe IMPACT 10X10X10 University Parity Report at 11.00 a.m. on 20 September in the UN Press Conference Room. At 7.00 p.m. that evening, to mark the second anniversary of UN Women’s HeForShe Initiative, IMPACT 10X10X10 Champions: His Excellency Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland; Bob Moritz, Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited; and Samuel L. Stanley Jr, President of Stony Brook University, will host an evening reception at the Museum of Modern Art, bringing together world leaders, change-makers, activists and celebrities at the forefront of the HeForShe movement.

21 September

Making Every Woman and Girl Count

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka speaks at the launch of the "Making Every Woman and Girl Count" initiative. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

On 21 September, 1.15 – 2.30 p.m. EST, at the UN Headquarters in New York, a newly established public-private partnership to support UN Women’s “Making Every Woman and Girl Count” programme will be launched at a high-level event jointly organized by UN Women, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Data2X (United Nations Foundation) and the Government of Australia. The programme seeks to address the persistent gap in gender data and statistics in order to inform policy and decision making. Watch the live webcast and read more about the launch event.

22 September

Presentation of first findings of the High-Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at the presentation of the first report by the High-Level Panel for Women's Economic Empowerment. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

On 22 September, the High-Level Panel (HLP) for Women’s Economic Empowerment will present its first findings to the United Nations Secretary-General. The HLP, created by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in January this year, aims at placing women’s economic empowerment at the top of the global agenda to accelerate progress under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The findings will highlight key areas to unlock the power of women to work and achieve their financial independence, such as closing the gender pay gap, increasing job opportunities, or access to loans. The HLP members include, amongst others, the CEO of IKEA Switzerland, the President of Costa Rica, leaders of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and UN Women, who are also taking part in the event. The event will be held  from 9.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m. in the UN ECOSOC Chamber. 

A new agenda for Women, Peace and Security and Mediation
Fifteen years since the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1325, women’s participation in peace processes has made some progress, but persisting obstacles continue to prevent the meaningful participation of women in peacemaking. In the context of today’s global peace and security challenges running from terrorism to climate change, poverty eradication to desperate migrations, and from fighting health pandemics to tackling major international crises, preventive diplomacy and mediation is seen as a strategic investment to create more peaceful and stable environments. For peace and security efforts to be effective, it is imperative that women are able to meaningfully participate in and influence peace processes. At a side event entitled, "A new agenda for Women, Peace and Security and Mediation", UN Women and partners will convene experts to share views on the strategies that have been used to advance women’s meaningful participation to secure gender positive outcomes in peace agreements and discuss ways to transform the best practices of women’s participation in mediation and peace processes into standard practices in the field of mediation and diplomacy and in UN-led peace processes. The event will be held at 8.30 a.m. on 22 September in UNHQ Conference Room 2. See event details.

UN Women senior officials will also participate at the following events:

  • Launch event for the "Adolescent Girls Reclamation of Education Empowerment (A.G.R.E.E.) Initiative” organized by the Rotary Club of New York, 22 September, 6 – 9 p.m., UN Headquarters. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will be speaking. More information»
  • “Gendering the inequality debate – why women’s voices must be centre stage”, 22 September, 2 – 4 p.m., Yale Club, New York. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will be speaking.
  • Meeting of the Troika+ of Women Leaders on Gender and Climate Change, 22 September, 7 – 8.30 a.m., the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will participate. More information»
  • UN Women High-level event on “The Role of Women Leaders in Addressing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, 21 September, 5 – 7 p.m., 50 UN Plaza. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will give opening remarks.
  • High-level side event on “Way Forward to Enhancing Innovative Financing for 2030 Sustainable Development Goals: Recommendations from 2015 Tbilisi Solidarity and Innovative Financing Forum”, 21 September 2016, 6.30 - 8 p.m., CR 5, UN Headquarters. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Yannick Glemarec will speak at the event. More information»
  • High-level discussion on the “Economic cost of violence against women”, 21 September, 3 – 6 p.m., CR 7, UN Headquarters. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will be a panellist.
  • High Level Ministerial Breakfast Event on “Accelerating Innovation – Empowering Women and Girls”, organized by Finland, 21 September, 7.45 – 9.45 a.m., Delegates Dining Room UN Headquarters. UN Women Executive Director will be speaking. More information»
  • Global Leadership – Local Partnerships Women’s Leadership and Gender Perspectives on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, organized by Norway, 20 September, 1.30 p.m. – 3.00 p.m., UN Headquarters, CR 4. UN Women Executive Director will be speaking. More information»
  • Side event on “Human Rights Protection in the context of large movements of migrants and refugees” in the margins of the United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants, 20 September, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., CR 12, UN Headquarters. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will be a panellist. More information»
  • Investing in Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Refugee Crisis, 19 September, 5 - 6.30 p.m., at the Microsoft Reactor at Grand Central Tech. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will be speaking. More information»
  • Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Out to transform our World – China’s Perspective, 19 September, 4 – 5.15 p.m., UN Headquarters, CR 6. UN Women Executive Director will be participating.