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Statement by UN Women on the situation in Afghanistan
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
UN Women joins the United Nations Secretary-General and the UN family in Afghanistan in strongly condemning the horrific attack near a school in Dasht-i-Barchi, Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed and injured scores of civilians, including many girls. Attacks such as this constitute a grave violation of the rights of children and human rights more broadly.
Press Release: Registration opens for Generation Equality Forum in Paris
Monday, May 10, 2021
Registration is now open to participate in the Generation Equality Forum in Paris – a milestone global event to advance action and investment for gender equality.
How women in Ecuador are restoring a fragile ecosystem in the face of climate crisis
Friday, May 7, 2021
Women in Ecuador have stayed in the páramo, an ecosystem in the Andes, despite the threats that desertification, overgrazing and other human activities pose to their sustenance. With funding from the Municipality of Madrid, UN Women is working with the Azuay provincial government to improve the resilience of communities in Azuay province through a comprehensive intervention that includes women-led sustainable agricultural production. The project is also dismantling gender stereotypes and empowering women to contribute to decision-making processes in their communities.
Op-ed: For a safer and more resilient world, put people before runaway military spending
Thursday, May 6, 2021
In an op-ed, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, and Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, write: "Moving forward will require embracing a broader vision of security—one that reduces reliance on military armaments, accounts for our common humanity and recognizes women’s empowerment as a critical driver of sustainable peace and development".
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Christina Bilous is a Roma civic activist. She is also leader of a self-help group in the community of Toretsk, near the front line in the conflict-affected Donetsk region of Eastern Ukraine. As an active community member, Bilous heads up the Roma non-governmental organization, Sumnakuno Petalo, advocating for the rights of Roma women and girls.
Statement: This is the time to ramp up, not decrease funding for women and girls
Monday, May 3, 2021
"The ravages of COVID-19 on the lives and livelihoods of women and girls are being seen in every country, from higher job losses, shrinking work hours and greater care burdens, to increased levels of all forms of violence against women, with the development gains of decades reversed in multiple areas. This regression is an urgent driver to further ramp up investment in gender equality and women’s empowerment. Our partners’ continued committed engagement and support are therefore more critical than ever to the work of ensuring no woman or girl is left behind," says UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
The Elsie Initiative Fund, a UN Trust Fund, announced today the first five countries – Liberia, Mexico, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone to receive financial support to increase the participation of women military and police in peace operations. It also invited Member States to send letters of interest as it launches its second round of programming.
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
In her speech at the Elsie Initiative Fund: High-Level Virtual Launch of the Second Programming Round, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said: "The pace of change in women’s representation in national militaries globally remains too slow. So, now we know that progress is possible because we have seen in it one part of our work, I think this should inspire us and fire us to also push further in all other areas that are still lagging behind."
Take five: Young women leaders in Malawi are ready to build back better from COVID-19
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Thelma Kaliu is a young feminist and an active member of the Young Feminist Network of Malawi. She is currently the Project Coordinator of the Spotlight Initiative project under Plan International, Malawi. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thelma attended the launch of the Malawi Chapter of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and was excited about the growth of a movement that was enthusiastically embracing young African women. Supported by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, the largest effort to eliminate violence against women and girls worldwide, the AWLN network comprises over 500 African women across generations and sectors.
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Today, and every day, we recognize that digital power must be in the hands of girls. We have a unique window and momentum now to secure bold commitments that will ensure girls are connected and empowered to create the brighter futures the world needs.
Inspiring girls to know: Four stories to celebrate girls in ICT
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
On International Girls in ICT Day, 22 April, join us to celebrate girls in tech, support technology education and skills training, and encourage more girls and young women to pursue STEM careers. From creating open-source ventilators in Afghanistan to unifying and amplifying the voices of young activists in Chile, and working to end child marriage in Georgia, here are some girls and young women changemakers who inspire us.
I am Generation Equality: Avani Awasthee, climate activist, polar explorer
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Avani Awasthee, 23, represented India on the International Antarctic Expedition in 2016. She was ‘Miss Tourism Metropolitan India’ in 2019 and worked with eco-friendly and sustainable brands.
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Eldar Alić is a young farmer from Kalesija in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. He founded Nutri Pelet, a company that produces ecological manure pellets from unprocessed manure. Alić advocates for healthy living and practical, eco-friendly solutions to better manage earth’s limited, natural resources.
From where I stand: “A better understanding of climate change has transformed the way we work”
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Korka Diaw is a Senegalese farmer. She leads REFAN, the Network of Women Farmers in the North of Senegal, which empowers women and fights poverty through agriculture. In this story, she talks about adapting to COVID-19 and climate change.
I am Generation Equality: Devishi Jha, youth climate activist
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Devishi Jha, is an 18-year-old climate activist who was born in India and now lives in the United States. She is the Director of Partnerships at Zero Hour, an international youth-led climate justice organization, and serves on the National Council at UNICEF USA.
I am Generation Equality: Selin Gören, climate activist
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Selin Gören, is a 19-year old climate activist and eco entrepreneur. As a student, she studies climate change communication, and has been working with movements including Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion and Youth for Climate since 2019.
Friday, April 16, 2021
Net Supatravani is the Thai co-founder of ila, a social enterprise start-up that uses human-centred design to help businesses foster inclusion, and creator of anti-domestic abuse app, ALLY. She is also a participant of the Generation Equality Asia Pacific Design Challenge, convened by UN Women and World Design Organization.
I am Generation Equality: Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, economist, gender and youth activist
Friday, April 16, 2021
Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, 33, is an African Economist, a Non-Resident Fellow with the Center for Global Development, Managing Director of Kenewendo Advisory, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Molaya Kgosi Trust, and the former Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry in Botswana. She is also a member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, and United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Lauralyn, 33, is Filipino and lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She advocates for social causes when she is not selling event and digital marketing solutions to academic institutions and event organizers worldwide. Lauralyn is a participant in the Generation Equality Design Challenge, organized by UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and World Design Organization. Lauralyn prefers to be addressed without a paternal surname as she does not want her identity to be associated with patriarchal traditions.
G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council membership announced
Friday, April 9, 2021
Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, has announced the full list of members for the newly formed Gender Equality Advisory Council, which will ensure women are at the heart of the build back better agenda as we recover from COVID-19.