Youth voices for change: Why we should all be listening to young leaders

Date: Monday, August 10, 2020

We asked some youth activists about their hopes for the future and what building back better means for them.

Statement by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka for International Youth Day, 2020: “Youth Engagement for Global Action”

Date: Monday, August 10, 2020

In a statement for International Youth Day, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka highlights the immense value of young people who are at the forefront of global action for change, both in responding to the pandemic and in working to address the systemic inequalities it has unearthed.

I am Generation Equality: Maya Tutton, youth activist to end public sexual harassment

Date: Monday, August 10, 2020

Maya Tutton, 21, co-founded the Our Streets Now campaign in the United Kingdom with her sister Gemma to demand the right of women and girls to feel and be safe in public space.

From where I stand: “Women become migrants because they cannot find a job in their countries, so governments should think about their economic reintegration.”

Date: Friday, August 7, 2020

Alejandra Mónica Quijua Tintaya is a 34-year-old Bolivian national who packaged fruits in Santiago de Chile. She, along with other migrant workers, lost her job as cases of COVID-19 surged in Latin America. Her journey back to Bolivia illustrates the increased hardships that migrant workers are facing during the global pandemic, but also the importance women-led groups to protect their rights.

UN Women statement on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2020

On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples we consider not only the enormous challenges faced by indigenous women, many of which are now further compounded by the pandemic, but also the valuable accomplishments, leadership and resilience that they bring to the recovery.

Call for applications: Expanding the Beijing+25 Youth Task Force

Date: Monday, August 3, 2020

The Beijing+25 Youth Task Force is announcing a call for applications to expand the composition of the Youth Task Force that will work in the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) process closely with UN Women, civil society organizations and other stakeholders from September 2020 to September 2021, to ensure the meaningful involvement of young people in the global processes of the 25th review and appraisal of the Beijing Platform for Action.

Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s pandemic heroines

Date: Monday, August 3, 2020

As COVID-19 ravages the world, Mexico is among the countries hardest hit. Despite the myriad ways this global crisis is devastating women and girls, it has also served as a powerful reminder of the essential contributions of women. The women featured in this article represent just some of Mexico’s many pandemic heroines.

Press release: UN Women launches new UK chapter of advertising alliance to fight gender-based stereotypes in the industry

Date: Monday, August 3, 2020

Convened by UN Women, the United Nations entity for women’s empowerment, a new advertising coalition to tackle harmful stereotypes in UK advertising and media content launches today. The initiative will focus on encouraging diverse, inclusive and non-stereotypical representations of marginalised groups, initially focusing on the experiences of women of colour.

Press release: UN Women and Inter-American Development Bank urge governments to integrate gender as a catalyst for economic recovery (COVID-19) in the Caribbean

Date: Thursday, July 30, 2020

The UN entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women (UN Women), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), convened High-Level representatives from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for an in-depth  discussion on the urgency of addressing the care economy and the impact on women, who comprise the majority of unpaid care workers.

In Yemen, women face added challenges posed by COVID-19 amidst ongoing armed conflict

Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2020

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has cut short the success of many small businesses in Yemen, and the closure of schools has increased the burden of care for mothers.

In the words of Christine Sadia: “Women must be given tools and training, so they fully comprehend what the risks are”

Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Dr. Christine Sadia is a gender and public health expert with over 30 years’ experience advising governments on health and gender issues, such as psychosocial needs of women in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and HIV programming during the Indonesia tsunami. UN Women is supporting Dr. Sadia in her current role as a Gender and Public Health Advisor for Kenya’s State Department for Gender Affairs, to advise on the country’s national emergency response for COVID-19.

Op-ed: How COVID-19 can bring gender justice

Date: Thursday, July 23, 2020

In the midst of another pandemic, we are still fighting hard for gender equality, with the coronavirus crisis amplifying existing inequalities and power imbalances and disproportionately affecting women – including in the devastatingly sharp increases in domestic violence. Yet the pandemic is also an opportunity to ‘build back better’ and transform structural gender inequalities.

Small business owners in South Sudan bear the brunt of COVID-19 as livelihoods shrink

Date: Thursday, July 23, 2020

As of early July, South Sudan confirmed more than 2,000 coronavirus cases. The implementation of social distancing rules, curfews and the closure of non-essential business has had a drastic impact on small businesses, especially in the informal sector where women constitute the majority of the work force. Now that businesses have been allowed to re-open with social distancing measures in place, women are working to adapt their businesses and get back on their feet.

The COVID-19 crisis in Morocco disrupts value chains for women’s cooperatives

Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Following the declaration of a state of emergency in Morocco due to COVID-19, rural women are struggling to maintain their cooperatives.

Gender assessments in Europe and Central Asia reveal pandemic’s devastating impact on women

Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2020

A survey to assess the gendered impacts of COVID-19 on women’s and men’s lives and livelihoods in ten countries/territories across Europe and Central Asia has revealed dire findings.

Take five: Why we should take online violence against women and girls seriously during and beyond COVID-19

Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Cecilia Mwende Maundu is a broadcast journalist based in Kenya and a specialist in gender digital safety. She is also the current Secretary General of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television, Kenyan chapter. During COVID-19, women and girls are using the internet more than ever to stay connected with the world, but they are also the targets of online violence in the form of physical threats, sexual harassment, stalking, zoombombing and sex trolling.

Six women’s issues explained with emojis

Date: Friday, July 17, 2020

Take a closer look at some of the urgent issues women are facing during the time of COVID-19, and we ask you to use your voice and platforms to spread the word.

Media advisory: UN gathering to call for a stronger multilateral approach to deliver on the Beijing Platform for Action – the blueprint for advancing gender equality

Date: Friday, July 17, 2020

Member states and observers, civil society organisations, gender equality leaders, CEOs, and heads of academia will gather virtually on 21 July 2020 in a multi-stakeholder hearing to bolster priority actions at the global and national level that will address the challenges that threaten the bold vision of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, twenty-five years after its adoption.

Call for youth-led organization applications for Generation Equality Action Coalitions leadership

Date: Thursday, July 16, 2020

The call for youth-led organizations to apply for leadership positions in the six  Generation Equality Forum Action Coalitions  has been re-opened. UN Women would like to ensure a strong intergenerational focus of the Action Coalitions and place the needs of adolescent girls and young women at the center of the Action Coalitions. The Action Coalitions are global, innovative, multi-stakeholder partnerships that bring together Member States, International Organizations, United...

Inspirational Black women you should know

Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Here are just six incredible Black women who are standing against oppression and discrimination and leading the way towards a better future for all.