UN Women and Rohingya women on the front line of COVID-19 response

Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2020

The world in lockdown has created a ‘profound shock to our societies and economies, and women are at the heart of care and response efforts underway[1]. Primarily as caregivers, women are not just sustaining families, but also serving as front-line responders, mainly in the health and service sector.

From where I stand: “Due to COVID-19 people were not going to the police”

Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Simret Tesfaye is nurse at the Association for Women's Sanctuary and Development, a non-profit organization in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which manages six shelters for survivors of gender-based violence. Currently, she is working at the Transitional Shelter that opened in April 2020 with support from UN Women.

Women mobilize to prevent COVID-19 in crowded Rohingya refugee camps

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2020

To prevent an added humanitarian crisis in the already-vulnerable Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 24 Rohingya volunteers are working with UN Women to mobilize their communities and raise awareness on COVID-19.

From where I stand: “I didn’t let myself become a victim; I used my pain to rise.”

Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Kaushilla Nepali advocates for the legal rights of Dalit women in Nepal, in particular enabling their access to justice, and regarding critical issues such as citizenship, domestic violence, and sexual violence. Committed to ending the entrenched discrimination against Dalit community on the basis of caste, Nepali started her journey with her own empowerment.

Seed grants and training boost prospects for Georgian refugee women

Date: Monday, December 23, 2019

The six-day “How to Start a Business” course taught women in Georgia how to generate start-up ideas and validate them, as well as how to build the right team and create a product. They also developed strategic and innovative thinking, and learned about planning and product distribution, financial documentation, business modeling and investment proposals.

The men who are standing tall against early marriages in the Gaza Strip

Date: Monday, November 18, 2019

After taking part in UN Women’s Regional Men and Women for Gender Equality Programme, men and boys have become change makers to promote gender equality and challenge the tradition of early marriage.

In Colombia, peace is a journey

Date: Friday, October 18, 2019

The conflict in Colombia has left deep scars, and lasting peace is more of a journey than a destination. The one thing that remains constant in this journey is the power and perseverance of women forging peace against all odds, defending human rights every day. Through projects funded by the Government of Sweden and Norway, UN Women has accompanied Colombian women in this journey.

From where I stand: “We must start by uniting the people because together we’re stronger”

Date: Friday, October 11, 2019

Natalia Slavinskaia, 42, is a community mobilizer from Komysh-Zorya, a small village in the conflict-affected Zaporizhzhia region, south-east Ukraine.

Growing women’s entrepreneurship in Bangladesh

Date: Thursday, October 3, 2019

The “Inclusive and Equitable Local Development Programme (IELD)”, a joint initiative of UNCDF, UNDP and UN Women, facilitates women’s access to the labour market and entrepreneurial ventures by fostering local public and private investments in women-led enterprises and small businesses that benefit women as well as their communities.

From where I stand: “Now I have bigger dreams”

Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Sufia Khatun from Pirganj, Rongpur, found herself without any source of income after her husband passed away. Through a joint UN programme, she was able to learn tailoring and get access to finance to invest in her own business. Today she employs 20 women in her community.

In Rwanda, weaving baskets and brighter futures

Date: Monday, August 19, 2019

To support livelihoods of women in Kigeme Refugee Camp, UN Women funded the Women Opportunity Centre, supported by the Government of Sweden. The Centre provides women a safe space, trainings and a showroom for their products to improve their livelihoods at the camp and beyond.

From where I stand: “Equality between men and women…is a moral imperative”

Date: Friday, July 12, 2019

Taher Sellami, a young entrepreneur and business student, is striving to use innovative technologies to drive social change in Tunisia and worldwide.

From where I stand: “I work in construction, I am living my dream!”

Date: Thursday, May 9, 2019

Maira Assane Amade, 23, fulfilled her lifelong dream of working in construction after participating in the Rapariga Biz Joint Programme implemented by UN Women, UNFPA, UNESCO and UNICEF.

A place of peace, reconciliation and growth

Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2019

In 2014, one year after the region was freed from the extremists, a small hut was built in Gao, surrounded by larger buildings and barely visible from the street. Anyone who passes through the driveway and enters the hut in the middle of the dusty courtyard has a specific goal: Dialogue, exchange and cohesion. Welcome to the Women Peace Hut.

The Tunis Forum on gender equality

Date: Friday, April 12, 2019

Women, youth, champions of gender equality from all corners of the world gather in Tunis to take stock of progress made on women’s rights, leading up to the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This will be the first of many global meetings leading up to the year 2020, calling for actions to accelerate progress and protect the hard-won gains of women’s rights.

A teacher in Moldova learns to lead, changing her community for the better and inspiring others

Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2019

A local teacher in a remote village in Moldova helped improve the lives of her students and now has her sights set on local leadership, after participating in the UN Women supported "INSPIR-O!" (Inspire it) Mentorship Programme.

Across eastern Europe, rethinking urban planning, infrastructure and safety bring changes in women’s lives

Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Across eastern Europe social support services have not been very inclusive, whether it be because of armed conflict, local decision-making or simply dangerous, unsafe neighborhoods. Now, people are calling for better infrastructure, safer cities and urban planning.

From where I stand: “I never gave up and I am learning everyday”

Date: Monday, March 4, 2019

Globally, 1.7 billion adults remain unbanked, and 56 per cent of them are women, according to latest data from The World Bank. The trend continues in Africa, where up to 95 million unbanked adults receive cash payments for agricultural products, and 65 million save using semiformal methods. Lack of access to banking services and financial skills such as savings, budgeting and debt management, means women who are already poor, have little or no means to invest, retire or build a cushion against emergencies. In humanitarian crisis, these challenges are compounded. Esperance Mutegwaraba, 61, fled the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012 along with 30,000 refugees.

Take five with Tchonko Becky Bissong: “With my voice, I can impact the masses”

Date: Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Tchonko Becky Bissong is a popular radio presenter with CRTV, Cameroon’s public radio and television broadcasting company. Over 20,000 Cameroonians tune in to her weekly programme ‘Calling the women’. In a recent conversation with UN Women, Ms. Tchonko talked about the situation of women’s political participation in Cameroon and the role that media can play in raising awareness. In the 2018 elections the representation of women in the Senate increased from 20 per cent to 26 per cent.

Opening new opportunities for tech careers for women in Moldova

Date: Thursday, February 7, 2019

More than 1,000 women are learning new skills through an online platform supported by the Moldovan Association of ICT Companies and UN Women, with the financial support of the Government of Sweden. The programme trains young women for ICT careers as front-end developers and technology creators.