Stories
Supported by UN Women, police forces are becoming more responsive to survivors of violence
Thursday, July 15, 2021
In the past 18 months, by trapping women with their abusers, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns have worsened the already-widespread violence against women while preventing many of them from getting help. But even those who do manage to contact the police come up against another long-standing challenge: a culture and system that treats the survivor as a big part of the problem.
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.
Hand over the mic to: María Adelaida Suárez, Colombia
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
María Adelaida Suárez, a psychologist by profession, is part of the “gender pairs” initiative, which has since 2016 paired survivors of violence in communities with psychologists and legal experts.. The initiative was developed by UN Women Colombia and the Ombudsman's Office of Colombia and is funded by the United Kingdom.
I am Generation Equality: Maya Tutton, youth activist working to end public sexual harassment
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.
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.
Take five: A bigger push for better data on violence against women in Tanzania
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Tanzania recently hosted the Planning and Implementation of Prevalence Surveys on Violence Against Women Regional Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa, organized by UN Women in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and funded by the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID). In this interview, UN Women Representative for Tanzania, Hodan Addou explains why having reliable data and evidence is key to preventing and addressing violence against women.
Press release: Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York visits UN Trust Fund grantees in Serbia
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Princess Eugenie of York visited grantees of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) in Belgrade, Serbia and was introduced to the work of organizations that are changing the lives of victims/survivors of trafficking in persons for the better.
Monday, November 27, 2017
At a powerful event bringing forth the voices of survivors and focused on innovative solutions, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women held a fundraising gala in London, United Kingdom, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November).
Friday, July 8, 2016
In a statement following the murders of environmental activist Lesbia Yaneth in Honduras and Jo Cox in the United Kingdom, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka calls for collective action on discrimination against political harassment and violence against women.
British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw speaks at HeForShe #GetFree University Tour
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
UN Women’s #GetFree University Tour is a new effort to connect passionate student activists in a global network to raise awareness around gender equality. It aims to bring UN Women’s HeForShe movement directly to university students, convening thought leaders and providing a forum for critical debate and discussion.
Making UN Women "fit and funded for purpose"
Monday, July 6, 2015
More than 40 governments voiced their support for UN Women and dozens announced new funding commitments during a special pledging event for the organization on 1 July, during the 2015 annual session of its Executive Board at UN Headquarters in New York.
"We – you – will accept nothing less than a 50-50 Planet" – Executive Director
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Lecture delivered by UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, on 11 June, addressing the Gender Equality: 50-50 by 2030 commitment, at Chatham House, London.
Emma Watson: Gender equality is your issue too
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Speech by UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson at a special event for the HeForShe campaign, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 20 September 2014.
Press Conference: Launch of the first-ever global study on gender images in popular films
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The first-ever global study on female characters in popular films was commissioned by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, with support from UN Women and The Rockefeller Foundation and conducted by Stacy L. Smith and her research team at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
At the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict being held in London, U.K., UN Women today launched along with OHCHR the UN Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Reparations for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, a blueprint for promoting gender-sensitive approaches to the design and delivery of reparations for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
UN Women to push for concrete action at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie are co-chairing the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict on 10-13 June 2014 at ExCel, an exhibition and conference centre in London, United Kingdom. UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, will attend the summit to advocate for greater global action and to continue to advance the work of UN Women in this area at a global level.
Interview with UK Secretary of State Justine Greening
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
In an interview, UK Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening refers to her Government's recent USD 12 million increase in core funding to UN Women, saying she wants this funding to help improve the impact of the UN’s collective gender response and to further UN Women in its work with partner countries to tackle gender issues.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka pledged the strong commitment of UN Women to protect women and girls in emergencies at an international meeting on 13 November in London.
UN Women Executive Director urges stronger gender focus in post-2015 MDGs
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Remarks of UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the “MDG countdown 2013: Girls and women transforming societies” event in New York, 24 September 2013.