Hand over the mic to: Naruthai Tansukasem, Thailand

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Naruthai Tansukasem, 20, became a singer in the girls-led band, ‘Siamese Kittenz’, at age 12, with a passion for stage performance and dancing. After being in the group for six years, she quit because of the online harassment that’s all too common and often unaddressed in the entertainment industry.

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Nepal

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Women’s land rights are key to their economic independence and better decision-making power within families. In many parts of the world, research shows that lack of land rights makes women more vulnerable to gender-based violence. Dhana*, 38, is among the 218 gender-based violence survivors who have received life-saving assistance from the ‘Provision of Emergency Legal Assistance to Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in the COVID-19 Context’ project run by Forum for Women, Law and Development in Nepal.

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Thailand

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

Naiyapak Chaipan works for the 1300 Hotline, managed by the Thai government’s Social Assistance Centre that assists women seeking to leave abusive and violent situations. Ms. Chaipan’s work has doubled as the COVID-19 lockdown and travel restrictions have left many women confined with their abusers at home. Like in many other countries, the hotline has become a critically essential platform to provide information and refer survivors to the support services they require.

Safeguard women’s rights and participation in peacebuilding now, says Afghan activist Zarqa Yaftali to the UN Security Council

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2020

Zarqa Yaftali, renowned activist and researcher from Afghanistan, addressed the UN Security Council during the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of its landmark resolution 1325, which set a new framework for women’s leadership and inclusion in all aspects of peace.

In the words of Miriam Coronel-Ferrer: “I became the first female negotiator to sign a final peace accord with a rebel group”

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer made history as the first female chief negotiator in the world to sign a final peace accord with a rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines in 2014. Today, she teaches political science at the University of the Philippines and works on mediation with the United Nations.

From where I stand: “Teaching girls how to read and write is one of the biggest ways I can make a difference”

Date: Monday, October 19, 2020

Rima Sultana Rimu knows education is power. As a young Bangladeshi activist living in Cox’s Bazar, that hosts one of the world’s largest refugee settlements, she’s made literacy of Rohingya women and girls her mission

In the words of Habiba Sarabi: “Our vision is of an Afghanistan where every woman can live in peace and recognize her rights”

Date: Monday, October 19, 2020

Dr. Habiba Sarabi, a trailblazing leader in Afghanistan, is one of only four women negotiating peace with the Taliban as part of the ongoing intra-Afghan talks. Trained as a hematologist, she became a peace activist, politician and reformer in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. She has served as Minister of Women’s Affairs and in 2005 became the first Afghan woman to serve as a governor. She continues to be instrumental in promoting women’s rights and peacebuilding at a crucial turning point for her nation.

Press release: Thai celebrity Cindy Sirinya Bishop campaigning for women’s rights as new UN Women Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2020

Thai celebrity and rights activist Cindy Sirinya Bishop is working to stop violence and other abuses against women as the newly appointed UN Women Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific. Bishop, 41, is a model and actress who is best known as the host of Asia's Next Top Model, a television show broadcast in most countries in the region.

From where I stand: “Together we’ll leave the world a much better place than we found it”

Date: Thursday, October 8, 2020

As part of a partnership to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, Ananya Banerjee, 17, was featured by Humans of Bombay in collaboration with UN Women India, for their #GenerationEquality campaign. As a champion of girls rights and gender equality, Ananya has been working against female foeticide and climate change and to promote education. Currently, she is pursuing her final year of school and is studying Humanities. She is a passionate social activist and poet.

Press Release: UN Women and Asian Development Bank (ADB) join forces to step up COVID-19 gender-sensitive responses

Date: Thursday, September 10, 2020

UN Women and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have announced a new collaboration that would aim to protect women and girls in the Asia-Pacific region from the COVID-19 pandemic’s multiple negative consequences on jobs, livelihoods and well-being.

Interview with Motegi Toshimitsu, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs

Date: Thursday, September 3, 2020

The Government of Japan is a vital partner in UN Women’s mission to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. UN Women and Japan work together in the areas of humanitarian action; women, peace and security; and preventing violent extremism in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Arab States. In an interview with UN Women, Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Motegi Toshimitsu, highlights why realizing gender equality is an important goal for Japan.

In Nepal, a woman-managed quarantine centre tends to women’s unique needs and recovery

Date: Thursday, July 9, 2020

Across the globe, many migrants have been waiting to reunite with their families in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions to prevent its spread.

As Bangladesh battles COVID-19 and the aftermath of Super Cyclone Amphan, women’s organizations lead their communities through recovery

Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2020

“When the first storm hit, I knew that this time around it would be a bigger challenge for the women in Satkhira. Between a pandemic and a disaster, we didn’t know what to worry about more. But the starting point in helping these communities is to engage women in the response and planning,” said Shampa Goswami, who leads ‘Prerona Nari Unnayan Sanggathan’ (Prerona), a community-based women’s organization in the Satkhira district in the southern tip of...

Across the Pacific, crisis centres respond to COVID-19 amid natural disasters

Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Gender-based violence crisis centres from six countries in the Pacific have faced not only the COVID-19 crisis, but also in some countries, the dual impact of a tropical cyclone. UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls programme, through the Pacific Partnership, works in close collaboration with government, civil society organisations, communities and other partners to promote gender equality, prevent violence against women and girls, and increase access to quality response services for survivors, especially during emergencies.

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: “Although the situation is unpredictable, we are still working to maintain peace”

Date: Thursday, May 28, 2020

Lieutenant Dr. Arya Khadka is a Nepali peacekeeper serving as a medical officer with the United Nations Mission (MINUSCA) in Bambari, Central African Republic, where prevention efforts are being implemented to deter the COVID-19 outbreak. In a recent Instagram interview with UN Peacekeeping leading up to the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, Lt. Dr. Khadka shared some of the challenges as well as what motivates her. This story has been written based on her interview.

On the front lines of COVID-19, women’s organizations provide vital services as first responders as violence against women spikes

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2020

“Women’s organizations on the front lines of the COVID-19 response continue to adapt and provide vital services for survivors, even in the face of unprecedented challenges. As violence against women rises, the services offered by women’s organizations must be included in governments’ COVID-19 response packages,” said Aldijana Sisic, Chief of the UN Trust Fund.

In Myanmar, women work to protect small businesses during COVID-19 pandemic

Date: Friday, May 22, 2020

UN Women has been working with other United Nations agencies, partners and the Government to raise public awareness about COVID-19. Initiatives by UN Women’s Sittwe office include providing information geared toward women, helping women get health and social protection services, and ensuring that virus control measures, such as quarantine centres, meet women’s needs and concerns

Take five: The COVID-19 challenges “are just too many to mention”

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Pamela Grace P. Español-Solano is one of nine female doctors volunteering at a COVID-19 facility in southern Philippines.

From where I stand: “Domestic workers should also be entitled to a salary during times of crisis”

Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Ana Paula Soares, 27, has been her family’s breadwinner since 2017. When the COVID-19 crisis came to Timor-Leste, she lost her income as a domestic worker with no way to support her family. Her story reflects the hardship that millions of women now face, as workers in the informal economy.