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.

From where I stand: “Stay home and stay safe—but what if home is where she feels unsafe?”

Date: Thursday, April 30, 2020

Sia Kukaewkasem is an advocate, social worker and survivor of domestic violence. For most people in Mae Sot, north of Thailand, she is a “big sister and friend” who listens and cares for others. With four billion people around the world sheltering at home, many women are trapped in isolation with abusive partners, unable to access life-saving resources and support systems.

Far from the spotlight, women workers are among the hardest hit by COVID-19 in Bangladesh

Date: Monday, April 27, 2020

In 2019, over 700,000 Bangladeshi workers migrated overseas, through the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and around 100,000 of them were women. As countries around the world implement lockdown measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, many Bangladeshi migrants are back home with no income.

I am Generation Equality: Ramida “Jennie” Juengpaisal, designer and developer of a COVID-19 tracker in Thailand

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Ramida Juengpaisal, 24, from Thailand, is a digital product designer and front-end developer from 5 Lab Group co., ltd. a creative software company that created the COVID-19 Tracker in Thailand. She aims to bridge design and technology to make a better society.

From where I stand: “Policies and regulation can be updated day-to-day…we have to quickly and firmly handle the situation”

Date: Monday, April 20, 2020

Nicha Nitinavakarn is a police captain working in the Arrival Immigration Bureau at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, where women make up most of the workforce. Her responsibilities include passport check, entry approval and problem-solving for all arrival issues. She is one of the many women who are part of the essential workforce as four billion people around the world are under stay-home orders to curb the spread of COVID-19

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.

Roses in the battlefield: rural women farmers join the fight against COVID-19 in China

Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2020

In January 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic began spreading across China. Of the 42,600 medical workers dispatched to the hardest-hit Hubei Province, as of early March, two-thirds (28,000) were women, who have been dubbed “roses in the battlefield”. Women without any medical background also joined the fight, volunteering for vital roles across other provinces.

From where I stand: “I want to hug my daughter and take care of my parents, but this sacrifice needs to be made to keep them and others safe”

Date: Monday, April 13, 2020

Dr. Runa Jha is the Chief Pathologist and Director at the National Public Health Laboratory in Nepal, which is linked with 277 government laboratories across the country and is the only lab authorized to conduct COVID-19 testing. Jha, along with 67 team members, is playing a crucial role in the front-line response to COVID-19.

Press release: Women hit harder by socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 in Asia-Pacific, says UN Women report

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2020

The coronavirus is exacerbating pervasive gender inequalities and discrimination facing women in the region.

I am Generation Equality: Lee Mi-kyung, overseas aid administrator and women’s rights activist

Date: Friday, April 3, 2020

Lee Mi-kyung is President of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). She served five terms as Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea from 1996 to 2016, and was Standing Vice-Chairperson and Representative of Korea Women’s Association United from 1987 to 1996.