Stories
- Human rights (156)
- Ending violence against women and girls (61)
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment (40)
- Economic empowerment (29)
- Executive Director (27)
- Women’s rights (24)
- Gender, culture and society (22)
- Access to justice and legal protection (20)
- UN Women administration (19)
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Advice from activists: Pride is a protest, and marginalized communities must be centre-stage
Friday, June 26, 2020
This year Pride goes digital, but its activism is as vibrant as ever. To commemorate Pride Month, we asked a few members of the LGBTQI+ community what Pride means to them, and what building-back-better from COVID-19 means.
Friday, June 26, 2020
In a statement released today on the 75th anniversary of the UN Charter, UN Women Executive Director stressed, "The words of the Charter resonate now more strongly than ever before. They reiterate our shared work across all parts of the UN ‘to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom’. Today we in UN Women recall and recommit to those aspirations, as we build back better from the consequences of conflict and coronavirus, and engage in concerted efforts for equality and racial justice in all segments of society and in all sectors."
Monday, June 22, 2020
United Nations Senior African Officials, including UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka commit to harnessing their expertise and leadership to address the root causes and structural changes that must be implemented to bring an end to racism.
Speech: “We must be united to end racism as well as gender inequality”
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Remarks by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director, at the urgent debate on current racially inspired human rights violations, systemic racism, police brutality and the violence against peaceful protest during the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council.
Press release: COVID-19 sparks urgency around justice for women, new report calls for action
Thursday, May 21, 2020
A new report documents major challenges to women’s access to justice in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and puts forth recommendations to accelerate action and push back against threats to progress.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
During these uncertain and difficult times, we turn to women leaders from around the world for inspiration. They have forged peace when ravaged by war; they have driven innovation despite all odds; and they persisted in the face of challenges and insisted on building a better future.
Monday, April 20, 2020
Slavica Vasić is the chair and one of the founders of BIBIJA Roma Women's Centre in Serbia, a partner of the EU-UN Women regional programme “Ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey: Implementing Norms, Changing Mind”. She spoke to UN Women about the impact of COVID-19 on Roma women and girls and vulnerable groups in Serbia and in the region, and how the lives of many women will change after the outbreak.
I am Generation Equality: Lee Mi-kyung, overseas aid administrator and women’s rights activist
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.
Press release: Greater support needed for working families as COVID-19 takes hold
Monday, March 30, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its exponential growth, a technical note from UNICEF, ILO and UN Women on family-friendly policies and other good workplace practices in the context of COVID-19 shows that it is essential to support working families to minimize negative consequences for children.
UN Women Executive Director attends the UN Human Rights Council
Friday, February 28, 2020
The Human Rights Council marked the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action with a high-level panel discussion during its high-level segment on Tuesday the 25 February.
I am Generation Equality: Celina Jaitly, actor and activist
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Billions of people across the world stand on the right side of history every day. They speak up, take a stand, mobilize, and take big and small actions to advance women’s rights. This is Generation Equality. Celina Jaitly is an acclaimed Indian actress, human rights activist devoted to advocating for the rights of the members of LGBT communities in India, and a Champion of the UN Free & Equal campaign.
I am Generation Equality: Francy Jaramillo Piedrahita, human rights defender and peacebuilder
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Francy L. Jaramillo Piedrahita is a human rights defender with over a decade of experience working on women’s rights, LGBTQ issues and peacebuilding in Colombia. She has been leading the localization of the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1325 and the peace agreement between the Government and the FARC in Cauca, Colombia.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Yana Panfilova, 22, is a Ukrainian HIV positive activist and co-founder as well as chairwoman of Teenergizer, an organization that supports and advocates for the rights of HIV positive youth in Europe and Central Asia (Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia). She was also nominated as a heroine for UN Women’s Generation Equality campaign in Ukraine.
UN Women takes home Clio Gold Award and ADCOLOR MVP Award in 2019
Monday, September 9, 2019
The video series “Courage to Question” produced by UN Women and Google has been awarded ADCOLOR’s Most Valuable Partners (MVP) Award. Additionally, the campaign “Closer Than You Think”, produced by UN Women’s National Committee in Iceland has been awarded the Clio Gold Award.
Joint statement: One UN for family leave and childcare
Saturday, June 1, 2019
In a joint statement, the Heads of UNICEF, UN WOMEN, UNDP and UNFPA committed to strong gender-responsive, family-friendly policies for all United Nations staff, including paid parental leave for all parents regardless of gender, including parents who adopt, foster, or have children through surrogacy or assisted reproductive technology; flexible working arrangements for parents; designated private rooms and appropriate breaks for nursing and pumping; quality and affordable childcare; and child grants for all staff.
From where I stand: “We are the solution in Brazil, not the problem”
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Valdecir Nascimento has been part of the women’s rights movement in Brazil for 40 years. When asked what inspired her, she said, “being a black woman in Brazil”.
Statement by UN Women on discrimination against female athletes
Sunday, May 5, 2019
UN Women expresses its strong concern that the recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on female athletes with naturally elevated levels of testosterone contravenes the international human rights norms and standards expressed in the United Nations Human Rights Council’s resolution of March 2019 on the ‘Elimination of Discrimination against Women and Girls in Sport’.
Strong partnerships and bold actions to stamp out child marriage and FGM
Friday, March 15, 2019
On the margins of the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, a high-level side event on “Accelerating the elimination of harmful practices to reap the demographic dividend in Africa” convened Member States, civil society, youth and development partners to discuss decisive measures to eliminate child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) across the continent.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is in Denmark to attend the annual consultations with the Danish Government.
Six things we learned from women’s resistance in 2018
Friday, December 21, 2018
As 2018 comes to a close, we’re taking a look back at stories from some of the women who rose against injustice, defied stereotypes and inspired us all.