Stories
- Leadership and political participation (425)
- Political empowerment (111)
- Executive Director (100)
- Economic empowerment (95)
- Gender equality and women’s empowerment (88)
- UN Women administration (85)
- Ending violence against women and girls (68)
- Peace and security (67)
- Decision-making (57)
- Electoral systems and processes (45)
- Governance and national planning (34)
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Thursday, May 27, 2021
During her official visit to Mozambique from 24-26 May, and in the lead up to the Generation Equality Forum in Paris, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka meets women leaders, government officials, the donor community and youth activists to promote women’s leadership in the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and invites Mozambique to commit to Generation Equality Action Coalitions.
Take five: Young women leaders in Malawi are ready to build back better from COVID-19
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Thelma Kaliu is a young feminist and an active member of the Young Feminist Network of Malawi. She is currently the Project Coordinator of the Spotlight Initiative project under Plan International, Malawi. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thelma attended the launch of the Malawi Chapter of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and was excited about the growth of a movement that was enthusiastically embracing young African women. Supported by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, the largest effort to eliminate violence against women and girls worldwide, the AWLN network comprises over 500 African women across generations and sectors.
I am Generation Equality: Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, economist, gender and youth activist
Friday, April 16, 2021
Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, 33, is an African Economist, a Non-Resident Fellow with the Center for Global Development, Managing Director of Kenewendo Advisory, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Molaya Kgosi Trust, and the former Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry in Botswana. She is also a member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, and United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, world leaders issued today a strong pledge for women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life and the elimination of violence at the closing of the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65), as the countdown for the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico (29 - 31 March) begins.
Mexico joins Bolivia in efforts to stop violence against women in politics
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Violence against women creates significant barriers for women aspiring for political office, says UN Women. It’s critical to reform and fully implement laws to prevent and stop violence against women in politics.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Ahead of the sixty fifth session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65), civil society representatives called for promotion of women’s political participation and elimination of violence, discrimination and hate speech against women in politics.
A common voice from Africa at the 65th Commission on the Status of Women
Monday, March 15, 2021
Ahead of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65), from 15 - 26 March 2021, African countries present a common voice to expand women’s participation in public life and decision-making.
Monday, March 15, 2021
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women will call for increasing women’s participation and leadership in decision-making to solve global challenges.
Monday, March 15, 2021
The 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 15 to 26 March 2021. During this meeting, women's full and effective participation and decision-making by women in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, will be addressed as a priority theme to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. The theme for International Women's Day on March 8, 2021 “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world,”...
Friday, March 12, 2021
UN Women aligns with the statements made by the UN Secretary-General in strongly condemning the violent crackdown and the use of lethal force against peaceful protestors over the past month in Myanmar and expresses its deep concern over the targeted and disproportionate violence against women being recorded in this situation.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Women’s leadership is at the forefront of unfolding discussions at the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, from 15 to 26 March. UN Women brings inspiring voices of women leaders from around the world
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Elena Crasmari decided to run for office so that the local administration could meet the needs of all members of her community. She won a local councillor seat, making her the only woman on a nine-person team, and one of six local councillors with a disability in Moldova, out of 10,472 local councillors.
Press release: Women in politics: New data shows growth but also setbacks
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Despite increases in the number of women at the highest levels of political power, widespread gender inequalities persist, according to the 2021 edition of the IPU–UN Women “Map of women in politics”. The data shows all-time highs for the number of countries with women Heads of State and/or Heads of Government, as well as for the global share of women ministers.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
After the November 2020 national elections, women make up 49 per cent of the Legislative Assembly of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, cementing its position as a forerunner on gender parity in politics. The participation of indigenous women and stopping violence against women in political and public life are among the top priorities for the country.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Women have been hit harder by the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic as more women work in low-paying, insecure and informal jobs. This includes migrant domestic workers. Nan Zar Ni Myint is a domestic worker from Myanmar and a volunteer in her community based in Bangkok, Thailand. She has mobilized her network of domestic workers to support other domestic workers in Thailand, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Building back better from COVID-19 needs investment in feminist, grass-roots leadership. Yet, direct funding to women’s organizations accounts for less than one per cent of the global official development assistance provided for gender equality. In six stories, learn about the critical support that grass-roots women leaders and their organizations bring to their communities.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Through her work at the Tanzania Media Women’s Association in Zanzibar, Mzuri Issa is at the forefront of pushing for legal reforms and changing policies and attitudes that impede women’s access to leadership and decision-making. Her tough childhood experiences motivate her to advocate for the rights of women and girls, using the media.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, businesses scrambled to adapt to unprecedented economic and social consequences of the crisis. The automotive industry was no exception – with lockdowns and “stay home” orders in effect in many parts of the world still, car showrooms had to go digital. Jittirat Tantasirin and her team leveraged technology to revolutionize retail sales models and expand women’s place in the industry.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Lebanese businesswoman Caroline Fattal, 49 years old, has been named one of the “Most Powerful Arab Women in Business” by Forbes Middle East in 2014, 2015, 2017 and again last year, in 2020. Co-founder of Stand for Women, a Lebanon-based NGO, she has dedicated much of her time since 2017 to helping more female entrepreneurs enter the private sector and take on leadership positions. Since the August 2020 Beirut explosion, Fattal and Stand for Women have partnered with UN Women to support small women-owned businesses.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Laxmi Badi, a Dalit woman leader from Nepal is at the forefront of the struggle for equal rights, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In South Asia, persons from Dalit community are at the bottom of the archaic “caste system” – a social stratification, whereby individuals face multiple generations of discrimination and segregation based on their descent.