Stories
From Tanzania to Algeria, rural women are taking charge of their lives and livelihoods
Thursday, September 12, 2019
A recently organized learning visit brought two rural women’s collectives together to share strategies, insights and experiences. In the world of international development, such exchanges are termed “South–South cooperation”—exchange of ideas, experiences, and opportunities between entrepreneurs, communities, and experts from the Global South. “It enabled both organizations to monitor and analyse the impact of their projects on the quality of lives of women in Tanzania and Algeria, consulting each other on alternatives and progress in their livelihoods systems and value chains.”
In the Bolivian Amazon, women are protecting the forest and empowering themselves
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
While parts of the Amazon are in flames across Brazil and eastern Bolivia—from fires largely caused by burning to clear arable land—communities in northern Bolivia are protecting their forests through a series of economic empowerment projects.
Ask an activist: Why are women lacking land rights in Tanzania and what can be done about it?
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Elizabeth Maro Minde is the Managing Director of Kilimanjaro Women Information Exchange Community Organization in Tanzania, a grantee of UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality. Minde and her organization provides legal counselling and representation to marginalized women in rural communities. She spoke to UN Women during the 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women about the issue of land rights.
Press release: IIX and UN Women partner to empower millions of women through innovative finance
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
With the shared goals to close the funding gap for advancing gender equality and the dedicated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, IIX and UN Women will collaborate on a series of activities including the development of financial instruments that leverage public funding to unlock greater private capital for women; the engagement of new actors to increase investments that are sensitive to gender issues; and a commitment to measure social and economic outcomes for women beneficiaries. The partnership, announced at a signing ceremony in New York today, aims to unlock billions in capital for millions of women.
From where I stand: “I want to get involved in decision making in my community”
Friday, February 1, 2019
Sella Esther Sowa, 42, grows and sells vegetables to support her four children, her nephews and her parents in Kenema in the Eastern Province, Sierra Leone. When a dispute over land rights erupted within Sowa’s family, she decided to take a stand.
Land rights at last for Sulaliyyate women in Morocco
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
After 10 years of advocacy, ethnic Sulaliyyate women of Morocco finally have equal land rights. On 23 July, a State-run lottery distributed some 860 plots of land equally among men and women, as part of ongoing efforts to privatize land throughout the country.
Women’s cooperatives boost agriculture and savings in rural Ethiopia
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Through women’s cooperatives, a joint UN programme provides training in agricultural techniques, improved seeds and time-saving machinery, while also granting loans and encouraging saving.
From where I stand: “It’s not just men who can do business”
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Deyanira Cordoba belongs to a family of coffee growers of Tablon de Gomez, in the of Nariño region of Colombia. As part of a UN Women project, she has learned about her economic rights, bodily autonomy and more. The future holds many possibilities for this talented artist and coffee grower, but whichever path she chooses, she feels she belongs with her community, in the mountains of Colombia, watching the coffee grow.
Press release: European Union–UN Women partnership bolsters efforts in response to Syrian crisis
Thursday, December 21, 2017
EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis steps up its support to women’s empowerment in Jordan, Iraq and Turkey through a EUR 12.5 million investment.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Business leaders and global experts gathered on 6 September 2017 in London to discuss how the private sector can advance the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment.
Women farmers of Nepal take charge of their lives and livelihoods
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
A joint programme by UN Women and partners in Nepal has not only improved women farmers’ agricultural production and income, but also changed gender-discriminatory attitudes of their male counterparts.
Stepping out of the Boma: Maasai women of Tanzania take charge of their own lives and livelihood
Thursday, October 13, 2016
In Tanzania, UN Women and partner workshops have empowered hundreds of Maasai women to acquire land, find additional employment and diversify their economic activities to supplement their families’ income.
From where I stand: Khateeja Mallah
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Khateeja Mallah (Durdana), 31, is a widow from Pakistan’s Dadu District in Sindh Province. She is one of 1,214 landless women farmers who have received land tenancy rights through a programme being implemented by UN Women, FAO and ILO.
From the Alps to the yurt: Swiss cheese meets Tajik milk bowls
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
The Cheese Exchange, a UN Women initiative, brought entrepreneurial Tajik and Swiss women cheese makers together to share skills and develop new dairy products for Tajikistan.
Landless women farmers receive land tenancy for the first time in Pakistan
Friday, January 29, 2016
UN Women Pakistan, in collaboration with local partners Baanhn Beli and Gorakh Foundation, is working with 1,214 vulnerable rural women farmers to acquire land tenancy rights from their feudal and tribal landholders.
Three new discussion papers highlight gender dimensions of various government policies
Monday, September 21, 2015
The newest additions to the discussion papers series include a paper that explores the intersectionality of gender equality, social reproduction and growth in addition to two studies that examine the gender dimensions of government policies that seek to increase access to social services and social protection.
Income empowers Kilimanjaro women to seek justice
Monday, June 1, 2015
Through a programme supported by UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality, more than 1,000 women have joined savings and loans groups, started businesses, and sought legal advice to claim their rights.
Decent work for women: an infographic for International Workers' Day 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Drawing on data from the recently released UN Women flagship report "Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016: Transforming economies, realizing rights", this infographic provides a vision for women's right to work, and their rights at work.
Women’s key role in agricultural production emphasized
Friday, October 24, 2014
African leaders called for greater investment in women in order to increase agricultural production and improve livelihoods, at a three-day Sharefair on Rural Women’s Technologies to Improve Food Security, Nutrition and Productive Farming.
Rural women need to be at the heart of all development efforts — Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Message by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, 15 October 2014.