UN Women - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

A woman and young child commuting via ferry, Thailand. Photo: UN Women/Pathumporn Thongking

Five big wins ushered in by the Beijing Platform for Action

Twenty-five years ago this week, thousands of activists and governments came together at the Fourth World Conference on Women to adopt the Beijing Platform for Action. Here are five gains it brought for women and girls. Learn more

Participants at the Non-Governmental Organizations Forum meeting held in Huairou, China, as part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China on 4-15 September 1995. Photo: UN Photo/Milton Gran

On the 25th anniversary of Beijing Declaration on women’s rights, UN Women calls for accelerating its unfinished business

Twenty-five years ago, the Fourth World Conference on Women set a path-breaking agenda for women’s rights. Learn more

Speakers at the Secretary-General's virtual town hall with women's civil society organizations. Credit: screengrabs (combined), UN Web TV

Generations of progress for women and girls could be lost to COVID pandemic, UN chief warns

UN Secretary-General António Guterres engaged with women activists and defenders of women's rights in a virtual town hall on Monday, 31 August. Learn more

Laura Turquet. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Expert's Take

Laura Turquet, Policy Advisor at UN Women, breaks down what we know about COVID-19's impact on women and gender equality, and how that information should shape policy decisions everywhere Learn more

Highlights

Hundreds gather in Janakpur, Nepal in December 2019, months prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, to take part in a Women's March to call attention for the need to reclaim women’s rights and access to safe public spaces. Photo: UN Women/Uma Bista

In focus: International Youth Day

The theme of International Youth Day 2020, “Youth Engagement for Global Action”, highlights all the ways that young people are enriching institutions, contributing solutions and shaping decisions in their communities, countries and globally. On International Youth Day, uplift the voices and experiences of youth in action. More

International Youth Day 2020 event – ‘Enough! I am Generation Equality. My vision now.’

On International Youth Day, 12 August 2020, UN Women celebrates and recognizes the contributions of youth around the world, particularly during these difficult times of COVID-19. More
In Focus: Gender equality matters in COVID-19 response

The COVID-19 pandemic is not just a health issue. It is a profound shock to our societies and economies, and women are at the heart of care and response efforts underway. UN Women is bringing up-to-date information and analysis on how and why gender matters in COVID-19 response. More
The Shadow Pandemic: Violence against women during COVID-19

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. This is the Shadow Pandemic growing amidst the COVID-19 crisis and we need a global collective effort to stop it. More
UN Women response to COVID-19 crisis

UN Women has developed rapid and targeted response to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on women and girls and to ensure that the long-term recovery benefits them. UN Women’s response to COVID-19 includes policy advice and programmatic interventions and is part of the broader UN-wide response. More
COVID-19: emerging gender data

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold human suffering and is likely to heighten gender-based inequalities around the world. UN Women is working with partners to bridge the gender data gap and deliver a more accurate picture of the gender dimension to the response so that it can be more effective for women and girls. For gender-related data on COVID-19 visit this page. More
In Focus: Women and the SDGs

Gender equality is a right. Fulfilling this right is the best chance we have in meeting some of the most pressing challenges of our time—from economic crisis and lack of health care, to climate change, violence against women and escalating conflicts. Check out new data, stories, videos and more illustrating how and why gender equality matters across all the Sustainable Development Goals. More

Featured publication

From insights to action: Gender equality in the wake of COVID-19
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, shrinking working hours, increased care burdens, and heightened violence have exacerbated the challenges that women and girls face. Unless action is taken, by 2021 around 435 million women and girls will be living in extreme poverty, including 47 million pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19. This publication presents the latest evidence on the multiple impacts of the pandemic on women and girls.

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"It’s time for a re-set"

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Photo: Kea Taylor.

On the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka calls for new alliances across generations and sectors to ensure deep, systemic change for women and for the world. More

Featured video

These 20 young activists will inspire you to join the fight

This International Youth Day, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people across the world are demanding a fairer, more inclusive world for women and girls. From eradicating poverty and promoting decent work, to ending discrimination and violence against women, this new generation of changemakers is showing the world how to take action for gender equality. They are Generation Equality - watch to find out how you can join the movement too.

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