UN Women Executive Director calls for action to step up leadership of women in all areas of peace and security at the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points meeting in Namibia UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is visiting Namibia this week to attend the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Focal Points Network meeting being...Read More

With technology and innovation playing an integral role in our everyday lives, it is not easy to imagine development in the 21st century without it. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day (8 March), “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change”, explores the ways in which innovation can work for gender equality, boost investment in gender-responsive social...Read More

The United Nations’ gender equality entity puts spotlight on public services, income security, safe spaces and technology to advance progress for women and girls In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March, UN Women is celebrating its 2019 theme of “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change”, along with hosting hundreds of festivities around the...Read More

The theme for International Women’s Day 2019, which will take place on 8 March, is “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. The theme will focus on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure....Read More

The unfinished business of our time Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. Gender equality, besides being a fundamental human right, is essential to achieve peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development. Moreover, it has been shown that empowering women spurs productivity and economic...Read More

Statement by UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on World AIDS Day, 1 December   World AIDS Day focuses our attention both on successes, and on those whose needs remain urgent and unmet. Although successful strategies have halved AIDS-related deaths since 2004 and increased access to treatment for those living with...Read More

Joint UN Statement on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women  Statement by the Heads of UN agencies, UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women and UNFPA, calling for solidarity with survivors and survivor advocates and women’s human rights defenders who are working to prevent and end violence against women and girls. To commemorate this year’s International Day...Read More

Message by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Across the world, too many women and girls spend too many hours on household responsibilities—typically more than double the time spent by men and boys. They look after younger siblings, older family members, deal with illness in the family and manage the house. In many cases this...Read More

Palmira Martínez, a blind professional runner from Mexico, is among the 70,000 women who ran for gender equality as part of the largest 5K race for women in the world. My passion for running started when I was 35 years old. Not being able to see was not an obstacle. For me it has been...Read More

International Day of Rural Women In most countries around the world, rural women and girls face daily challenges of access to sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection. The ubiquity of these challenges offers a large scope for change so that they no longer dominate and constrain women’s and girls’ lives. Rural women make up 43 per...Read More