Everyone stands to gain from ensuring freedom for women. Social norms that impair women鈥檚 rights are also detrimental to society more broadly, dampening the expansion of human development, reports.
UN Women is partnering with FIFA on two calls to action: the first to 鈥淯nite for Gender Equality鈥 and the second to 鈥淯nite for Ending Violence against Women, critical for a peaceful and sustainable world.
According to a launched by and , no country has achieved full gender parity and fewer than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women鈥檚 empowerment and a small gender gap. Analysis of 114 countries has found that women鈥檚 power and freedom to make choices and seize opportunities remain largely restricted. Globally, women achieve, on average, 72 percent of what men achieve across key human development dimensions, as measured by the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI), reflecting a 28 percent of gender gap.
June 24, the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, recognizes women's contribution to peace, development and human rights.
Even though there is a timid improvement, the aviation sector faces a clear gender gap, especially in technical areas and leadership positions. Women holding positions as pilots, air traffic controllers, and maintenance technicians , according to the . The (5-7 July, Madrid) is intended to call all stakeholders to work together to dismantle the barriers women and girls face and explore the enablers and solutions to achieving gender equality in aviation.
鈥淚t's not just food and assistance, you need to give these children a life, a life of full opportunities..."
When thousands fled the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, fearing the loss of millions of lives, stayed on. Every day since, the former UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in the country has fought to ease the acute suffering of its people. 鈥淚 believe we are the last, best hope that humanity has. And we have to stand for it. For [many] we represent this larger world of justice, the moral compass. We must keep that.鈥
More than 9 in 10 Afghans now live in poverty, with 24.4 million reliant on humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, mounting restrictions on freedoms have excluded millions of women from work and study. In this episode, Dr. Alakbarov reflects on three painful years of Taliban rule, on the desperate need for long-term prospects, and on finding hope amid the darkness.
Photo credit: 漏UN Afghanistan
Valdecir鈥疦ascimento tells , she wants black women of today to have the power and possibility to decide.
Gender bias is alive and well in the 21st century, and it casts a shadow over our beliefs and how we act on them. No matter where women live, they are paid less, shoulder more unpaid housework and childcare, and are wildly under-represented in civic and business leadership. Men make the laws, lead the vast majority of governments, and run the biggest companies. undertakes regular assessment of the attitudes people have towards men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 societal roles. Its latest report on the , shows that biases remain persistent.
In the nearly two years since Afghanistan鈥檚 de-facto authorities seized power, the 鈥渁mbitions, dreams and potential鈥 of girls and women have perished, a rights activist has told the in Geneva.
And in an with UN News鈥檚 Nancy Sarkis, Afghan civil rights activist Shaharzad Akbar explains that women and girls there talk of 鈥渂eing buried alive, breathing, but not being able to do much else.鈥
Audio Credit: Nancy Sarkis, UN News - Geneva
Photo Credit: UN Photo/Srdjan Slavkovic
For many women around the world, the devastating loss of a partner is magnified by the long-term struggle for their basic rights and dignity. Even though there are more than 258 million widows around the world, historically, widows have been left unseen and unsupported. Today, as armed conflicts leave women newly widowed or with disappeared partners, the unique experiences and needs of widows must be brought to the forefront. This International Widows鈥 Day (23 June), let鈥檚 make their voices lead to the path to equality.
Research shows that when women serve in cabinets and parliaments, they pass laws and policies that are better for ordinary people, the environment and social cohesion. Women also bring immense benefits to diplomacy, yet their contributions have often been overlooked. It's time to recognize and celebrate the ways in which women are breaking barriers and making a difference in the field of diplomacy. On this International Day of Women in Diplomacy (24 June), we must all do everything possible to ensure women are at the table, their voices heard, and contributions valued.
's projects have supported women empowerment through education and training.
The devastating T眉rkiye earthquake left pregnant women and new mothers in crisis. has been on the ground from day one, coordinating with partners to reestablish sexual and reproductive health and protection services in Syria and T眉rkiye.
Period poverty
To tackle period poverty, and its partners manufacture sanitary pads and distribute them among women and girls in The Gambia.
As peacekeeping has evolved throughout the years, women have been increasingly deployed in police, military, and civilian operations. Their heightened representation continues to have a tangible impact on peacekeeping environments. This year marks the 75th anniversary of which honors all uniformed and civilian individuals who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations around the world for their valuable contributions to peace. celebrates the contributions of women peacekeepers