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If young people can be mobilized worldwide to help stamp out the practice of Female Genital Mutilation, it can be ended within the next ten years. That’s according to UN reproductive health agency ’s jo

Married at 14 against her will, Habiba is determined to help other girls stay in school and follow their dreams.

Gambian activist Jaha Dukureh is a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced child marriage.

This year, for Valentine’s Day, UNFPA is calling on the world to prioritize ending .  Examples of this harmful practice can be found . Learn about child marriage. 

The (CEDAW) to discuss the reports of Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Eritrea, Kiribati, Latvia, Moldova, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

Necessity led Fatemeh to discover her potential for business. encourages women in rural communities to take a leading role in starting and running community businesses.

Zahra and her family

There are 4.1 million girls around the world at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation in 2020. Girls who suffer this harmful practice face severe consequences for their health. However, the cost of preventing it is just $95 per girl, according to the (UNFPA). On 6 February, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, let’s engage whole societies, and especially youth, and focus on gender equality, sexual education and attention to the needs of women and girls affected.

The Women's International Shipping and Trading Association Limited () and have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on promoting greater diversity and inclusion through enhanced cooperation activities in the maritime field. These activities will lay the groundwork for further discussion on how a diverse workforce will be essential for a sustainable future.

For 50 years, the world’s icons and activists have made changes touching the lives of millions of women and girls. Today, people are more likely than ever before to enjoy reproductive rights and choices.

Since 2011, the Syrian conflict has hit hard the families in the country, as well as its agriculture. Many families lost their husbands, fathers or other breadwinners, leaving women solely responsible for earning money and taking care of their families. FAO teamed up with Slow Food International to offer Syrian women opportunities to gain the skills and confidence they need to boost their production, but also importantly, to help them identify markets. As part of this initiative, seven Syrian women, as well as a number of female technicians, travelled to the Piedmont and Liguria regions of Italy to learn from farming communities that produce and promote local, organic and artisanal foods. 

 

The , taking place in May in Mexico City and in July in Paris, is a global gathering for gender equality convened by . Twenty-five years after the , the most comprehensive blueprint to achieve women’s empowerment, the Forum will set an agenda to achieve gender equality before 2030. It will also announce six catalytic . This week Chile hosts a preparatory regional  (27-31 January) centered on the theme of women’s autonomy in changing economic scenarios.

show that progress is needed in many areas and in every region to achieve gender equality in the labour market. While most of us are aware that women are often paid less than men in the same occupation, ILOSTAT data show where the gaps are largest. The median gender wage gap for 115 countries with available data is 14% in favor of men. And male-dominated occupations have even higher wage premiums for men.

women in Guinea

Women and girls make up 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. Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality of rights and opportunities between men and women, warns . This year marks the , and 5 years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. Let’s make 2020 the year of equality!

Francy L. Jaramillo Piedrahita is a human rights defender with over a decade of experience working on women’s rights, LGBTQ issues and peacebuilding in Colombia. .

Women are entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of all of their human rights and to be free from all forms of discrimination. See the full  on the various aspects of women's human rights, prepared by .