June 9, 2017 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today launched Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy. The new vision lays the foundation for positioning Canada as a leader on gender equality in its aid programming. Canada believes that advancing gender equality and promoting equal rights for women and girls is the most effective way to reduce poverty. This vision is the key … [Read more...]
Giving Girls in Uganda an Equal Chance
January 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment
“I want to be a nurse.” This comment was made in response to my age old question of, “What would you like to be when you grow up?” I’ve asked this question to children in the United States, but this time I was in Uganda, speaking with a 14-year-old girl, Malacondia, who attends St. Luke’s Primary School in the northern part of Uganda, near the border with South Sudan. The school educates children from Uganda as well as refugees from South Sudan, displaced by the horrific unrest there. Not … [Read more...]
Tracking gender statistics in pursuit of SDG 5
November 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
To deepen the understanding of the different challenges women and men face in today’s world, statisticians use disaggregated data and gender statistics to allow for a unique insight into gender issues. The 6th Global Forum on Gender Statistics, organized by UN DESA’s Statistics Division and Statistics Finland, focused on data and statistical methods for the follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was an opportunity to take stock of progress towards the … [Read more...]
Seven Sisters Wine Rises To Top Of Industry Out Of Poverty
October 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Many people think wine is intimidating. Amateur sommeliers often speak at length about each aspect of the wine, from the look and color to the aroma to how the taste plays about the tongue. The entire wine experience can be prohibitively pretentious. That's why it is so exciting to see someone like Vivian Kleynhans dominate in the wine industry. Vivian recounts her early days entering the wine industry in 2003. She confides that she had absolutely no clue what she was doing or what she was … [Read more...]
Disarmament Week, OCT 24-30
October 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The annual observance of Disarmament Week, which begins on the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, was called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly 1978 special session on disarmament (resolution S-10/2). States were invited to highlight the danger of the arms race, propagate the need for its cessation and increase public understanding of the urgent tasks of disarmament. The annual UN observance of Disarmament Week, which begins on the anniversary of the founding of … [Read more...]
A world on the move: Refugees and Migrants
September 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment
For a world on the move: The UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants The world is on the move, and the number of international migrants today is higher than ever before. In 2015, 244 million people lived in a country other than where they were born, including more than 20 million refugees and asylum-seekers escaping violence or persecution in their home countries. People have always moved in search of sustenance, safety and opportunity. By crossing borders and residing in other lands, … [Read more...]
WHAT IS MANDELA DAY?
July 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead” – Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela International Day was launched in recognition of Nelson Mandela’s birthday on 18 July, 2009 via unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly. It was inspired by a call Nelson Mandela made a year earlier, for the next generation to take on the burden of leadership in addressing … [Read more...]
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
July 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development last year marked a watershed year for sustainable development. Its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets are expected to stimulate action over the upcoming years in areas of critical importance for people and the planet. The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), meeting under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly, is the UN’s central platform for the follow-up … [Read more...]
World Refugee Day 2016, June 20
June 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
"Our responses to refugees must be grounded in our shared values of responsibility sharing, non-discrimination, and human rights and in international refugee law, including the principle of non-refoulement." — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon Each day war forces thousands of families to flee their homes. People like you, people like me. To escape the violence, they leave everything behind – everything except their hopes and dreams for a safer future. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency … [Read more...]
