Did you know that 2.5 billion people in the world are without bank accounts? For many people in developing countries, it is simply too expensive to maintain a traditional brick-and-mortar bank account or the distance to a bank or ATM is too far to travel. This translates into greater economic insecurity for the people who need it most. You also may not have known that 2 billion of these people now have access to a cell phone, and that new mobile banking technologies are allowing millions … [Read more...]
The Women of the World are Depending on Us
March 12, 2013 by
“Economic policies that push out smallholders,” Ms. Khan added, “contribute to a damaging feminization of poverty. In this process, young girls, in particular, find themselves at the sharp end of gender violence.” The WFP-hosted event, which focused on the negative impact of violence against women on food security, also heard from panelist Lourdes Tiban, an Ecuadorean lawmaker of indigenous descent. Gender violence, she said, is not ordained by destiny. Ms. Tiban called for profound cultural … [Read more...]
HALF the World is Women – “Ending Violence against Women and Girls”
March 7, 2013 by
This Forum was opened by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and facilitated by Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, and included the participation of a range of senior leaders of UN agencies -- namely Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, UNDP Associate Administrator, Ms. Anne-Birgette Albrectsen, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA, Ms. Geeta Rao Gupta, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF, Ms Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR. "Women's … [Read more...]
Gender and Food Security, Empowering Women for Global Food Security
March 4, 2013 by
Feed the Future Policy Analysis – Empowering Women for Global Food Security – In spite of persistent global efforts to address food security, it still remains an urgent problem. Women are heralded as the key players in solving the food crisis, however these crises are the result of inequities in the food distribution system; and therefore broader gender dynamics and relations of power need to be considered. By focusing only on women’s economic empowerment, USAID’s Feed the … [Read more...]
Joint Statement: Taking Action to End Water and Sanitation Inequalities
February 26, 2013 by
Joint Statement: End water and sanitation inequalities in the future development agenda The Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations, UNICEF, UN Women, WaterAid and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. New York, 21 February 2013. "Today, the Government of Finland, UNICEF, UN Women, WaterAid and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation call on the international … [Read more...]
UN Women, Progress of the World’s Women
February 25, 2013 by
In many countries of the world, the rule of law still rules women out. In every region, there are laws that discriminate against women, in relation to property, the family, employment and citizenship. Too often, justice institutions, including the police and the courts, deny women justice. But, governments and civil society are pioneering innovative approaches to ensure that women can access justice. Catalyzing gender-sensitive law reform, investing in one-stop shops and providing … [Read more...]
UNESCO Launches Women Make the News 2013
February 22, 2013 by
On the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD), 8 March, UNESCO joins forces with international and regional partners to launch the annual Women Make the News (WMN) initiative under the theme, “Towards a Global Alliance on Media and Gender”. We are inviting editors-in-chief of newspapers, radio, television on and offline to join UNESCO’s initiative, and to produce special supplements/programme on these topics and/or to entrust women journalists and reporters with editorial responsibility … [Read more...]
