Rome, 15 October 2020 – Our food supply is at risk if we don’t start prioritizing rural women during this pandemic, said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in a strong call to governments to increase their investments in rural women. “It is unacceptable that rural women, who...

The National Movement of Rural Women invites members of the press to celebrate International Day of Rural Women (IDoRW) on the 15th of October 2020. Observed since 2008, IDoRW – established by the United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007 – recognises “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in...

The number of cases of sexualized violence and femicide in Africa has risen during the Covid-19 pandemic. Will those in power finally grow aware of the extent of the problem? I slept with a small knife, because I was afraid. I didn’t even think about defending myself, because he was three times as strong as I...

Most of the world’s nations are not doing enough to protect women and girls from the economic and social fallout being caused by the COVID-19 crisis, according to new data released today by UN Women and UNDP from the COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker. The tracker, which includes over 2,500 measures across 206 countries and territories,...

With alarming rise of domestic violence reports during the pandemic lockdowns from millions of women worldwide, UN Women convened today a high-level meeting with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Member States, UN agencies, activists, the private sector and philanthropies. The spotlight was on the urgent need for targeted investments, commitments and innovative new ways of...

At a high level event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, UN Women, the UN Development Programme, UNHCR, and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights called for reform of nationality laws that discriminate on the basis of gender. Twenty-five countries retain nationality laws that deny women the right to confer citizenship on...

The U.S. Agency for International Development has a long and honored record on advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality, supported by leaders in both parties in various administrations and Congress. While priorities shift, USAID’s policies and programs have increasingly recognized both the right to gender equality, as well as the importance of gender equality to...

Women’s peace power is vital for our world’s security Date: Monday, September 21, 2020   Peace is a prerequisite for health, equality and human security. Our ability to live dignified, fulfilling lives depends on acting without fear, in mutual respect and co-existence. Today, as we mark International Day of Peace, some 2 billion people are living in areas...

For the better part of 2020, East African countries have been battling to contain the spread of Covid-19 with over 46,633 cases reported across Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda as of September 6. Among them, Kenya and Rwanda account for the larger chunk with 35,103 and 4,349 cases reported in the respective...

Women and girls have been disproportionately hit by COVID-19 as the pandemic worsens existing gender inequality. Humanitarian crises can affect the lives of men and women differently – and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. Women have shown better COVID-19 outcomes than men – in part thanks to an additional X chromosome and sex hormones like oestrogen, which...