The second consultation in a series of subregional meetings preparing for the UNECE Regional Review Meeting in Geneva on October 21-22, 2024, took place on June 25. During this event, 130 civil society representatives joined forces to gather insights and recommendations that will inform the regional review process ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA).

Beba Zhagar, a 27-year-old lawyer, court translator, and researcher from Skopje, North Macedonia has been actively working to advance human rights, gender equality, non-discrimination, freedom of expression and combat hate speech in the country. Beba joined the UN Women “Imagine” campaign to encourage and inspire young people to become advocates for gender equality and human rights.

UN Women in North Macedonia, for a second consecutive year in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marked the International Day of Women in Diplomacy with a high-level panel discussion highlighting the pivotal role that women play in international relations and diplomatic efforts.

UN Women Tajikistan facilitated a roundtable discussion for local project partners, INGOs, Committee on Women and Family Affairs and all shelters operating in Tajikistan, focusing on recent study tours conducted to Georgia and USA as part of the “Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response in Tajikistan” project funded by United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

In a bold move to confront the systemic issue of femicide through the power of research and data, Central Asian researchers, journalists and gender advocates are embarking on the first-ever comprehensive femicide research in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Khatuna is a one of the 40 guests of the '100 Years Later' play, held in the framework of the 'EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence' programme.

10 June 2024, Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The International Forum "Women and Water" convened 120 partners from 17 countries and various sectors, including women diplomats, activists, scientists, water sector professionals as well as representatives from State agencies, grass-roots organizations and development partners in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The "Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery" was launched at the Ukraine Recovery Conference on 12 June 2024 in Berlin. Spearheaded by UN Women Ukraine in collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Alliance aims to ensure that gender equality and women's empowerment are central to Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction efforts.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Women, with the support from Sweden, held a series of workshops aimed at improving gender-sensitive credit solutions and integrating a gender perspective in climate-resilient agriculture. The workshops took place in Pale and Zenica as part of the project „Women Driving Resilience in Agriculture and Rural Areas.”

The International Forum "Women and Water" gathers 120 participants from 17 countries, including representatives from governments, international organizations, public organizations, water resources and gender equality experts, women's rights activists, students, academics, journalists, and media representatives in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The forum is an important side event of the Third High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028," under the Dushanbe Water Process. 

In a landmark achievement, Madina Jarbussynova, a distinguished Kazakhstani diplomat and Senior Adviser to UN Women Kazakhstan, has been elected to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) by a majority of votes. This marks the first time a representative from Kazakhstan and Central Asia has been elected to this vital UN body.

UN Women, in collaboration with School of Data and Data against Feminicide, launched a multi-country initiative to support research on femicide in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan under the regional programme “Making Every Woman and Girl Count”.

On May 30, 160 civil society representatives joined the first consultation to gather insights and recommendations that will inform the regional review process ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA), which will be marked in 2025. Organized by the UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) and the Beijing+30 Civil Society Steering Committee, this consultation is the first in a series of subregional meetings preparing for the UNECE Regional Review Meeting in Geneva on October 21-22, 2024.

UN Women Tajikistan  facilitated a visit to Shahritus District for partners as part of the “Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response in Tajikistan” project. Participants included partners from public organizations and members of working groups from Istaravshan, Dushanbe, and Varzob districts. The visit aimed to foster peer learning and the exchange of best practices among local governments and civil society organizations.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has disproportionately affected women and girls, with women constituting the majority of refugees. Among the estimated 3.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), 56 percent are women, facing challenges in accessing vital resources...

Imagine a room alive with the energy of young minds, fueled by a passion for gender equality and the power of data. This was the scene at the “Data Visualization and Advocacy for Gender Equality Hackathon”, bringing together students from diverse disciplines to transform data into compelling social media campaigns for gender equality.

Malina Stanojevic is one of the most vocal advocates for the rights of rural women in Serbia. As president of the Save the Village Association, she has been elevating rural communities in South-Western Serbia by empowering women through trainings. Through an EU and UN Women supported project, over 200 rural women from the Association were involved in initiatives targeting local self-government, with the aim of improving the position of rural women in society.

A group of women in Gaziantep, a southeastern city of Türkiye known for its rich history and vibrant culture, are learning to make their neighborhoods greener and more resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis at the Green Jobs and Entrepreneurship Center for Women. The initiative aims to support women’s economic empowerment, enhance knowledge on climate change impacts and foster women-led community engagement for sustainable and resilient neighborhoods.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye in February 2023, UN Women Türkiye has launched a strategic initiative to empower women by enhancing their legal literacy. Implemented in partnership with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA), a new initiative marks a significant step towards providing crucial support to women survivors facing legal challenges in the wake of the disaster.

Altynay Yelgundinova is a 22-year-old biotechnology major student and certified empowerment self-defense instructor from Astana, Kazakhstan. She is the founder of “SaveYourself.kz” project, which focuses on raising awareness on sexual harassment and provides free personal safety courses for victims of domestic violence in Kazakhstan.