A long journey to equality: Gender equality advocates look back on the Fourth World Conference on Women

Date: Monday, January 18, 2021

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held from 4-15 September, 1995, we invite you to be inspired by the stories of activists from Europe and Central Asia. They were at the Beijing Conference, an experience that shaped them in their quest to build a gender-equal world.

As cases of the violence against women continue to rise, UN Women provides psychological support for survivors

Date: Thursday, January 14, 2021

According to a recent UN assessment, police reports from across Kosovo show a 22 percent increase in domestic violence in the first months of the pandemic. ‘The Rapid Socio-economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19’ was carried out by UN Women, UNDP and UNFPA. As domestic violence increased, so did the survivors' need for a safe space, a shelter, and a safe environment.

21 million Ukrainians reached by campaign celebrating women’s leadership in peacebuilding

Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, military veterans, community activists, students, and others – women are often at the center of restoring the physical, social, economic and psychological damage caused by conflict and rebuilding communities. Photo: UN Women/Vitaliy Shevelev More than 21.7 million people across Ukraine have seen or heard the stories of brave women in conflict-affected communities and on the frontlines as part of a UN Women campaign to showcase women’s...

Looking beyond traditional gender roles to a world where childcare and household chores are shared equally

Date: Tuesday, January 12, 2021

A new campaign called ‘Look Beyond’ seeks to make sure that this burden is equally shared by both men and women, and ultimately to encourage all of society to look beyond traditional masculine and feminine roles to a world where household chores and childcare have no gender.

Uniting against gender-based violence in Central Asia

Date: Thursday, January 7, 2021

The Spotlight Initiative Regional Programme in Central Asia, in collaboration with FemAgora, a feminist non-government organization in Central Asia, joined forces for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence under the global theme, Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!.

In the words of Aşkın Asan: “We are committed to making a difference in rural women’s lives every day of the year”

Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Professor Aşkın Asan is a member of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO). Previously, Professor Asan was the Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policies in Turkey.

Take Five: “We must make sure the women and girls with disabilities are consulted and heard”

Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Ana Peláez Narváez is the first woman with disabilities elected as a member of the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

I am Generation Equality: Janine Shepherd, aerobatic pilot, author, resilience expert

Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Janine Shephard, once one of Australia's most promising cross-country skiers, talks about her journey from being paralyzed after a grave incident to becoming an acrobatic pilot.

HeForShe Turkey and GQ Magazine Turkey launch podcast series packed with inspirational talks and important discussions on gender equality

Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2020

The podcast series is part of initiatives launched under UN Women’s Media Compact partnership with GQ Magazine Turkey and aims to raise awareness on gender equality, break down gender stereotypes, and address the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality. With three episodes published so far, the podcast series will continue to discuss unspoken subjects in 2021.

Across cities and towns, Tajiks join forces against gender-based violence as part of the global 16-days campaign

Date: Thursday, December 24, 2020

In Tajikistan, series of radio programs were dedicated to 16-days campaign against gender-based violence. Tajik bloggers launched challenge #orangetheworldtj on Instagram, as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign. UN Women in Tajikistan supported the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence in the regions and held a public information campaign. Dushanbe hosted a national kickboxing championship, dedicated to the 16-days campaign against gender-based violence. As part of the campaign, more building across Dushanbe, the Tajik capital, turned orange than ever before.

Seven per cent of employed women in Serbia lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, new study reveals

Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2020

While everyone is facing unprecedented challenges with lockdown and social distancing measures, women are paying a heavier price as the pandemic worsens existing gender inequalities.

Press Release: Kazakhstan moves closer to strengthening its laws and policies to combat violence against women

Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Senior national leaders, including the deputies of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, joined experts, representatives from civil society and international organizations to discuss Kazakhstan integrating key international conventions designed to eliminate violence against women and girls into existing laws and policies.

Women activists from the Western Balkans and Turkey determined to change the way they prevent violence against migrant women

Date: Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Woman walking at the refugee reception centre Tabanovce, Macedonian-Serbian border, 26 April 2016. The fence of the centre has been broken. Photo: Mirjana Nedeva On the occasion of International Migrants Day, 18 December, more than 80 women activists and representatives of line ministries, civil society and academia from the Western Balkans and Turkey came together to discuss ways to prevent and respond to violence against women migrants at the webinar “Intersectional solutions to...

UN Women launches online video campaign ‘The virus of indifference kills’

Date: Monday, December 21, 2020

41 per cent of the population in Georgia think that domestic violence is a family matter. A new campaign by UN Women challenges the status quo and calls everyone not to stay indifferent to violence against women.

Looking Beyond 2020: Advancing Women, Peace and Security in Eastern Partnership Countries

Date: Monday, December 21, 2020

Forty-one women’s organizations, peacebuilders and activists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine recently came together in Istanbul for a series of consultations aimed at sharing views and highlighting solutions towards the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Eastern partnership countries. The ‘Looking Beyond 2020: Advancing Women, Peace and Security’ consultations were organized by the UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the UN Women Georgia Country Office.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased women’s unpaid care work in North Macedonia confirms UN Women’s gender assessment

Date: Monday, December 21, 2020

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more women (35 percent) than men (23 percent) have been working from home. This has significantly increased their time spent on unpaid domestic activities and care for children, a recent UN Women assessment reveals.

UN Women statement, International Migrants Day 2020

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2020

On International Migrants Day, UN Women recognizes and celebrates the vast contributions of migrant women around the world, many of whom are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, supporting their communities as skilled health and care workers, cleaners, food delivery providers and agricultural workers.

Turkey's first open-air lighting installation exhibition, ‘Light the Dark’ illuminates Istanbul for gender equality

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2020

Initiated by UN Women Turkey, the ‘Light the Dark’ Exhibition first opened to visitors in November 2019 in Ankara, Turkey's capital, with a call for a world free from violence against women and girls. This year, five of the exhibited works were displayed at Maçka Park, İstanbul, as part of the ‘İstanbul the Lights’ project organized by Contemporary Istanbul, also İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Art, Culture and Education Foundation. Created by...

Call for Proposals: Civil society organizations to raise awareness and confidence of rural women in Serbia

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2020

UN Women Serbia is inviting civil society organizations (CSOs) registered in Serbia, with experience in working on combating violence against women and girls to submit project proposals. Proposals should focus on raising awareness and confidence of rural women about the measures and actors responsible for protection from violence and gender-based discrimination.

A journey of stories told by refugee and local women: The ‘Light the Dark’ Photography Exhibition goes online

Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2020

UN Women Turkey recently kicked-off the ‘Light the Dark’ Online Photography Exhibition, displaying the works of more than 100 refugee and local women, along with pieces by Colombian and Palestinian students who led the project.