UN Women statement for the International Day of the Girl, 11 October 2025 On this International Day of the Girl, we celebrate the courage and leadership of girls everywhere, especially those facing crisis and conflict. Girls like Sandra Patricia Aguilar Carabalí in northern Cauca, Colombia, are defying exclusion and leading efforts to protect land, peace, and their […]
More women must have a role in shaping peace agreements, security reforms and post-conflict recovery plans, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Monday October 6, 2025. Members met for their annual open debate on the women, peace and security agenda just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Council’s landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on […]
Nairobi, Kenya, October 6, 2025: Women’s rights advocates have welcomed a landmark decision by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights holding the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accountable for widespread sexual violence committed by its military forces. The ruling is in response to Communication 686/18, a case seeking justice following atrocities committed by Congolese military personnel on […]
Banjul, The Gambia, 28 September 2025 – On the occasion of International Safe Abortion Day, observed globally on 28 September, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) underscores the critical and urgent message of the 2025 theme: “Safe Abortion is Life-Saving Healthcare.” Across our continent, unsafe abortion remains a devastating public health crisis and […]
Only the fifth woman to preside over the UN General Assembly in its 80-year history has praised the courage of those “who fought for every phrase, every word in the Beijing Declaration,” marking the 30th Anniversary of the pivotal international conference on women’s empowerment. During the landmark 1995 event in the Chinese capital, countries came together […]
In the three decades since the groundbreaking Beijing Declaration on women’s rights was adopted by the nations of the world, great progress has been made but women and girls still face unacceptable levels of violence and discrimination. At this year’s General Assembly, UN delegates will reflect on the achievements made and raise awareness about the huge amount […]
2025 is a crossroads. One road leads to deeper poverty, weaker economies, and human rights stripped away. The other, propels economies forward, building safer societies and fairer futures for everyone. What makes this year pivotal is the timeline: Just five years remain before the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development deadline, which the world set to […]
More than 351 million women and girls could still be living in extreme poverty by the end of the decade if current trends persist. The world is retreating from gender equality, and the cost is being counted in lives, rights, and opportunities. Five years from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline in 2030, none of the gender equality […]
A lack of reliable statistics and coherent strategy to address femicide in Kenya, has left a culture of everyday insecurity for women in the country. When I moved to South Africa in 2021, the country ranked among the deadliest places in the world to be a woman. With one of the highest femicide rates globally, […]
Since the creation of the United Nations 80 years ago, only four women have served as President of the General Assembly, where all 193 UN Member States debate the key issues facing the world. On Tuesday, Germany’s Annalena Baerbock will become the first European woman to hold the post and only the fifth female President […]
