Remarks by Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the United Nations Security Council Briefing on the Sahel at UN Headquarters, 7 August 2025. [As delivered.] Let me begin by commending Panama for ensuring that this discussion spotlights the rights and realities of women and girls in The Sahel—where […]
Hungry civilians are reportedly eating animal feed as women and girls face a “gender emergency” in war-torn Sudan, UN officials said on Thursday August 7,2025. Particularly hard hit is El Fasher, where hunger is growing, with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warning of a deteriorating situation that is putting even more […]
In Africa’s Sahel region, deepening violence and poverty – driven by displacement, hunger and terrorism – are stripping women and girls of their right to safety, education and a viable future. Risks to women and girls across this vast region are severe and systemic, as political instability, environmental collapse and a declining international presence take […]
New evidence suggests mistreatment remains common in maternal and newborn care, with new research across four countries finding that 60 per cent of vaginal exams were done without consent, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO). Over the past decade, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the widespread impact of mistreatment and the […]
The promise seemed simple: a job, a fresh start, a way out. Instead, Maria* stepped off a boat onto a picture-perfect Trinidadian beach with hope in her heart and into a nightmare that would shadow her for years. On the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on 30 July, follow the journey of a woman […]
Some 80,000 children are estimated to be at high risk of cholera in West and Central Africa as the rainy season begins across the region, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday, july 30, 2025. “The heavy rains, widespread flooding and the high level of displacement are all fuelling the risk of cholera transmission […]
An interagency group from the UN released the flagship 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report on Monday July 28, 2025, estimating a global, yet uneven, decline in hunger since 2022. The report estimates 8.2 per cent of the global population (673 million individuals) experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 per […]
Fariba, a young Afghan woman, had just begun a university degree in 2021 when the Taliban returned to power and banned women and girls from secondary and higher education. This is just one way that the de facto authorities have restricted women and girls’ fundamental rights. Today, Afghanistan has the second largest gender gap in the world after Yemen. “Sometimes […]
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) has concluded at United Nations Headquarters in New York following a week-and-a-half of substantive discussion between Member States, civil society representatives and UN agencies. At the end of the conference on Wednesday, Member States adopted a Ministerial Declaration by a vote of 154-2-2, with the United States […]
This Friday July 25, 2025 marks the first observation of the International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, following a declaration last year by the UN General Assembly. It recognises their immense contributions to society, but also acknowledges the challenges they face due to the double burden of racism and sexism. Although woman […]
