women and girls

Women and girls in Tanzania who are threatened with abuse and child marriage are increasingly able to access the help they need.
FAO Tanzania

Tanzania helpline calls time on child marriage and abuse

15 May 2021
Women

Child marriage continues to affect many young girls across Tanzania, in East Africa, but now a series of interventions supported by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are allowing children to get the support they need to avoid unwanted and potentially damaging relationships.

During a home visit with a family in eastern Ukraine, a social worker (far left) and a psychologist give the children colouring and exercise packets.
© UNICEF/Pavel Zmey

COVID-19: UN urges ramping up social protection programmes to safeguard those most vulnerable

26 August 2020
Health

The socio-economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted UN agencies on Wednesday to call on countries to increase social protection programmes to protect those most at risk. 

Students in computer programming class at Al Shami Girls Secondary School in the West Bank.
World Bank/Arne Hoel

Teenage girls' education, ‘an indispensable foundation’ for achieving development goals: Guterres

11 February 2020
Women

Promoting education for adolescent girls is an “indispensable foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”,  Secretary-General António Guterres declared at the launch event of the Drive for 5 education initiative at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, hosted by the Irish Mission to the United Nations.

Namibian high school girls, who participated in the 'African Girls Can Code' programme, pay a visit to UN House in Windhoek to start their journey of putting their coding skills into action.
UN Namibia

Coding in Namibia: UN supports young women’s computing career dreams

30 January 2020
Women

Six young women from Namibia are on the path to a career in the field of information and communications technology (ICT), with the support of the UN office in the country. 

An Auxiliary Nurse Midwife performs critical ante-natal services in Shrawasti, India.
UNICEF/Vishwanathan

International Day of the Midwife: 5 things you should know

5 May 2019
Women

Why are midwives important? What impact have they had on mothers’ and babies’ health? As the United Nations celebrates midwives across the world on Sunday, here are five things you should know about the critical role they play in communities.

Four months-old Saleh, admitted in Al Hudaydah’s main hospital in April 2017, and his mother Nora. Close to half a million children and two million mothers in Yemen are at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition due to ongoing conflict.
UN OCHA/Giles Clarke

Looming famine in Yemen could put two million mothers at risk of death – UN agency

1 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid

The critical difficulties in accessing food in Yemen, and other hardships caused by the ongoing conflict, could lead to the world’s worst famine ever, and place up to two million malnourished, pregnant and lactating women at risk of death, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, said on Thursday.

The niqab is a full-body Islamic piece of clothing, worn by some women in some devout Muslim communities, and which covers the whole body, leaving only a narrow slit for the eyes. Yemen, 2007.
© UNICEF/Giacomo Pirozzi

French full-body veil ban, violated women’s freedom of religion: UN Human Rights Committee

23 October 2018
Human Rights

Following complaints by two French Muslim women, fined for wearing a full-body veil or niqab, a UN Committee of independent human rights experts ruled in their favour on Tuesday, stating that their freedom to practice their religion had been infringed.

The poorest and most vulnerable people in Rwanda have benefited from the “Green Village” concept, a Rwandan government initiative which is supported by UNDP and UN Environment, that aims to tackle the African country’s growing natural resource challenges, including deforestation, soil erosion, access to water and unsustainable land use.
UNDP Rwanda/Alice Kayibanda

Investing in rural women and girls, ‘essential’ for everyone’s future: UN chief

15 October 2018
Women

Marking International Day of Rural Women, on Monday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to ensure that women and girls living in rural areas can enioy their human rights as this would enable making “progress for all”.