women

Head of UN Assistance Mission for Iraq Staffan de Mistura

Gender violence in Iraq threatens to undermine families and society, UN warns

26 November 2008
The top United Nations official in Iraq has called for the urgent establishment of a national legal framework guaranteeing the protection of women, warning that continued gender violence threatens to undermine the country’s families and society.

Culturally sensitive approaches critical to women’s development – UN report

12 November 2008
Development strategies should be more culturally sensitive to the promotion of human rights, especially women’s rights, a new United Nations report finds, warning that otherwise many projects in poor countries are likely to fail.
Inés Alberdi (left), Executive Director of UNIFEM

Women vital to peace in post-conflict zones, Security Council hears

29 October 2008
A comprehensive and sustainable peace is not possible in post-conflict situations unless women’s security and participation is a primary objective for peacekeepers, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today.

Ban urges greater efforts to boost women’s role in peace and security

24 October 2008
Countries need to take more action to increase the role of women in the search for peace and justice and enhance their input in decision-making, even though positive steps have been made in recent years, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon writes in a report made public today.

Ban calls for reversal of ‘slow’ progress in achieving gender parity at UN

21 October 2008
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has exhorted the United Nations to take urgent actions to reverse the “regrettable trend” of sluggish advances made towards achieving gender parity in the Organization.

UN marks first-ever International Day of Rural Women with call for action

15 October 2008
The United Nations today has marked the inaugural International Day of Rural Women, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issuing a call for greater appreciation of their role in providing food and incalculable support they give to their communities.
UNIFEM's Executive Director Ines Alberdi

UN urges European Union to end violence against women in conflict zones

10 October 2008
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) today urged European Union (EU) Member States to take practical steps in preventing sexual violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

UN campaign to end violence against women backed by 10 more countries

24 June 2008
Prime ministers and foreign ministers from 10 countries have signed on to the “Say NO to Violence against Women Campaign” – a move welcomed by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which is organizing the drive.

Security Council demands action to end sexual violence as a tactic in war

19 June 2008
The Security Council today demanded that all sides to armed conflicts around the world stop using violence against women as a tactic of war and take much tougher steps to protect women and girls from such attacks.
Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Perpetrators of violence against women must be held to account – UN official

5 June 2008
Governments and other actors in positions of power and influence must make it a priority to bring perpetrators of violence against women to account, the top United Nations human rights official said today.