UN Women – News https://www.unwomen.org/en Latest news from UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. en More than 250 women killed in Lebanon over past seven weeks https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2026/04/more-than-250-women-killed-in-lebanon-over-past-seven-weeks The mounting death toll of women and girls in Lebanon is horrific and underscores a profound failure to protect civilians in line with international humanitarian law. UN Women UN Women 72b0ab58-8a2a-4184-9c8b-fb0858f8038a UN Women statement on the impact of the recent military escalation in the Middle East on women and girls https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2026/04/un-women-statement-on-the-impact-of-the-recent-military-escalation-in-the-middle-east-on-women-and-girls UN Women echoes the UN Secretary-General’s welcome of the announcement of a two-week ceasefire by the United States and Iran and his alarm at the wave of Israeli strikes across Lebanon, with reports indicating that hundreds of people have been killed and injured this week alone, including women and girls. UN Women continues its calls for a lasting and just peace in the region - one that upholds the rights, safety and dignity of all women and girls. UN Women UN Women 8530310d-16cb-4014-addc-68995e49ad0e “It feels like the whole world is complicit” – What displacement feels like for women in Lebanon conflict https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2026/04/it-feels-like-the-whole-world-is-complicit-what-displacement-feels-like-for-women-in-lebanon-conflict Escalating conflict in Lebanon has forced hundreds of thousands of women and girls to flee their homes. Two women from South Lebanon share the impact of war on women in Lebanon. UN Women UN Women 9cf1d4c9-13fd-4459-bb01-bd6250e314c3 Lebanon conflict drives mental health crisis for displaced women: “We hear, see and feel pain constantly” https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2026/04/lebanon-conflict-drives-mental-health-crisis-for-displaced-women-we-hear-see-and-feel-pain-constantly Escalating conflict in Lebanon has forced hundreds of thousands of women and girls to flee their homes, and women are on the frontlines of the response UN Women UN Women 497b9c4c-dd0f-43cb-ade5-91fbea2faf80 UN Women Executive Board visits Bolivia: Advancing women’s rights and strengthening alliances https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/04/un-women-executive-board-visits-bolivia-advancing-womens-rights-and-strengthening-alliances From 24 to 31 March, the Executive Board of UN Women made an official visit to Bolivia to gain insights into the impact of programmes and deepen its understanding of the challenges around women’s rights. UN Women UN Women ec26ccf2-0c4d-4b22-bf7c-7e0d26a6037a From learning to leading: Unlocking the power of girls in ICT https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2026/03/from-learning-to-leading-unlocking-the-power-of-girls-in-ict Ahead of International Girls in ICT Day, two students share how the African Girls Can Code Initiative is empowering young women to transform the tech sector. UN Women UN Women 1e73790c-baa9-4664-8ceb-52f10367a133 What it is like to survive female genital mutilation (FGM) https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2026/01/what-it-is-like-to-survive-female-genital-mutilation-fgm Learn what life after FGM looks like and why legal bans on the practice alone are not delivering justice for women and girls. UN Women UN Women 798b0891-ca34-4839-9ec2-e269b5f1cbe7 Speech: Progress to celebrate, progress unrealized – A call for reinvigorated collective action https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2024/09/speech-progress-to-celebrate-progress-unrealized-a-call-for-reinvigorated-collective-action Remarks by UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the launch of the report, “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2024”, 21 September 2024, UN headquarters. UN Women UN Women 3e39f36b-ab76-489b-bd9e-b11cf38849d6 Op-ed: The cost of motherhood and the gender pay gap https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/op-ed/2026/03/op-ed-the-cost-of-motherhood-and-the-gender-pay-gap Motherhood still comes with a pay penalty, and women continue to be paid less for work of equal value – not by accident, but by design. UN Women UN Women 7556fee2-1e25-41db-8487-bcdf13c43c29 Women, climate change, and the search for accountability https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/op-ed/2026/03/women-climate-change-and-the-search-for-accountability As climate litigation gathers force, women are helping to redefine what accountability looks like – and exposing how far climate policy still is from delivering gender justice. UN Women UN Women 08422b71-238c-458d-912a-3726aacc84ab Press Briefing by UN Women on the situation for women and girls in Lebanon https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-briefing/2026/03/press-briefing-by-un-women-on-the-situation-for-women-and-girls-in-lebanon Remarks by Gielan El Messiri UN Women Representative in Lebanon at the Palais des Nations in Geneva UN Women UN Women 418aeeb4-df83-46eb-9e42-a41b848f4598 Press briefing by UN Women on the impact of recent hostilities, Decree No. 12 and the widening justice gap for women and girls in Afghanistan https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-briefing/2026/03/press-briefing-by-un-women-on-afghanistan Remarks by UN Women Afghanistan Special Representative, Susan Ferguson, at UN Headquarters in New York, speaking from Kabul. UN Women UN Women 70e27f4e-da38-4b98-980a-4ce517daabc1 Op-ed: Building women’s resilience to climate-driven poverty and food insecurity https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/op-ed/2024/03/op-ed-building-womens-resilience-to-climate-driven-poverty-and-food-insecurity Climate change means millions more women and girls risk having insufficient food and resources to meet their basic needs. As women bear the brunt of climate impacts, so they must have equity in decision-making on climate solutions. UN Women UN Women e1b0048c-4fbb-40a4-a832-d1b713e86fb6 Speech: The headwinds are strong, but our shared resolve to advance women’s rights is stronger https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-the-headwinds-are-strong-but-our-shared-resolve-to-advance-womens-rights-is-stronger Closing remarks by Ms. Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director at the Commission on the Status of Women at its Seventieth Session, UN Headquarters, 19 March 2026. UN Women UN Women 63011a3d-a6ea-40ab-9647-91213ba8bf7c Youth leaders call for transformative justice reforms at CSW70 https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/youth-leaders-call-for-transformative-justice-reforms-at-csw70 Young people from around the world joined Member States and United Nations leaders for an interactive dialogue on ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls. UN Women UN Women 68fa8446-5717-430b-a03c-e4ca727d0c7e Only 1 in 7 countries is led by a woman as global political power remains dominated by men https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2026/03/only-1-in-7-countries-is-led-by-a-woman-as-global-political-power-remains-dominated-by-men New Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) – UN Women data show women remain far from equal political power, holding just 22.4 per cent of cabinet posts and 27.5 per cent of parliamentary seats worldwide. UN Women UN Women 421d4bcc-5b17-4f5a-bd46-d443ad370c3c Justice must work for all women and girls, and for every generation – At CSW70, young leaders and women’s rights advocates tackle the justice gap across the life course https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/justice-must-work-for-all-women-and-girls-and-for-every-generation-at-csw70-young-leaders-and-womens-rights-advocates-tackle-the-justice-gap-across-the-life-course At CSW70, adolescent girls, young feminists, older women advocates and policymakers came together to identify intergenerational solutions to one of the most persistent barriers hindering the advancement of gender equality — access to justice for women and girls at every stage of life. UN Women UN Women e2c7f633-5c13-4b29-b2b2-0defbad4723b World leaders at CSW70 put ending violence against women and girls at the top of the agenda https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/world-leaders-at-csw70-put-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-at-the-top-of-the-agenda At the first-ever annual High-level Meeting on Violence Against Women and Girls held during the Commission on the Status of Women, more than 100 countries in the presence of a large number of civil society organizations gathered to share what works – and demand the political will, funding, and accountability to make it happen. UN Women UN Women 1667f8f9-049f-4801-9f77-b0f2051e0f33 Durable impact and delivery at the centre of efforts to end violence against women and girls https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/durable-impact-and-delivery-at-the-centre-of-efforts-to-end-violence-against-women-and-girls The "Five Years On" Group of Friends meeting convened at CSW70 to mobilize support, strengthen cooperation and share solutions. UN Women UN Women fe7d5f3b-f456-4500-ab3b-d474a94e1a97 UN Women Executive Director’s message for World Water Day https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2026/03/un-women-executive-directors-message-for-world-water-day A message from UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous for World Water Day, 22 March 2026. UN Women UN Women 92c38fe6-5005-425d-b216-ae62aa103321 Only 1 in 7 countries is led by a woman as global political power remains dominated by men https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2026/03/only-1-in-7-countries-is-led-by-a-woman-as-global-political-power-remains-dominated-by-men New Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) – UN Women data show women remain far from equal political power, holding just 22.4 per cent of cabinet posts and 27.5 per cent of parliamentary seats worldwide. UN Women UN Women 421d4bcc-5b17-4f5a-bd46-d443ad370c3c Malala Yousafzai’s remarks on International Women’s Day 2026 https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/malala-yousafzai-iwd2026 The Co-founder and Executive Chair of Malala Fund and Nobel Peace Prize laureate delivered her address at the official UN Commemoration of IWD 2026 at the UN Headquarters in New York. UN Women UN Women 0af41f5f-ca7c-4a87-afed-74d0607f312d Remarks by UN Women Chief of Humanitarian Action Sofia Calltorp following her visit to Gaza https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-briefing/2025/11/remarks-by-un-women-chief-of-humanitarian-action-sofia-calltorp-following-her-visit-to-gaza Remarks by UN Women Chief of Humanitarian Action Sofia Calltorp at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, following her visit to Gaza in November 2025 UN Women UN Women b66a2dd6-353e-4169-9378-95d44a8877a4 Advancing justice in every context: CSW70 event spotlights women’s access to justice in conflicts https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/advancing-justice-in-every-context-csw70 High-level event spotlights international cooperation to bridge the justice gap, including the UNDP-UN Women Gender Justice Platform. UN Women UN Women 293afbd8-e865-42fe-a2d7-52c84343b668 Women leaders call for stronger justice systems for women and girls at CSW70 https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/women-leaders-call-for-stronger-justice-systems-for-women-and-girls-at-csw70 At a High-Level side event on the sidelines of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), an intergenerational group of women leaders called for stronger legal systems, accountability, and collective action to advance access to justice for all women and girls. UN Women UN Women 9a778df5-2837-4baf-8383-2025e2125a69 Speech: It is our task, our responsibility, to make real the commitments and promises we have made to all women and girls https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-it-is-our-task-our-responsibility-to-make-real-the-commitments-and-promises-we-have-made-to-all-women-and-girls Remarks by UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the opening of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, 9 March 2026, UN Headquarters. UN Women UN Women 584f49a5-25b3-4466-aa74-af33e9877ab6 Gender stereotypes remain a barrier to women’s access to justice https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/gender-stereotypes-remain-a-barrier-to-womens-access-to-justice CSW70 event calls for dismantling stereotypes and carving pathways for progress. UN Women UN Women 3ab1e2f5-a60a-45b0-8b39-85cd7b78f262 Speech: Justice goes beyond the courtroom to encompass accessible, coordinated, and adequately resourced systems https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-justice-goes-beyond-the-courtroom-to-encompass-accessible-coordinated-and-adequately-resourced-systems Remarks by UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the CSW high-level meeting on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, 12 March 2026, UN Headquarters. UN Women UN Women 352016ea-6abb-4917-afed-6be6b2a69678 Speech: Women and girls must live lives free of violence in all spaces, everywhere https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-women-and-girls-must-live-lives-free-of-violence-in-all-spaces-everywhere Remarks by UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the Commission on the Status of Women high-level meeting on violence against women and girls (morning session), on 12 March 2026, at UN Headquarters. UN Women UN Women b19fba03-7dc8-456b-881c-bb0083b5c66f Speech: In the face of pushback against gender equality, we do not back down, we rise higher https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-in-the-face-of-pushback-against-gender-equality-we-do-not-back-down-we-rise-higher Remarks by UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the 2026 commemoration of International Women’s Day, 9 March 2026, UN headquarters. UN Women UN Women 5c31f142-c6b0-406f-bbb6-6ae95da584d2 Speech: Justice - the bedrock of every right to which women and girls are entitled https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-justice-the-bedrock-of-every-right-to-which-women-and-girls-are-entitled Remarks by UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the interactive dialogue on the CSW70 priority theme, “Bridging systemic gaps: Advancing justice for all women and girls”. UN Women UN Women 8b4f1fcb-b467-4512-b84f-747bcd42a846 G77 and Emerging Partners Ministerial Roundtable highlights pathways to accelerate sustainable financing for gender equality https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/g77-and-emerging-partners-ministerial-roundtable-csw70 At CSW70, global leaders gathered to explore pathways for accelerating sustainable financing for gender equality for all women and girls. UN Women UN Women 46146465-90cf-47aa-8d20-c12132736e0a Justice is the foundation of every right that women and girls are entitled to — CSW70 calls for action to close the justice gap https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2026/03/justice-is-the-foundation-of-every-right-that-women-and-girls-are-entitled-to-csw70 At a High-Level interactive discussion on the sidelines of CSW70, government leaders, experts and advocates examined why formal and informal justice systems continue to fail women and girls, and what it will take to fix them. UN Women UN Women f90d1045-eade-4a03-86b9-d947494aae1d International Women’s Day 2026 & the 70th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/media-advisory/2026/02/iwd2026-and-csw70 This year’s focus is clear: rights, justice and action for all women and girls. UN Women UN Women 0833b0a4-f21a-4fb0-a1ca-73add9f25f9a Only 1 in 7 countries is led by a woman as global political power remains dominated by men https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2026/03/only-1-in-7-countries-is-led-by-a-woman-as-global-political-power-remains-dominated-by-men New Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) – UN Women data show women remain far from equal political power, holding just 22.4 per cent of cabinet posts and 27.5 per cent of parliamentary seats worldwide. UN Women UN Women 421d4bcc-5b17-4f5a-bd46-d443ad370c3c Political leadership roles in 2025: Men continue to dominate https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/03/political-leadership-roles-in-2025-men-continue-to-dominate According to the 2025 edition of the IPU–UN Women “Women in politics” map, men outnumber women by more than three times in executive and legislative positions. The map presents the latest rankings of women in executive positions and national parliaments as of 1 January 2025. While the proportion of women in parliament has increased fractionally by 0.3 percentage points to 27.2 per cent compared to a year ago, in government positions it has declined by 0.4 percentage points. UN Women UN Women 6d03b1f2-a90b-41d1-bc0c-be24342fcd00 Governments reach a powerful global agreement to strengthen access to justice for all women and girls https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2026/03/csw70-conclusions The Agreed Conclusions introduce several groundbreaking elements. UN Women UN Women 4367cc9f-f2dc-4812-9cbc-10ea79b0137a Speech: UN Secretary-General’s remarks to the Town Hall of Women Civil Society Leaders https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-un-secretary-generals-remarks-to-the-town-hall-of-women-civil-society-leaders The townhall provides an opportunity for UN Secretary-General António Guterres to have a frank discussion on issues related to the advancement of gender equality and women and girls' rights around the world. UN Women UN Women bc0608a7-08be-4bbe-8098-45ce66f14302 Speech: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway on International Women’s Day https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-un-women-goodwill-ambassador-anne-hathaway-on-international-womens-day Speaking at the UN commemoration of International Women’s Day 2026 at the UN Headquarters in New York, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway said: “It is absolutely our honour to celebrate the courage and power of the women who would not be denied their justice, because they chose action in a world that expects silence.” UN Women UN Women 289287c5-cf14-4273-89aa-893a3428df8f Test page (Caroline) https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/interview/2025/06/test-page-caroline testing UN Women UN Women ea73780b-afb1-493d-b94b-1b13efab1418 Speech: UN Secretary-General’s remarks to the opening of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2026/03/speech-un-secretary-generals-remarks-to-the-opening-of-the-70th-session-of-the-commission-on-the-status-of-women United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres addresses CSW70 UN Women UN Women 69339bd4-f94a-4817-9a48-0d3e990daf31 Anne Hathaway to headline UN Women’s International Women’s Day Event at the United Nations https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/media-advisory/2026/03/anne-hathaway-to-headline-un-womens-international-womens-day-event-at-the-united-nations Leading voices on women’s rights and justice, together with a special musical performance, will join UN Women for IWD2026. UN Women UN Women 306087b8-0e20-4e72-813d-ebb02ae54460 UN Women Executive Director’s statement for International Women’s Day https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2026/03/un-women-executive-directors-statement-for-international-womens-day UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous says in her International Women’s Day statement: "Nothing can and nothing will stop us until the equal rights of all women and girls are realized." UN Women UN Women 8cf620a1-a70b-434d-9414-e556ee070afc Statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on International Women's Day https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2022/03/statement-by-un-secretary-general-antonio-guterres-on-international-womens-day On International Women’s Day, we celebrate women and girls everywhere. UN Women UN Women bd91d876-a704-4826-9c2b-ac7849af2eef UN Secretary-General’s message on International Women’s Day https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2026/03/un-secretary-generals-message-on-international-womens-day When we are not equal under the law, we are not equal. It is time to make justice a reality for women and girls, everywhere. UN Women UN Women 87e1e2c9-3825-4aaf-a6a4-f29d9fdaa570 When laws change, lives change: What justice looks like on the ground for women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2026/03/when-laws-change-lives-change-what-justice-looks-like-on-the-ground-for-women Around the world, women have just 64 per cent of the legal rights of men. From Thailand to Colombia and Albania, UN Women is working with women’s organizations, governments, and justice systems to close that gap — one law, one survivor at a time. UN Women UN Women c8b7bcc4-e439-402d-829d-32fa2e9288bf Digital violence is intensifying, yet nearly half of the world’s women and girls lack legal protection from digital abuse https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/11/digital-violence-is-intensifying-yet-nearly-half-of-the-worlds-women-and-girls-lack-legal-protection-from-digital-abuse UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism campaign demands a world where technology is a force for equality – not harm. UN Women UN Women 7ca2f2d2-6c21-4b40-9571-29b5247f70a1 Digital violence is intensifying, yet nearly half of the world’s women and girls lack legal protection from digital abuse https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/11/digital-violence-is-intensifying-yet-nearly-half-of-the-worlds-women-and-girls-lack-legal-protection-from-digital-abuse UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism campaign demands a world where technology is a force for equality – not harm. UN Women UN Women 7ca2f2d2-6c21-4b40-9571-29b5247f70a1 Digital violence is intensifying, yet nearly half of the world’s women and girls lack legal protection from digital abuse https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/11/digital-violence-is-intensifying-yet-nearly-half-of-the-worlds-women-and-girls-lack-legal-protection-from-digital-abuse UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism campaign demands a world where technology is a force for equality – not harm. UN Women UN Women 7ca2f2d2-6c21-4b40-9571-29b5247f70a1 From survivors to changemakers: How women are fighting digital violence in Mexico and Bolivia https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2025/12/from-survivors-to-changemakers-how-women-are-fighting-digital-violence-in-mexico-and-bolivia Digital violence against women is exploding across Latin America. For women in public life—politicians, journalists, activists, human rights defenders—online abuse isn't just a nuisance. It's a weapon. And it doesn't stay online. A 2023 UN Women study on digital violence against women in public life across Latin America found that half of women interviewed had experienced threats, groping in public spaces, or had their photos weaponized on social media to harass them. But women aren't accepting those rules. Across the region, survivors are reshaping laws, demanding accountability, and redefining what it means to participate in public life in the digital age. UN Women UN Women b4a730e5-4686-47dc-a6da-a56522dfdcb0