Women and girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are trapped in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and face rampant insecurity, a senior United Nations official warned on Tuesday following a visit to the country.
Around 676 million women lived within 50 kilometres of deadly conflict last year – the highest figure since the 1990s.
Nearly 70,000 women in Afghanistan tune in to Radio Femme – an all-female-run online and traditionally broadcast radio station which brings education and awareness of rights to women and girls across the province.
UN Deputy-Secretary General Amina Mohammed has acknowledged the Chinese capital’s enduring association with the fight for women’s rights and gender equality, 30 years on from the adoption of the landmark Beijing Declaration, a foundational international treaty.
Adults were in the back seat at UN Headquarters on Friday as girls and young women from across the world took over the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber to speak up for their rights in the face of conflict, climate change, and other challenges.
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.
Nuriya Maharjan first became interested in space exploration during a traditional coming-of-age ritual in which young girls of Nepal’s Indigenous Newar tribe emerge from 12 days of darkness to symbolically marry the sun.
Young people are at the heart of the world’s most urgent challenges, and on Friday, their role in shaping solutions took centre stage at the UN General Assembly. World leaders spoke of the remarkable promise held by today’s generation, even as they acknowledged the persistent barriers millions of children and youth face in accessing education, healthcare and political voice.
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.
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 of work that still needs to be done.
