UN Women

(The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women), New York

On 2nd July 2010, the UN General Assembly voted unanimously to create a new entity to focus on meeting the needs of women and girls. UN Women is a result of years of negotiations and campaigning. UN Women will merge and build upon the work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system: Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women (OSAGI), and the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

The main roles of UN Women are:

• To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms.
• To help Member States to implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it and to forge effective partnerships with civil society.
• To hold the UN system accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progress.

UN Women — which will be operational by January 2011 — will be a dynamic and strong champion for women and girls, providing them with a powerful voice at the global, regional and local levels.

The newly appointed Under-Secretary General for UN Women is Ms. Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile.

Click here to learn more

Next agency »