Advocacy & Lobbying
From 19 to 23 January 2026, UN Women organized an exchange visit on integrated and gender-responsive gender-based violence (GBV) services, with support from the European Union (EU) under the Deliver Justice Project, bringing a delegation from Pakistan to Thailand to strengthen learning, dialogue and South-South cooperation on coordinated responses to violence against women and girls.
The visit brought together government officials, law enforcement representatives, health professionals and civil society actors from Pakistan, alongside UN Women teams from Pakistan, Thailand and the Asia-Pacific Regional Office (ROAP). Over five days, participants engaged with Thailand’s multisectoral approach to GBV response while sharing experiences from Pakistan’s own efforts to strengthen coordination, accountability and survivor-centred services.
Read More Here.
Today, the European Union and UN Women Ukraine signed a project agreement to establish the Gender Equality Facility (GEF), to drive Ukraine’s gender responsive and inclusive recovery and European integration.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka and EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová.
The GEF is a technical assistance initiative. It is designed to accelerate gender-responsive reforms as Ukraine advances on its path to EU membership. The EU-backed project will provide the Ukrainian government with the necessary expertise and tools to mainstream gender equality across all sectors of public policy, recovery planning, and legislative development.
Read More here.
The Conference of African Traditional and Cultural Leaders on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention have reaffirmed commitment to accelerate coordinated action towards ending Gender-Based Violence across the African continent. The made the commitment at a conference convened by the Ford Foundation and UN Women, in collaboration with the Nigerian government in Lagos.The conference drew eminent leaders from across Africa, including traditional authorities, government representatives, and development partners to mobilise cultural authority as a force for protection, justice, and social transformation.
Read more here.
More than 150 participants – including political party representatives, government officials, civil society leaders, young people and aspiring women candidates – gathered on 3–4 December in Port Moresby for the National Forum on Women’s Political Leadership. Convened under the Women Make the Change programme, which is funded by the Australian Government, the two-day event marked a pivotal step in strengthening inclusive political pathways ahead of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) 2027 national general elections.
Convened in partnership with the country’s Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission (IPPCC), the Department for Community Development and Religion (DFCDR), UN Women and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Government of Australia, the Forum spotlighted the role of political parties and institutions in enabling women’s full participation and leadership in political processes.
On Saturday, January 17, the Ministry for the Status of Women and Women's Rights (MCFDF) took a decisive step for 2026. The Ministry launched a three-day strategic and professional retreat at the Montana Hotel in Pétion-ville. This retreat brought together the institution's senior staff to structure future actions in support of gender equality in Haiti.
Objectives of the 2026 Annual Work Plan (AWP) :
The main objective of this meeting was to validate the Annual Work Plan (AWP). Directors, Coordinators, and staff members worked on several key areas:
Strategic Alignment with the National Action Plan resulting from the National Consultations :
The 2026 AWP builds upon the actions undertaken during the National Consultations, ensuring their concrete implementation and impact on the ground;
Institutional Strengthening of MCFDF Entities :
The AWP includes actions to consolidate the capacities of MCFDF entities, enabling them to better meet the needs of the population and contribute effectively to the country's development.
Administrative Roadmap for the Adoption of New Organic Decrees :
A detailed roadmap has been developed to support the adoption of the new organic decrees, ensuring smooth and effective implementation.
Women's Political Participation and the Electoral Context :
The AWP pays particular attention to promoting women's political participation, especially in the context of the upcoming elections. Actions will be implemented to prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and advocate for equitable representation of women in decision-making bodies.
The empowerment of women in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is increasingly being seen as a social goal only, it is viewed as the ‘enabler’ of the above-mentioned development and the source of overall economic growth for the nation.(Arab News) The principles of justice, dignity, and equality that are established in the Constitution of Pakistan and the national policy discourse, which are the very core of Islamic teachings, serve as the support for women’s complete involvement in the economic, social, and political spheres of life.(UNFPA Pakistan) As Pakistan is getting ready to have the 9th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ministerial Conference on Women in 2026, the country’s emerging role as a leader in the promotion of women’s empowerment in the Muslim world is becoming more and more important.(Dawn)
Women empowerment in Pakistan has been envisioned since the inception of the country when the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, highlighted the indispensable contributions of women to the development of the state and called for their equal rights and opportunities. (UNFPA Pakistan) Gradually over the years, this vision has been realized in the form of important policy measures that included the National Policy for Development and Empowerment of Women (2002) which was the first step towards subsequent legal, economic, and political reforms aimed at broadening women’s rights and participation. (pakistan.unwomen.org)
By the time the first verified reports about COVID-19 were published, misinformation about the virus was already being shared. Disinformation and ‘fake news’ soon followed. It didn’t take much time at all before distortions, lies and fictions were reaching more people, more quickly, than facts.
None of this should surprise us, since we’ve known for some time that lies spread faster than truth. The real problem arises when lies are believed. And when does that happen? Research tells us that lies are more likely to be believed, and especially catch fire, when they reinforce our pre-existing beliefs. While some beliefs are harmless, others can be weaponized, with the help of disinformation, to achieve undemocratic ends.
In the world of politics, this is already happening. Disinformation campaigns regularly rely on sexist beliefs about women, power and politics in attempts to delegitimize women who hold or seek office. Distinct from online abuse, trolling, revenge porn or even pornographic deepfakes, disinformation is a stealthier, more pernicious way to undermine women and dissuade them from entering politics. This emerging threat has devastating implications for women in public life and, by extension, democracies everywhere.
It’s crucial that we pay attention, and commit energy and resources to better understand this problem. What’s at stake is simply too important to ignore, especially now. Just when women are inching closer to a more equitable share of public power, trying to actualize democracy’s promise of government by the people, for the people—women being a key part of the people—gendered disinformation puts hard-fought gains at risk.
Read here the full overview published by Fundación Multitudes.
Multiple studies show that the use of social media has a negative impact on the political leadership of women and girls in Latin America. Social media is one of citizens' most used tools in the region to get information and communicate with others, with a high level of internet penetration, and raising a series of issues related to the low level of digital literacy in the countries.
One of the biggest problems with the massive penetration of social media in Latin America is that users don’t have the knowledge nor the tools to know what is real and what is not. Identifying gender political violence online, including disinformation and fake news, is particularly difficult considering that lies spread faster than truth , making them more vulnerable to disinformation.
In order to understand if the safeguards in place are efficient, it is essential to identify the state of implementation of the institutional incentives for women to participate in politics, in addition to looking at the existing safeguards and legislation to counter online gender-based violence and disinformation in Latin America. Specifically, we look at the current state of affairs in four countries of the region. Our research question is: What is the state of implementing the institutional incentives for women to participate in politics, the existing safeguards to counter gender-based violence online, and the existing legislation against disinformation in Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil?
Access here the full report published by Fundación Multitudes.
A research study by Voice of Women Radio has shown why women don’t vote for female political aspirants in Nigeria.
The reasons ranged from their ignorance of the existing female political aspirants to beliefs that existing female political aspirants are inexperienced. Similarly, many women in the grassroots believe that men are better leaders than women.
There is also the issue of culture, inaccessibility of campaign funding for women as their male counterparts, and family upbringing, which favour males taking up leadership roles. However, higher among the reasons is female electives’ inability to connect with or impact their female electorates once elected into office.
The report detailing the research carried out in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria reveals that only 31 percent of 83 percent of female voters (that is, 8 out of 10 women possessing permanent voters’ cards) voted for women at the last elections.
Read here the full article published by Leadership News Nigeria on 8 October 2024.
Image by Leadership News Nigeria
Implementation Of The Beijing Declaration And Platform For Action (1995) And The Outcomes Of The Twenty Third Special Session Of The General Assembly (2000) In The Context Of The Of The Thirtieth Anniversary Of The Fourth World Conference On Women And The Adoption Of The Beijing Declaration And Platform For Action 2020
Read here the full country report published by UN Women Africa on 30 September 2024.
The 2nd Global Progress Report on SDG16 Indicators represents a unique and pivotal UN inter-agency effort toward supporting the realization of the 2030 Agenda. This report reveals critical trends that, if not reversed, could jeopardize the achievement of all goals set by the international community, leaving an increasing number of people behind.
Released in 2023, the first joint Global Progress Report on SDG 16 served as a wake-up call for action on strengthened efforts towards justice, peace, and strong institutions. The report portrayed a sobering picture, revealing that progress toward the 2030 Agenda was alarmingly off track, with advancements on goal 16 worryingly slow. In some instances, even moving in the wrong direction. The report, however, acknowledged some significant strides towards supporting countries in addressing data gaps through partnership, technical assistance and production of evidence.
This report, the second dedicated to Goal 16, compiles contributions from all indicators in a single document providing the best regional and global data that the UN system can offer across all targets. The data, statistics and accompanying analysis spotlight trends that have and will continue to shape our world, policy options and underscore the urgent need for action to reverse negative trends and to foster a more just and sustainable future.
Click here to access the full report published by UNDP on 17 July 2024.
Men in politics as agents of gender equitable change examines why men in politics decide to support gender equality, how they explain and frame their allyship, and how their actions are perceived by women politicians, activists and students. Drawing on evidence from three countries: Colombia, Liberia and Malaysia, this research contributes in-depth, qualitative and cross-country analysis of how gender norms are influencing decisions of men politicians to support gender equality in the Global South.
As key stakeholders in changing norms around political masculinities and representation in politics, the project responded to feminist calls for a better understanding of how more men can be motivated to take an active role in addressing gender inequalities. Despite their diverse histories, social, political and economic contexts, all three countries had senior government officials expressing support for feminist foreign policy and a greater public discourse on gender equality or feminist politics among men politicians.
Based on key informant interviews and focus group discussions with politicians, activists and university students, the study explores how personal motivations, political institutions, social norms, and global gender equality regimes help to shape men’s engagement – or lack of it – with gender equality, while being mindful of the risk of the appropriation of feminist principles to maintain patriarchal inequalities and intersecting systems of oppression.
This cross-country analysis, together with the three country reports, tease out the implications for politicians, international donors, civil society and researchers on how best to engage with men in positions of power to promote the sustainable transformation of unequal gender norms.
Read here the full report published by the ALIGN Gender Norms Platform on 28 May 2024.