Advocacy and lobbying are effective tools for gender advocates, male champions, civil society, and other stakeholders to hold leaders accountable to their commitments on concrete, measurable actions that guarantee women can fully and equally enjoy their rights. These include the ability to exercise freedom and choices, go to school, live free from violence, earn equal pay for equal work, and meaningfully engage in decision-making and political processes. Advocacy groups can collectively put pressure their leaders for legislative reforms to protect and promote women’s rights and concerns, which may require coalition-building, fundraising, civic education, awareness-raising and consensus-building on key issue platforms. Influencing legislation itself may require lobbying to convince policy makers and legislators to address specific issues relevant to gender equality and women’s empowerment, which may involve introducing or revising legislation and policy.
On a visit to the DRC, the UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa (ESARO), Ms. Lydia ZIGOMO, and the Humanitarian Director, Shoko ARAKAKI, met with women's organizations and Women Leaders (WLOs) in Kinshasa and Goma.
As a wave of protests stemming from the death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman enters its second month, demonstrations have spread worldwide.
Turkey was ranked 106th out of 183 countries in the 2025/26 Global Women Peace and Security Index (WPS Index), down from 99th in the previous edition, according to a biennial
Hawa Bâ is a self-taught journalist based in Mauritania, a countr
Four years have passed since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Daily life is a struggle to survive and tackle economic insecurity, power outages during brutal winters, constant security risks, and displacement.
But this is only half the story.
GENEVA – UN human rights experts* today urged Member States to take action to strengthen protections for women and girls in criminal justice systems, warning that access to justice, safety and dignity for women deprived of their liberty remains gravely
Women with disabilities persevere for political recognition and representation, confronting severe stigma and systemic barriers amid Kenya's increasingly combative and male-dominated political arena.
Every election year, Kenya has the same conversation. Where are the women? Why are so few of them on the ballot? And the answers tend to point back at women themselves, their confidence, their readiness and their willingness to step forward.
As communities across Ontario prepare for the 2026 municipal elections, Run Where You Are – Say Yes! is calling on women and gender-diverse people to take the next step toward public leadership.