Partner News

The Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, participated in a UN conference on the impact of COVID-19 on gender equality and the status of women, Fréttablaðið reports. She highlighted the increased risk of domestic violence, the pivotal role women play in the healthcare system and the additional economic and social pressures women are facing during the pandemic.

From patrolling checkpoints to answering emergency calls, women serving in security sector agencies continue to undertake vital work across Jordan alongside their male colleagues, supporting citizens and carefully applying critical mitigation measures against the spread of COVID-19.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way societies function.
• Social distancing measures have presented physical barriers to activism, but UN Women suggest 9 ways that you can keep up your support for gender parity from the safety of your own home.

The presence of women in parliaments across the Caucasus and Central Asia has risen in the last 25 years, albeit slowly: in most countries in the region, between 15 and 25 percent of their MPs are women.

That is the conclusion of a newly released project by the United Nations Development Programme, Equal Future. 

A week since The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic and robust measures around the world attempt to contain its spread, social impact of the Novel Coronavirus is hitting women hard.

As well as the health battle, the social impact of the #coronavirus is significant and it is women who are being disproportionately affected.

An international survey has ranked Japan 113th of 190 countries for the percentage of women in ministerial positions. It is the lowest among the Group of Seven industrialized countries.

The report was made by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women. It includes rankings for women in executive, parliamentary and government positions as of January 1 this year. The data was released to coincide with International Women's Day.

A report released Thursday by U.N. Women says "under-representation of women in power and decision-making is still the norm."

The executive director of the U.N. agency dedicated to the empowerment of women said that men account for 75% of parliamentarians and hold 73% of managerial positions globally. They account for 70% of climate negotiators, and almost all peace negotiators are men, she said.

Press Release

Geneva, Switzerland and New York City, USA – 10 March 15:00 CET/10:00 ET

Almost 90% of people are biased against women, according to a new index that highlights the “shocking” extent of the global backlash towards gender equality.

Despite progress in closing the equality gap, 91% of men and 86% of women hold at least one bias against women in relation to politics, economics, education, violence or reproductive rights.