Beautiful, talented, successful and modest – the women of Turkmenistan achieve outstanding results but rarely talk about it. In honour of International Women’s Day, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNODC invited eight incredible women who are engaged in a variety of fields to talk about their lives, how they cope with daily difficulties and what advice they would give to younger women on how to achieve success.

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Statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women for International Women’s Day

Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives

Theme: “The Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives”

Women’s movements dominate today’s global conversation. From #MeToo and #TimesUp spotlighting sexual harassment and abuse, to #NiUnaMenos, the not one less movement protesting femicide, women voices demanding equality have crossed the globe, and a palpable feeling of change is in the air.

Unequal political representation of women in relation to men remains a problem all over the world.  Just 23 per cent of the world’s members of parliament are women. A major contributing factor to this is the unequal access to the resources needed to successfully seek nominations or participate in electoral campaigns. In a similar vein, political parties are often gate-keepers that promote male candidates that they believe are more likely to attract funding.

By Raul Cordenillo

By Ruby Leahy Gatfield

By Luis José Consuegra

The advancement of gender equality and the political empowerment of women has been for many years a struggle that is faced not only at the highest political levels, but that has its roots in the basic power relationship among men and women in all interactions in life.