Women and gender issues

Briefing the Security Council today, the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the situation that now faces women human rights defenders, and prospects for women’s full participation in shaping and building peace, are vastly worse than they were before the pandemic got under way.

Responding to urgent and growing humanitarian needs in northern Ethiopia, almost 40 trucks with food and other relief supplies from the United Nations and aid partners departed Monday for Tigray, the first convoy since mid-October, and the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service resumed flights to Mekelle.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, observed on 25 November:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s opening remarks at the official launch of the African Women Leaders Network Mentoring Programme, in New York today:

UNICEF released a report today showing there are nearly 240 million children with disabilities around the world, a new global approximation higher than previous estimates which considers symptoms of anxiety and depression, among other difficulties across several domains of functioning.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the Reykjavik Global Forum, today:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award ceremony today:

The United Nations Department of Peace Operations announced that Superintendent Sangya Malla of Nepal, currently serving in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), will be named the 2021 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year.  Superintendent Malla will be presented the award by United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres at a virtual ceremony on 9 November.

The global level of undernourishment increased sharply last year, under the shadow of the COVID‑19 pandemic, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s annual Statistical Yearbook, released today.  Nearly 10 per cent of the world’s population suffered from hunger in 2020, up from 8.4 per cent in 2019.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the Amazon Leadership Initiative’s annual Leadership Forum, “Black Girl, Your Dreams Are Valid”, held today: