Women and gender issues

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Health Day, observed on 10 October:

In Afghanistan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that its first aircraft carrying life‑saving medical supplies arrived yesterday in Kabul through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Airbridge.  It will cover the needs of 100,000 children and women for the next three months.

A new report by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) underscores the need to cut global emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 in order to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.  By contrast, recent data reveal that emissions are currently on track to increase by 16 per cent over 2010 levels by that date.

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it will be forced to suspend food aid delivery to more than 100,000 displaced people in parts of South Sudan, beginning in October, due to funding shortfalls.  It warned that further cuts may be inevitable if an additional $154 million is not raised in the next four months.  

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultations with Member States and the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), today announced the appointment of Sima Sami Bahous of Jordan as Executive Director of UN-Women.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the Girls Up Leadership Summit, on 13 July:

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the 2021 Women 20 Summit, in Rome on 13-15 July:

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to a virtual side event of the Economic and Social Council’s High-Level Political Forum on “Equity in the era of COVID-19 and the Sustainable Development Goals:  Improving Accountability for the Health and Rights of Vulnerable Women, Children and Adolescents”, on 13 July:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ statement to the launch of the Global Report on Gender Equality in Public Administration (GEPA) today:

In Syria, United Nations agencies and aid partners are trucking in emergency water supplies and installing reverse osmosis pumps in Al-Hasakeh city amid reports of another disruption at Alouk water station,  which shut down on 23 June.  Up to 1 million people in the region are affected when the station ceases to operate.