The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 22 April as International Mother Earth Day through a resolution adopted in 2009. The Day recognizes the Earth and its ecosystems as humanity's common home and the need to protect her to enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change, and stop the collapse of biodiversity.

A collective, whole-of-society approach is essential to address the complex and serious issue of trafficking in persons to work in scam centres in South-East Asia and perpetrate other cyber-enabled harms.

Based in New Zealand, Dr Robbie Watene specializes in inclusive and accessible peacebuilding and the human rights of persons with disabilities. She oversees a team of disabled and disability researchers and disability rights research projects at the Donald Beasley Institute in Dunedin and is co-founder of The Lucy Foundation, a social enterprise named after her prosthetic limb, ‘Lucy leg’.

The Pacific region is hosting the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee)—a milestone moment in the region’s journey toward gender equality.

With the CEDAW Committee convening in the Pacific for the first time, the governments of Fiji, Tuvalu, and Solomon Islands used last week’s simulations to prepare for critical national dialogues.

With Tonga yet to ratify the Convention, women leaders from Tonga and Samoa highlight the urgent need for legal and cultural transformation across the Pacific.

[OP-ED] Her words stayed with me. Women’s limited access to digital financial platforms was not simply her problem but rather a representation of a larger global reality. According to the World Economic Forum, the transforming digital landscape runs the risk of leaving half of the population behind,

The event also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+30). It served as a call to action, urging the private sector to enhance accountability, make concrete commitments, and increase financial investments to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in alignment with the BPfA and the Beijing+30 Action Agenda.

On 28 March 2025, Myanmar was struck by two powerful earthquakes, a 7.7 magnitude quake near Mandalay and Sagaing, followed by a 6.4 magnitude quake further south. With over 2,800 people killed, 4,600 injured, and millions displaced, the humanitarian crisis is deepening. Women and girls, already vulnerable due to ongoing conflict and economic instability, face heightened risks and unique challenges in the aftermath.

UN Women Afghanistan and the Government of Japan are proud to announce a critical initiative that invests in strengthening Afghan women’s resilience, empowerment and leadership.

The earthquake struck at a time in which Myanmar is already reeling from an alarming humanitarian crisis, largely driven by persistent conflict and recurrent disasters. At this critical time, the people of Myanmar urgently need the steadfast support of the international community.

For survivors of sexual violence, the first interaction with law enforcement can shape their entire journey towards justice and recovery. In Thailand, where millions of international visitors and migrant workers arrive each year, the Tourist Police often serve as first responders to cases of sexual assault since they have language skills and training to help foreigners.

Mae Sot, a bustling border town in western Thailand, lies across from Myanmar, approximately 500 kilometres from Bangkok. As a key transit point for migrant workers, refugees and displaced communities, it offers both opportunity and significant vulnerability, particularly for women and girls. Women migrant workers – especially those who are undocumented – face heightened risks of violence, exploitation, trafficking and legal insecurity.

This International Women’s Day is around the theme of For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment. Today we look at why women’s representation in the energy sector matters – and how gender data can help shape more inclusive energy policies and actions that foster equity.

“WE Centres serve as safe spaces for members of the WPS Network to learn, collaborate and advance the WPS agenda while amplifying women’s meaningful role in social cohesion at the local level,” said Arab.

Brigadier General Nurul Azizah is the Director of Women and Children Protection and Trafficking in Persons Crimes of the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police (Bareskrim Polri). The police, supported by UN Women, have developed an academic position paper on the establishment of this Directorate to integrate gender equality in police institutional practices and culture and to improve responses to women and girls victims of violence and trafficking.

As part of their engagement in the Forum, UN Women and UNEP, under the EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies Programme, co-organized side events to ensure that gender equality and social inclusion were included in climate discussions.

[Joint Press Release] To reaffirm Nepal’s commitment to gender-inclusive financial policies in the context of International Women’s Day 2025, UN Women, Global Compact Nepal (GCN), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE), with support from the Government of Finland and the European Union, jointly organized the Ring the Bell for Gender Equality event.

“2025 marks a turning point—30 years since the Beijing Declaration and just five years before the deadline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said UN Women China Country Representative Smriti Aryal

UN Women, TalentCorp and LeadWomen have joined forces to launch the first Malaysia Women’s Empowerment Principles Corporate Action Lab (WEPsCAL) -- a cohort-based initiative supporting companies to develop innovative solutions and implement and track actions to promote gender equality with the support of like-minded organisations.