UN Establishes Division to Promote Gender Equality

Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly made a unanimous and historic vote to establish the first United Nations (UN) entity which will be exclusively dedicated to women’s empowerment and gender equality.  UN Women is the result of years of hard work and negotiations between UN member states, international NGOs, policymakers and tireless advocates around the world.

“UN Women will significantly boost UN efforts to promote gender equality, expand opportunity, and tackle discrimination around the globe.” — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

UN Women is the merger of four diverent divisions of the UN, including the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW).The objective is to ensure that by January 2011, UN Women will be fully operational and will support inter-governmental bodies, including the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).  Additionally UN Women will work closely with UN member states, NGOs and civil society. UN Women will enhance monitoring and evaluation processes within the UN system, increasing accountability for commitments made by the international community.