Efforts of the United Nations to Promote Women’s Rights Worldwide

The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) has a membership of 32 funds, programs, agencies, and offices, plus five observers that play a role in internationally agreed upon development goals. One of the members of the UNDG is the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI). In the UN's organizational structure, the UNDPI is under the Secretariat. The Secretariat carries out a range of duties including surveying economic and social trends, and organizing international conferences on issues of worldwide concern. The UNDPI's organizational unit has 3 divisions:

- Strategic Communications Division;

- News and Media Division; and

- Outreach Division.

As a result of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, held in Beijing, China in 1995, 12 critical areas of concern were identified and presented under the umbrella "The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action". The Declaration is aimed at achieving greater equality and opportunity for women, i.e. female equality and empowerment, worldwide. The three previous World Conferences were held in Mexico City (1975), Copenhagen (1980) and Nairobi (1985).

The official website for the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), aka "WomenWatch", serves as an Internet Gateway to resources and information regarding gender equality and empowerment of Women.

In March 2010, at its fifty-fourth session, the Commission on the Status of Women reviewed the implementation of the Declaration. In an effort to accomplish certain strategic goals for "Women and the Media" (see link to Facebook page below) outlined in Section J of the Beijing Platform for Action, interested parties not able to attend the Commission on the Status of Women are invited to participate in online discussions.

If this is an issue of import or concern to you and you would like to contribute to this forum, share information on accomplishments in this area, identify challenges or problems areas in need of remedial or corrective action, etc. See links below.

However, "Women and the Media" is not the only discussion. The following is a listing of several discussions, moderated by various UN organizations which have taken place since November 2009.

- Violence against women | United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

- Women and the Economy | World Bank (WB)

- Institutional mechanisms | Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

- Women and Health | World Health Organization (WHO)

- Girl Child | United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

- Armed conflict | United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)

- Gender Equality, Education and Training | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

- Women and Poverty | United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)

- Women in Power and Decision-Making | United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

- Women and the Environment | United Nations Environment Programme, with United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNEP with UN-HABITAT)

- Women and Human Rights | Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

- Women and the Media | United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI)

"Enable every woman who can work to take her place on the labour front, under the principle of equal pay for equal work."

These are the words of Mao Tse-Tung.

Surely his thought is not an original thought. No doubt there were many who came before him and many who trailed behind him who all understood and saw the need for the application of this simple fair and equitable principle. But as you can see by the list above, this is only one principle that addresses only one of the numerous women's rights issues.

Alfred Nobel (1833 - 1896) had hoped that by a certain time (like maybe during his own lifetime), men would have learned how to live in peace with one another and there would be no need for recognizing people who made extraordinary efforts to achieve peace.

Like Mr. Nobel, I too am rather disheartened that in this day and time (the 21st century) we are supposedly so advanced and civilized and so much more more knowledgeable than our "caveman ancestors"; yet we have to engage a worldwide network of individuals, organizations, agencies, etc., whose JOB is to work DAILY to ensure that human beings everywhere can live like human beings!

Directory Listing for this lens:
Efforts of the United Nations to Promote Women's Rights Worldwide