Gender Equality

This manual provides corporations and their suppliers with a deeper understanding of the barriers and challenges preventing women-owned businesses from accessing and fully participating in local and global values chains. It provides the tools and techniques for reducing or eliminating these barriers and for leveraging the vast untapped economic potential represented by women-owned businesses. For many women, entrepreneurship offers a path to economic empowerment and it is incumbent upon corporations to help create conditions that permit this.

This study is part of a series of UNCTAD publications that focus on upgrading and diversifying specific agricultural sectors of rural economies in developing countries with a view to raising living standards among of smallholder farmers in a context of sustainable development, female empowerment and food security. Malawi is a Least Developed Country (LDC) where 70 per cent of its population live below the international poverty line of US$1.90 per day. Tobacco has traditionally been its principal export earner, with maize as a subsistence crop. A decline in tobacco exports due to health concerns has made it imperative to identify other promising agricultural sectors as a means of increasing foreign exchange earnings to support development. In this context, the government has highlighted sunflower, groundnut and soybean as priority sectors. The three crops offer a range of practical advantages: in crop cultivation through intercropping which adds to soil fertility; in value addition, offering a potential to tap into markets of edible oils and livestock feed; and, in diversifying away from traditional crops such as tobacco and maize, it allows the country to reduce its exposure to market shocks and climate change. This study analyses the three sectors in terms of opportunities derived from exports of primary and processed products, within a context of regional integration and LDC preferential access to developed country markets. It provides detailed information on the current and evolving trading regime between Malawi and its close regional partners, with a focus on both formal and informal trade, given that the latter accounts for a significant proportion of the country’s overall trade and notably involves female traders.

La série des Rapports mondiaux a été conçue pour faire le suivi de la mise en œuvre de la Convention de l’UNESCO sur la protection et la promotion de la diversité des expressions culturelles (2005). Elle sert également à montrer comment ce processus contribue à la réalisation des Objectifs de développement durable des Nations Unies à l’horizon 2030. Le Rapport mondial 2018 analyse les progrès accomplis dans la mise en œuvre de la Convention de 2005 depuis la publication du premier Rapport mondial en 2015. A partir des rapports périodiques quadriennaux soumis par les Parties à la Convention et de nouvelles analyses, ce Rapport examine comment la Convention de 2005 a inspiré des changements politiques aux niveaux mondial et national dans dix domaines clés de l’action politique. Il propose un ensemble de recommandations politiques pour le futur et met l’accent sur l’adaptation des politiques culturelles, fondées sur les droits de l’homme et les libertés fondamentales, afin de faire face aux transformations rapides suscitées par l’environnement numérique. Prises ensemble, les deux éditions du Rapport mondial offrent un ensemble de données et d’informations nouvelles et précieuses qui permettent d’éclairer l’élaboration des politiques culturelles et de placer la créativité au cœur du développement.

This publication includes the UNECE Policy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In line with the UNECE’s mandate to mainstream gender in its work, and following the framework of the UN-SWAP, the publication looks at how ECE could further promote gender equality principles and strategies in its Sub-programmes of work through targeted gender priorities and actions.

This year’s report examines countries’ achievements and constraints in implementing the Cairo consensus, including efforts to improve the quality and reach of reproductive health programmes, promote women’s rights, improve maternal and child health and strengthen HIV prevention efforts. UNFPA’s report makes the case that mobilizing political will and increased funding by the international community is crucial if countries are to maintain and build on the gains of the past decade.

In 2010 the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) proposed a comprehensive development strategy entitled Time for equality: closing gaps, opening trails. This edition of Social Panorama looks at the links in the chain of inequalities identified in that strategy that concern the education and skills development stage of the life cycle. A substantial portion of this edition, then, deals with the youth and child population and considers how differences created and consolidated during this stage of life entrench the intergenerational reproduction of poverty and inequality. The focus is on the life cycle and on the reproduction of unequal opportunities for sustainable social mobility over an individual's lifetime. From this viewpoint, the document examines the situation of the population aged 0-29 and its internal dynamics, future prospects and ties to other age groups.

Prosecutors play a critical role in the criminal justice response to violence against women and girls. Prosecuting gender based violent crime can be challenging. Often there are a number of challenges, due to the private nature of the offence, and police investigation may be substandard. Victims may be uncooperative, withdraw or recant their complaints. Judges or juries may employ gender bias or common myths surrounding violence against women and girls when examining the credibility of the victim and the facts of the case. Drawing upon the updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (General Assembly resolution 65/228, annex), UNODC and UN Women have drafted the Handbook on Effective Prosecution Responses to Violence against Women and Girls. Recognizing that prosecutors work in different legal systems, it is meant to be a helpful resource for individual prosecutors and prosecution services.

Entrepreneurship is a key means through which women can both empower themselves and contribute to inclusive and sustainable development. A vital part of this agenda includes the 61.3 million women who own and operate businesses within the ten member States of ASEAN. It is the particular challenges and opportunities that the recently introduced ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will bring to women entrepreneurs which provide the impetus and focus for this report. The measures set out in the AEC Blueprint 2025 are expected to affect the prospects for SME growth in various ways. This publication proposes critical actions that can be taken by ASEAN governments to address the particular constraints facing women entrepreneurs — in association with the finance sector, entrepreneur associations, international agencies, civil society and other key actors — towards the realization of both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AEC Blueprint 2025.

Digital marketplaces could drive sustainable and inclusive growth across South-East Asia, with e-commerce likely to grow to US$88 billion by 2025. Benefits will include opening of markets to facilitate sales and consumption, upgrading of traditional manufacturing and services, and development of new industries for business opportunities. While some countries have made significant inroads into e-commerce, the majority of developing countries are still trailing behind due to two categories of challenges. First, developing countries need to tackle obstacles to e-commerce, such as lack of access to information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, shortage of skills, and weak legal frameworks. Second, the current market concentration and competition frameworks are skewed against latecomers and smaller players, in particular those from less developed countries. TrainForTrade programme focuses on developing skills, knowledge and capacities through innovative development approaches based on a recognised pedagogical method and state-of-the-art technological solutions.

This book provides a transcription of the reports written by undercover agent Paul Kinsie for the League of Nations Special Body of Experts on Traffic in Women and Children in the mid-1920s. Between 1924 and 1926, a team travelled to more than a hundred cities in Europe, the Americas and the Mediterranean area to interview individuals involved in the regulation, repression, medical control, organization and practice of the sex trade. American undercover agents were included on the team to infiltrate the so-called ‘underworld’ and obtain ‘facts’ about the traffic. Among these, Kinsie was the most prolific. He visited more than forty cities and produced hundreds of reports in which his contacts with prostitutes, brothel owners, madams, pimps and procurers are described in detail. For a proper contextualization of the reports, scholars from around the world were asked to provide short introductions to the situation with regard to prostitution in each city that was visited. The book offers a unique source of information which is of great ethnographic value for people interested in the history of human trafficking and prostitution.

The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals set the world on the path of sustainable development and give international trade an important role to play in this journey: “International trade is an engine for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction, [which] contributes to the promotion of sustainable development” (Paragraph 68, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) How can international trade become a driving force for a development as sustainable as it is inclusive, ensuring that no one is left behind? How can it respond to the growing demand for production, exchange and consumption patterns that are both environmentally and socially sustainable, as well as economically profitable? To help developing countries build their capacity to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth through trade, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has examined ways for fostering green exports via the exploitation of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS). VSS are norms and standards to ensure that a product is produced, processed or transported sustainably in terms of, e.g. respect for human rights, decent working conditions, gender equality or environmental protection, with a view to achieving environmental, social and economic objectives. Certification is one of the many VSS tools used by producers and organic standard is the most widely applied VSS in the agricultural sector. To this end, UNCTAD has worked with three countries in the Asia-Pacific Region (Lao PDR, the Philippines and Vanuatu) and developed an approach, which is ready-to-use, streamlined and adaptable to local specificities.This portfolio presents the main outcomes of this development account project, including the approach and tools developed in its framework:• An introduction to green exports and VSS: opportunities and challenges for developing countries • UNCTAD's approach and tools to build countries' capacity to foster green exports through VSS • The country case study of Vanuatu • The country case study of the Philippines • The country case study of Lao People's Democratic Republic

This book provides a transcription of the reports written by undercover agent Paul Kinsie for the League of Nations Special Body of Experts on Traffic in Women and Children in the mid-1920s. Between 1924 and 1926, a team travelled to more than a hundred cities in Europe, the Americas and the Mediterranean area to interview individuals involved in the regulation, repression, medical control, organization and practice of the sex trade. American undercover agents were included on the team to infiltrate the so-called ‘underworld’ and obtain ‘facts’ about the traffic. Among these, Kinsie was the most prolific. He visited more than forty cities and produced hundreds of reports in which his contacts with prostitutes, brothel owners, madams, pimps and procurers are described in detail. For a proper contextualization of the reports, scholars from around the world were asked to provide short introductions to the situation with regard to prostitution in each city that was visited. The book offers a unique source of information which is of great ethnographic value for people interested in the history of human trafficking and prostitution.

This publication illustrates the 70+ year-long history of the Commission on the Status of Women, which through 62 sessions has consistently advocated for the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of women and enjoyment of their human rights, in an effort to realize the substantive equality of all women and girls, everywhere. In the era of the 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and all States’ commitment to leave no one behind and reach those furthest behind first, the Commission has confirmed its leadership role in strengthening, deepening and expanding the global normative framework for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and monitoring agreed actions.

The newest edition of the UNFP flagship report offers a wide range of insights on the impact that teenage pregnancies can have on the health of young girls, their education and their lives. In this publication, a certain number of necessary recommendations are made, more precisely actions that governments, civil society and international organizations can take to address the underlying causes of adolescent pregnancy in various contexts around the world.

La planification familiale est un droit. On dénombre néanmoins dans les pays en développement 222 millions de femmes qui n’ont toujours pas accès à la contraception et qui se trouvent donc exposées aux risques de grossesses non planifiées. Le rapport sur l’État de la population mondiale 2012 explique pourquoi la planification mondiale est un droit et décrit les modalités selon lesquelles elle renforce d’autres droits tels que le droit à la santé et le droit à l’éducation. Il documente également les avantages économiques et sociaux qui échoient aux ménages, aux communautés et aux pays tout entiers lorsque les femmes, les hommes et les jeunes exercent leur droit à la planification familiale.

Hoy por hoy, ningún país —ni siquiera los que se consideran más ricos y desarrollados— puede describirse como una nación totalmente inclusiva en la que todas las personas disfrutan de igualdad de oportunidades y protección y ejercen plenamente sus derechos humanos. Entre los derechos humanos acordados internacionalmente, el derecho a la salud sexual y reproductiva desempeña un papel central para el bienestar humano. Este derecho fue ratificado por 179 Gobiernos en el Programa de Acción de la Conferencia Internacional sobre la Población y el Desarrollo (CIPD) de 1994. Conforme al Programa de Acción, los derechos individuales y la dignidad —incluidos la igualdad de derechos de las mujeres y las niñas, y el acceso universal a la salud y los derechos sexuales y reproductivos— son condición previa para el logro del desarrollo sostenible. Sin embargo, sigue habiendo numerosas brechas en el cumplimiento de los compromisos. Algunos de los peores casos se dan en las mujeres y niñas que ya padecen otras formas de exclusión —en especial la pobreza— En numerosos países en desarrollo, las mujeres pobres —con ingresos situados en el 20% más bajo de la escala— y, en especial, las que viven en zonas rurales, presentan muchas menos probabilidades de disfrutar de acceso a anticonceptivos o atención de salud durante el embarazo y el parto que las mujeres más ricas de las zonas urbanas.

L’état de la population mondiale est un rapport annuel publié par le Fonds des Nations Unies pour la population (FNUAP). Chaque édition couvre et analyse les évolutions et les tendances de la population mondiale et de la démographie et approfondit la recherche concernant les régions, les pays et des groupes de population spécifiques. Le rapport se penche également sur les défis particuliers auxquels ces groupes peuvent être confrontés.

The largest generation of adolescents in history —1.2 billion kids—is preparing to enter adulthood in a rapidly changing world. This State of World Population Report examines the challenges and risks this generation faces and their impact on adolescents’ physical, emotional, and mental well-being. The Report focuses on HIV/AIDS, incomplete education, early marriage and child bearing; it stresses the need for youth to have more access to knowledge, increased opportunities, and wider choices so as to lead healthy and productive lives and to contribute fully to their communities. A wealth of statistics, graphs, indicators, and thorough analyses are included in the Report.

The 30th edition of the World Investment Report looks at the prospects for foreign direct investment and international production during and beyond the global crisis triggered by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The Report not only projects the immediate impact of the crisis on investment flows, but also assesses how it could affect a long-term structural transformation of international production. The theme chapter of the Report reviews the evolution of international production networks over the past three decades and examines the configuration of these networks today. It then projects likely course changes for the next decade due to the combined effects of the pandemic and pre-existing megatrends, including the new industrial revolution, the sustainability imperative and the retreat of laissez faire policies. The system of international production underpins the economic growth and development prospects of most countries around the world. Governments worldwide will need to adapt their investment and development strategies to a changing international production landscape. At the request of the UN General Assembly, the Report has added a dedicated section on investment in the Sustainable Development Goals, to review global progress and propose possible courses of action.

Attacking poverty directly has become an urgent global priority if we want to accelerate development and reduce inequality within and among nations. World leaders have agreed to launch a variety of new initiatives, including the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 2002 State of the World Population report is a contribution to the discussion and a guide to action. It reviews poverty’s many dimensions and looks at several the key issues, including poverty and gender, poverty and health, and education and poverty. It also outlines a framework and provides recommendations to meet the poverty eradication goal by 2015.This publication includes analyses, recommendations, and a wealth of statistics, graphs, and indicators.

This study is part of a series of UNCTAD publications that focus on policies in three countries, Guatemala, Vanuatu and Malawi, aimed at upgrading and diversifying specific agricultural sectors of rural economies in developing countries with a view to raising living standards among small-scale farmers in a context of female empowerment and food security and above all, sustainable development. The study analyses three agricultural sectors in Guatemala – potato, cocoa and cardamom - in terms of opportunities derived from trade of primary and processed products. The focus is on the growing trend among consumers in high income countries for artisanal, fair-trade, organically grown, single-origin products that allow niche market penetration by integrating into their traded products a narrative on the history and lives of local farming communities where the primary product is cultivated. The study bears in mind the heavy costs to implement Voluntary Sustainable Standards, internationally-accepted certification systems, or consumer-driven specific standards set by retailers, looking at domestic sales opportunities, for example within Guatemala’s growing tourism sector, which also allows farmers to hedge against price fluctuations in international markets. According to the study’s sustainability analysis, the strategies presented are aligned with sustainable development goals, integrating environmental, social welfare, gender equality, a more equitable distribution of income, and, more diversified income opportunities. Outcomes are expected to be positive overall, but the study nevertheless advises care in implementation to minimise any unforeseen and potentially negative long-term impacts, for example on issues such as staple food production. It further cautions on possible perverse consequences whereby, without successfully integrating small-scale farmers in the product value-chain, the strategies’ principal beneficiaries may rather be intermediaries. This report concludes with a set of recommended sustainable development policies that take into account food security and the importance of agriculture not only for small-scale farmers but for Guatemala’s economy as a whole.

Disability-inclusive development is an essential condition for a sustainable future. In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, pledging to leave no one behind in the global efforts to realize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Without the world’s one billion persons with disabilities - 15% of the world population - being included as both agents and beneficiaries of development, these Goals will never be achieved. Yet, persons with disabilities are still invisible and often left behind. This United Nations flagship report is the first publication to address, at the global level, the nexus between disability and the Sustainable Development Goals. It is also the first global analysis based on an unprecedented amount of data, legislation and policies from over 100 countries to understand the socio-economic circumstances of persons with disabilities and the challenges and barriers they face in their daily lives. This report examines new areas, like the role of access to energy to enable persons with disabilities to use assistive technology, for which no global research was previously available. And explores the linkages between the Sustainable Development Goals and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as other international relevant norms and standards relating to disability. Against the backdrop of all the available evidence, the report identifies good practices and recommends urgent actions to be taken for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by, for and with persons with disabilities. The e-book for this publication has been converted into an accessible format for the visually impaired and people with print reading disabilities. It is fully compatible with leading screen-reader technologies such as JAWS and NVDA.

La urbanización—el aumento de la proporción de población que reside en ciudades en relación a la población total—es inevitable. Sin embargo, afirman los autores de este informe, esto podría considerarse como “un hecho positivo”. El informe Estado de la Población Mundial 2007 afirma que, si bien los nuevos residentes urbanos serán, en su mayoría, pobres, estos pueden ser parte de la solución. Al ayudar a los residentes urbanos a satisfacer sus necesidades—de vivienda, servicios de salud y educación, y empleo—también podría liberarse su potencial de impulso al crecimiento económico.

L’état de la population mondiale est un rapport annuel publié par le Fonds des Nations Unies pour la population (FNUAP). Chaque édition couvre et analyse les évolutions et les tendances de la population mondiale et de la démographie et approfondit la recherche concernant les régions, les pays et des groupes de population spécifiques. Le rapport se penche également sur les défis particuliers auxquels ces groupes peuvent être confrontés.

Atacar la pobreza directamente - como cuestión de derechos humanos, a fin de acelerar el desarrollo y reducir la desigualdad dentro de un mismo país y entre distintos países - ha pasado a ser una urgente prioridad mundial. Los líderes mundiales han convenido en diversas iniciativas nuevas, entre ellas los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (MDG) de las Naciones Unidas. Este año, el informe El Estado de la Población Mundial contribuye al debate y orienta a las acciones.

This report discusses the contribution of social protection to social inclusion focusing, in particular, on the extent to which such groups are effectively covered by existing social protection measures. An overall assessment of the impact of social protection on the reduction of poverty and inequality frames the report’s analysis. The report focuses on six social groups: children, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples, and international migrants. It considers how gender and socioeconomic status intersect with other group attributes and affect the barriers some groups face. The 2030 Agenda draws attention to these bases of disadvantage when it emphasizes that all should be included “irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status”. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda also commits to providing appropriate social protection to all, including the vulnerable, persons with disabilities, indigenous persons, children, youth and older persons. Each of these groups is at high risk of poverty and exclusion and barriers to their rights. The report assesses the contribution of social protection measures to enhancing opportunities and promoting respect for the rights of the five groups selected.

La presente publicación constituye una guía práctica que explica cómo se integra la perspectiva de género en toda la labor de los órganos y entidades de investigación, empezando con la fase de preparación, siguiendo con la de investigación, la de redacción del informe, y terminando con la presentación de los hallazgos. Se busca, fundamentalmente, fortalecer el contenido de los informes de derechos humanos para describir con precisión las experiencias distintas de las mujeres, de los hombres, de las niñas y de los niños. Aunque esta publicación señala maneras de analizar la violencia sexual y por razón de género, no se pretende exponer con detalle las metodologías que se pueden aplicar para investigar dicha clase de violencia.

Cette publication est un guide pratique pour l'intégration systématique du genre dans le travail des organes ou mécanismes d'enquête, de la phase de planification au travail d'enquête proprement dit jusqu'à la rédaction du rapport et la présentation de ses conclusions. Elle vise plus spécifiquement à renforcer le contenu des rapports sur les droits de l'homme de façon à fidèlement rendre compte des expériences spécifiques des femmes, des hommes, des filles et des garçons. Bien qu'elle suggère différents moyens d'analyser la VSFG, elle n'entend pas servir de guide détaillé des méthodologies d'enquête applicables à la VSFG.

Violence against women is a form of discrimination and a violation of human rights. It causes untold misery, cutting short lives and leaving countless women living in pain and fear in every country in the world. This study calls for efforts to eradicate violence against women to become a higher priority at the local, national and international level. The study identifies ways to close the gap between States’ obligations under international norms, standards and policies and their inadequate and inconsistent implementation at the national level.

Desde 1978, el FNUAP publica su reporte anual en el que destaca los puntos mas recientes en el desarrollo de la población mundial. Nuevas actividades en la humanidad han alterado nuestro planeta a una escala sin precedentes. Este año, el Reporte señala que un número mayor de personas están utilizando mayores recursos con mas intensidad, lo que ha ido dejando una gran huella en el planeta, siendo esta mucho mayor que en años anteriores. La publicación examina también la interrelación entre las condiciones del medio ambiente, las tendencias en la población y las proyecciones para aliviar la carga de la pobreza en países en desarrollo. El Reporte ha encontrado además que el ampliar las oportunidades para la mujer y el asegurar sus derechos, son factores determinantes tanto para mejorar su bienestar por el impacto que ocasiona en el crecimiento poblacional como para la protección de su mundo natural.

The whole world has been talking about carbon credits, carbon trading and emissions targets. But not enough has been said about the people whose activities contribute to those emissions or about those who will be most affected by climate change, especially women. How do population dynamics affect greenhouse gases and climate change? Will urbanization and an ageing population help or hinder efforts to adapt to a warming world? And could better reproductive health care and improved relations between women and men make a difference in the fight against climate change? The linkages between population and climate change are in most cases complex and indirect. But the nature of these linkages is becoming clear enough to arrive at the key recommendations of this report for mitigating climate change and aiding adaptation to it: elicit a new level of engagement by Governments in the areas of population and development, provide access to reproductive health and actively support gender equality.

Dieciocho expertos en el campo de la intimidación y el acoso cibernético y el SRSG sobre Violencia contra los Niños, han escrito una contribución única de su área específica de experiencia, abordando el acoso y el acoso cibernético. Comenzando con una fundación de derechos humanos y la participación de los niños, se siguen ejemplos que muestran diferentes experiencias en el desarrollo de políticas y legislación, incluyendo dimensiones específicas y grupos vulnerables que deben tenerse en cuenta. Esta publicación brinda diferentes ejemplos de las pocas intervenciones basadas en la evidencia que han demostrado su eficacia en la prevención y respuesta a la intimidación y el acoso cibernético en la escuela y sus alrededores, disminuyendo su prevalencia. La publicación finaliza con información sobre datos globales y la necesidad de mejores metodologías de recolección y análisis; una sección que aborda algunos de los aspectos específicos presentados por el acoso cibernético y el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, y finaliza con una descripción general de la prevalencia de la intimidación y el acoso cibernético en diferentes regiones del mundo.

Estudios de casos sobre la gestión portuaria - Tesis Finales seleccionadas de Argentina, Bolivia, Perú y República Dominicana del Programa de Gestión Portuaria de la UNCTAD/TrainForTrade Red de habla hispana. This publication presents the best case studies prepared in the framework of the Spanish-speaking network of the TrainForTrade Port Management Programme, the implementation of successful case studies, their impact and recommendations linked to the Sustainable development goals.

La population mondiale augmente au rythme de 78 millions par an. Elle a doublé depuis 1960 et dépassé les 6 milliards à la fin 1999.Les pays en développement représentent plus de 95% de la croissance démographique, tandis que celle-ci s’est ralentie ou arrêtée en Europe, en Amérique du Nord et au Japon. La moitié de la population mondiale a moins de 25 ans, la population des 15-24 ans, les parents de la prochaine génération,dépasse le milliard. Ce rapport examine les aspects tant positifs que négatifs que cette situation engendre. La tâche des années à venir est d’accélérer le développement économique et social, d’élargir le contrôle de chacun, femme ou homme, sur sa propre vie, y compris en matière de reproduction et de rendre possible la jouissance par tous des droits fondamentaux.

Gender disparities are a persistent form of inequality in every country. Despite remarkable progress in some areas, no country in the world—rich or poor—has achieved gender equality. All too often, women and girls are discriminated against in health, in education, at home and in the labour market—with negative repercussions for their freedoms. This is the time for a reality check. The commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+25) provides an opportunity to reassess the path to gender equality and adjust actions to close gender gaps. The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) measures how social beliefs obstruct gender equality in areas like politics, work, and education, and contains data from 75 countries, covering over 80 percent of the world’s population. According to the index, about half of the world’s men and women feel that men make better political leaders, and over 40 percent feel that men make better business executives and that men have more right to a job when jobs are scarce. 28 percent think it is justified for a man to beat his wife. The publication also includes the GSNI trends for 31 countries, representing 59 percent of the global population. The trends show that while in some countries there have been improvements, in others, attitudes appear to have worsened in recent years, signaling that progress cannot be taken for granted.

This publication provides methodological guidance for reporting on Target 5.a of the Sustainable Development Goals, namely to “Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.” Progress towards this target is measured through two indicators that focus on ownership and/or control over land. This step-by-step guide on the “how” of reporting and measuring progress on indicator 5.a.2. covers the collection of information on the legal and policy framework, the assessment of each of the proxies, and reporting.

The Survey 2018-2019 observes that the Arab region experienced an economic recovery with a growth rate of 2.3% in 2018, up from 1.7% the year before. This recovery was largely attributed to hydrocarbon sector-led growth in the region’s oil-exporting countries, particularly GCC countries. This growth momentum will continue at a modest pace of 2.6% in 2019 and further increase to 3.4% for 2020. Notwithstanding such positive prospect, the region remains linked to geopolitical uncertainties, which are further exacerbated by a number of ongoing intraregional diplomatic rifts and armed conflict. Meanwhile, the Survey 2018-2019 claims that the main challenge facing nowadays the region is its delicate fiscal situation as several Arab countries have already established new energy subsidy systems, aimed at maintaining affordable energy prices against oil price fluctuation. Employing CGE models, the Survey 2018-2019 demonstrates that reducing energy subsidy generates a fiscal space for governments. If the ‘saved’ amounts are totally directed to the reduction of fiscal deficit, fiscal sustainability could be enhanced but economic growth and job creation will be negatively affected. Such simulation result allows policymakers to assess the reform options that promote an inclusive and sustainable development.

Meet 17 girls from five countries who have become mothers while still children. Their captivating stories provide a unique insight into their dreams, challenges and great strength. Their stories are accompanied by beautiful photos taken by acclaimed photographer Pieter ten Hoopen, whose point of departure is the traditional family photo. HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has written the introduction of the book sharing her keen interest in the lives of women around the world.

Under the framework of the UN Joint Global Programme on Essential Services, UN Women, together with UNODC and the IAWP, developed this handbook on gender-responsive police services to address the need for a strengthened justice sector response to violence against women and girls. The handbook is based on and complements existing global and country-specific handbooks and training materials for law enforcement. It covers areas such as prevention of violence against women and girls, gender-responsive police investigations, survivor-centred approaches, and institutional transformation within an often-complex justice system. It also provides guidance on responding to violence against women and girls during a crisis, including a pandemic.

The Global Annual Meeting of Gender Focal Points and Focal Points for Women brings the 400-strong, UN Women-led network of gender focal points together to support their ongoing work to enhance gender parity and create an enabling environmentat work. This report provides a summary of the 2020 meeting of 163 participants, in which upcoming challenges and changes to gender parity are discussed within the present- and post-COVID-19 contexts. Presenting key conclusions and best practices, the report explores, among other topics, the role of innovative ideas and improved talent acquisition, the future of work, and the effect of lockdown on the “shadow pandemic” of gender-based violence, further considering the implications of such topics on the work of gender focal points.

Attaining gender equality for and eliminating all forms of discrimination against women are fundamental human rights and United Nations values. Women around the world nevertheless regularly suffer violations of their human rights throughout their lives, and realizing women’s human rights has not always been prioritized. Indeed, achieving equality between women and men requires a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which women experience discrimination and are denied equality so as to develop appropriate strategies to eliminate such discrimination. This publication provides an introduction to women’s human rights, covering the main provisions in international human rights law and exploring particularly relevant concepts for fully understanding women’s human rights.