Why does the United Nations need a new entity on women’s rights and gender equality?
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — or UN Women — was established by the UN Member States so that the UN would be better able to help Member States accelerate progress towards their goals on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It will merge and build on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system which focus exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment:
- Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)
- International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)
- Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI)
- United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
The main roles of UN Women are:
To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms
To help Member States to implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it and to forge effective partnerships with civil society
To enable member states to hold the UN system accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progress.
UN Women will be operational by January 2011.
What will UN Women do at the global, regional and country levels?
UN Women will be the lead driver and lead voice advocating for gender equality and women’s empowerment globally. It will support Member States to advance gender equality, in line with national priorities and international norms and policies. It will build effective partnerships with civil society and mobilize support, both political and financial, for the achievement of international goals for women. UN Women will provide substantive support to UN bodies on all aspects of gender equality issues.
It will work with UN partners at the regional and country levels to ensure that demand for technical expertise from national partners and regional organizations are met. It will undertake global, regional and national advocacy efforts to ensure that under-recognized and under-resourced issues receive the requisite attention. At the country level it will provide technical and financial support to national partners, helping them develop the ability to address their priority challenges. UN Women will also support UN Country Teams to strengthen and coordinate action on gender equality.
What is the budget for UN Women and how will it be funded?
UN Women will be funded largely by both voluntary contributions and the regular UN budget. At least US$500 million — double the current combined budget of DAW, INSTRAW, OSAGI, and UNIFEM — has been recognized by Member States as the minimum investment needed for UN Women.
What does the creation of UN Women mean for other offices and funds in the UN system working on gender and women’s empowerment?
UN Women will enhance, not replace, efforts by other parts of the UN system (such as UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA), which will continue to have a responsibility to work for gender equality and women’s empowerment in their areas of expertise.
Who will head UN Women and where will it be based?
Following an open, transparent and rigorous recruitment process, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will appoint an Under-Secretary-General to head UN Women, so as to ensure the necessary authority and leadership. The Under-Secretary-General will be a member of all senior UN decision-making bodies and will report to the Secretary-General. UN Women will be headquartered in New York.
Which countries will UN Women support?
Gender inequality exists everywhere. UN Women will work with all countries to support inter-governmental efforts to develop global norms and policies. It will promote good practices and foster the sharing of experiences between countries, while providing programmatic and operational support to developing countries. Technical support and advice to developed countries can be requested and provided from policy expertise units that will support all regions.
The creation of UN Women will contribute to an enhanced and coordinated UN response to country-defined needs and priorities, to enable the UN system to work in a more effective, collaborative and coherent way.
In which countries will UN Women have a presence?
Up to now, the UN has not had the capacity to meet all country demand for support and expertise related to gender equality and women’s empowerment. UNIFEM is currently present in 80 countries, where it responds to the greatest needs. Initially, UN Women will continue to work in these countries. Priority for enhanced capacity will be given to country-level efforts and — over time — UN Women will scale up to support every country that requests assistance. Achieving that goal, however, will depend on the availability of human and financial resources.
How will UN Women work with UN Member States?
One of the main aims of creating UN Women is to strengthen the UN’s ability to provide coherent, timely and demand-driven support to UN Member States, at their request, in their efforts to realize equality for all women and girls. It will be up to each Member State to decide what kind of support UN Women will provide in that country.
How will civil society be involved with UN Women?
Years of advocacy by the global women’s movement have been instrumental in the creation of UN Women. Civil society, in particular women’s organizations, play a vital role in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, and strong and dynamic relationships between UN Women and civil society partners in all parts of the world will be crucial in working towards the achievement these goals. As such, non-governmental organization partners will have a strong voice in the priority-setting, policies and programmes of UN Women which, in turn, will provide support to women’s organizations and networks.
What happens between now and 1 January?
UN Women will become operational on 1 January 2011. It is important to note that, until then, UNIFEM will continue to be fully operational and work according to its mandate. All agreements made with UNIFEM, whether in the context of partnerships, programmes or funding arrangements, will then be transferred to and fully honoured by UN Women. This applies even though the General Assembly resolution, for legal reasons, decides the immediate dissolution of UNIFEM.
What will happen to National Committees for UNIFEM?
National Committees for UNIFEM have been strong partners for advocacy, outreach and fundraising, and their continued support will be important for and valued by UN Women. As of 1 January 2011, National Committees for UNIFEM will be renamed National Committees for UN Women.
What will happen to the staff at DAW, INSTRAW, OSAGI and UNIFEM?
The UN’s achievements for women over the last decades have been, in large part, due to the commitment and dedication of the staff of DAW, INSTRAW, OSAGI and UNIFEM. Every effort will be made to ensure that all staff receive the necessary support during the six-month transition period to UN Women becoming operational. Commitments and obligations towards staff and other personnel embodied in staff contracts will be honoured.
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