Gender equality | ONU GENEVE

A woman shouting at a police man during a demonstration

Women’s human rights are too often violated, and their potentials in education, the labour market, in politics or science, remain underutilized.

Gender equality is incorporated in the work of all UN organizations. At the forefront of these efforts is UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, supporting the UN system in its efforts and cooperating with governments to implement gender strategies into their politics.

Progressively, UN entities look at challenges transgender or intergender people face, for example from a health or a human rights perspective.

More information:

Gender equality in the UN

UN News articles about women and girls

UN Women

What UNOG does on gender equality

Human rights

The human rights basis for the work on gender equality is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women which has been ratified by 189 countries. States that have ratified the Convention are legally bound to the following:

eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in all areas of life
ensure women’s full development and advancement in order for them to exercise and enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms in the same way as men
allow the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to scrutinize their efforts to implement the treaty by reporting to the body at regular intervals

The CEDAW is a group of 23 experts who follow up on the implementation of the Convention by taking up complaints from individuals or groups, and by investigating severe violations of the Convention by any of the signatories. The CEDAW also gives general advice to Member States and has thus achieved progress in several countries, for example in the areas of heritance rights, property rights and political participation for women.

Rights for everyone, everywhere

Human rights and gender, gender identity or sexual orientation are often closely linked. This becomes apparent especially for refugees and migrants: some need to leave their homes because of who they are or who they love. Others face discrimination and stigmatization in their host country. The International Organization for Migration and UNHCR work to protect migrants and refugees from any form of mistreatment or discrimination related to their gender or sexual orientation, like limited access to work, to social services etc. Educating communities about the effects of gender-based violence and about alternative ways of living together is another part of the organizations’ important work.

IOM thematic brief: women and girls on the move

UNHCR document database on LGBTIQ+ persons

The world of work

Sexual harassment at work, uneven pay, a lack of women managers or insufficient maternity leave policies: The list of obstacles for female workers is long. In some cultures, this is exacerbated by a belief that women should not work, or even go to school, at all. The International Labour Organization (ILO), based in Geneva and working on workers’ rights and workers’ welfare, has adopted several key conventions. Translated into national contexts, they form the basis for a better work environment for women.

Women in trade

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) explores if and how trade policies affect women differently than men. The organization publishes their findings and offers training on trade and gender to help participants from Member States understand what impact their trade policies have on men and women, respectively.

Offering practical support to women entrepreneurs across the globe, the International Trade Centre has launched the “SheTrades” Initiative. Small businesses benefit from advice on product branding or access to international markets.

Watch the photo exhibition: "Not a woman's job?"

UNCTAD resources on gender equality

UNCTAD trade and gender toolbox

Health

Gender and health are interlaced in several ways. Women’s health is impacted by physical or sexual violence, by female genital mutilation, limited access to health care systems or health insurance. In addition, rigid gender stereotypes force all genders into certain behaviour patterns, for example the expectation that a man must provide for his family. This can have an impact on a person’s mental health. Discrimination of and violence against LGBTQ+ persons is another threat to both the physical and mental health of people.

WHO collects data on these risk factors, for example, how many women have become victim of domestic violence, and on general health statistics, divided by gender and other indicators (Health Equality Assessment Toolkit). The data basis gives Member States an opportunity to adapt their health systems to the different needs of all genders. The organization also publishes toolkits for health practitioners and managers, showing how to tackle the problem.

Sexual and reproductive health

UN Aids informs women around the world about the threat of HIV and other sexually transmittable diseases. The programme educates women and girls about sexual and reproductive health, access to health services and safer sex options.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, works on all issues regarding sexual and reproductive health, family planning, safe pregnancy and child birth, and on equal opportunities for men, women and children. UNFPA also shares population data with governments. The Geneva office of the organization is largely engaged in gender equality as a human right and, in this respect, gives important input to the Human Rights Council.

Organizations working on gender equality

FAO

L'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture dirige les efforts internationaux pour vaincre la faim. Au service des pays développés et en développement, la FAO agit comme un forum neutre où toutes les nations se rencontrent sur un pied d'égalité pour négocier des accords et [...]