UN Women

UN Women, formally known as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, is a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. It was established in July 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly by merging four distinct parts of the UN system which focus exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment:

• The Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI)
• The Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)
• The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
• The International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)

UN Women’s mandate encompasses three thematic areas:

• Providing normative support: Supporting inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), in the formulation of global standards and norms.
• Operational activities: Assisting Member States in implementing these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial assistance to countries that request it, and forging effective partnerships with civil society.
• Accountability: Holding the UN system accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including through monitoring progress at the system-wide level.

The organization works globally to accelerate progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment by advocating for the rights of women and girls and by ensuring women's full participation in all spheres of life, including political participation, economic empowerment, and ending violence against women and girls. UN Women also plays a key role in promoting gender equality in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).