Celebrating International Women's Day
As the world celebrated International Women’s Day on 8 March 2017, countries across Europe and Central Asia joined UN Women’s call to Step It Up for Gender Equality and make the work place work for women. An array of high-visibility events included a performance art piece at a busy shopping mall in Skopje that featured women doing traditional chores, drawing attention to unpaid care work. In Kazakhstan, the “Yes She Can” photo exhibit hung thought-provoking photos of women in male-dominated jobs in places popular with young people. The municipality of Tirana signed the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life, while in Serbia, a lively public debate on women’s double work burden received widespread media coverage. Read More.
UN Women championed the theme of the day, “Women in the World of Work,” with a special regional In Focus webpage, which highlighted key data, diverse perspectives and compelling stories of the difference women make in workplaces around the region.
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In Focus: Making Equality A Matter of Business
Nearly 1,500 business leaders around the world have signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), which help companies adopt policies and practices to realize women’s empowerment. As part of mobilizing follow-up action, UN Women collaborated with the UN Global Compact Turkey Working Group on Women’s Empowerment to develop the WEPs Implementation Guide. Read More. Two WEPs trainings in Georgia for 30 business representatives took place in collaboration with the Georgian Microfinance Association and the International Chamber of Commerce. Read More. The new Equality Means Business training manual details the gender dimensions of corporate sustainability.
During the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, UN Women brought together Turkish and Brazilian WEPs signatories to exchange good practices. The two countries rank second and third in numbers of WEPs signatories globally.
In “Take Five” interviews, WEPs signatories share their insights on applying the principles. Askar Baitassov, Chief Executive Officer of Kazakhstan’s AB Restaurants chain, talks about becoming the first company in Central Asia to sign the WEPs. Read More. Vice-President Mustafa Seçkin shines a light on how the principles have improved the work place at Unilever Turkey. Women now make up five of the 12 representatives on the Executive Board, up from one in pre-WEPs days. Read More.
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Empowering Women in the Economy
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Women power goes green in Serbia
Women survivors of domestic violence are breathing life into organic gardens. But the vegetables they grow also empower back by providing economic independence and promoting healthy eating. Read More. |
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Leadership and Political Participation
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A call for quotas in Kyrgyzstan
Thirty newly elected women deputies urged holding at least 30 per cent of local council seats for women, along with annual increases in women holding political positions in state and municipal organizations. Read More. |
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Governance and National Planning
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Changing women's lives with better public budgets
Wonder what gender-responsive budgeting is and how it can transform women’s lives? Watch this animated video, which explains the concept and the difference it makes in South-east Europe and Moldova.
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Gaining a voice in conflict-affected eastern-Ukraine
Ukrainian and Georgian women’s groups have come together to share experiences in bringing vulnerable populations into local decision-making. Dialogues within communities have raised attention to human rights and gender equality in local policy-making. Read More. |
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“Gender Barometer in Moldova” – first comprehensive study in the country addressing the representation of women and men in politics and decision making – will be launched at the end of May. The study tackles attitudes towards involvement of men and women in political parties, their intention to run in elections and specific challenges they face during election campaigns among other important issues. It provides an opportunity to compare how gender perceptions and gender stereotypes have changed in the last decade. The research was conducted by the Center "Partnership for Development" under the UN programme "Women in Politics," implemented by UN Women and UNDP, with financial support from the Government of Sweden. For more information, contact Victoria Puiu, victoria.puiu@unwomen.org.
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January-March 2017
