United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Sima Sami Bahous of Jordan as the new Executive Director of UN Women.

A champion for women and girls, gender equality, and youth empowerment, as well as a keen advocate for quality education, poverty alleviation and inclusive governance, Ms. Bahous brings to the position over 35 years of leadership experience at the grassroots, national, regional and international levels, coupled with expertise in advancing women empowerment and rights, addressing discrimination and violence, and promoting sustainable socio-economic development towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Generation Equality Forum was a global gathering for gender equality, convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the Governments of Mexico and France. It took place in Mexico City in March 2021 and Paris in June/July 2021.

The Forum brought together people from civil society, youth organizations, academia, governments, businesses, cities, parliaments, trade unions, media, and more.

The Forum also launched a Global Acceleration Plan for Gender Equality, driven by six Action Coalitions, and launched a Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, with the aim to accelerate gender equality in the next five years and to face the growing risks to women’s rights caused by Covid-19.

To learn more about Generation Equality and the results from the forum, click here.

In its tenth year, UN Women continues to work to develop and uphold standards and build a world where every woman and girl can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential.

Read more about the highlights for 2020-2021 here.

Afghan women and girls played a pivotal role throughout the history of their country. It is essential they continue to play this role and their hard-won rights are protected.

UN Women has been present in Afghanistan for over 10 years and will remain operational and engaged with our partners to provide life-saving services to Afghan women and girls especially at this critical juncture for the country.

On August 31st, the UN Women USA board held an Outdoor Movie Night to raise funds for UN Women's ongoing projects. The event was hosted by UN Women USA President Libby Thompson-King and Bill King at their Shelter Island, NY home overlooking the water.

Films featured at the event included Abi Cole's Between the Lines: Liz at Large, Simone Fary's Sensei Fran Kicks Ass, and Lee Margaret Hanson's Reflections.

On September 9th, the Greater LA Chapter hosted Cities So Happy, the first part of Cities So Equitable, which is a three-part event envisioning the future of cities that are equitable for women and girls.

Community activists, advocates, and experts from the public, health, and non-profit sectors shared their perspective, best practices, and tools to create healthier and happier cities.

The virtual event was hosted by Sean Hill, an award-winning multidisciplinary artist & humanitarian, and featured Megan McClaire, Chief Deputy Director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; Veronica Figueroa, Executive Director of Dane Arts Mural Arts; Tracy Colunga, Chief Innovation Office of City of Long Beach; and Nkem Ndefo, Founder & President of Lumos Transforms.

The UN Women USA SF Global Voices Film Festival will hit the stage virtually from September 13th thru September 18th showcasing untold stories, fresh voices, and unique experiences of women around the world. The festival features 15 independent films—three feature-length films and 12 shorts— written, produced, and directed by groundbreaking women filmmakers. 

Support! Buy your Passes or Tickets here: https://gvffsf.eventive.org/welcome

To learn more about our program and activities, visit: https://www.globalvoicesfilmfestival.org/