UN Women Europe and Central Asia

Did you know that Gender-Responsive Procurement (GRP) ensures women-owned businesses and gender-responsive companies have equal opportunities in supply chains and contracts? It promotes both gender equality and women’s empowerment, while driving business success. Yesterday, our Regional Director Belén Sanz Luque saw this firsthand during an inspiring visit to the “ŞOK’ta Ben de Varım” project at Şok Market. Through our partnership with Yıldız Holding we’ve set a global benchmark for GRP. This initiative has already created over 10 million TL in economic value by partnering with women’s cooperatives across Türkiye—showing how GRP supports women-led businesses while delivering results. "With over 10,000 WEPs signatories worldwide, more companies are joining the movement for gender equality in partnership with UN Women. When we invest in women’s economic empowerment, everyone benefits. Let’s make GRP the norm, not the exception." said Luque.

Never underestimate the INTELLIGENCE of young women and girls. Never underestimate the DETERMINATION of young women and girls. Never underestimate the POWER of young women and girls. On this #DayOfTheGirl, listen to these speakers at the UN who inspire us all.

On this International Day of the Girl Child, we celebrate the unstoppable power of girls—their strength, resilience, and limitless potential, even in the face of overwhelming challenges. 🌟 Across the globe, girls face the devastating impacts of conflict, violence, and discrimination. In our region, the Europe and Central Asia, these challenges are compounded by ongoing crises, including the war in Ukraine and the alarming rates of femicides in Türkiye. In Ukraine, millions of girls and young women have been displaced, left vulnerable to violence, trafficking, and exploitation. The disruption of their education and lack of healthcare access are putting their futures at risk. In Türkiye and the region, femicide continues to claim the lives of too many women and girls. We must confront this violence with the urgency it deserves. We call for immediate action to protect and empower girls everywhere—especially those in conflict zones and under constant threat of violence. The time to act for a better future for girls is NOW. 📸 Diana Savina, UN Women Moldova

Every woman and girl has the right to feel safe everywhere. Femicide can and must be prevented. Every country must invest in prevention, enforce laws, and combat impunity. Let's demand a world free from fear. #EndViolenceAgainstWomen

#MentalHealth Fact: Depressive and anxiety disorders are about 50% more common among women than men. Women who have experienced intimate partner violence or sexual violence are particularly vulnerable to developing a mental health condition. Source: World Health Organization #MentalHealthDay

While technology can open doors for women’s empowerment, it is often misused to perpetuate violence.⚠️ At our recent #GenderDatathon in Tirana 🇦🇱, participants explored Tech-Facilitated Violence Against Women, among other topics. In #Albania, 41.1% of women present online have experienced some form of tech-facilitated violence in their lifetime. 📊 These include: ❌Cyberbullying ❌Online harassment ❌Doxing ❌Hate speech ❌Intimate image abuse ❌Trolling ❌Deep fakes Stay tuned to discover how data enthusiasts in Albania are harnessing the power of data to drive meaningful change! ✨ #WomenCount

The historic #Beijing30 Regional Review Meeting is fast approaching! Ministers, senior officials, United Nations organizations, regional institutions, civil society, youth, academia, and experts from 56 countries in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe region will gather to assess progress on women's rights and gender equality. This critical event will serve as a platform to evaluate where we stand, 30 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and identify key steps to accelerate #GenderEquality. 📅 Check out the agenda and join us in this important milestone: https://lnkd.in/dR7-kFM8

Picture this 👇 You’re a policymaker, a civil society advocate, a researcher, or represent a development organization. How do you ensure your policies and interventions meet the unique needs of women and girls, men and boys, including those from marginalized communities? ❗From wars & conflicts to natural disasters & emergencies, gender-based violence and access to education, #GenderStatistics offer crucial insights for evidence-based solutions to advancing #GenderEquality and achieving the #SDGs for all. Gender data must be a national priority across countries to drive meaningful change. UN Women’s #WomenCount programme collaborates with partners across the region to produce more & better gender data, ensuring every woman and girl counts.🙌 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/diiRZgqh #WomenCount

This week, over 40 activists, women’s NGOs, researchers, youth, and gender advocates from across #Albania gathered at the #GenderDatathon to harness the power of data for #GenderEquality 📊✨ Participants worked on innovative data projects addressing gender stereotypes in STEM & media, school dropout rates among girls, tech-facilitated violence against women, and more!💡📈 Congratulations to our top teams for their outstanding data products👏: 🥇 “Empowerment” team with a project on stereotypes against women drivers 🥈 “Access” team with a project on tech-facilitated violence against women 🥉 “Prizma” team with a project on gender-responsive budgeting 🥉 “UET Students” team with a project on women in STEM These teams will now refine their products with mentorship from our data pros🙌 🤝❤️Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the Embassy of Sweden in Albania, Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), UN Women Albania, Michele Ribotta, and our mentors Stefanie Posavec, Isabella Renzetti, Zinnya del Villar 🌱, Teuta Xhindi, Rachele Megna, Majlinda Nesturi, Ala Negruta, Nurai Mamytova for their unwavering commitment to driving transformative change for women & girls with data! #WomenCount | #GenderData | #Datathon | #Albania

🌍 What an inspiring and impactful day in Chișinău, Moldova 🇲🇩 at the Strategic Visioning Meeting of the “Women Leading Peace and Resilience” Programme! Over 50 participants from across Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and beyond, including representatives from CSOs, public institutions, international organizations, private sector to discuss strategies that will drive progress on #GenderEquality. This important initiative, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, continues to highlight the critical role of flexible funding in delivering tailored solutions for women and girls. Throughout the day, participants shared invaluable insights on key themes such as: 🔹 The transformative power of EU accession in advancing gender equality. 🔹 The need to reform the care economy to unlock women’s full economic potential. 🔹 Ensuring inclusive peacebuilding by amplifying the voices of women affected by conflict. A huge thank you to our partners, including the Government of the Republic of Moldova, for their unwavering commitment to building a more equal, resilient future for women and girls across Europe and Central Asia. Together, we’re making strides toward sustainable change and a more gender-equal world. Learn more about the "Women Leading Peace and Resilience” Programme: https://lnkd.in/dWrMC9dc