From inclusion to growth: How women’s financial access can fuel Lesotho’s economy: World Bank Blog By Maria Emilia Cucagna, Ajai Nair and Toni Weis

13 may 2025 - 08:54:31

Maseru, Lesotho (PANA) - After years of sluggish growth, Lesotho is at a crossroads. To boost its economy and create more jobs, the country needs [...] Full text...

Empowering Kenyan women key to unlocking inclusive growth: World Bank Blog By Precious Zikhali, Naomi Mathenge and Shubha Chakravarty

08 may 2025 - 10:58:16

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA - As women, we have witnessed firsthand that women in Kenya are engines of economic growth. We build businesses, nurture families, and [...] Full text...

Senior UN official stresses Libyan government's responsibility to protect women

27 april 2025 - 13:39:13

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Hanna Tetteh, has emphasized [...] Full text...

Plea for a future respecting gender equality

08 april 2025 - 16:50:46

Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - Mr. Aboubakri Diaw, Chief of Staff and Head of the Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division at the Economic Commission for [...] Full text...

‘Without us, there is no future’: Youth take over UN Women’s Commission

15 march 2025 - 07:49:58

New York, US (PANA) - “Support us and include us” to achieve real progress on advancing equal rights for all, young leaders told the Commission [...] Full text...

Breaking barriers: Unlocking education and jobs for women and youth in Mozambique: World Bank Blog By Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough, Karla Gonzalez Carvajal and Robert S. Chase

14 march 2025 - 08:19:25

Maputo, Mozambique (PANA) - How can affordable and reliable transport help women and youth access vocational training and employment? As part of the World Bank’s Advisory [...] Full text...

UN launches gender equality plan: ‘We’re at a turning point’

13 march 2025 - 07:34:03

New York, US (PANA) - The UN launched a bold new action agenda to boost rights and achieve gender equality at a high-level event on [...] Full text...

‘Furious kickback against equality’ must end, UN chief tells women activists, as conference adopts landmark declaration

12 march 2025 - 07:38:04

New York, US (PANA) - At a time of growing backlash against women’s rights, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark call to action on Tuesday [...] Full text...

'Men remain the overwhelming majority in high political positions'

11 march 2025 - 15:52:07

New York, US (PANA) - Progress towards gender equality in political leadership remains insufficient as we enter 2025, with men outnumbering women at least three [...] Full text...

Gender expert flags increased risk of forced sterilization of disabled women

11 march 2025 - 08:26:02

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Women and girls with disabilities are at increased risk of abuse, including forced sterilization, sexual exploitation and domestic violence, a United [...] Full text...

Commission on the Status of Women: 'The poison of patriarchy is back'

11 march 2025 - 08:20:02

New York, US (PANA) - As the new session of the Commission on the Status of Women opens, meeting at UN Headquarters in New York [...] Full text...

What works for women at work: World Bank Blog By Anna Bjerde, World Bank Managing Director of Operations

11 march 2025 - 07:49:31

Porto-Novo, Benin (PANA) - Across the globe, I’ve met countless men and women driven by the conviction that when policies work for women, societies move [...] Full text...

Top UN official in Libya urges parties to promote status of women

09 march 2025 - 13:14:20

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Libya, Hanna Tetteh, has called on all Libyan parties to take decisive steps [...] Full text...

Women in war zones: “Having worked in humanitarian work for 22 years, I was the one who needed help” (By Nathalie Minard, UN News)

09 march 2025 - 13:03:24

Kinshasa, DRC (PANA) - “In 22 years of humanitarian work, I could not imagine that I was the one who needed help,” says Anne-Marie Lurhakumnira [...] Full text...

Corruption hinders gender equality worldwide: Transparency International

08 march 2025 - 12:54:11

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - On International Women’s Day, Transparency International celebrated the achievements of women worldwide, but also acknowledged the barriers that still [...] Full text...

Why investing in women and girls benefits everyone

08 march 2025 - 09:22:20

New York, USA (PANA) – The right to go to school. To join the workforce. The right to vote. To have a bank account. The [...] Full text...

One in four countries report backlash against women’s rights in 2024

07 march 2025 - 10:25:28

New York, US (PANA) - The basic rights of women and girls are facing unprecedented growing threats worldwide, from higher levels of discrimination to weaker [...] Full text...

Economic impact of restrictions on women's citizenship rights: World Bank Blog By Mariam Anaïs Gnakra, Daniela Behr and Julia Braunmiller

07 march 2025 - 08:48:26

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Many countries still prevent women from passing nationality to their children in the same way as men. Laws that prevent women [...] Full text...

90% of victims of conflict-related sexual abuse in DRC are women and girls

25 february 2025 - 06:41:40

New York, US (PANA) - Independent UN experts on Monday expressed grave concern over the scale of conflict-related sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of [...] Full text...

Financial inclusion in Africa: Progress, challenges, and the road ahead: World Bank Blog By Leora Klapper, Lucy Nshuti Mbabazi and Monique Nsanzabaganwa

20 february 2025 - 12:51:14

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Imagine that everyone in Africa, from vendors in the bustling markets of Cairo, to agricultural workers in the remote villages [...] Full text...

Namibia: Bridging the gender gap in groundwater resources management: World Bank Blog By Ashley Malepe

17 february 2025 - 08:40:40

Windhoek, Namibia (PANA) - Gender equality is not about promoting the interests of one gender over another. It’s about creating a level playing field where [...] Full text...

Transforming girls’ education in Northern Nigeria: the role of traditional leaders: World Bank Blog By Aisha Garba Mohammed, Senior Education Specialist

07 february 2025 - 07:23:05

Kano, Nigeria (PANA) - In northern Nigeria, where traditional customs have long shaped societal structures, a quiet revolution is unfolding — one that is girls’ [...] Full text...

Gender parity remains distant goal: Rights experts

04 february 2025 - 07:56:09

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Approximately one in three women is subjected to physical or sexual violence, and 800 women and girls continue to die every [...] Full text...

Femicide: No safe places for women, girls, amid continuous gender killings in Kenya

22 january 2025 - 20:33:13

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) – Investigations into the gruesome murder of Beth Muthoni, 44, a devout Christian on pilgrimage at the Thiririka Shrine, on the slopes [...] Full text...

100 killed as femicide epidemic takes alarming turn in Kenya

19 december 2024 - 17:16:58

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Femicide, the murder of women, because they are women, has continued to rise with at least 100 women killed over the [...] Full text...

Female circumcision remains deeply rooted in Kenyan culture

11 december 2024 - 12:01:58

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) –  The circumcision of women remains a common traditional and religious practice in Kenya and continues to take various forms, organisations involved [...] Full text...

UN mission in Libya seeks to advance women’s meaningful political participation

06 december 2024 - 05:16:17

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Ahead of the launch of an inclusive, intra-Libyan political process, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has hosted a consultative [...] Full text...

Security Council: Put young women at the heart of peace and security efforts

04 december 2024 - 05:39:38

New York, US (PANA) - Peace is in peril worldwide and avenues for diplomatic dialogue are shrinking, but young women peacebuilders are demonstrating that a [...] Full text...

Millions of women and girls forced to flee face high risk of gender-based violence: UNHCR

30 november 2024 - 07:18:18

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - More than 60 million women and girls worldwide who are forcibly displaced or stateless face high risks of gender-based violence (GBV), [...] Full text...

UN: Number of Sudanese people at risk of GBV tripled

27 november 2024 - 14:13:21

Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - The UN representative to the Sudan has underlined that the UN and its partners stand firmly with women in Sudan, [...] Full text...

UN mission in Libya reaffirms support to end violence against women, girls

26 november 2024 - 05:29:13

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has reaffirms its “unwavering support” to Libyans in ending all forms of violence, [...] Full text...

‘No excuse’: A global call to end violence against women

26 november 2024 - 05:19:29

New York, US (PANA) - On the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, world leaders and advocates gathered [...] Full text...

One woman killed every 10 minutes: The harrowing global reality of femicide

25 november 2024 - 06:49:49

New York, US (PANA) - A sobering report released by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday reveals that [...] Full text...

One in three women experiences gender-based violence

16 november 2024 - 07:01:36

New York, US (PANA) - Every year, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign led by UN Women serves as a powerful [...] Full text...

Girls’ rights, fragility, and the future: World Bank Blog By Doreen Kibuka-Musoke and Tim Agaba Baroraho

28 october 2024 - 07:19:09

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - There is reason to have celebrated the International Day of the Girl this month. On average, girls today are better educated, [...] Full text...

World Bank Group advances gender strategy, unveils economic opportunity ambitions

24 october 2024 - 14:35:56

Washington DC, United States (PANA) - The World Bank Group on Thursday took the first steps toward implementing Gender Strategy 2030, announcing a set of [...] Full text...

Finding a pathway to employment for young women in Benin: World Bank Blog By Saint-Martin Kodjovi Mongan Agbeshie, Rachael Pierotti, Nicola Duell and Claudia Rivas

24 october 2024 - 13:02:45

Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - It’s early morning in Benin and Solange, a young mother, is dropping her child off at one of the several new [...] Full text...

How to advance women’s roles in peace and security

24 october 2024 - 11:26:08

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Haiti, Sudan and Ukraine and beyond reveal that females are disproportionately affected – from gender-based violence to [...] Full text...

Beninese youth, of which 51% are women. This represents a major improvement compared to a 40% female participation in previous employment programmes

24 october 2024 - 10:34:44

Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - To empower women, Benin worked with the Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI)—a global platform hosted by the World Bank that unites [...] Full text...

Women’s participation in defence sector growing – but gender gap remains

18 october 2024 - 05:13:15

New York, UA (PANA) - The UN has released its first-ever report on women in the traditionally male-dominated defence sector, based on analysis provided by [...] Full text...

Two billion women without access to social protection

15 october 2024 - 16:16:55

New York, US (PANA) - A UN Women report reveals that policies ranging from cash benefits to healthcare and pensions are not being extended to [...] Full text...

The world must step up for girls, UN chief says

12 october 2024 - 08:23:50

New York, US (PANA) - As the world marked the International Day of the Girl Child on Friday, a town hall held at UN Headquarters [...] Full text...

Gambia commemorates International Day of the Girl

11 october 2024 - 13:03:43

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The Gambia on Friday joined the the world in celebrating International Day of the Girl which is is dedicated to advocating for [...] Full text...

World Bank Country Gender Action Plan to help address gender inequalities in Sierra Leone

04 october 2024 - 07:10:44

Freetown, Sierra Leone (PANA) - The World Bank on Thursday launched the Sierra Leone Country Gender Action Plan (C-GAP), a comprehensive roadmap aimed at reducing [...] Full text...

Medical charity MSF raises red flags about alarming trend in sexual violence in DRC

30 september 2024 - 10:18:09

Amsterdam, Netherlands (PANA) - Medical and humanitarian charity, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has in a disturbing report released on Monday revealed an alarming trend in [...] Full text...

Women and girls in Sudan disproportionately impacted by ongoing conflict

28 september 2024 - 06:52:31

Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - Women and girls in the midst of the brutal conflict between rival militaries in Sudan are being disproportionately impacted, including [...] Full text...

UN, EU and World Bank Group join forces to end violence against women and girls

27 september 2024 - 07:23:11

New York, United States (PANA) - The United Nations, European Commission, and World Bank Group will make gender equality and ending violence against women and [...] Full text...

Gender equality: Distant, yet achievable

17 september 2024 - 06:38:00

New York, US (PANA) -  While progress has been made worldwide on gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment, critical gender gaps remain in all [...] Full text...

Women lead record number of central banks, but more progress is needed: IMF Blog

30 august 2024 - 05:38:07

Washington DC, United States (PANA) - Women are leading more central banks than ever before, thanks to appointments in the past year, but recent gains [...] Full text...

A journey to empowering women in Africa's energy sector: World Bank Blog By Fowzia Hassan, Meskerem Mulatu Legesse, Marie-Paule Ngaleu and Osman Bin Masood

27 august 2024 - 08:31:40

Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - This year, we witnessed the birth of a movement in Kigali, Rwanda: the Women in Energy Network Africa (WEN-Africa).aiming to increase [...] Full text...