Gender Equality Activists

"We cannot continue to deal with a GA hall that is not accessible for wheelchair users. We cannot continue to not be able to enter bathrooms. There is a lot to do and we are not happy about that, but what I am optimistic about is we now have a framework of action,"

"The same shopkeeper at a certain convenience store should not notice you every day. They (parents) never knew when or if we would return home,""

"Bodily autonomy is non-negotiable. It is about choices, rights and the power of women and girls to decide over their own body. UNFPA is calling for coordinated and collective action to achieve bodily autonomy, reproductive rights and gender equality well in time for 2030,”"

"Violence against women and girls has invaded all spaces, including virtual ones, and this must end,"

"For many women and girls, no place is completely safe. Violence invades their homes, schools, and workplaces, and now, it is becoming alarmingly widespread in their digital lives. Online violence can happen anywhere, to anyone, at any time. Yet, it disproportionately affects women and girls,”"

"For individuals vulnerable to intersecting forms of discrimination, the levels of digital violence they experience are even more extreme. Research shows LGBTQIA+ people, women and girls with disabilities, and people of African descent all experience online abuse specifically tied to their identities. Black women are an estimated 84 percent more likely than white women to be attacked in abusive tweets,”"

"Fortunately, survivors and allies are taking action. Already, more than 54,000 signatories have joined UNFPA’s #bodyright campaign and committed to championing the right to bodily autonomy and freedom from violence. Survivors and advocates – artists, activists, politicians, and tech experts among them – are sharing stories and demanding change"

"It's very important to understand the humanitarian and internal displacement conflicts is having on women, and that is why we need to create safe spaces"thumb|Dr. Natalia Kanem"

"For UNFPA right now, we are commiting 40 percent of our funding to finance female-led organizations. And this is the leadership we are committed to.""

"“Peace is the most pressing issue of our time and in women’s lives,”"

"Obviously, peace is fragile. It requires our continuous attention, dialogue, compromise and cooperation.”"

"“UNFPA has had a long and productive relationship with Rwanda. We discussed what is happening in the country in terms of the investments in young people and in the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls.”"

"“eased the reach to people in rural areas; a move to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to planning for families.”"

"“I’m delighted that Rwanda is hosting ICASA; which is a bigger opportunity for us to recommit to the prevention of HIV and to the compassionate caring to those who live with the virus,”"

"UNFPA lamented the loss of lives in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory and is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of all civilians caught up in the crisis, especially women and girls."

"UNFPA reiterates call for reversal of evacuation order from northern Gaza Peoples Gazette (October 18, 2023 )"

"UNFPA supports pregnant women and newborns by providing essential medicines and deploying midwives. This can only continue if lifesaving aid can reach them."

"“We call for immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access so that food, medicines, water, and fuel can reach everyone in need.”"

"Large gender gaps continue to hinder and impede progress in achieving all goals,""

"The need for sustained efforts to fulfill the promise of gender equality, secure women's and girls' human rights, and ensure the realization of their fundamental freedoms."

"I hope that this is the beginning of a permanent truce and lasting relief for the people of Gaza and all the hostages held by Hamas."

"I have been consistent in my briefings to you, in reminding you that women and girls are paying the highest price of conflicts."

"I am alarmed by disturbing reports of gender-based and sexual violence. I reiterate my call from when I last spoke in these Chambers in October, that every act of violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, is unequivocally condemned, and must be fully investigated with the utmost priority."

"I am reassured that SRSG [Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict] Patten has activated the UN Action network that she chairs to proactively share UN-sourced and verified information on incidents, patterns, and trends of conflict-related sexual violence to aid all investigations."

"I am confident that there will ultimately be a reckoning for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in this conflict. The work of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israelis is crucial."

"I commend the many female staff and volunteers of the Egyptian Red Crescent for their exceptional service in these challenging circumstances. And I welcome the establishment of a new Jordanian field hospital in Khan Younis, notably including female medical staff, such as doctors and nurses, for the first time. This is a significant milestone."

"I encourage all donors to increase their allocations, including to UNRWA who remains the only lifeline for thousands of Palestinians."

"During my mission I heard unequivocal calls time and time again that we need an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” I also heard calls from partners across the region that forced displacement or transfer of Palestinians from their land is a red line, that we must ensure the protection of civilians and that we must facilitate unhindered access to aid. I heard calls for an end to occupation, and for concerted progress towards a peaceful, two-state solution."

"I suspect I am not unique in finding this one of the lowest moments for the international community and for peace and security that I can recall. But it is precisely at moments such as this that multilateralism is at its most important. This institution, and others of the United Nations, are where we come together to find peace. Our track record is varied."

"I welcome last week’s resolution in the Security Council and hope that that will only be the start of greater consensus in the Security Council to find a solution. I call on its immediate implementation. But this resolution, like the more-than 100 resolutions on the so-called Palestinian question since 1948, makes no reference to gender issues. I also welcome the General Assembly resolution passed on October 26th, calling for “an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities”."

"I urge you to include the voices of Palestinian and Israeli women working for peace, to recognize their leadership and to call for their meaningful participation in any negotiation efforts."

"I call for this truce to be extended to a ceasefire and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally. I call for an immediate end to the current siege, beginning with ensuring access to water."

"For the sake of women and girls, I leave you with a call for a return to a genuine and purposeful commitment toward a just peace."

"Even amid the current crisis, women in Gaza are again showing the power of women’s leadership and their centrality to their communities in the most appalling of circumstances. They are working as first responders and volunteers to try and keep people safe. UN Women pledges our continuing support, including to Palestinian women’s organizations in Gaza, where our long-standing relationships are more important than ever”,"

"With the Sustainable Development Goals, the global community has made a strong commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. However, we can see clearly with these new indices that across countries, women’s full potential remains unrealised, and large gender gaps continue to be commonplace, thereby obstructing and slowing progress in the realisation of all the Goals,”"

"“Sustained efforts are, therefore, needed to deliver on the promise of gender equality, secure the human rights of women and girls and ensure that their fundamental freedoms are fully realised,”"

"Women and girls have just as much right to access the digital world and prosper in it as men and boys. Their creativity, knowledge and perspectives can shape a future where technology contributes to transforming social norms, amplifying women’s voices, pushing forward against online harassment, preventing the perpetuation of algorithmic biases, and distributing the benefits of digitalization as the great equalizer to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals."

"I just returned last night from Egypt and Jordan. There I met with Government, civil society partners, humanitarian workers, and volunteers, all working tirelessly to respond to the suffering of the Gazan people and end the crisis. I commend their efforts to ensure humanitarian aid gets to those in need. I welcome the news that 50 hostages, all women and children, will be released in return for the release of 150 Palestinian women and children, and a much-needed humanitarian pause. I thank the Governments of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States for facilitating this agreement.I hope that this is the beginning of a permanent truce and lasting relief for the people of Gaza and all the hostages held by Hamas.”"

"That is two mothers killed every hour and seven women every two hours. We mourn them all."

"If we want to achieve what we want to achieve, we will often have to partner with and talk to people that we don't agree with on many things. Personally, I agree with very little that President Novák, believes in, espouses, or takes forward. I'm sure she agrees with very little that I believe in,"

"They have been an incredible host. They have achieved so much in gender equality. Again, we see some differences with them and they see some differences with us, but we've been always approaching this with them over the last year and a half that we've been having these discussions."

"“I am thrilled to join Women Deliver as President and CEO. I am an ardent feminist and have been working to advance the rights of girls and women, and to implement gender transformative initiatives, throughout my career. I am looking forward to continuing Women Deliver’s important role as a champion of gender equality advocates to realize the rights of all girls and women, not least their sexual and reproductive health and rights. This space is more important than ever to bridge the distance and disconnect that the world has faced over the last two years,”"

"“Where they would say, we are going to do this and I would say, oh gosh, I wouldn't and then we say, okay, I understand that's the direction you're going and I will disagree, but I will commit and we will do it together. I will say to their huge credit; they have done the same with us. We have said we are going to bring in global people from all over the world and they said, anyone is welcome a hundred percent we will give them visas."

"“Gender Equality cannot be achieved without free and open spaces. Spaces that are accessible, spaces that are inviting and inclusive. The Women Deliver Conference is one of those spaces. There are other spaces that need to be accessible for girls and women to live in while pursuing their goals. However, these spaces are often under the control of governments, families, and existing policies. To achieve gender equality it’s important that these spaces remain open and democratic, and remain respectful to every individual despite identity,”"

"A woman is any person who identifies as a woman, has been identified by others as a girl or a woman, and has the lived reality of what it is to be a girl or a woman. This is who we are including in our spaces and that is who we are trying to fight for,”"

"Our parents would tell us; you can be forced to leave your home, forced into exile, and lose any material or property in your possession. But the one thing that can never be taken away from you is your education,"

"What struck me the most, was living in a society for the first time in my life, where girls had no concerns whatsoever that their freedom to attend school could be taken away from them at any time, which is something that every single Afghan girl who's lucky enough to go to school lives with,""

"I was taking with me from Afghanistan some of the best educated girls, women leaders in the making. I felt so heartbroken for our people, for Afghanistan. I felt heartbroken for the very people who are leaving. They are some of the most wanted talents in Afghanistan. And as soon as they step outside of this airport, they are going to be seen as unwanted refugees wherever they end up,"

"We cannot under any circumstances submit to the Taliban's vision for Afghanistan. It means continuing to educate more Afghan girls,"

"I've borrowed a stone from the airport. I need to return. I spend every waking hour preparing for it,""