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...

At World Women's Forum, UN deputy chief urges action on gender equality

24 august 2024 - 04:12:42

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Deputy Secretary-General has called for stronger efforts in women’s empowerment, gender equality, and climate action in remarks to [...] Full text...

Gender equality at risk: UN officials highlight danger of pulling peacekeepers out

08 august 2024 - 07:29:11

New York, US (PANA) - Senior UN officials on Wednesday warned of the consequences for protection of women and their rights in conflict zones, amid [...] Full text...

On African Women's Day, a reflection on women empowerment and remaining challenges in Angola: World Bank Blog By Natália Timóteo Yange

31 july 2024 - 08:18:59

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - On the day we celebrate African Women, Natália Yange guides us in an in-depth reflection on the achievements and challenges faced [...] Full text...

Promoting gender-transformative approach in the transboundary water sector: World Bank Blog By Ai-Ju Huang and Ellen Hagerman

26 july 2024 - 07:16:57

Mwanza, Tanzania (PANA) - The men talked about how, as boys, gender stereotypes meant they got special treatment compared to their sisters but they also [...] Full text...

No end in sight to the ‘war on women’ in Gaza

19 july 2024 - 05:41:29

Cairo, Egypt (PANA) - Wars are never gender neutral and Gaza is further evidence of this as some one million women and girls bear “the [...] Full text...

UN salutes ‘monumental achievement’ of Gambian lawmakers for upholding FGM ban

16 july 2024 - 05:45:04

New York, US (PANA) - Five senior UN officials have welcomed the decision by The Gambia to uphold its ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), [...] Full text...

Helping female-led firms in Ethiopia become more resilient in turbulent times: World Bank Blog By Lauren Marino and Sophia Friedson-Ridenour

04 july 2024 - 06:22:17

Hawassa, Ethiopia (PANA) - On a recent Thursday afternoon, Jalene’s small coffee shop and roastery in Hawassa, Ethiopia, was enveloped in the smoke and scents [...] Full text...

UN rights chief calls time on ‘economic violence’ against women and girls

29 june 2024 - 05:43:58

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) -  The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, on Friday declared that it’s time to eliminate laws and practices that contribute to [...] Full text...

Vast majority of countries yet to have a woman Head of State - UN agency

25 june 2024 - 13:13:37

New York, US (PANA) - In what is the biggest electoral year ever, 113 countries have still never had a woman Head of State and [...] Full text...

Special Rapporteur urges global action to recognise and combat prostitution as a system of violence against women and girls

22 june 2024 - 06:36:30

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Prostitution must be urgently recognised as a system of violence, exploitation and abuse, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and [...] Full text...

Independent rights expert calls for an end to ‘normalisation’ of prostitution

22 june 2024 - 00:16:28

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The UN’s independent human rights expert countering violence against women and girls called on Friday for prostitution to be recognised unambiguously [...] Full text...

How can Tanzania build capacity to accelerate women’s economic empowerment? World Bank Blog By Alena Sakhonchik and Tanya D'Lima

19 june 2024 - 09:50:32

Dodoma, Tanzania (PANA) - One key piece of the puzzle in accelerating progress towards gender equality in Tanzania is having the same legal rights for [...] Full text...

Gender apartheid must be recognised as a crime under international law - Amnesty International

17 june 2024 - 06:49:56

London, UK (PANA) - Gender apartheid must be recognised as a crime under international law in order to strengthen efforts to combat institutionalised regimes of [...] Full text...

Global efforts to end female genital mutilation undermined by ‘vacation cutting’

14 june 2024 - 17:32:56

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The global fight to tackle female genital mutilation (FGM) is being undermined by the movement of some girls across national borders [...] Full text...

Parity for women remains five generations away but historical election year offers hope

12 june 2024 - 11:58:22

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The world has closed 68.5% of the gender gap, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2024, published on Wednesday. However, at [...] Full text...

Graduation ceremony for 30 Libyan girls from UNSMIL's Leaders Programme

06 june 2024 - 11:39:09

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Thirty participants in the "Leaders Programme" of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) have received their diplomas through campaigns [...] Full text...

UN mission in Libya reiterates commitment to support promotion of women's participation in elections

28 may 2024 - 16:44:56

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Acting Head of the United Nations Support Mission [...] Full text...

EU underlines rights for all regardless of sexual orientation

16 may 2024 - 13:13:46

Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - Equality, freedom and justice must apply to everyone regardless of their actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, a European [...] Full text...

Examples to accelerate gender equality in Africa abound: We could apply them to Somalia: World Bank Blog By Helena Hwang, Cansu Birce Gokalp, Verena Phipps and Tanya D'Lima

10 may 2024 - 08:09:53

Mogadishu, Somalia (PANA) - In Somalia, the challenges to gender equality are complex and daunting. Only 28% of women over 15-years old are literate, and [...] Full text...