In May 2022, the UN Women Regional Office for Arab States and the Government of Finland organized a two-day workshop titled “Women Building Peace in the Arab States: Regional Synergies and Cross-Learning” to highlight women’s mediation efforts in their communities and the lessons learned from interventions under the regional WPS programme and the Syria WPS programme.

Women’s economic empowerment is critical for sustainable peace and development in Libya. This study focuses on women’s empowerment in the economic track of Libya’s peace process. It considers the benefits of gender-mainstreaming and the normative framework that supports gender equality, including UN Security Council resolutions in relation to Libya and the Women, Peace and Security agenda, the peacebuilding framework for Libya and international human rights law.

This publication summarizes discussions and recommendations produced during the Webinar organized by UN Women in Libya in celebration of the International Women’s Day on 8 March 2022.

UN Women’s new report “Women's Participation in Local Mediation: Lessons from Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen” sheds light on the diverse mediation roles women have played to resolve conflict and restore social cohesion in their communities.

Morocco’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, through its Department of Financial Studies and Forecasting (DEPF) in partnership with UN Women Morocco and with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union (EU), has conducted a new study on "Gender Analysis of the Contribution of Labour Utilization to Improved Living Standards: A Retrospective and Prospective Analysis in Light of the Recommendations of the New Development Model”.

The objective of this regional assessment is to look at the implications of the macroeconomic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Arab region. The regional mapping allows for identification of the dominant trends and policy priorities across different areas of interventions and looks at the potential implications of [largely] gender-blind macroeconomic responses and investments during the first six months of the pandemic.

This desk review summarises global and regional trends and best practices and techniques for reaching out remotely to women and girls who experience violence, including during lockdowns and to survivors of online violence.

UN Women is at the forefront of the global drive to remove gender barriers because we believe in a world of justice and human rights for everyone. Towards that end, and as the only United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality, we marshal the world’s best gender expertise and the considerable resources of the United Nations. We connect people in many realms, the national and international, the public and private, activists and officials. Together, our efforts are more than any of us could pursue alone.

This study and brief aim at providing insights on how gender and other intersecting inequalities impact the risk and vulnerability to HIV for women and girls in Africa.

To celebrate the “International Women’s Week” and the critical roles Libyan women have played in building the foundations for a peaceful transition, UN Women, supported by the European Union Delegation and the Embassy of Canada to Libya, organized an online symposium “Libya: Women at the Forefront” from 8 to 11 March 2021.

The analysis included in this report builds upon data collected through the LEAP project and sought to provide evidence around key resilience issues.

This report presents the results of the independent evaluation of UN Women’s ‘Strengthening the Resilience of Syrian Women and Girls and Host Communities’ (“Madad”) programme and offers lessons and recommendations for future programming on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Synthesis report includes country specific annexes for Iraq, Jordan and Turkey.

Given the unique vulnerability of Syrian refugee women to GBV and specific linkages to economic vulnerability, UN Women together with UNHCR and the ILO commissioned a study to explore the (relationships between livelihoods and protection risks for Syrian refugee women, with specific aim to ensure programming is designed to mitigate risks and maximize positive outcomes.

This brief presents a summary of the results of the independent evaluation of UN Women’s Strengthening the Resilience of Syrian Women and Girls and Host Communities (“Madad”) programme and offers lessons and recommendations for future programming on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

This paper summarizes some of the challenges young Libyan women face and offers recommendations for international, national, and local stakeholders. The challenges and recommendations outlined here are drawn directly from a series of conferences held with and by young Libyan women, and were developed through further research and consultation.

This analysis of the existing NAPs-WPS of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen was undertaken to assess and demonstrate the direct relevance of the plans to each country’s COVID-19 response. While NAPs-WPS are relevant in every crisis, the analysis highlights particular areas of overlap with specific global responses to COVID-19, thus providing critical evidence of the value of implementing nation action plans on women, peace and security in the current crisis.

Thanks to the support of the European Union (EU), and the Government of Japan and other donors, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) implemented the ‘Strengthening the Resilience of Syrian Women and Girls and Host Communities in Iraq, Jordan and Turkey’ programme. Building on the programme implementation experience, UN Women set up a no-cost collaboration with FAO to conceptualize a gender-sensitive resilience index based on FAO’s Resilience Measurement Analysis (RIMA) Model (FAO, 2016). The analysis builds upon data collected through the Madad programme monitoring and sought to provide evidence around key resilience issues.

In Iraq, the UN system is committed to supporting the government to overcome these unparalleled crises, through the 2020-2024 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) designed to support the State and Iraqi people to achieve their National Development Plan targets, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. This includes supporting a diversified economy, preceded by reforms to encourage private sector investment, to make the country more resilient to oil shocks and to boost employment in highly productive sectors.

The brief highlights the significant role women play in the response to combating the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as health care professionals, home-based caregivers, and through their role as social facilitators and coordinators within communities. The response to the COVID-19 crisis highlights event more their essential contribution at all levels. In Morocco, women account for 57% of medical staff, 66% of paramedical staff and 64% of social sector civil servants.

This study aims to shed light on the economic and social impact of the crisis on women and girls and their prospects for employment, economic recovery, participation and empowerment. In this examination, the study also looks more broadly at the impact of conflict on women living in Libya and the current gender stereotypes and patriarchal social norms that shape their roles and