This newsletter captures the latest updates on the implementation of the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) in Lebanon. The newsletter includes the key highlights and achievements of the WPHF programme partners' towards enhancing women’s participation in the Beirut Port Explosion’s response and recovery process.

The Swiss Embassy in Tunisia has provided financial support for the UN Women's programme "Contribute to the establishment of a system of collection and production of gender statistics in Tunisia" and within this framework that this study is contributing to the implementation of a system of collection and production of gender statistics in Tunisia in collaboration with strategic partners, mainly the National Council of Statistics.

Women-owned businesses (WOBs) in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region could make significant contributions to entrepreneurial activity and countries’ economic growth, but face challenges and barriers. This report examines access to finance in the United Arab Emirates for WOBs; describes government and private measures to promote women’s entrepreneurship; looks at global best practices and makes recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders to improve women-owned businesses’ access to financing.

This brief presents a short description of the running programme “Men and Women for Gender Equality” in Tunisia, that seeks to mobilize men and boys to challenge gender stereotypes, change attitudes and behaviors to combat gender inequalities, and entice a change in social norms that discriminate against women and girls.

This brief provides evidence of the different ways in which women’s rights organizations have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the predicament that many of them face of increased relevance and demand at the same time as civic closure, restrictive work conditions, and diminishing funding.

Le Bureau du Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux Droits de l'Homme en Tunisie, l’ONU Femmes Tunisie et le Centre de recherche, d’études, de Documentation et d’Information sur la Femme(CREDIF) ont conjointement réalisé une étude relative à l’état des lieux des inégalités et de la discrimination à l’encontre des femmes et des filles dans la législation tunisienne en en 2016 puis mise à jour en 2021.

This newsletter captures the latest updates on the implementation of the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) in Lebanon. The newsletter includes the key highlights and achievements of the WPHF programme partners' towards enhancing women’s participation in the Beirut Port Explosion’s response and recovery process.

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.

This assessment developed by UNW, UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF demonstrate gender inequalities across the Syrian refugee population, limiting access, rights and opportunities for women and girls, particularly as related to economic participation, education, food insecurity, humanitarian assistance, legal issues, and wider protections, including sexual and gender-based violence.

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe and throughout the Arab States. The coronavirus pandemic is challenging hard-earned progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and further exposing the detrimental effect gender inequality has on individuals, society, and the economy.

The members of Lebanon’s Feminist Civil Society Platform met on 22 September to express their concern about the drastic regression of women’s representation in the recently formed government in Lebanon. Women’s rights and opportunities to equal participation in decision-making should be institutionalized; therefore, the signatories to this statement issued a list of demands that must be met in order to truly encompass a fair and equitable space for women in the political sphere. The statement highlights the upcoming parliamentary and municipal elections and reiterates the demands made by the Platform since August 4, 2020.

The brief explores the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and its gender dimensions in conflict settings with a focus on gender-based violence (GBV), women’s participation in decision-making, labour markets and livelihoods. The paper outlines gender issues and recommendations for stakeholders and national/international actors with the aim of providing effective mitigation measures and actions in response to COVID-19.

This UN Women newsletter is a brief summary of news related to women’s rights and gender equality in Lebanon during the reporting period. It also includes data and trends regarding the impact of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and girls in Lebanon, and on UN Women’s work at both the individual, community and national level, to respond to the crisis.

Women have been at the core of Lebanon’s popular protests since they began on October 17, 2019. Assessing the first 58 days of protests, this paper seeks to contribute to the documentation of women’s representation, roles, and demands within Lebanon’s protests, while also examining the use of gendered language and norms by all sides of thecountry’s complex landscape. It situates this action within the broader women, peace and security framework, which recognizes women as political actors and peace and security leaders and brokers.

In Lebanon, the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering conducted an opinion poll on child marriage and are using the results as a basis to sensitize the public as well as political parties on this issue. Meetings are conducted with parliamentarians and political parties to introduce RDFL’s proposed law and lobby for its discussion in parliament and thereafter adoption and ratification. The project promotes the engagement of men and boys from political parties, media outlets, as decision...

The regional programme Men and Women for Gender Equality produced a brief that includes 10 strategies to engage men and boys in partnership with women and girls to achieve gender equality. These strategies were developed and field-tested during the three years of implementation (2015-2018) of the programme in Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Palestine.

Conducted by UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA, and ESCWA, this study on Gender Justice & the Law in the Arab States Region provides a comprehensive assessment of laws and policies affecting gender equality and protection against gender-based violence in Arab countries. The report is composed of 18 country profiles, each of which maps a country’s key legislative developments and gaps regarding gender justice. This introduction provides an overall summary of these country chapters followed by a...

This toolkit is about how youth can advocate strategically for gender equality and empowerment of young women. It highlights ways in which youth can influence decision-making at community, local and national levels to achieve gender equality. An important running thread through the toolkit is on engaging young men as gender equality advocates. This toolkit is for individual young women and young men, youth-led groups, networks and movements, including youth-focused organizations and other...

This guidance note draws data and recommendations from IMAGES MENA on the topic of raising children more gender equitably. It provides actionable steps and guidance on how civil society partners and UN actors can design and adapt programming and influence a policy environment that promotes equality at work and at home This note was produced under the UN Women Men and Women for Gender Equality Programme, Arab States Regional Office, funded by the Swedish International Development...