Ha Noi, 06 July 2010 – In an historic move, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously on Friday 2 July 2010 to create a new entity to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women and girls worldwide.

The establishment of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women – to be known as UN Women – is the result of years of negotiations between UN Member States, as well as concerted advocacy efforts by the global women’s movement. It is part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.

“We welcome the announcement of the new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women,” said UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam (a.i.) Ms. Nilgun Tas. “It is a great opportunity to consolidate and increase the coordination of gender work both globally and at the country level.”

UN Women merges and will build on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system, which focus exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment:

• Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW, established in 1946)  
• International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW, established in 1976)  
• Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI, established in 1997)
• United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, established in 1976)

As a One UN pilot country, UN Viet Nam and the Government of Viet Nam (GoV) have been working on gender issues in a more harmonized way including through the UN/GoV Joint Programme on Gender Equality, which goes beyond UN agency boundaries to address gender issues in the country in a more synchronized and effective manner.  

“The UN Country Team in Viet Nam has been piloting such coordination in support of national gender equality priorities, including within the UN/GoV Joint Programme on Gender Equality and the Gender Programme Coordination Group,” said Ms Tas.   

UN Women will be a dynamic and strong champion for women and girls, providing them with a powerful voice at the global, regional and local levels. It will enhance, not replace, efforts by other parts of the UN system  that will continue to work for gender equality and women’s empowerment in their areas of expertise.  

UN Women will have two key roles: it will support inter-governmental bodies such as the Commission on the Status of Women in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms, and it will help Member States to implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, as well as forging effective partnerships with civil society. It will also help the UN system to be accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progress.

During the establishment phase of UN Women, UNIFEM will continue to work with its partners, and every effort will be made to ensure the transition to the new structure proceeds smoothly and efficiently.

“UN Women will become fully operational on 1 January 2011,” said the Executive Director of UNIFEM in New York Ines Alberdi. “It is important to note that until then UNIFEM will continue to be fully operational as part of the new entity. Agreements made with UNIFEM, whether in the context of partnerships, programmes or funding arrangements, will then be transferred to and honoured by UN Women”.

Pernille Goodall
One UN Communications Team
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