UN Women

During the first Regional Care Forum organized by UN Women Europe and Central Asia we were honored to have as speaker Vera Ora ,who as a professional psychiatrist in the healthcare sector and as a woman who has experienced caregiving responsibilities in her personal life in UK, she shared her perspective on the importance of care — not only for #womensempowerment and #genderequality , but also for the wellbeing, dignity, and resilience of our societies. Sincere gratitude to Vera Ora for her willingness and support in this highly meaningful initiative 🙏🤗

A pleasure to meet with Dima Jweihan , the new Acting Secretary General of The Jordanian National Commission for Women , earlier today, and to congratulate her on her appointment. Since its creation at the initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Basma bint Talal 30 years ago, UN Women has worked hand in hand with the Commission to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women in #Jordan . After 3 and a half year of working closely with the former SG, Maha Ali , I look forward to our continued partnership under Dima's leadership.

After 10+ years working across the UN system and international development sector, I am currently open to consulting and advisory opportunities in gender equality, social policy, safeguarding and inclusive development programming. I have worked with organizations including UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF, ILO, the World Bank and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, supporting governments, UN Agencies and civil society partners across policy development, coordination, evaluation and evidence-based programming across Southern and Eastern Africa. My areas of expertise include: • Gender equality and human rights mainstreaming • GBV prevention, safeguarding and PSEA systems • LNOB and inclusive programming approaches • CEDAW, UNSCR 1325 and normative reporting processes • Social protection and gender-responsive policy reform • Research, policy analysis and knowledge management • Multi-country programme evaluations and institutional assessments • Strategic reporting, legal and policy mapping • Multi-stakeholder coordination and institutional strengthening • Capacity development, facilitation and technical advisory support My experience spans both development and humanitarian contexts, with a strong focus on advancing inclusive policies, strengthening institutional systems and supporting evidence-informed programming. I would be glad to connect with organizations seeking technical expertise in gender equality, social inclusion, safeguarding, research, evaluation or policy advisory work. Open to remote, regional and short-term international consultancy assignments. 📩 Mwansasmv@gmail.com 🔗 LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/dAhkm5Yr

Since 2012, the UN Women #Jordan Country Office has been implementing its flagship #Oasis Program, which aims at providing comprehensive support to Syrian #refugee women and vulnerable Jordanian women through a network of 22 centers, 4 in Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps and 18 in host communities located in poverty pockets in 11 governorates around the Kingdom. Since its inception, the program has empowered over 100,000 individuals directly and indirectly with leadership skills, protection services, and livelihood and economic empowerment through professional skills development and entrepreneurship training opportunities. Results from the past years show that the Oasis program has significantly improved access to income for women, 81% of which had no prior work experience or economic activity. Notably, 25% of Jordanian women and 15% of Syrian refugee women accessed income generating opportunities within 4-6 months of participation. Yesterday and after a year of working hand in hand with the MOSD_JORDAN Ministry Of Social Development , to redesign the program to align it with the Economic Modernization Vision and the new National Protection Strategy, and with support from the European Union , we signed a new agreement with the ministry transferring to them the direct management of 6 of these centers. This is an important step towards the institutionalization of the Oasis model which aligns directly with the government's aim of doubling women's labor force participation by 2033. European Union in Jordan UN Women Brussels #EconomicEmpowerment #PovertyAlleviation #GenderEquality

My sincere thanks to #Switzerland for its continued leadership, and for the new multi-year agreement. Predictable funding is what allows UN Women to deliver at scale. It was a pleasure to meet with Ambassador Nicole Ruder at the Swiss Development Cooperation in Bern as well as Ambassador Thomas Guerber in Geneva, reaffirming this strong partnership. At a time of complex global challenges, sustained political will, partnerships and commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s rights remain our most important drivers of change. As we implement our Strategic Plan 2026–2029, we are committed to matching this trust with the highest standards of accountability, including through robust evaluation and a culture that continuously learns and improves.

One of the most important lessons in efforts to end violence against women and girls is that durable results depend on more than interventions alone. They depend on whether feminist actors have the space, strength, knowledge, and collective power to lead change over time. The European Union - funded #ACTtoEndViolence Programme, implemented by UN Women and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and Girls , continues to demonstrate the value of this broader approach. Across #partner reflections and areas of work, there is a clear recognition that advocacy, coalition building, transformative feminist action, organizational resilience, practice-based learning, and self and collective care are not parallel conversations. They are mutually reinforcing components of an effective and sustainable response. This is particularly significant for policy and donor audiences. Too often, violence against women and girls is approached through short-term outputs without equal attention to the systems and infrastructures required to sustain progress. Yet advocacy is what helps move issues into public and policy priority. Coalition building is what strengthens alignment, legitimacy, and influence. Transformative feminist action is what challenges the norms and power structures that allow violence to persist. At the same time, #OrganizationalResilience and care are increasingly impossible to treat as secondary concerns. In contexts shaped by backlash, constrained civic space, and growing pressure on women’s rights organizations, resilience is a strategic necessity. So too is care. Not as an add-on, but as part of how movements protect leadership, sustain action, and resist exhaustion in the face of long-term struggle. Equally important is the role of practice-based knowledge and learning. The field of ending violence against women and girls must continue to value the insights generated through feminist practice, community engagement, and lived experience. These forms of knowledge are essential to designing responses that are both credible and contextually grounded. What this reinforces is a simple but important point: if we are serious about ending violence against women and girls, we must be equally serious about investing in the feminist ecosystems that make that goal achievable. #EndVAWG #Advocacy #CoalitionBuilding Initiative Pananetugri (IPBF) Women Aid Collective (WACOL) WOMEN IN POLITICS FORUM Tostan Equipop Abiola Akiyode Dynamique des Femmes Juristes ONG Nouveaux Droits de l'Homme Cyrille Rolande Bechon Florence Raes

(English below) Les femmes savent, mieux que quiconque, ce dont elles ont besoin pour renforcer l’impact de leur action dans leurs communautés. En tant qu’ONU Femmes, engagée dans la mise en œuvre de l’Agenda Femmes, Paix et Sécurité, nous avons appris une chose essentielle : notre rôle commence par l’écoute. Une écoute humble. Une écoute attentive. Une écoute consciente de l’expertise précieuse de ces femmes. Car si beaucoup n’ont pas eu accès aux bancs de l’école, elles sont pourtant les piliers invisibles de la résilience : elles maintiennent les familles unies, soutiennent leurs communautés et portent l’espoir, même au cœur des crises les plus profondes. À Sibut et à Dekoa, ces femmes nous ont confié bien plus que des témoignages. Elles nous ont partagé, comme un trésor à faire grandir, les clés de la force de leurs communautés. Nous leur devons respect, reconnaissance… et action. Fière de pouvoir les accompagner à travers nos initiatives de soutien aux organisations de la société civile, rendues possibles grâce au United Nations Peacebuilding Fund et au Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund , sous la coordination du Ministère de la Promotion du Genre, de la Protection de la Femme, de la Famille et de l’Enfant. Écouter. Apprendre. Agir. Ensemble. #FemmesPaixSécurité #LeadershipFéminin #Résilience #Développement #Afrique ⸻ Women know, better than anyone, what they need to strengthen the impact of their work within their communities. At UN Women, as we support the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, we have learned one fundamental truth: our work starts with listening. Listening with humility. Listening with intention. Listening with deep respect for the expertise these women hold. Because even when many have not had the opportunity to sit in a classroom, they remain the backbone of resilience— holding families together, sustaining communities, and carrying hope through the most difficult crises. In Sibut and Dekoa, these women entrusted us with more than stories. They shared, like a treasure to be nurtured, the very foundations of their communities’ strength. We owe them respect, recognition… and meaningful action. Proud to support them through direct funding to civil society organizations, made possible thanks to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund , under close supervision from the Ministry in charge of Gender Promotion. Listen. Learn. Act. Together. #WomenPeaceSecurity #WomenLeadership #Resilience #Development #Africa