SDG5-25 West Coast Railways 37685 "Loch Arkaig" & SRPS Diesel Group owned 37403 "Isle of Mull" head to Dalnaspidal with "The Imperial Speysider" on the climb to Druimuachdar Summit - 19th March 2022

Julie Matatiken is the Senior Laboratory Technician at SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing. SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units. Julie works on site in Port Victoria both on the tuna fishing vessels, taking samples from fish in the ships' holds, and at SOCOMEP's laboratory performing histamine and salt and organoleptic analysis on the samples.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Vanessa, a worker from SOCOMEP, performs on-site monitoring and reporting on loading and unloading operations to cargo vessels, containers and discharges to the regional tuna processing factories. SOCOMEP is an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing.

SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Christel Jacques, 55, leads her Wildlife Club of 8-year-old children on an outing to learn about mangroves. The Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles are school-based clubs where 90 per cent of the club leaders are women. Jacques, who has received a national award for her work with the clubs, aims to “sensitize pupils to be friendly to the environment and how to become a responsible citizen, so that we could have a sustainable Seychelles.”

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Christel Jacques, 55, leads her Wildlife Club of 8-year-old children on an outing to learn about mangroves. The Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles are school-based clubs where 90 per cent of the club leaders are women. Jacques, who has received a national award for her work with the clubs, aims to “sensitize pupils to be friendly to the environment and how to become a responsible citizen, so that we could have a sustainable Seychelles.”

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Isabella Houareau is the Managing Director of SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing. SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units. Isabella believes that the traditionally male-dominated fisheries industry holds great potential for women’s economic empowerment, and her company continues to enact policies such as maternal leave and flexi-time to facilitate women’s participation in the workforce.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

2022, Joal, Senegal.

Mamie Laye poses with the fish that arrived today, which she will try to sell later today at the fishing port of Joal.

Learn more about the SSF Guidelines: www.fao.org/voluntary-guidelines-small-scale-fisheries/en/

© FAO/Sylvain Cherkaoui

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Jill Sparron, a Laboratory Technician at SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing, picks up her son from day care after work.

SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units. Jill works in SOCOMEP's laboratory performing histamine and salt and organoleptic analysis on samples of tuna.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Nicole is one of few women working on the ships and docks at the port of Port Victoria, Seychelles.

Nicole works for SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing. It stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Port of Victoria, Seychelles. A scene from daily office life at SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing.

SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Goals were scored for gender equality across the river from the United Nations, as the Global Goals World Cup took place on 19 September in Brooklyn, New York, to raise awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Women from all over the world have come here today to make the world a better place by using the power of sport to raise awareness on the SDGs,” Crown Princess Mary of Denmark said at the opening of the tournament, adding, “Sport has the power to change the world.”

One of the participating teams was the SDG5 Dream Team, a team composed of strong gender equality activists working towards changing the realities of women in their countries, each of them nominated by a high-level personality. Dina Smailova from Kazakhstan, who was nominated by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, played to raise awareness on sexual violence. A survivor of gang rape, with support from UN Women, she has consulted, guided and supported 200 women survivors in Kazakhstan and was instrumental in winning seven sexual violence cases just in the past year. Speaking at the event, Ms. Smailova encouraged women around the world to speak out and share their stories. “Don’t be silent, and you will be helped,” she said.

Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/9/news-event-scoring...

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Port of Victoria, Seychelles. A scene from daily office life at SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing.

SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Sylvanna Antat, Marine Research Officer with the Seychelles National Parks Authority, plays a leading role in mapping coral reefs in the waters around Mahe Island in Seychelles. The health of the coral reefs is important both ecologically and economically, as reefs are important for biodiversity, and they provide protection from coastal erosion and help mitigate storm damage.

Across the world, women’s leadership in conservation efforts is often invisible. In Seychelles, women spearhead sustainable practices and work to find practical solutions to counter the negative impacts of climate change and degradation of ocean environments.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Global Business and Philanthropy Leaders’ SDG-5 Forum for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

This high-level Forum will convene business and philanthropy leaders from around the world who are committed to advancing gender equality for women and girls. Business and philanthropy leaders are convening to pledge financial support and discuss how collective action from the public and private sectors can help to accelerate Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals, on women's empowerment and equality.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Sylvanna Antat, Marine Research Officer with the Seychelles National Parks Authority, plays a leading role in mapping coral reefs in the waters around Mahe Island in Seychelles. The health of the coral reefs is important both ecologically and economically, as reefs are important for biodiversity, and they provide protection from coastal erosion and help mitigate storm damage.

Across the world, women’s leadership in conservation efforts is often invisible. In Seychelles, women spearhead sustainable practices and work to find practical solutions to counter the negative impacts of climate change and degradation of ocean environments.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

2022, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Women sell dried fish at the fishing harbor.

Learn more about the SSF Guidelines: www.fao.org/voluntary-guidelines-small-scale-fisheries/en/

© FAO/Harsha Vadlamani

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Coumba Diaw, 48, overcame many cultural barriers to join politics. She is now the only female mayor of the Sagatta Djoloff commune in the region of Louga, Senegal, which is made up of 54 other municipalities, all headed by men. Diaw is a mother of 6—four girls and two boys aged 14 to 30. Her story shows the immense leadership potential that women have and how that contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 5 that calls for women’s leadership and participation at all levels of decision-making, including in politics.

Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/8/from-where-i-stand...

Photo: UN Women/Assane Gueye

Julie Matatiken is the Senior Laboratory Technician at SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing. SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units. Julie works on site in Port Victoria both on the tuna fishing vessels, taking samples from fish in the ships' holds, and at SOCOMEP's laboratory performing histamine and salt and organoleptic analysis on the samples.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Jill Sparron is a Laboratory Technician at SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing. SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units. Jill works in SOCOMEP's laboratory performing histamine and salt and organoleptic analysis on samples of tuna.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Christel Jacques, 55, leads her Wildlife Club of 8-year-old children on an outing to learn about mangroves. The Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles are school-based clubs where 90 per cent of the club leaders are women. Jacques, who has received a national award for her work with the clubs, aims to “sensitize pupils to be friendly to the environment and how to become a responsible citizen, so that we could have a sustainable Seychelles.”

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Nicole (at left) is one of few women working on the ships and docks at the port of Port Victoria, Seychelles.

Nicole works for SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing. It stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Jill Sparron, a Laboratory Technician at SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing, picks up her son from day care after work.

SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units. Jill works in SOCOMEP's laboratory performing histamine and salt and organoleptic analysis on samples of tuna.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

GA71 Side Event - Leaving No One Behind: Agents of Change for Achieving Goal 5 and the 2030 Agenda during the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 24 September 2016.

While there are many diverse actors working to implement the 2030 Agenda, the voices and perspectives of those working at the grassroots and local level are central to ensuring that real and inclusive change is made. Women’s civil society and human rights organizations, girls’ activist groups, and men and boys engaged in advancing gender equality at the local level, have a unique role to play in our collective realization of SDG5 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development more broadly.

Through this high-level event Canada, UN Women and other partners are providing a space to promote the important role of these civil society actors and partners as agents of change, in the context of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by the year 2030.

Speakers, Panelists, Participants Include:

Elizabeth Plank, Moderator; Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Canada; Shahriar Alam, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Denmark; Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, The Commonwealt; Gary Cohen, Together for Girls Founder; Laure Zonga-Hien, Ministre de la Femme, de la Solidarité nationale et de la Famille, Burkina Faso; Patricia Herdt, OIF; Sister Winifred Doherty, Director, Working Group on Girls; Mervis, Plan International Girl Advocate; Eneless, Plan International Girl Advocate; Aasha, Girl Activist, Working Group on Girls; Dr. Alaa Murabit, Voice of Libyan Women; Ishita Chaudhry, Member, High Level Task Force, International Conference on Population and Development;

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Goals were scored for gender equality across the river from the United Nations, as the Global Goals World Cup took place on 19 September in Brooklyn, New York, to raise awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Women from all over the world have come here today to make the world a better place by using the power of sport to raise awareness on the SDGs,” Crown Princess Mary of Denmark said at the opening of the tournament, adding, “Sport has the power to change the world.”

One of the participating teams was the SDG5 Dream Team, a team composed of strong gender equality activists working towards changing the realities of women in their countries, each of them nominated by a high-level personality. Dina Smailova from Kazakhstan, who was nominated by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, played to raise awareness on sexual violence. A survivor of gang rape, with support from UN Women, she has consulted, guided and supported 200 women survivors in Kazakhstan and was instrumental in winning seven sexual violence cases just in the past year. Speaking at the event, Ms. Smailova encouraged women around the world to speak out and share their stories. “Don’t be silent, and you will be helped,” she said.

Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/9/news-event-scoring...

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Sylvanna Antat, Marine Research Officer with the Seychelles National Parks Authority, plays a leading role in mapping coral reefs in the waters around Mahe Island in Seychelles. The health of the coral reefs is important both ecologically and economically, as reefs are important for biodiversity, and they provide protection from coastal erosion and help mitigate storm damage.

Across the world, women’s leadership in conservation efforts is often invisible. In Seychelles, women spearhead sustainable practices and work to find practical solutions to counter the negative impacts of climate change and degradation of ocean environments.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Christel Jacques, 55, leads her Wildlife Club of 8-year-old children on an outing to learn about mangroves. The Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles are school-based clubs where 90 per cent of the club leaders are women. Jacques, who has received a national award for her work with the clubs, aims to “sensitize pupils to be friendly to the environment and how to become a responsible citizen, so that we could have a sustainable Seychelles.”

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Sylvanna Antat, Marine Research Officer with the Seychelles National Parks Authority, plays a leading role in mapping coral reefs in the waters around Mahe Island in Seychelles. The health of the coral reefs is important both ecologically and economically, as reefs are important for biodiversity, and they provide protection from coastal erosion and help mitigate storm damage.

Across the world, women’s leadership in conservation efforts is often invisible. In Seychelles, women spearhead sustainable practices and work to find practical solutions to counter the negative impacts of climate change and degradation of ocean environments.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Scenes from the CSW62 Side Event: Empowering Women Across the Humanitarian Development Nexus held at UN Headquarters on 20 March 2018.

Gender equality in humanitarian action, recovery, reconstruction and development is underfunded and under-prioritised. While women and girls are disproportionately affected by crises, only 1.7% of humanitarian programming targets gender equality and women's empowerment, and only 1.6 % of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in 2016 went to address gender-based violence. Similarly, a mere 2% of all aid to peace and security in fragile states and economies targeted gender equality as a principal objective. Advancing SDG5 in crises contexts should be a priority and a key strategy for building back better, sustaining peace and achieving security for all.

Whether in crisis zones, in refugee camps or as returnees, women play active roles sustaining their families and rebuilding their communities. Displaced women who are unmarried or separated from their husbands, for example, are often unable to register their newborn children in the countries in which they have sought refuge. It gives rise to denial of access to basic resources including health care, education and employment. Protecting their rights and harnessing their knowledge and leadership is vital for the achievement of lasting peace and sustainable development.

Towards this end, UNDP, UN Women, and UNHCR are preparing a joint initiative to enhance the coordination and the capacities of the UN Country Teams in selected crisis and post crisis countries to deliver better results together with national and local governments and civil society on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Sylvanna Antat, Marine Research Officer with the Seychelles National Parks Authority, plays a leading role in mapping coral reefs in the waters around Mahe Island in Seychelles. The health of the coral reefs is important both ecologically and economically, as reefs are important for biodiversity, and they provide protection from coastal erosion and help mitigate storm damage.

Across the world, women’s leadership in conservation efforts is often invisible. In Seychelles, women spearhead sustainable practices and work to find practical solutions to counter the negative impacts of climate change and degradation of ocean environments.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Christel Jacques, 55, leads her Wildlife Club of 8-year-old children on an outing to learn about mangroves. The Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles are school-based clubs where 90 per cent of the club leaders are women. Jacques, who has received a national award for her work with the clubs, aims to “sensitize pupils to be friendly to the environment and how to become a responsible citizen, so that we could have a sustainable Seychelles.”

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Coumba Diaw, 48, overcame many cultural barriers to join politics. She is now the only female mayor of the Sagatta Djoloff commune in the region of Louga, Senegal, which is made up of 54 other municipalities, all headed by men. Diaw is a mother of 6—four girls and two boys aged 14 to 30. Her story shows the immense leadership potential that women have and how that contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 5 that calls for women’s leadership and participation at all levels of decision-making, including in politics.

Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/8/from-where-i-stand...

Photo: UN Women/Assane Gueye

Over 7000 runners from around 45 countries ran at the @Skopje Marathon to support ‪#‎genderequality‬! United Nations agencies in fYR ‪#‎Macedonia‬ promoted Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls at the marathon. A group of twelve marathon runners dressed in orange costumes to bring attention to ‪#‎SDG5‬ among other runners and the public.

Read more: ow.ly/E9O13015bax

Photo: Idea Lab

Goals were scored for gender equality across the river from the United Nations, as the Global Goals World Cup took place on 19 September in Brooklyn, New York, to raise awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Women from all over the world have come here today to make the world a better place by using the power of sport to raise awareness on the SDGs,” Crown Princess Mary of Denmark said at the opening of the tournament, adding, “Sport has the power to change the world.”

One of the participating teams was the SDG5 Dream Team, a team composed of strong gender equality activists working towards changing the realities of women in their countries, each of them nominated by a high-level personality. Dina Smailova from Kazakhstan, who was nominated by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, played to raise awareness on sexual violence. A survivor of gang rape, with support from UN Women, she has consulted, guided and supported 200 women survivors in Kazakhstan and was instrumental in winning seven sexual violence cases just in the past year. Speaking at the event, Ms. Smailova encouraged women around the world to speak out and share their stories. “Don’t be silent, and you will be helped,” she said.

Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/9/news-event-scoring...

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

In Port Victoria Seychelles, a stevedore prepares tuna to be lifted off of a vessel via net and crane while workers from SOCOMEP perform on-site monitoring and reporting on loading and unloading operations. SOCOMEP is an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing.

SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Scenes from the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) Side Event: A Feminist Accountability Framework: What the World Needs to Achieve Gender Equality and All the Sustainable Development Goals, co-sponsored by ICRW and its partners Equal Measures 2030, Save the Children, Global Citizen, Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO), UN Women, the Government of Costa Rica, and the Government of Zambia. Held at the Church Centre in New York on 18 July 2017.

Pictured Above: Charlotte Bunch, Founding Director and Senior Scholar, at the Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University

Speakers included:

Eleanor Blomstrom, Co-Director and Head of Office at WEDO, Women’s Major Group Chair

Charlotte Bunch, Founding Director and Senior Scholar, at the Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University

Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women

Ambassador Rolando Castro, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent of Costa Rica to the United Nations

Wallace Nguluwe, Gender Specialist, Ministry of Gender, Zambia

Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Program Director, ARROW (representing Women’s Major Group)

Alison Holder, Director, Equal Measures 2030

Jenny Ottenhoff, Policy Director, Global Health at ONE

Grace Choi, Associate Director for Global Gender Policy & Advocacy, Save the Children USA

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Coumba Diaw, 48, overcame many cultural barriers to join politics. She is now the only female mayor of the Sagatta Djoloff commune in the region of Louga, Senegal, which is made up of 54 other municipalities, all headed by men. Diaw is a mother of 6—four girls and two boys aged 14 to 30. Her story shows the immense leadership potential that women have and how that contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 5 that calls for women’s leadership and participation at all levels of decision-making, including in politics.

Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/8/from-where-i-stand...

Photo: UN Women/Assane Gueye

Coumba Diaw, 48, overcame many cultural barriers to join politics. She is now the only female mayor of the Sagatta Djoloff commune in the region of Louga, Senegal, which is made up of 54 other municipalities, all headed by men. Diaw is a mother of 6—four girls and two boys aged 14 to 30. Her story shows the immense leadership potential that women have and how that contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 5 that calls for women’s leadership and participation at all levels of decision-making, including in politics.

Read More: www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/8/from-where-i-stand...

Photo: UN Women/Assane Gueye

Jill Sparron is a Laboratory Technician at SOCOMEP, an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing. SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units. Jill works in SOCOMEP's laboratory performing histamine and salt and organoleptic analysis on samples of tuna.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

In Port Victoria Seychelles, stevedores prepare tuna to be lifted off of a vessel via net and crane while workers from SOCOMEP perform on-site monitoring and reporting on loading and unloading operations. SOCOMEP is an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry – industrial tuna fishing.

SOCOMEP stands out for its inclusion of women across all areas of the company’s work, including its managerial and scientific units.

Recently, UN Women visited Seychelles in continuation of a project with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). IORA is committed to advancing sustainable development and recognizes the Blue Economy and the empowerment of women and girls as important areas for collaboration in the dynamic and diverse communities of the region. Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. This is especially true for regions such as the Indian Ocean Rim. However, women have often been excluded from traditionally male-dominated employment, such as the fishing industry.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Scenes from the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) Side Event: A Feminist Accountability Framework: What the World Needs to Achieve Gender Equality and All the Sustainable Development Goals, co-sponsored by ICRW and its partners Equal Measures 2030, Save the Children, Global Citizen, Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO), UN Women, the Government of Costa Rica, and the Government of Zambia. Held at the Church Centre in New York on 18 July 2017.

Speakers included:

Eleanor Blomstrom, Co-Director and Head of Office at WEDO, Women’s Major Group Chair

Charlotte Bunch, Founding Director and Senior Scholar, at the Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University

Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women

Ambassador Rolando Castro, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent of Costa Rica to the United Nations

Wallace Nguluwe, Gender Specialist, Ministry of Gender, Zambia

Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Program Director, ARROW (representing Women’s Major Group)

Alison Holder, Director, Equal Measures 2030

Jenny Ottenhoff, Policy Director, Global Health at ONE

Grace Choi, Associate Director for Global Gender Policy & Advocacy, Save the Children USA

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Scenes from the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) Side Event: A Feminist Accountability Framework: What the World Needs to Achieve Gender Equality and All the Sustainable Development Goals, co-sponsored by ICRW and its partners Equal Measures 2030, Save the Children, Global Citizen, Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO), UN Women, the Government of Costa Rica, and the Government of Zambia. Held at the Church Centre in New York on 18 July 2017.

Pictured Above: Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Program Director, ARROW

Eleanor Blomstrom, Co-Director and Head of Office at WEDO, Women’s Major Group Chair

Charlotte Bunch, Founding Director and Senior Scholar, at the Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University

Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women

Ambassador Rolando Castro, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent of Costa Rica to the United Nations

Wallace Nguluwe, Gender Specialist, Ministry of Gender, Zambia

Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Program Director, ARROW (representing Women’s Major Group)

Alison Holder, Director, Equal Measures 2030

Jenny Ottenhoff, Policy Director, Global Health at ONE

Grace Choi, Associate Director for Global Gender Policy & Advocacy, Save the Children USA

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

On Twitter: twitter.com/UN_Women/status/887394069361680385

Scenes from the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) Side Event: A Feminist Accountability Framework: What the World Needs to Achieve Gender Equality and All the Sustainable Development Goals, co-sponsored by ICRW and its partners Equal Measures 2030, Save the Children, Global Citizen, Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO), UN Women, the Government of Costa Rica, and the Government of Zambia. Held at the Church Centre in New York on 18 July 2017.

Pictured Above: Eleanor Blomstrom, Co-Director and Head of Office at WEDO, Women’s Major Group Chair

Speakers included:

Eleanor Blomstrom, Co-Director and Head of Office at WEDO, Women’s Major Group Chair

Charlotte Bunch, Founding Director and Senior Scholar, at the Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University

Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women

Ambassador Rolando Castro, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent of Costa Rica to the United Nations

Wallace Nguluwe, Gender Specialist, Ministry of Gender, Zambia

Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Program Director, ARROW (representing Women’s Major Group)

Alison Holder, Director, Equal Measures 2030

Jenny Ottenhoff, Policy Director, Global Health at ONE

Grace Choi, Associate Director for Global Gender Policy & Advocacy, Save the Children USA

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown