About

UNIFEM

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is the women's fund at the United Nations, dedicated to advancing women’s rights and achieving gender equality. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programs and strategies that foster women's empowerment.

Established in 1976, UNIFEM has touched the lives of women and girls around the world. UNIFEM maintains strong ties to both women’s organisations and governments, linking them with the UN system to join national and international political action, and to create momentum for change.

UNIFEM focuses its activities on one overarching goal: to support the implementation at the national level of existing international commitments to advance gender equality. In support of this goal, UNIFEM works in the following thematic areas:

  • Enhancing women’s economic security and rights.
  • Ending violence against women.
  • Reducing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among women and girls.
  • Advancing gender justice in democratic governance in stable and fragile states.

Active in all regions and at different levels, UNIFEM works with countries to formulate and implement laws and policies to eliminate discrimination and promote gender equality in such areas as land and inheritance rights, decent work for women, and ending violence against women. UNIFEM also aims to transform institutions to make them more accountable to gender equality and women’s rights, to strengthen the capacity and voice of women’s rights advocates, and to change harmful and discriminatory practices in society.

Two international agreements frame UNIFEM's work: the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action resulting from the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), known as the women's bill of rights. The spirit of these agreements has been affirmed by the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 on women, peace and security, and 1820 on sexual violence in conflict are crucial references for UNIFEM’s work in support of women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

UNIFEM Australia is the National Committee for UNIFEM in Australia. UNIFEM Australia began in 1989. UNIFEM Australia is one of 16 National Committee’s around the world. The National Committee’s support UNIFEM through membership programs, raising public awareness about gender and development issues and supporting regional programs through fundraising. Since 1989, UNIFEM Australia has been holding and supporting International Women’s Day Events which now involve more than 15,000 women and men celebrating the Day around the country.