UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations. Established in 1976, it provides financial and technical assistance to innovative approaches aimed at fostering women’s empowerment and gender equality. Today the organization’s work touches the lives of women and girls in more than 100 countries. UNIFEM also helps make the voices of women heard at the United Nations — to highlight critical issues and advocate for the implementation of existing commitments made to women.

Placing the realization of women’s human rights and security at the centre of all of its efforts, UNIFEM focuses its activities on four strategic goals:

  • Reducing women’s poverty and exclusion;
  • Ending violence against women;
  • Reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls;
  • Supporting women’s leadership in governance and post-conflict reconstruction.

To pursue these goals, UNIFEM is active in all regions and at different levels. It works with countries to formulate and implement laws and policies to eliminate gender 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.

UNIFEM has its headquarters in New York City and works worldwide out of 15 regional offices and two country programme offices. A dedicated group of volunteers and friends also provide valuable support to UNIFEM’s work, including the National Committees for UNIFEM (such as UNIFEM Canada) and the NGO Committee on UNIFEM.

UNIFEM Headquarters
Executive Director: Ines Alberdi
304 East 45th Street
15th Floor
New York, NY 10017
UNITED STATES
Tel: +1 212-906-6400
Fax: +1 212-906-6705
Website: http://www.unifem.org/